August 7, 2010 56 Comments

Premium WordPress Themes

You’ve noticed that I switched from Thesis to the Genesis WordPress Theme (affiliate link) on this site. The reason, as I’ve explained, was mostly a business decision. I wanted more access to other premium WordPress Themes. If you bought Thesis, congratulations. It’s a good theme, and I think you’ll be pleased. If you’re still considering switching to a premium WordPress theme, here are some notes.

Which Themes Do I Use?

At this point, I support the following WordPress Themes:

Genesis:

Thesis

Standard

What’s the Difference?

All three themes I’ve used are “framework” themes.

I am working on researching a few more themes, to understand what works and doesn’t, what’s recommended for one kind of service versus another. In lots of cases, what I’m finding is that some developers create themes to act like frameworks (Thesis does this one way; Genesis does it another way), whereas other themes just act as standalone solutions. The difference is that developers and designers can extend frameworks with a little extra effort but a lot less “unraveling” of how things work, whereas the standalones just make it easier for a novice to get a good effect right out of the box.

For me, I like using framework themes because I work with designers who make them turn pretty for me. For you, if you’re planning to do more of the work yourself, it might be better to do something with standalone themes that have a design built in. It’s up to you.

Should you even use a premium WordPress theme?

That’s up to you. To me, the dividing line comes with whether you’re planning something professional versus blogging for your passion and enjoyment.

What Will It Cost?

The themes above range in price from the low $50s (USD) to around $90 (USD). That just buys you the theme, though. In some cases, you might want to just tweak and poke and add your logo, and do it yourself. That’s just fine.

If you need design help (not counting a logo), expect to pay somewhere between $500 – $2000 depending on how fancy you want your design to be. (It can be more, if you do a lot of other integration work, but that’s the going rate I’m seeing these days.)

Other Premium Themes

There are plenty of other premium themes. As I start to explore more of them, I will tell you about the ones I end up using and liking. In all cases, if I find a theme I like, I’ll sign up to be an affiliate, as I think it’s a great way to make a few extra dollars while sharing products I like. Rest assured, I’ll never promote something I don’t think is worthwhile. It’s never going to be worth a few bucks to steer you into something stinky for either of us. (If you want to become a StudioPress affiliate, click here.)

Any Questions? Need a Designer?

If you’re on the fence on using a premium WordPress theme, feel free to ask questions in the comments section. I’m sure that bunches of us will have an opinion and some ideas on how to help. Need a designer? I have a few I happily refer. How else can I be helpful?

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Find out more about the framework features
Check out the Genesis demo and the wide variety of child themes
See example designs in the Genesis design showcase

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

http://www.AskTheWealthSquad.com TheWealthSquad

Hey Chris

Excellent short article on why you switched themes. I use Thesis and like it a lot. Since i do most of my own design work, I like sticking with one system so I can understand it better and be more efficient at it.

Do you do any comparison for SEO and other features or do you primarily focus on the Design portion of it?

Enjoy reading your articles.
http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress John Richardson

I've used all three. I use the Genesis platinum theme for my main blog and it works real well with the ScribeSEO service. I like the Genesis Parent/child feature because I don't have to tweak everything when a Genesis update comes out.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Thanks for asking. I haven't done much more than very basic SEO with any of my theme use, and as none of my sites as of yet have much value in being SEO maximized, I'm not really a good benchmark. I use Scribe (affiliate link) if I really need the copy to be SEO-enhanced, but my use of SEO on my site is very minimal.
http://www.socialphototalk.com Aaron Hockley

One consideration is that if one is plunking down cash for a premium theme, talk to others and find out the quality of the support options. Thesis' community and online support forum is AWESOME, with quick, accurate responses to any questions. I tried out a Woo Theme and was pretty disappointed. It appears that there really is no community participation in their forums, it's pretty much just users asking questions and the only folks responding are the company personnel.

Also, whereas I could find answers to Thesis questions in minutes or hours, my Woo question took four days to resolve.
http://homesbythomas.posterous.com/ Thomas Cunningham

Chris,
It's interesting that you touched on this subject. At this time, I'm currently working with a Designer to completely rework my Website. I'm choosing to go with a WordPress format as well but have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of Themes to choose, whether their Premium or not.
I'm still not sure which direction I'll go but what I am Sure of is that I don't want my Website to have the same Look & Feel as most of the other Real Estate sites that are all over the web. I believe in Originality as well as Form & Function. Please keep me posted of your research and experience along your Journey. Good Luck!
@Homesbythomas
http://www.nathanrice.net/ Nathan Rice

We can always fix that :-) If/when you're ready to start maximizing your onsite SEO, let Brian know and we'll make some recommendations and implement whatever you're comfortable with.

Oh, and BTW, I'm Nathan. I'm the guy who built Genesis (I work for StudioPress). :-)
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Did you stop using Press 75's Video Elements theme for Man on the Go, then? Or is that still in use?
http://diapmedia.com T.J. Loftus

Hey Chris, thanks for your post. I just wanted to share we have been happy with Canvas premium theme from WooThemes. It is also a great framework and they have an affiliate program. Very user friendly whether you are a designer or not. Easy to upload logos, favicons, and manipulate the theme in their theme options.
Katybeth

I use Thesis but its been crashing a lot lately. My web person says its a Thesis/Wordpress stability issue. I have stopped running most plug ins and that seemed to help. Is there a Thesis expert out there that I can speak to…I don't know enough about the backdoor stuff to find the Thesis forum useful. Maybe I need to buy some new Designer time to see where we have gone astray?
http://www.timemanagementninja.com Craig Jarrow

Chris,

Great timing of this. I just moved my site to Standard Theme 2…this morning!

Which of your sites is on Standard?

It is sharp! However, I got a bit over my head with the required customization. :)

Craig
http://JohnSaddington.com John Saddington

Thanks Chris! http://standardtheme.com won't let you down. We're excited to create a premium blogging theme for WordPress which goes above and beyond expectations in terms of coding, SEO optimization (load speed too), and best practices.

It's been a pleasure to build it and see people succeed with it!
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Not ready to show you that site YET, but will before the end of August, if things go right. : )
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I've never seen a theme crash. I can imagine it might be a plugin thing. Unless you're doing something strange that's rarely done.

You might check in with @wefixwp. They're good at running down troubles.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I use it, but am not sure I want to endorse it yet. Still searching out other video themes to see if I have one that I like more.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

That's a good point. Support is always an issue. In my case, I know all the makers of the themes, so I get a slightly different level of service. I think overall, having good forums is probably the best way out of it, plus having a responsive support line.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Hi Nathan. Your work's been wonderful. Thank you for your help. And yeah… I just don't known what to do with SEO. I mean, what should I rank for? I rank for weird things, you know.

Grow bigger ears.
You're doing it wrong.

Things like that.
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Gotcha – cheers :)
http://www.anywhereman.com daveyank

I've really been exploring and enjoying all the “framework” themes that are popping up. Headway is another that I've started fiddling with. So far, though, I'd say Genesis is the one that's really impressed me. I make my living setting up dynamic websites for my clients and being able to build on top of WordPress with the Genesis framework really gives them a ton of control once I turn the site over to them. It's a nice setup.

That being said, I'll throw my name in the hat if anyone is looking for help developing a successful WordPress website. Shameless plug, but WordPress is where it's at!!! Especially with the new (and super useful) features in version 3.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

So you're a developer, Dave? Good to know. : )
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Cool! Checking it out. Thanks, Danny.
http://pixelcurrents.com Annie Boccio

I'll add a plus one for the On Demand theme, two of my clients use it and I'm very impressed with how well built it is, when I ask it to do something that would break a lesser theme it holds up nicely.

As a WordPress designer/dev I've moved almost exclusively to customizing premium themes, for just the reasons you've mentioned. I can concentrate on those weird tweaks people always seem to need and not worry about re-inventing the wheel. And yes- good support really matters! Nothing worse than trying to read the mind of some developer who's dropped off the face of the earth.
http://www.BlogWranglers.com Jim Spencer

Hey Chris,

What kind of “trial and error” experiences have you had fixing the site or blog after switching themes? I am thinking that not all themes provide all of the same benefits or in the same way.
http://rynoweb.com Chuck Reynolds

Nice move Chris… I’ve been using Genesis for a little while now, was never much of a framework guy but Brian and Nathan over at StudioPress are doing some great things with it, especially the built-in seo aspects that has basically voided the need for All in One SEO or others while having more options and abilities in that arena.
And just because – if anybody misses one of your 30 affiliate links… here’s mine if somebody wants to still sign up and made it through you post without clicking on one :) http://rynoweb.com/go/genesis
http://twitter.com/costafong costafong

Hi Chris,

Nice!. I love to study how others customize their premium themes and try to get ideas for doing mine. Too having been using the Thesis theme and too made a switch recently. I went for the Frugal Theme instead.

Having lots of fun messing around with the Theme! So many 'click and play' options.
http://eco-officegals.com/ Eco-Office Gals

After your post about Studiopress the other day I had an email conversation with Brian. Great Guy! It sealed the deal and I am switching to a studiopress theme, as soon as I can find the time to work on my own site. I recently completed http://mariescripture.com on the Landscape Child and I am working on one on AgentPress as we speak. Became an affiliate as well. He puts out great themes and I am very happy with the new Genesis framework.
http://ItsDifferent4girls.com Linda Sherman

Very happy to get your timely input on this topic, Chris. I am working on some new sites, originally planned to go with Thesis but have been concerned with all that is going on there and have been researching themes. It's a big job. I don't know what Word Press Bible author Aaron Brazell recommended today at a theme dev conference but he did withdraw his Thesis recommendation and looking at his April 2010 premium theme smackdown (only for Thesis, Genesis, Headway, Builder) he gave Genesis the highest rating. Support was not a criteria though. I just set up a new Twitter list for WordPress experts and am continuing to explore. I appreciate the feedback here – and I'm sure there will be more.
http://twitter.com/josuediaz josuediaz

Great post Chris! I purchased Thesis in January of this year based on your recommendation (and by that, I mean what chrisbrogan.com was on prior to moving to Genesis) since I like the look/feel of the site/nav/spacing. I also like how Thesis has an SEO component.

This post is also timely for me in that I have really enjoyed my recent explorations into the Standard theme and now that you’ve moved over to it (for Mystery site X….:p), that will be further evidence (for me) that the theme is legit. I’m thinking my move to an additional site might occur before the end of the year as I continue to brainstorm the site direction.

Thank again for this post and keep up the great work.
http://buzzmedia.com.my/ David Wang

The difference is that developers and designers can extend frameworks with a little extra effort but a lot less “unraveling” of how things work, whereas the standalones just make it easier for a novice to get a good effect right out of the box.

You can actually get the best of both worlds (framework flexibility + ease of use) with the Headway Theme Framework (www.getheadway.com)

The problem I have with many “premium themes” and “theme frameworks” is the endless options pages. You’ve got to navigate to the layout & design options pages, tweak the settings & refresh to see the changes.

But with the Headway theme, you make your changes visually by drag and drop, so you’re designing your site as you go along. All of this, without the need to know any code. This is one of the reasons why I love Headway so much.

You’ve got to see it to believe it. Here’s a video I made of how I took the default Headway skin and transformed it into radically different design for a small business website – in under 10 minutes: http://buzzmedia.com.my/resources/wordpress-small-business-headway-theme

I hope a few of you will find Headway useful for your next project :)
http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

I'd agree on Standard Theme. It has some special sauce. :) I think it will be one of the primary framework platforms in existence and precisely why I am in the process of converting several client blogs over to it. Good stuff.

http://John.do John Saddington

Thanks Daniel! We’re looking to provide the best wordpress blogging theme out there! Thanks so much for your support!

—
John L Saddington
JohnSaddington.com
@Human3rror

http://www.timemanagementninja.com Craig Jarrow

Cool. Excited to see what you have cooking.

You have a lot of projects spinning up. :)
http://www.christinegreen.com/ Christine Green

Hi Chris,
Thanks for posting more about premium themes. I guess I was part of your survey when you asked me the other night what I charge to design a Thesis website! And as you mentioned, the design/development price depends on how much a client wants a more unique “website” rather than a “blog” look. I love Thesis for it's flexibility, customization options and it's top-notch SEO. And since I also develop content, quality copywriting offers the most to SEO. I'm using Thesis 1.8b2 and it has a few great new features that save me time and so I can pass that savings on to my clients. This helps a lot because I offer a full marketing/sales plan as part of my web design packages and try to still stay with a competitive price. I'm a bargain right now for what I offer. I work with small businesses and solo entrepreneurs and want to be affordable for them.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

That's great, Christine. I think it's perfect that you distinguish between when people use blog software to make a website. Is there really any other way to go these days?
http://twitter.com/randulo Jazz blues wine voip

Hi Chris,

I admire they way you can write such posts making them both short and readable. No wonder you don't need SEO, seriously. I just wanted to chime in and say that Brian Gardner impressed me from the beginning, when he wrote me to answer some questions I had about a theme I bought from his company. He was on vacation at the time!

randy
http://www.savvywp.com Bob Dunn

Hey Chris, as someone who teaches, coaches and designs sites and blogs, all via WordPress, I agree, Genesis is awesome. I have been a huge fan of StudioPress, even before Genesis, and Brian and the gang there just keep making things even better.

I'm not a huge fan of Thesis, probably one of the few. I tried it on a few sites, but always ended up going back to some of my favorites.

As Danny Brown mentioned, Press75 is great.

Also, iThemes, WooThemes and then Headway. I am a huge fan of Headway and you really need to check out the new version coming out. I think it will blow Thesis out of the water : ) Especially for the end-user.

thanks for the great post!
http://twitter.com/stevegravity Steve Gilman

Thanks for the advice Chris, I'm currently looking at wordpress themes and this was very helpful. I'm leaning toward Genisis. I have a few web designers I work with, but none of them have worked with wordpress themes, any recommendations of good designer's you've worked with ?
Eileen

This is a great discussion Chris, thank you. I had been using Thesis a lot, but am now building sites on the Expand2Web Themes (http://www.expand2web.com) – there are about 5 premium themes to choose from, great with SEO, some have built in video or slide show capability and they are set up for social media integration. The support is incredible. I wrote a blog piece on the pros of each – http://bit.ly/cs8gHJ
http://twitter.com/anniesmidt annie smidt

What about the free frameworks Atahualpa and Thematic? I've used them both (the latter more often) and think they can be a good option for people. Atahualpa can do a ton without much technical knowledge. Thematic benefits from understanding CSS pretty well, and you can do much more with it with a grasp of PHP and hooks and stuff.

That said, I know lots of people swear by Genesis and Thesis. And the support that comes with buying a theme is always a bonus — as well as supporting our talented theme-developer friends.
http://www.AskTheWealthSquad.com TheWealthSquad

The key with SEO is determining what keywords you want to rank for. Then creating a plan to get there. It all depends on what you want your brand to be and who you want your site to be found by. What words are they looking for?
Ngadiluwih

Hey Chris, thanks for your post.
http://eileenlonergan.com Eileen Lonergan

Chris, loved this post. I used Thesis for a while but am producing better looking sites with the Expand2Web themes (http://expand2web.com). The themes have built in video, slide shows, seo functions and are social media ready.
http://twitter.com/premiumweb Glennette Goodbread

Hey Chris! I came across your site and I'm not getting any work done now because I'm reading it LOL

I wanted to just throw in my .02 and say that Thesis is AWESOME. I used to design sites with Dreamweaver and Fireworks but now I pretty much exclusively use WordPress with either Thesis or ShopperPress. If you're looking for a great Ecommerce theme, ShopperPress is great by the way!

Thanks for all the time you put into your site!
http://dogandogs.com/ Dino Dogan

I've been eying up and experimenting with woothemes ….they have lots of fancy ones but the one that seems to have the right balance of aesthetics and functionality is headlines IMO.

Your thoughts everybody?
http://friendfeed.com/schneckerl schneckerl

“To me, the dividing line comes with whether you’re planning something professional versus blogging for your passion and enjoyment”

I hope you didn’t mean it the way it COULD be understood :)

Thanks for the overview!
Pingback: BlueSky Great Wordpress Themes | Blogger Zone
http://wordpress.themeshq.net/ Robbie

Thesis is definitely a great framework to use, but the only thing I hate about it is the price.

I personally think the new WordPress 3 is enough for me to customize a theme for FREE!
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Woo themes are really good. : )
Pingback: Why Blogging Frameworks Rock
http://www.cartessrossuncensored.com Cartess Ross

I’ve been using Brian’s services at Studio Press for the last 3 years… All of the sites I’ve designed for my clients have started with their themes. Great support, great service and an awesome product!
http://freakholic.com freak blog

I have a question, what can make Thesis Theme is the most SEO friendly templates? I don’t undrstand with several information about this …
Scott

Chris I need a designer (using Preium Word Press theme) and would appreciate you referring me to a few.