February 19, 2010 78 Comments

Thesis Is My WordPress Theme of Choice

I am an affiliate seller of the Thesis premium WordPress theme (affiliate link). One reason is that I love the SEO benefits that are built into using it. There are all kinds of added features like simple design features built in. You can create cool effects like drop down navigation. And frankly, I like it because it makes for a very clean layout. It makes a blog look more professional, which is why I use it here.

Sometimes, people say that all Thesis-themed sites look the same out of the box. That’s true, if you don’t know how to work up the design. In my case, I used a designer to give my site my own look and feel while using the Thesis theme. Pretty shortly, I’m going to redesign my site while still using Thesis, plus I’m about to launch a few new projects using Thesis. I promise that you’ll see four completely different-looking sites, but all still clean and SEO pretty. That’s why I like it. I can use the same framework for different designs.

Anyhow, if you’re thinking of ways to up the ante on making your site look more professional and improve your search results at the same time, I’m a huge fan of Thesis for doing that. I hope you give it some consideration.

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

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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
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http://twitter.com/drorengel drorengel

Thanks for the tip Chris!
ryancshell

http://www.ryanshell.com will give you an idea of how different a Thesis site can look.
http://www.thinklikeablackbelt.com/ Lori Hoeck

Thesis has been great for getting my site up in the search engine results quickly.
http://hotblogtips.com/ Keith Bloemendaal

I just started using Thesis, and I really like it so far. Yes, a lot of Thesis themes look the same, but I have seen some that I never would have guessed were on Thesis. I don't have those coding abilities yet, but am having fun learning.

I am also working on a few other projects that I will be using it for, I haven't found a theme that is as customizable for the amateur with code. There are a ton of free tutorials out there too.
adventuroo

I totally agree that Thesis makes even the simplest blog look more professional. I have design experience but no coding exp. The people on the Thesis support forums really helped me learn how to incorporate things into my site to personalize my blog. I'm still learning Thesis but so far it's made having a blog super easy!
thetoddblog

I think that it's a crime that most people don't spend more time tweaking their Thesis sites. If you're going to spend that much money for a theme (which, in reality, isn't that much for everything you get) you should spend a little time making it your own.

I've been tweaking my Thesis theme for a little over a year now, but I think it's difficult to tell it's a Thesis site at first glance.

http://toddblog.net
http://subject2.com Nick Johnson

Gotta love Thesis theme! I have it for my site although its not nearly as nice as yours Chris. It currently serves my purpose and will eventually give in to a thesis designer if I can find one that doesn't turn out to be a flakemaster like so many designers I've had do work for me on other sites.
http://twitter.com/clg_property chris guthrie

Nick Johnson refereed me to the Thesis Theme and I love it. So easy, and can be tweaked so easily. Took me a minute to wrap my brain around hooks, but now I love them.
http://www.GigaLaw.com/ Doug

I recently converted my GigaLaw.com website (http://www.GigaLaw.com) to Thesis. (The site provides news clips about Internet and technology law issues.)
http://bloggersmarket.com/ Jeffrey

Hi Chris,
Caught your post on one of your Tweets! As a builder of blogs, I am looking forward to using Thesis in the future. For right now, I'm building with Joomla and Studio Press!
But I have my eye on Thesis, and you're right it is a clean professional look.
http://www.blackbeltguide.com/ Marc Winitz

Chris – I use Thesis and while it is very good new entrants to blogging should be advised that if you are not at least rudimentarily technical it is not easy to use. I am enough and have put in the time to get my site how I want it but I have hit a wall on what can be done with it on my own. There are plenty of excellent Thesis designers out there so if you want to go this route you may have to pony up some extra $$ to get the layout how you want. Certainly worth it if you want that but beware that it is not a panacea for the absolute beginner. You can see my version of Thesis at:

http://www.blackbeltguide.com

Thanks,

Marc
http://www.christinegreen.com/blog/ Christine Green

Chris,
I look forward to seeing your new sites! I love Thesis! I use it for my site and my cat's site! Even he likes it!
http://www.thirtydaygoal.com/ Colby

I've been looking around for a new premium for theme and Thesis is on the list. Just like many others I want my theme to look unique. Thanks everyone for sharing your unique Thesis designs it helps to show the flexibility of the Thesis theme.
http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog

Quick question, Chris. In your last blog post about Thesis ( http://www.chrisbrogan.com/why-i-promote-the-he… ) you indicated Thesis' designer, Chris Pearson, had designed your site here. So when you refer to “I used a designer” above, are you still referring to Pearson or to someone new you hired since? Just wondering.
Pingback: 5 Common Problems Setting Up a Thesis-Themed WordPress Blog | THE BLOGGERS' BULLETIN
http://www.offtoeurope.com/ offtoeurope.com

I have been really pleased with Thesis. SEO benefits are great.
michelledamico

Thanks Chris for the info. Can you tell me what are the monthly fees for a premium theme?
http://www.omrsite.com/ John Yeng

Thanks for the heads up there Chris, but just to clarify, can Thesis be integrated with other general WordPress themes as well ? Or is it better suited for only certain specific WordPress themes ?

Thx.
http://www.scottwebb.tv/ Scott Webb

I agree with everything you said here Chris.

I just hope people don't buy Thesis because it's what Chris Brogan uses and they leave the theme as the default layout and design. Something I call the Thesis Aesthetic.

I like that you mentioned that you got a designer to pimp you thesis design. There is a lot of information all over the internet as to design, tips, tricks, tutorials but if people don't have time, or patients to learn or use it, I suggest they look for a designer to make their Thesis theme and blog look unique to them.

This will allow for visual impact, brand building via design, and making the web a more beautiful place.

There are a lot of amazingly sexy Thesis designs out in the wild too.
tedbilich

Chris, I've followed your column for about a year or so now and have learned a ton from it. Thanks for being consistently relevant and helpful. Your book was also a quick and helpful read. I started a blog on “exploring life's best practices” about a month ago. I run the Oulipo theme on WordPress, which is really clean. But there are a number of things I'd like to do that I can't currently do with that. I have a request in to the theme developer, but where (on line, on paper) is the best place for a blogger to learn enough coding to be able to help himself? All the best – Ted
http://johnhaydon.com John Haydon

The design hasn't changed that much, so I'm assuming it's Pearson.
http://www.loudable.com/ Loudable

Thesis is always a good stuff to go for for your blog, thanks for sharing this Chris.
http://twitter.com/ShanNOMADSBIZ Shannon Smith NOMADS

My original thoughts on thesis was that it was going to produce a similar site to everyone else using thesis but once you get your head around the css and hooks you can do a lot with it. We have a little more work to do but here is our thesis theme in action here – frasermyway.com.

I have just combined this with the new scribeseo plugin and zemanta so the result is quite a powerful platform
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Will you be using Brian's Scribe software to see how it enhances Thesis SEO?
http://www.TheFranchiseKing.com The Franchise King

Chris,
As you know, I just set up (With help from Heidi Cool, a Cleveland web designer) my newest little project/blog, http://www.fransparency.com

I let her do the heavy lifting, and now I can pretty much do what I need to keep it spiffy, and easy on the eyes for my readers.

But, why did I spend my money on Thesis?

Because the best of the best are behind it. And I felt in my heart that the “support” would be there if I needed it.

I buy from people I like, people that I believe in, and people I trust.

Thesis rocks!
shankerbakshi

what is the FUN in buying thesis after that HIRE a designer for making it look different from other blog running on Thesis. I respect you a lot but sometime you sound a bit CRAZY.
http://www.joemanna.com/blog/ Joseph Manna

I love Thesis – though I don't use it – it is very powerful platform out of the box. I have to wonder though, are people recommending it because of its revenue potential in affiliate payouts?

The reason I ask is because I went on a hunt for the “perfect” WP theme that is flexible and there can't just be one godly theme that people use. In my search, I cam across two stellar, just as powerful themes to Thesis.

“Hybrid” and “Thematic” are the two competing widgetized, “SEO friendly” themes that I resulted on. I use these about equally and allow me to fully customize the layout in a way that makes sense, clean SEO and HTML code and is infinitely extendable to do just about whatever you want with it. Both themes are free.

So, if people don't want to feel cornered into paying for Thesis, a viable free alternative is available out there — Thematic or Hybrid. Just as with anything, it will take a little bit of time to learn, but once you do, you're set.

Again, nothing wrong with Thesis — it's incredibly user friendly and clean out of the box. I simply wanted to share my thoughts on this, Chris.

~joe
http://www.amirkhella.com Amir

I am a big fan of Thesis. Not only it's an SEO-optimized theme, it's got great dashboard controls that make it easy to customize the theme without messing with CSS/HTML.

Highly recommended!

Thanks for sharing, Chris.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

It's a great question, Joe. Here's my answer:

* I wanted a Chris Pearson-designed theme for YEARS. In 2006, I couldn't afford him. In 2007 or so, I got Cutline, but then, so did everyone. In 2010, I have Thesis, that I can tweak to be unique, but still has all these little Pearson details. That's what turns me on.

* There are plenty of great themes. I like some of the really simpler plain themes that are out there. But they are just design-pretty. What makes me like Thesis is NOT just the design, but the SEO stuff.

* For those reasons, I sell/promote Thesis on behalf of Chris.

Question back: is my community worth more to me than the money I get for promoting Thesis? I'd say yes. : ) So why would I burn that bridge by just recommending something for the payoff.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I'll say back to you what you just said to me, only differently:

* It's fun buying a great starting point built with tons of SEO and lots of blogger-changeable design elements such that I can pay for a designer to take it the last mile and make it look like my own.

What would you do instead? Pay for a design, pay for any fixes after the fact, and not get the SEO built in?
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Probably not on chrisbrogan.com , as I'm not set for much SEO-to-revenue here. I will definitely want to try it out somewhere, because I'm curious whether it'll add to what my clients need. BUT, here's what'd be cool: trying it on two similar sites, one with Thesis and one without. It'd be neat to see if Thesis stands up as SEO-yummy against SCribe.
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

That's a nice looking site, Shannon. Thanks for sharing it with us. : )
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Great question. I'm not sure. I hope someone else says something and points you in the right direction. I have friends who DO good stuff with WordPress themes: @wefixwp, @imnico, @ericrasmussen , but as for the learning yourself? Not sure where the current best place is. Anyone?
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

I quite agree. It's never any fun to see the “out of the box” designs. I much prefer seeing someone trick it out and do cool things. My next design should be very different than my current and yet, on Thesis. I hope that alone shows people the flexibility. : )
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

No monthly fees, Michelle. You pay $87 once and you're all good (or a bit more if you want a developer's license, which you might not need).
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

The current design as of Feb 2010 is still Chris Pearson. In a month or less, I'm going to have a new design by a new designer. : )
http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

Hey, I think you've done great! I think the top of the fold stuff is good. : )
http://toddblog.net/ Todd

It depends largely on what you want to do. Do you want to change the default colors, fonts and widths on your blog? You want to check out some CSS tutorials such as the W3Schools (http://www.w3schools.com/Css/) or The CSS Missing Manual by David McFarland.

Do want to do more advanced tweaks such as displaying specific sidebars on specific pages, changing the way your posts display or tweaking the labels on your comment form? You'll need to look into some PHP resources such as PHP for Dummies (seriously) or the W3Schools (http://www.w3schools.com/PHP).

If you've got some money to spend, you should check out Lynda.com. They've got really nice video-driven tutorials.

Those are just a few of the thousands of resources available out there. But that's all they are – resources. It takes a lot of practice, patience and, sadly, mistakes, to figure this stuff out.

Good luck in your search!
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Cool idea – I'm curious about Scribe from a non-personal blog point of view. Say a niche blog that's targeting a specific keyword-rich audience. May do the same and test it against my own blog's in-built SEO and see how it compares. The thing I'm more curious about is how it transfers your own voice into SEO goodness – would some personality be lost? Should be interesting to find out.
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Maybe he/she meant that a “premium theme” should allow the user to do all the cool stuff, as opposed to hiring it out?
http://copyblogger.com/ Brian Clark

John, rather than working with other WP themes, Thesis can be used two main ways: one, you can use it as a theme itself and tweak all sorts of elements using the point and click interface. Secondly, Thesis can be used as a design framework that can support any custom design while retaining SEO-centric HTML.

Check out the copyblogger.com design for an example of the second approach.
http://copyblogger.com/ Brian Clark

Danny, the issue you mention (losing the “voice” or personality of the writer) was our main philosophical issue, and therefore our main development focus. Instead of forcing a writer to build a piece of content around some keyword phrase, Scribe starts with content that's already written with the author's natural voice and flow, and then helps you minimally tweak it for maximum search user friendliness.

That's how I've always “organically” approached SEO copy, but it wasn't always efficient or effective. That's the whole reason Scribe exists (figured if I wanted it, others might too).

I hope you will try it out. I'd love to hear what you think.
http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

Hey there Brian,

Thanks for the response, fella – answers my question perfectly, and definitely makes Scribe more “attractive”. I (and many other bloggers such as yourself and Chris) like to write as I “think”, and my concern was seeing that content become almost automated, if you like, to make Google, Bing, etc, happy.

But sounds like that's not an issue – so popping over to Scribe shortly. Cheers!
tedbilich

Todd, thanks for the leads. I will follow up. Chris, thanks for harnessing the power of your network to get me some answers. Ted
shankerbakshi

I will again say it differently …..

“Its not the complete solution. There are so many other premium Themes which serve as both , They built in with SEO and you can change design according to your need. I am saying this on the basis my experience.”
http://blogspot.fluidnewmedia.com Ahad Bokhari

+1 I use it too!
http://johnhaydon.com John Haydon

Sounds exciting, Chris!
http://twitter.com/kevinks Kevin Kennedy-Spaien

I have used Thesis for a couple of clients (they bought single-user lic), and it finally sold me on paying for a premium theme rather than hand-tweaking existing or scratch-making my own theme.

Premium themes like Thesis are *more than* well worth the money!
http://www.joemanna.com/blog/ Joseph Manna

Thanks for taking the time to comment back. Much appreciated.

Having the additional background on your enthusiasm for Thesis helps me (and other readers) see the thought around it. While the SEO is nice out of the box – what makes one theme more “SEO friendly” versus not is usually very negligible, small details. But as you shared, it's both a user-friendly admin, SEO accessibility and a slick design together make it a decent value for Thesis.

I know you'd never sell out your community. It's good to see what products and services you do love in respect to so many out there that you interact with. :)

Stay well,
Joe
http://www.MyGreatKid.com/ Steve Bockmann

Chris – What do you think of the new Scribe SEO add-on that's designed to improve the SEO features in Thesis?

Thanks.

Thesis Is My WordPress Theme of Choice

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

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