WordPress is more than just the most popular website and blogging platform available today. It’s a highly versatile platform that can serve any need, from a private photo sharing blog to a full ecommerce site. With the number of high quality, professional Premium WordPress themes available from top designers, it’s also easy to find a theme that matches the aesthetic that you want for your site. However, it’s not as simple as just searching Google for a theme and then downloading it. There are a few things you need to know before you get started.

The Question of Free Themes

A quick search of Google for “WordPress themes” will show you dozens (perhaps hundreds) of sites offering free themes. Most of these sites are benign, but many are malicious. You won’t be slapped with a virus just for visiting the site, but the themes you download are suspect. Many contain additional malicious code that puts both you and your site visitors in danger. It’s best to avoid free theme sites, as it’s just not worth the risk. If your budget is nonexistent, WordPress itself offers thousands of free themes that can be customized to your needs, although they might require more tweaking than what you’ll find with a paid theme.

Paid Themes – Worth the Cost?

If free themes aren’t worth bothering with (other than those on the WordPress directory itself), that leaves you with the choice of paid themes. Is it worth it to buy a theme? Actually, it is. Professionally designed WordPress themes offer quite a few benefits over free themes. These include better testing and stability, better documentation and support if you encounter a problem, better feature sets and options (changing your fonts, colors and layouts is usually a simple process), and other perks. Of course, only you can determine if your budget can withstand the purchase, but most professional themes are relatively inexpensive ($49 or so gets you a super-high quality theme with all the bells and whistles).

Are All Theme Developers the Same?

When it comes to WordPress theme developers, the Internet is not in short supply. There are dozens of different development companies out there, which can make it tough to choose the one that’s right for you. Obviously, you can’t use trial and error here – it’s too time consuming, and there’s always the cost factor to consider. Rather, look for some key features with any developers you’re considering. A good developer should offer:

• A robust FAQ section
• A user forum for questions, answers and advice
• Full documentation on all the themes offered
• Club membership options for those who want access to all the themes developed
• Additional services, including site hosting and domain name registration through the company

Of course, you should also make sure the developer you eventually choose has a reputation as an industry leader and developer, and the developer’s themes should provide you with a very broad range of options to fit your specific needs. You should see dynamic sites, mobile site options, and themes to fit any esthetic considerations, industry design specifics and your company’s culture/brand as well.

As a final note, the developer you choose should offer the option to custom create a WordPress theme specific for your company. You’ll pay more for this option, but it’s nice to have it available, particularly if you have the budget to afford custom work.

With the right developer and the right WordPress theme, you’ll find that making your mark on the Internet and building your success is simpler and easier than you may have believed.

Author Bio:

Anny Solway is a dedicated writer at ThemeFuse – a web studio that creates original WordPress themes, that can be used out of the box. She loves to share blogging and technology tips.