Pimp Your Blog, Part 3 – Glam Up with Themes
The last 2 parts of this series gave you a bunch of plug-ins to pimp your blog inside and out; see http://fromthedeskofdavid.com/blog/other-stuff/pimp-your-blog-1 and http://fromthedeskofdavid.com/blog/other-stuff/pimp-your-blog-2.
This time we’ll look at glamming up your blog with a customized theme!
Don’t know what a “theme is”?
WordPress defines a theme as:
Clear as mud, right?
Really, it’s simple. A WordPress theme is what the blog looks like.
For example, this blog has a brown “messy wood desk” look with the keys and the calculator, pen, etc. It has brownish letter on a very light brownish white background, the left side bad is a gray “paper” with white lined “paper” with red links. And so on and so forth.
WordPress makes it extremely easy to change how your blog looks like by just installing a new theme.
The hardest part is finding the theme you want out of the thousands of available themes 
Let’s look at where to get themes and how to install them.
Where to Get Free WordPress Themes
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of places where you can get themes, some paid and many for free.
The “granddaddy” of free WordPress themes is at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/, the creators of WordPress. You’ll find a lot of nice themes there and it is usually the first place I look.
But if you can’t find something you like there then here is a list of places I’ve gone to search for themes:
- http://www.freewpthemes.net/
- http://wordpressthemesbase.com/
- http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/08/100-excellent-free-high-quality-wordpress-themes/
- http://topwpthemes.com/
- http://www.themes2wp.com/download-wordpress-themes/wordpress-themes
- http://www.wpskins.org/
- http://www.themelab.com/
- http://themes.rock-kitty.net/
- http://dzineblog.com/2008/12/45-excellent-free-wordpress-templates.html
Worst case do a Google search: “[*Name of Topic*]” “WordPress theme” and you should find themes that are meant for you; although I will warn you that frequently it doesn’t return as good of results as you’d like.
An example that I just did today was “Chinese Medicine” “WordPress theme”, it took me a bit of looking but I was able to find something without wading through all the thousands of themes you’ll find on the above sites.
Where to Buy WordPress Themes
I will admit that I don’t usually buy themes and might have done so once or twice at most but there are many places you can professional themes (I sell some myself).
Here are some I know about although I haven’t used them (except the last which is me):
- http://www.templatemonster.com/category/wordpress-themes/
- http://ithemes.com/purchase/
- http://themeforest.net/
- http://use-sell.com/2/1512001jv/66219
- http://www.8-8-8sale.com/website-blog-templates.htm
Creating Your Own WordPress Themes
You can also create your own custom themes.
Of course, unless you have the help of some software, you’ll need to understand HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript and other technical stuff.
But I’ve used Artisteer to create blogs since last October and it does a good job. I’ve created custom designed blogs with matching mini-site in under 8 minutes, although expect 15-30 minutes to be normal.
I’ve also heard of WordPress Theme Generator, a free tool to help you create WordPress themes but I have no experience with it and cannot comment either way.
Installing a WordPress Theme
To install a WordPress theme is relatively easy although you do need to be able to upload it with something like an FTP program or CPanel to your blog.
1. After you find the theme you want then you download it; it will be a .Zip file.
2. Unzip the file into a new, empty folder.
3. Copy the contents of the new folder up to the themes folder of your blog; the default folder is blog/wp-content/themes.
4. You then need to log into your WordPress administration area set your new theme.
5. It depends upon what version of WordPress you have for your blog but the recent versions have a section for appearance. When you click it you’ll she a choice named Themes, click that.
6. You’ll see all themes that have been copied, including the one you just copied.
7. Click it and you’ll see a preview window of the new theme.
8. If you like it then click “Activate” in the upper right corner of the theme preview window. If you don’t click the X in the upper left corner of the preview windoe.
Some themes require additional work but many do not but check on this after you activate by going to your blog and viewing the pages. If you see anything wring you may have to modify things.
That’s it, it really shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to unzip, copy, upload, view and activate a new theme.
Conclusion
Putting an amazing theme on your blog can really glam it up and make it stand out.
That and all the plug-ins will have you slammin’ blog.
Now be an Emma Watson and get some good content in there, otherwise you’re just a pretty face with no brains and soon Google won’t be showing its love.
What’s your favorite theme (mine’s Atahualpa)? Tell me in the comments.
Talk soon,
David
The “Shameless” (but “Ethical”) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdwords.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com
O.Y. Want to some Web site templates and Blog themes to help pimp out your blog? Go to http://www.8-8-8sale.com/website-blog-templates.htm and use the coupon code PimpYourBlog in the shopping cart to get an immediate 27% discount just for readers of this blog post.
[...] CSSTalk – download now SW Party Blog SW Technology Blog SW Grunge2 Pimp Your Blog, Part 3 – Glam Up with Themes – fromthedeskofdavid.com 07/15/2009 The last 2 parts of this series gave you a [...]
Excellent site, keep up the good work
Bill,
Thanks! I’ll try
David