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Where To Find Good Wordpress Themes

Posted on July 8th, 2007 in 100 Day Website Guide by Scott

Day 44 of The 100 Days To Building A Great Website Guide

One problem I have continually had with my site is poor design.  Although I’m good at writing content, getting links, and driving traffic, site design is a huge weakness for me.  However good site design is essential.   With poor site design people will look at your site and leave immediately.  Your bounce rates will be huge.

Where can you get good themes?

While having a good theme is essential for your site, actually designing a theme can be very challenging.    There is a lot to learn before you can design a good theme.   You have to learn PHP, HTML, CSS etc.    And many people started blogging to get away from having to run those aspects of your website.    So if you don’t want to make your own theme, where can you get one?

1) Wordpress Theme Viewer - This is the default wordpress theme database.  There are thousands of themes in here and many of them have been well designed and validated.   This is a good first resource.  Check it out and you could very well find something that is almost exactly what you are looking for.

2) Wordpress Theme Generator - Want to create your own theme?  You can use this tool to configure different themes.  Quickly and easily vary the colors to see what looks good.  Change the spacings, where the sidebar is located to suit your needs.

3) Free Wordpress Themes - One of the myriad of sites you can get if you Google “Wordpress Themes”, this has a nice repository of different themes that you can check out.

But they don’t exactly fit my needs

Chances are, any theme you download isn’t going to be perfect.  There is going to be something in it that you want to change.   You may not like the colors, you may not like the spacing, or you may just want to put in a couple of different pictures.   However starting from a free base theme and modifying it to suit your needs will be an order of magnitude easier than trying to create one yourself.   The easiest thing to do is pick one that suits your needs format wise, and not worry about color.  Changing the color of your site is much less difficult than changing the format.   Get the format right first, then worry about the color.

I want my Page to Look Like That Site

Stealing someone else’s theme is as bad as stealing their content.  But if you are just looking at a single aspect, like how did they get their picture to go to the right of the menu bar, you can dig into their code to see what they did.

The easiest way to dig into their code is to just download their page and examine it in a text editor or webpage creation tool.   Internet explorer and Firefox allow you to easily download a webpage to your desktop.   Presumably the other major browser do as well, but I don’t use them so I don’t know.

To download a page to your computer using IE 7  (IE 6 is very similar) Go to page, save as, and saves as a “Webpage Complete”   This will allow you to view the CSS and HTML separately, as they will be in your site.

copy1

To save a page in Firefox go to File - Save Page As

copy2

93 Responses to 'Where To Find Good Wordpress Themes'

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  1. tallfreak said,

    on July 8th, 2007 at 7:56 pm

    Thanks for the links! These will come in handy.

  2. cooliojones said,

    on July 9th, 2007 at 5:17 am

    I agree that stealing a sites theme is as bad as stealing their content. But sometimes you do run across a site that has your same “free” design! Kinda like when you go to a party and someone has onthe same outfit! :)

    Have you checked out John Cow dot Com? He ’stole’ his site from John Chow dot com, but only he could do something like that! And he has a $100 contest going on now too open to everyone. Real coool.

  3. Scott said,

    on July 9th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

    John Cow is funny. It is a nice way for that blogger to make some quick bucks and play off of Chow’s popularity.

    Doing that is less stealing than making a tribute site :)

  4. DitioupQuiz said,

    on October 20th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    Hello,
    I am, James
    Nice site, verry informative
    this is my site:

    http://lStdBRTd.spaces.live.com/


  5. on December 16th, 2008 at 2:50 am

    Thanks for the links. Good WP themes are not very hard to come by, but these links should surely help.

  6. Lina Tan said,

    on March 15th, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    thanks for sharing the list..i will check some of the templates and who knows i will find one beutifull templates for my wordpress blog..(”,)

  7. Tari Conley said,

    on March 17th, 2009 at 9:45 am

    Thanks. I found a theme called Flexibility that looks very nice and is very customizable. Just search for it in google.


  8. on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    i tried for this, but i was not able to make it out.

  9. oes tsetnoc said,

    on September 23rd, 2009 at 12:21 am

    thanks for the lists, i am using to search wordpress themes at the wordpress.net. there are many wordpress themes that are beautiful there.

  10. used tires said,

    on September 26th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

    Great list of websites containing wordpress themes, I know i search some of those from time to time to get some new ideas for my personal blog =D

    Till then,

    Jean

  11. ciciam2009 said,

    on November 4th, 2009 at 6:58 am

    i am always finding free wordpress using google, i always google it. :d


  12. on November 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Check that the web server has permission to write to the files and folders which contain your theme files, i.e. wp-content/themes and sub-folders.


  13. on November 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Most of the premium themes out there cost more than $50. I only have a small budget. If anyone can show me where to get cheap premium Wordpress theme, it would be appreciated.

  14. Heart attack said,

    on December 2nd, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    Most of the premium themes out there cost more than $50. I only have a small budget. If anyone can show me where to get cheap premium Wordpress theme, it would be appreciated.


  15. on December 10th, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    The wordpress generator sounds great, I can never find the exact one I want.
    reduce high blood pressure naturally


  16. on December 21st, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    Just do a Google or Yahoo search on “Wordpress themes.” You will receive more sites with themes than you can ever look at in one sitting. Some of them have literally dozens of themes.


  17. on December 24th, 2009 at 4:39 am

    I want to make a website using Wordpress. What is the best site for Wordpress themes?


  18. on January 4th, 2010 at 9:29 am

    I Want to know same that Where can I find some good Wordpress themes?

  19. Cetvn said,

    on January 23rd, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    Wordpress is for ever the best of all time.

  20. Cetvn said,

    on January 23rd, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    By the way thanks for sharing…


  21. on January 24th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

    actually wordpress is the best and i’m so satisfied with my theme right now.. thanks


  22. on January 24th, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    thanks for sharing this one.. another information form e.. more power to this site..

  23. won said,

    on January 25th, 2010 at 3:16 am

    This is good site very informative.

  24. won said,

    on January 25th, 2010 at 3:18 am

    Yes recommend wordpress is the best and have a lot of themes awesome.


  25. on January 28th, 2010 at 4:56 am

    I like wordpress theme very much as i like wordpress. This is great way to find some nice and elegant wordpress themes.


  26. on January 29th, 2010 at 2:54 am

    Just do a Google or Yahoo search on “Wordpress themes.” You will receive more sites with themes than you can ever look at in one sitting. Some of them have literally dozens of themes.

  27. Heart attack said,

    on February 4th, 2010 at 2:21 am

    I’m searching for a theme and few sites have ones that I like. I like more modern, and sleek themes. Can someone five me a link to where I can find some good themes?


  28. on February 4th, 2010 at 5:17 am

    By graphics do you mean the theme’s graphics or your content graphics? Did you upload all the files that came with the theme?

  29. feld said,

    on February 19th, 2010 at 2:10 am

    Nice site very informative.

  30. feld said,

    on February 19th, 2010 at 2:11 am

    Thanks for this i found the good themes i every seen.

  31. NBA said,

    on February 24th, 2010 at 7:34 am

    I’m searching for a theme and few sites have ones that I like. I like more modern, and sleek themes. :)

  32. pc said,

    on February 24th, 2010 at 7:38 am

    I like wordpress theme very much as i like wordpress. This is great way to find some nice and elegant wordpress themes. :)

  33. darjeeling said,

    on March 8th, 2010 at 12:45 am

    Good theme is very important for the site, the visitors read your article if your site is attractive and easy to read the contents.

  34. doktor orjin said,

    on March 8th, 2010 at 7:25 am

    actually wordpress is the best and i’m so satisfied with my theme right now..
    Good Themes ;)
    Thanks Tyler :)

  35. Heart attack said,

    on March 18th, 2010 at 1:46 am

    I recommend a WordPress design for all my clients with an established business. Some themes limit the power of WordPress as an SEO tool. What do you look for in a WordPress theme that will enhance SEO?

  36. watchdogtime said,

    on March 24th, 2010 at 1:53 am

    I have a wordpress site that is just a plain blog. I created it from wordpress.com and then i was looking at a way to make my site look cooler. I found some good themes, but i dont know how to install them. They say i have to install wordpress and then compile themes. I dont want to do all this! Is there a way where i can install my themes directly from the user interface website on wordpress.com?

    Please help

  37. sözlük said,

    on March 27th, 2010 at 1:09 am

    Thanks for the links! actually wordpress is the best and i’m so satisfied with my theme right now. Thanks :)

  38. BDSM gay said,

    on April 4th, 2010 at 7:55 am

    At now u can download themes in wordpress admin panel

  39. espressd said,

    on April 7th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Nice site! yes,you’re right.. wordpress is really the best.. thanks!

  40. talonecl said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 12:42 am

    because of the good themes, many visitors would love your site.

  41. gitedupa said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 12:47 am

    Great! this is one of the best way to find attractive and elegant themes.

  42. mircelil said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 12:54 am

    thanks!with that themes,it made my site more beautiful than before..

  43. cestrans said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 12:59 am

    I am also satisfied with my theme right now.
    thanks to you.

  44. yumidanc said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:05 am

    Yes, I also agree that stealing someone’s own is bad and is considered as a sin. As far as I know, that is included in the ten commandments..hehe!by the way, thank you for the information!

  45. namcoa said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:07 am

    wordpress is really one of the best i’ve ever known.
    i like it.

  46. jvpokc said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:10 am

    continue doing sites with good themes so more and more people would be interested.

  47. inchesaw said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:14 am

    I also want to make a website using Wordpress..would you kindly help me do it?
    PLEASE…

  48. gopeters said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:23 am

    Thanks for the list. It would surely help me. By the way, I like your themes….

  49. panche said,

    on April 9th, 2010 at 1:30 am

    Ive searched many sites for the themes I’ve wanted but I don’t like them so far til I’ve found this site..
    Thank you!!!

  50. talonecl said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 3:59 am

    OK so im going crazy trying to figure this out. Thanks for sharing.

  51. gitedupa said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:02 am

    The all new On Demand theme, getting thumbnail images and videos posted thats why i really like it. :)

  52. mircelil said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:04 am

    We’ve got a variety of resources to help you get the most out of WordPress. :)

  53. cestrans said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:06 am

    If you are interested in SEO, Web Design, Logo’s or any other service using the wordpress.

  54. yumidanc said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:09 am

    I have the css upgrade and every time i cut & paste a file it never looks the same. :)

  55. namcoa said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:11 am

    I have no idea what theme to use for my 100 themes blog, and I hardly know a thing aout themes.

  56. jvpokc said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:13 am

    I think now one of the best things about the On Demand theme is that if you know how to use WordPress you already know how to use On Demand. :)

  57. inchesaw said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:15 am

    If you cannot upload themes to wordpress.com you have to work with the themes on the presentation page. :)

  58. gopeters said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:19 am

    How to modify the CSS for your particular theme here on wordpress.com. :)

  59. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:21 am

    If you have your own domain or host, then you can download and install the wordpress software from wordpress.org and install them and find the theme.

  60. panche said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:24 am

    It every theme css is different so without going through. :)

  61. talonecl said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:29 am

    If you really understand and you know where you download the themes css file first make a back up. :)

  62. gitedupa said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:33 am

    Thanks for sharing this info i really learn alot, and now i can make my site good. :)

  63. mircelil said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:36 am

    It since we are on a multi-user version of the wordpress software here at wordpress.com there are limits to what we can do for security and stability reasons. :)

  64. cestrans said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:38 am

    If you do not know what WordPress is or how to install it. I would highly recommend that your head over to WordPress.org and go to get starting for help.

  65. yumidanc said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:39 am

    But make sure your hosting provider to verify that your account is WordPress compatible.

  66. namcoa said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:47 am

    Its all new On Demand theme, getting thumbnail images and videos posted to your WordPress powered website is easier than ever. :)

  67. jvpokc said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:49 am

    What you would do is after you had the wordpress.org software up and running on your domain? Please help to seo expect. :)

  68. inchesaw said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:52 am

    I wish someone would clarify this for me. To install any custom 3rd party theme.

  69. gopeters said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:54 am

    There is no reason it should take as long as it has to understand such basics to install wordpress.

  70. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:56 am

    To configured separately using the standard WordPress widget interface.

  71. panche said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 4:59 am

    I like the free metal-style wordpress magazine theme with twitter integration, theme options page and more.

  72. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 5:09 am

    I like free automotive wordpress magazine theme with twitter integration, theme options page and more. Also packed with 5 header graphics for you to choose from. :)

  73. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 5:10 am

    You cannot upload themes to wordpress.com, you have to work with the themes on the presentation page.

  74. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 5:12 am

    It since we are on a multi-user version of the wordpress software here at wordpress.com, there are limits to what we can do for security and stability reasons. :)

  75. shinedan said,

    on April 11th, 2010 at 5:14 am

    I really like this site, many blogger learn a lot. Thanks for sharing you knowledge. :)

  76. used tires said,

    on April 15th, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    These tips continue to be of help to me and even some new colleagues. Thanks again. :)

    Till then,

    Jean

  77. bmacrob said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    I wish I could also do themes like what you do.

  78. jyamaska said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    i agree on you.how can i also do that?would you kindly help me do themes please?

  79. CRUEUTA said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    me too. i am also interested. how can i also do that?

  80. tporktr said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    doing themes have a lot of process in order for you to finish it.can you?

  81. jptvmag said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 9:03 pm

    that’s true. a long process is waiting for you when you start it.

  82. tmighty said,

    on April 23rd, 2010 at 9:05 pm

    i’ll go for it. now, what’s the first step?


  83. on May 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 am

    Most of the premium themes out there cost more than $50. I only have a small budget. If anyone can show me where to get cheap premium Wordpress theme, it would be appreciated.

  84. Heart attack said,

    on May 7th, 2010 at 4:52 am

    Both website developers and WordPress theme developers often offer free themes or custom themes as part of their services. Visit their website and explore what they have to offer.


  85. on May 7th, 2010 at 5:52 am

    I also want to make a website using Wordpress..Thanks man :) Good article. Very useful

  86. bookmark said,

    on May 9th, 2010 at 3:09 pm

    Sometimes it takes more time to adapt a free theme than to code it from scratch, so free is not always better. Anyway, thanks for the links. :)

  87. Top Frank said,

    on May 10th, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    wordpress themes…. try use defaul theme - is better way

  88. lina said,

    on May 26th, 2010 at 12:37 am

    now ive got good themes ever.keep on doing it. many are also looking for good themes like yours.


  89. on June 1st, 2010 at 5:03 am

    I like the free metal-style wordpress magazine theme with twitter integration


  90. on June 11th, 2010 at 1:00 am

    It’s great to see that after 3 years, all of these sites are still up and running! :)

  91. Home to buy said,

    on July 1st, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Wordpress blog on the Wordpress site (not my own domain) but I don’t like the themes they provide. Can I use a downloaded theme on there? I have seen some Wordpress hosted blogs with different themes.

  92. Home to buy said,

    on July 1st, 2010 at 8:27 am

    I want to use wordpress as well for the theme and use my own subpages instead of the wordpress pages. How do I use my wordpress theme on my regular subpages?


  93. on July 5th, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    doing themes have a lot of process in order for you to finish it.can you?

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