WordPress Themes define the look and feel when you make a website. The themes define such things as color combination, pictures, navigation, etc; of your newly created website.

In the world of WordPress there are Free themes and Premium themes (pay for) available. What are the differences? Let’s take a look.

Security

Free WordPress themes are great if you are on a budget, but they are usually riddled with SPAM code. Because there is no control over who coded the theme, most free themes contain some sort of SPAM code embedded in them. In some instances, if you remove this code, the website will stop functioning. You know what they say: “You get what you pay for.”

If you are on a tight budget, I recommend looking for free WordPress themes that come from reputable sources, such as membership sites or directly from WordPress. Do your research before you download a free theme.

In the case of Premium WordPress themes, because they are developed by reputable vendors and you pay for them, you avoid most of these problems. In addition, these themes are much better coded, and look very professional.

Support

Theme support is a big issue, especially when you are building a new website. There’s usually limited or no support available for free themes. The support I am talking about is support for plugins, widgets or even new versions of WordPress. For example, if you upgrade to a new version of a plugin and this impacts the functionality of the website, who do you call for help? Usually you end up spending long hours researching possible solutions for your problem on forums all over the Internet.

In the case of Premium themes, you go back to the vendor who sold you the theme for support. They have support staff dedicated to help you with any problems that you may encounter, from installation to compatibility issues. In many cases, the vendor will notify you directly when a new versions of the theme you purchased has been released.

Develop your own theme

One other option is to develop your own WordPress theme. There are software programs available that will help you develop your own theme with very little knowledge of HTML, CSS or SEO. I personally like Artisteer. Artisteer is a great program for designing your own themes, whether you use them to create websites or blogs. As a matter of fact, this website was created using a theme designed with Artisteer.

Depending on your time, budget and technical knowledge, you may want to create your website or blog with a good free theme. As things get better, upgrade to a Premium theme, or even design your own theme to have more control over your design and security.

To learn more secrets, click on the link Make a Website using WordPress.