WordPress is the fastest growing CMS platforms in today’s web design industry (yes, it’s a true CMS).  Much of the action in the WordPress community is largely driven by the market for WordPress themes.

The vast selection of free and commercial themes is what makes WordPress so attractive.  But the theme is often only a starting point for further customizations.  Web developers and DIY website owners like to start with a great theme and tweak it to perfectly suit their (or their client’s) needs.

Many themes, particularly commercial themes, come packaged with a robust theme options page, which lets you to configure many aspects of it.  You should check out those available options before diving into the code.  That said, all themes are different, and sometimes you need to get your hands dirty to fully customize it.

Below are some of the most common things website owners like to tweak, and of course, how to tweak them!  This article is based on the assumption that you have at least a light background in website design, code editing, and a familiarity with WordPress.

One general tip before we get into specifics:  It’s often a good idea to make your modifications by creating or editing a “Child Theme,” rather than editing the “Parent Theme” itself.  The benefit here is that if and when the theme author releases updates to the core functionality, you can easily update your theme without losing your modifications.  Check out the WordPress.org Codex to learn more about Child themes. (more…)

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Choosing the Perfect Theme For WordPress

Creating your own theme enables you to get everything looking and working exactly how you want it,right down to the last detail. But certainly, there is no shame in using a pre-made theme as you begin your journey with WordPress. After all, many top WordPress developers (including us!) used pre-fabbed themes as a starting point. Using some- one else’s theme is an excellent way to dig into the process of customizing and eventually building your own.

Where to Find Awesome Themes

“There are two kinds of themes in this world,” my daddy always told me: “free themes, and paid themes.” Paid themes often call themselves “premium” themes. In general, paid themes are going to have nicer designs, be coded a little better, and may offer fancy theme options. But then he also warned me: “there are some amazing, high-quality free themes, and there are some downright-bad paid themes.” We can give you some general things to look for, but you are just going to have to use your best horse-sense when making the final call.

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