Wordpress4SmallBiz

A WordPress Theme manages the “customer facing” side of your website.  In other words when someone visits your site, the Theme is what controls the design look and feel of the information on your website.

To create your web pages, you use WordPress software on the back end.  When you are ready to “publish” your page to the web, WordPress hands off the information to the WordPress Theme and says here you go.  Based on that information the Theme will create a predefined web page. 

A WordPress Theme is software that stands alone from WordPress.  But they work together to create a beautiful website.  In essence they talk the same language and get along great…because of their common interest…namely WordPress!

An Example

For example when I write a review of a WordPress Theme for this site, the Theme I’m using automatically knows to place that information in the WordPress Themes Review Category and to create a thumbnail image of the Theme on the home page that links to the full page review.  And the full page review is automatically created based on the predefined design for that page.

All of that is accomplished with one “click”!  Pretty Amazing.

If at some point in the future, I decide that I want a different look and feel for this website, I can either modify the existing template or for a dramatic change move to a different one.

Free versus Premium WordPress Themes

As you cruise around the web and this website, you will find reference to Free WordPress Themes and Premium WordPress Themes.  In some cases a Free Theme may work, but in most cases a Premium WordPress Theme is a better choice for small business websites.

Free WordPress Themes are typically designed with the look and feel a blog and are often more for personal use.  There are a few themes that could work for a small business site.  You can read a review of some of the best here.

Premium WordPress Themes

Premium Themes come packaged with more bells and whistles… and support.  For starters there are often enhanced features in the design set up that make it easy to change the look and feel of your site.  The overall Theme design is often more feature rich with things like home page rotating feature photos, or the ability to choose between a couple of layout options for the home page.  It also includes several predesigned interior pages. 

Perhaps the biggest difference is the aspect of support.  When you buy a Theme, support is almost always provided.  Whether you or someone else is setting up your Theme, support makes it to sort thru any technical issues as well as Theme setup.  In most cases you can buy a Premium Theme for well under a $100, which is a great deal!

WordPress + WordPress Theme = Marketing Buzz

Your website is the hub of your online presence. Combine the power of WordPress with a WordPress Theme, to create just the image you want to get your marketing message out.   With the ability to add content on a regular basis and integrate your site with other social media outlets, you can leverage your site across the web to create massive buzz!