If you want to make money designing WordPress sites, it’s crucial to know when to go custom and when to stick with a ready-made solution. In this session geared to designers looking to make profitable WordPress websites, learn how to assess when to use a pre-made theme, how to pick the right one, and when to start from scratch.

1. Themes That
Make You Go Hmmm:
Theme Strategies
For Designers
Elana Rudick - @designisyummy

2. Elana Rudick
@designisyummy
designisyummy.com

3. You chose this
session over sleep.
THANK YOU!

4. What’s a Theme?
A WordPress theme leaves your content
the same, but changes how that information
is displayed to the user.
(i.e.: visual changes to the site’s layout)
• Site Performance
• SEO
• Look and Feel
• Extensibility

5. Theme Types

6. Free
• Code Quality
• Support
• Backlinks
0$

7. Premium
Pricing models:
Single site license
Multiple site license
Theme club (membership)

8. Premium Themes: The Pros
• Better documentation
• More updates
• Better security
• Better SEO
• Ongoing support
• No attribution links
• Custom administration panel

9. Premium Themes: The Cons
• Custom administration panel
• Too much configuration
• Unwanted features
• Unwanted plugins
• “Bloated themes”

10. FREE:
WordPress theme directory:
wordpress.org/themes/
PREMIUM:
elegantthemes.com
themelab.com
studiopress.com
designwall.com
headwaythemes.com
ithemes.com
rockettheme.com
themeforest.net
themify.me
woothemes.com
Where to Look For
Reputable Themes

11. What to Look For When
Choosing a Theme
Given: Responsive, mobile friendly, retina display support
(Google’s mobile-friendliness tool)
• Functionality
• Feature-light
• Large file formats = bad
• Plugins + Compatibility
• Design
• Usability, UX

12. What to Look For When
Choosing a Theme
• Compatibility
• Documentation
• Common problems
• Good code (updates)
• Ease of customization
• Support

13. What to Look For When
Choosing a Theme
• Speed (GTmetrix, Google PageSpeed Insights)
• SEO (SEO Site Tools)
• Security

14. No theme is perfect

15. Custom
• Built from scratch
• Use custom code
• Only the plugins you want
• More streamlined / less heavy
• $$$
• Time

16. You don’t need to
reinvent the wheel.

17. Customized
• Custom look without the custom cost
• Less development time
• Cost savings*

18. Disclaimer: Create a child theme if you
plan on modifying the theme’s code.

20. Planning Your Theme Strategy
ASK THE CLIENT:
• What type of website?
• What do they need the site to do?
• Specific plugins to be integrated?
• Budget?
• Timeline?
• Style?

21. Planning Your Theme Strategy
ASK YOURSELF:
• What is your skill level?
• What do you think the site needs to do?
• Specific plugins to be integrated?
• Budget?
• Timeline?
• Style?
• Are you trying to reinvent the wheel?

27. whatwpthemeisthat.com OR WPSNIFFER

28. @designisyummy
Questions?