Do you use a free Wordpress Theme?

12 years ago

Hi

"Research has shown that out of every ten free Wordpress themes, eight of them contain suspicious code."

yes i do agree ..

as well as many of this free theme also have there own footer link ..which also make your wp site look very bad .. and if you try to delete that footer link then you site will be unavailable ...

Regard
sumit

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zpoll92

12 years ago

Yes several of them are containing suspicious code, so you should get them out before you try to install the theme. However it requires advanced knowledge.

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Janet Sawyer 12 years ago

Hi Will,

There is an excellent plugin available Theme Authority Checker
Up to now, it has always reported where hidden links are in any free theme I have checked with it.
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TallyDon

12 years ago

How do you define suspicous code ? like calling home? I'm a pugin author and from time to time I need to solve comflicts with the theme and it does seem that alot of themes don't follow best practices and coding standards. For example, the hardcode a jquery reference or include a local jquery version (which is horrible outdated).

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rosetrees

12 years ago

To answer the question in the title of your thread - yes, I use two free themes - Atahualpa and Montezuma.

To answer the question in the body of your post - I can't agree as I have no idea how many themes contain unwanted code. I know from experience that some do, but have no idea whether the figure of 8 out of 10 would be correct.

Reminds me of that old advert - 8 out of 10 owners say their cats prefer it.

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RonnieJSmith

12 years ago

hi,

yes most of the free themes have suspicious code in the form of footer links etc. So it's always better to go for well established brands and premium themes.

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Sunitha07

Banned 12 years ago

Yes . Suspicious codes are there. I have lost my word press website having 536+ posts due to using free themes. So i would recommend you to buy premium theme like thesis or genesis.

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DoubleOhDave

12 years ago

There's a free plugin called Duplicator - I'd advise doing a search for that and using it to back up your sites!

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RatRaceWatch

12 years ago

I no longer use Free Wordpress Themes. Although I highly recommend them for beginners as they get familiar with using Wordpress as their CMS, I think most of them don't have the elements I need to create a strong graphical representation of my services.

There are some good premium themes out there that can be used as a foundation, but I've found myself developing more of my websites from scratch starting with a PSD file I make.

It allows my mind to roam free, and design my sites exactly the way I want them to appear. Genesis is always on the backend, and is by far my favorite parent theme.

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Andy Fang

12 years ago

No, I suggest spending $15 on a good wp theme in themeforest.

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jayatana

12 years ago

never use free wordpress theme,using premium theme alot of benefit

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nitesh

12 years ago

If you are using free wordpress themes then first of all check the rating and reviews of the theme so that you know if anyone else has faced any problem with the theme. The next thing is install the theme on local host first, check it if you can easily remove the footer part and any other copyright information or unwanted code if it has placed. Install the theme on your web server only after making it upto the satisfaction.

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cferfland247

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Will Edwards

I am interested in your views on this comment I read earlier today on a blog that was promoting the Genesis theme ...

"Research has shown that out of every ten free Wordpress themes, eight of them contain suspicious code."

Do you agree or not?

Will

Yes, Some time I use free themes but I always make sure to check the theme files using a plugin named Theme Authenticity Checker

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Dennisknows

12 years ago

Yea... I've stopped using them. Many of them even are coded where if you go in and try to change some coding, it'll shut down..

and it's a real b***h trying logging into your FTP and deleting the file.

There are services on Fiverr where they'll take that coding out of the theme..

Dennis
"marketing Menace"

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moreno

12 years ago

premium theme have more clean code , beter seo, but the advantage ..IT'S YOURS and you get support too and update . I use only one theme now and i'm more than happy with i have an affiliate link on the bottom too. No free theme can do what this theme does ! If you want to check out one of my blog done with this theme
Increase Breast Size Naturally - look at squeeze page and so on all done in minutes ...NO free wp theme can do that !

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JMarno 12 years ago

Yes...and I happily recommend it.

Weaver II Theme | Home of the Weaver II WordPress Theme
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- JMarno 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by JMarno
  
  Yes...and I happily recommend it.
  
  Weaver II Theme | Home of the Weaver II WordPress Theme
  
  I'll just give this another mention because 1- it's quite good and worth anyone's time to try it out, 2- I have used it on about a dozen blogs and have always found it more than I could have hoped for, and 3 - yes, it's free! But you can buy the premium version if you want even more options than you get with the free one.
  
  If you pass this up without even looking at it--well, you can lead a horse to water...
  
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run

12 years ago

What those 8/10 research from? Do use free themes on WordPress repository; I am using nearly 20+ different free themes from WordPress theme repository, and all of them are really clean with no suspicious codes. Furthermore, they are building with a really WordPress compatible template tags.

For better usability, I still use paid themes, but it's not a must.

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Istvan Horvath

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Will Edwards

"Research has shown that out of every ten free Wordpress themes, eight of them contain suspicious code."

Well, as the saying goes: 96.34% of online statistics is rubbish and/or made up by bloggers like the one you quoted

The statement is a complete bullshit, frankly. None of the over 1,700 themes from wordpress.org has any malicious code. Period.

And yes, there are jerks who would take free themes made by others and add their own spammy and/or malicious code into it... and then "generously" offer free themes to novice WP users. :rolleyes:

NEVER ever download a WP theme from dubious sites that claim to have done the job for you and 'collected' super-freemium-fantastic-viagraquality WP themes. They are all scammers. No exception!

p.s. There has never been such research - he just wants you to buy via his aff link

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RimaNaj2011

12 years ago

I don't use wordpress but I've heard a lot of horror stories with sneaky coding and such. If I was to use WP, I would stick with the "popular" ones like Genesis and the ones like that.

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Istvan Horvath

12 years ago

Originally Posted by RimaNaj2011

I don't use wordpress but I've heard a lot of horror stories with sneaky coding and such. If I was to use WP, I would stick with the "popular" ones like Genesis and the ones like that.

Well, if you don't use it and you don't know anything about - you should not comment. It is not fair (and reveals total ignorance) when people comment about things they admitted not having first hand experience...

To paraphrase your sentence: if I was a non-WP user I would stick with silence :rolleyes:

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RimaNaj2011

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath

Well, if you don't use it and you don't know anything about - you should not comment. It is not fair (and reveals total ignorance) when people comment about things they admitted not having first hand experience...

To paraphrase your sentence: if I was a non-WP user I would stick with silence :rolleyes:

I'm sorry you got upset with my post

Originally Posted by RimaNaj2011

I don't use wordpress but I've heard a lot of horror stories with sneaky coding and such. If I was to use WP, I would stick with the "popular" ones like Genesis and the ones like that.

I didn't say it was first hand experience. I bolded my own post in case I was going to get you confused again. Clearly.....I have said it was what I've heard.

It wouldn't make sense if I said that was MY opinion, now would it?

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Farish

12 years ago

A lot of free themes from legitimate sites have encrypted code so you can not easily remove the copyright links so they get some form of free advertising by using them. Honestly if you are using a free theme I think it is perfectly reasonable for a site to state at the bottom, designed by etc.com for credit for their work.

To be blunt, if you get a free theme that has suspicious code, maybe you should not have download it from that torrent or blackhat website.

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Istvan Horvath

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Farish

A lot of free themes from legitimate sites have encrypted code so you can not easily remove the copyright links so they get some form of free advertising by using them. Honestly if you are using a free theme I think it is perfectly reasonable for a site to state at the bottom, designed by etc.com for credit for their work.

You are another one talking rubbish about themes:
- those putting malicious code in the footer are NOT "legit" sites.
- having a credit link to the designer's site or having 17 porno links that you cannot remove... are not the same thing; except in your opinion, it seems...
- copyright links (if any is appropriate) and encrypted code to shady sites or so-called "sponsors" that paid the theme author in hope to get 'backlinks' - again, are not the same

To be blunt: learn more about WP before commenting.

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Farish

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath

You are another one talking rubbish about themes:
- those putting malicious code in the footer are NOT "legit" sites.
- having a credit link to the designer's site or having 17 porno links that you cannot remove... are not the same thing; except in your opinion, it seems...
- copyright links (if any is appropriate) and encrypted code to shady sites or so-called "sponsors" that paid the theme author in hope to get 'backlinks' - again, are not the same

To be blunt: learn more about WP before commenting.

After rereading my post I was not clear.

I am not referring about websites that put 3rd party advertising on the footer. I was referring to the credit link.

I think that practice is acceptable. But i do know that some of these sites now are using encryption practices to protect that credit link.

You may not like that practice, but there is not much of an option for those who are legitimate giving the theme away in return for credit to their business.

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Istvan Horvath 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Farish

You may not like that practice, but there is not much of an option for those who are legitimate giving the theme away in return for credit to their business.

Only very narrow minded people think that's the only "solution", i.e the encryption.

I made a free theme in 2005, a few months after the theme system has been introduced to WP in version 1.5. Yes, I had a link in the footer pointing to my website.

In the readme (txt) file I wrote it out clearly: you don't have to keep the link but if you will, thank you.

Guess what? There was a moment when I had around 17,000 links all around the net in many different languages.

Then later I picked up an "orphan" plugin and updated it to make it compatible with newer WP versions. Gave it away free, again. I have an old blog where even today I get the occasional pingback, link in a grateful blog post by happy users.

Guess what? There are options for being rewarded. Just do not give away "free" expecting immediately something in return. Are you giving gifts to beloved ones because you expect "return" or because you feel good giving...?
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thatjc

12 years ago

I'm a big fan of the StudioPress "Genesis" framework and their child themes (at least the mobile responsive themes). Have used them for a half-dozen client projects and my own sites as well. The StudioPress support is also excellent.

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WordpressManiac

12 years ago

I like Swift as a simple and free Genesis alternative. Very fast loading time, clean code, sponsored link in footer. There is a premium Version but you don't need it.

As a paid theme I prefer Genesis.

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mikelmraz

12 years ago

Try using some of the free premium themes out there. They should be more reliable: Best Free Premium Wordpress Themes | CashJournals of DylanC

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NewRiseDigital

12 years ago

If you're using a free theme there is always the possibility that you'll be open to malicious code. If you are running any kind of business on the web, you won't want to be taking that chance, and good paid themes are reasonably low cost now. Alternatively you can use a theme designer such as Headway Themes and customize your own themes in the visual editor (moving blocks around the page etc) which eliminates coding headaches.

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webproishere

12 years ago

I got burned once, paying for themes GO FIGURE !!!!!

So now, i check everything first even if i PAID FOR IT

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Chris_Willow

12 years ago

I mostly use the 2012 theme as a starting point and tweak it from there.

Some free themes indeed have encrypted code for footer links or other stuff. I would imagine many people don't bother to check if it's malicious or not (like cookie stuffing).

It's worth noting some free themes prohibit removal of their code, which is why I don't use them.

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22122gospel 12 years ago

I recommend using Wordpress's own "2011" or "2012" themes to start.

Invest your initial profits in a premium theme.
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Bobby Asburn

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Will Edwards

"Research has shown that out of every ten free Wordpress themes, eight of them contain suspicious code."

Do you agree or not?

Will

If I am using the theme from WordPress directory, I am not agree with you. But if I am using the theme from other sources, well I am 100% agree with you.

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Frederik Jorgensen

12 years ago

Do I use free wordpress themes?

No.

Why not? Because the themes I like are paid ones, simple as that :-) If they were free I would still use them, for me it's simply do I like the theme or do I not like the theme.

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LockhartW

12 years ago

I had a wordpress blog last year which initially used free themes, but I eventually decided to spend a little money for a paid theme. I chose Elegant Themes because of the huge number of great themes for such a great price.

Note that even when I was using free themes, they came from the Wordpress theme directory, which gives them a measure of trustworthiness. Any free themes you discover from a Google search are much more likely to contain malicious code, so this is not recommended.

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Jurrie

12 years ago

i used to have free themes for my blogs, but it never gave me the satisfaction i wanted in customizing it,
so i decided to spend 50$ on a premium theme and guess what , it was the best thing i ever did in regard of creating my blogs

so if you have some bucks in spare, go for a premium theme that is adjustable so you can use it on most of your blogs

regards

Jurrie

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thedark

12 years ago

There are plugins that check if a theme you install is safe. However, you should be aware of downloading themes from torrents or from suspicious sites. If someone wanted to give out a theme for free, he would have added it into the wordpress theme directory.

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thomasmathew100

12 years ago

Yes, some themes contain malicious codes for some reasons. First, maybe because the theme you’re using is not coded properly that gives an attacker to corrupt information. Second, the theme might come from a suspicious source. Third, it’s possible that an attacker was able to corrupt your security measures and implanted malicious codes on your team. However, the WordPress Security is checking your theme from time to time to check for malicious codes by using these tools TAC – Them Authenticity Checker, Antivirus and Theme check that are plugins that allow you to test if your theme follows the updated review standards. These are ways that can help minimize such problem.

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jgant

12 years ago

I started with free themes and some were fine, but lacked easy customization options I wanted then.

I've been a premium theme user for a few years.

Recently I helped a person with WP and they wanted a free theme. I couldn't download their first pick. The second free pick wouldn't upload to the site. Nothing but a hassle.

There are no doubt some excellent free themes out there ... the trouble is finding them.

I stick with a few premium theme providers and don't have problems. It's worth the $80. Most offer unlimited site licenses so buy once and use forever.

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CDawson

Banned 12 years ago

They have plugins to detect malicious coding. You could also post the code in a word processing software and search for common types of bad coding. I love how most templates have a link to the template website as the bottom.

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ejullya

12 years ago

I heard that there is malicious code in some. But I would not know as I never had problems with the free themes that I used.

When I started blogging I used free themes. I did not mind having their link in the footer of my sites. I felt the designer deserved as much for going to the trouble of designing a theme and then offering it for free.

I changed to Canvas from Woothemes because it is not as technically challenging as Thesis is. I am very happy with this theme. The reason why I changed was because the free themes just did not offer the options that suited my style. As well, sometimes the support was not very good. (Mind you this can happen with some premium themes as well)

Dita

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LastBeatleBug

12 years ago

Get a premium theme from a reputable company. Personally I use Thesis exclusively, but there are many others.
Always back up your data base so you have all your posts and pages etc saved.

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mert

12 years ago

Well if based on a research (which should show facts) then I guess it's true! That's why we build our WP themes from scratch

I'm not really into free themes coz they are quite limited in features and also they have there own footer link.

Originally Posted by Janet Sawyer

Hi Will,

There is an excellent plugin available Theme Authority Checker
Up to now, it has always reported where hidden links are in any free theme I have checked with it.

That's great Janet! Thanks for sharing that one.

Originally Posted by Sunitha07

Yes . Suspicious codes are there. I have lost my word press website having 536+ posts due to using free themes. So i would recommend you to buy premium theme like thesis or genesis.

Lesson learned. Always use a back-up! Highly recommended plugin: BackupBuddy(not my affiliate link)

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Dain

12 years ago

Optimizepress was the best investment by far.

It is the easiest theme to produce nice looking sales page and squeezes pages that would take a newbie months to develop.

IMHO I think everyone should use this theme. I've used headway and other themes, and this one is just hands down better and easier.

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a2zbizpro

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dain

Optimizepress was the best investment by far.

It is the easiest theme to produce nice looking sales page and squeezes pages that would take a newbie months to develop.

IMHO I think everyone should use this theme. I've used headway and other themes, and this one is just hands down better and easier.

I own Optimizepress but everytime I go authorize a site in my Optimizepress account and then try to activate it I get an error and sorry to say this the support I have got regarding this hasn't helped me stop the issue. So I am giving it a thumbs down and kiss that $$$ goodbye. Too bad as you stated it is a nice theme, but I am tired of the BS support or lack thereof.

If you are building client sites I recommend you get Kevin Koop's Local Biz Pro Responsive WP Theme, he has great tutorials and he just released another robust update. He and Gerry Humphrey have done a good job on this theme and it works well for newbies or veterans. Here is the link on this site if you want to check it out:

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ates-more.html

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Paul Hill SEO

12 years ago

I use quite a few different themes in my websites and find that the premium themes have more functionality but that in turn makes them harder to edit.

I am by no means an expert programmer but know enough to carry out basic modifications to WP themes...The free ones are much easier to edit and tailor to my requirements

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run

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Hill SEO

I use quite a few different themes in my websites and find that the premium themes have more functionality but that in turn makes them harder to edit.

I am by no means an expert programmer but know enough to carry out basic modifications to WP themes...The free ones are much easier to edit and tailor to my requirements

I agree. Most premium themes are packed with option panels that are easy for non code techies to customize. Yet, in term of the full control and completely change to the fresh new unique one, free themes are much easier to work with.

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I just wanna tell you that most of the links in the signature are trash and/or a trap to make you pay!

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techbul

12 years ago

I've used free Wordpress themes some time ago, but changed to premium ones and custom made ones, since they're usually so much better in every aspect.

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mdan287

12 years ago

I use only WordPress theme directory themes which are considered as good.

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