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Need guidance for Wordpress theme selection

by Dave O
5 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
I'm working to start my first site. I have the domain, hosting, and email hosting set up. I have Wordpress installed on my site and am currently using the default theme and a placeholder page.

I'm looking to make a site that focuses on a particular topic. It's a societal and political topic that brings about a great amount of passion for people. There are pro people and people against it. It will mainly be for people in the United States but my ideas and beliefs are universal.

I would like it to include my personal feelings and beliefs on this topic as well as current events. I'd like to eventually include reviews of related products. I would also like it to include ads for revenue generation.

With that said I need a little guidance on what types of Wordpress themes might go well and which ones should be avoided entirely. There is an enormous amount of themes out there and I'm suffering from information overload.

I'm new to Wordpress and website building in general however I have a good amount of experience working on Linux type systems and configuring programs.

Are there themes that have built in support for ads or is that something I will have to configure in manually ?

I'm using Hostgator and there is an enormous amount of software built into my host server including many content management systems.

Any help would be great. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Thanks y'all

David
#guidance #selection #theme #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
    Don't mean to be a jerk, but it's kind of like asking, which blue car should I buy?

    I would say, you could narrow it down by looking at magazine style theme's. Sounds exactly what kind of site your looking to build, from what you've said. From there, you find one that has a look you like. You could also narrow it down by choosing ones that have the options you want or need.

    You should also pick on that is speed, google prefers fast sites.

    Sorry to be vague, but like you said there are SO many options out there. It's not like any one can say use theme A or use theme B. I know for myself, I can go through 20 theme's before I settle on one.

    I have yet to see a them that comes with advertising built in. They almost all come with ad spots, usually widget area's where you can put in ad code. This could be another way to narrow down your search, by choosing those that have the ads posts you like.

    If your serious about ads, you also might want to get a ad management plug-in. This way you can test and track ads, to tweak and make the most from your traffic. And some are set up to sell ad space if you wish to do that. Just a thought.

    Again, sorry I don't have the perfect answer. Too many theme's out there. Though I do feel your pain when it comes to choosing one.

    Hope that helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dreamworx
      You need to check out ThemeForest. Buy a theme from a developer that has good feedback and responds quickly to questions. You will be able to find this information in the developers profile and community rating.
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      • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
        Because your site is going to be focused on people actually reading your content - pick a theme that has black text on a white background (dark grey text is ok too) so that it's easy on the eyes

        pick a theme that doesn't have a ton of images -
        pick a responsive theme so that your site is viewable on all devices for maximum exposure.

        For ad placement - simply use widgets to display your ads as Ron suggested.

        You don't need to buy an expensive theme to get a nice-looking theme -

        use the filters in WordPress to search for a theme that matches the above and you will be golden.

        Keep it simple, focus on typography so that your content stands out - and if you write quality content and drive targeted traffic to your blog, you should be good to go.

        Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave O
      Originally Posted by Ron Killian View Post


      I have yet to see a them that comes with advertising built in. They almost all come with ad spots, usually widget area's where you can put in ad code. This could be another way to narrow down your search, by choosing those that have the ads posts you like.

      If your serious about ads, you also might want to get a ad management plug-in. This way you can test and track ads, to tweak and make the most from your traffic. And some are set up to sell ad space if you wish to do that. Just a thought.
      ....
      Hope that helps.
      After I posted this I realized my question was a little misguided. I didn't understand what themes were. I thought themes dictated more the function of a site rather than the form.

      After further reading I discovered that ads really could be placed anywhere I want.

      Thank you for the response though.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
        Originally Posted by Dave O View Post

        After I posted this I realized my question was a little misguided. I didn't understand what themes were. I thought themes dictated more the function of a site rather than the form.

        After further reading I discovered that ads really could be placed anywhere I want.

        Thank you for the response though.
        Well, you can't always place advertising just anywhere. Like I said, you need ad spots, usually widget area's pre-defined. Why it's something you need to look at when choosing a theme. You probably know this.
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