Over the last year and half, Wordpress has submerged as one of the most popular open source cms out there. And personally I have just fallen for it hook line and sinker.
The reason why Wordpress has become such a favourite for web designers and clients alike is mostly because of its easy and friendly admin area which clients can easily get up to speed with.
Another reason is that Wordpress has the option to add your own themes which allows the user to add different styles to his or her website. And yes most themes are free, you can go and download as many as you like. You could try dozens until you find the one you think suits your webpage. ‘That is great” you say. Well the question you should ask yourself is “BUT IS IT?”.
So you’re just got your theme and its looking pretty cool, your got your Wordpress site running and it was practically all free. You’re a happy chappy. Smiles all round… Great.
But with some things that are free there is always a price to pay… Most free themes are ok but usually have been developed by god knows who and you can presume there is some sort of affiliate link hidden somewhere.
So you decide to buy a theme from a place like Woo Themes or Graph Paper Press. Very nicely designed, packed full of great functions and developed by professionals. It will make you stand out from the crowd for sure. eerrr NO. Sadly not.
What happens when a different person has done the same thing and they are selling the same product as you? And because of this they have picked the same theme for their Wordpress site. Shock, horror.
It’s like walking in to a pub and seeing a guy with the same shirt from Topman. You can’t walk up to him and demand him to take it off.
Lets face the facts, it’s a landmine, but wait there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Because Wordpress is an open source it means that you can go lots of places to get a truly custom theme. Everything from design right through to integration of custom functions. The possibilities are endless anything from a full e-commerce site to an online portfolio as Wordpress can be very flexible in the right hands…
Tim
