How to Choose The Best Premium WordPress Theme for Your Site

When you are starting a blog, choosing the right theme is crucial for your success. During the process, you will likely have to decide between free WordPress themes vs premium WordPress themes. Often users ask us which one is better and what’s our selection process when choosing a premium WordPress theme. In this article, we will cover how to choose the best premium WordPress theme for your site. By the end, you will know exactly what to look for and what you absolutely need to AVOID!

Free WordPress Theme vs Premium WordPress Theme

One of the main reason why a lot of users choose a premium WordPress theme over a free one is because you get guaranteed support.

Free WordPress themes are often built as a passion project, so you are not guaranteed to get support or updates.

On the other hand, when you pay for a premium WordPress theme, you get good documentation, access to support, and regular updates.

Some theme shops even go beyond and offer video tutorials, demo content, and even a free blog setup service.

Aside from that, premium themes are make your website more unique because free themes are being used by everyone.

Having said that, here’s what you need to look for when selecting a premium WordPress theme.

1. Aesthetically Pleasing Modern Design

You will probably be using this theme on your website for quite sometime. You users will become accustomed to it. That’s why you need to choose a theme which is aesthetically pleasing and can be used for a long time without requiring any major changes.

There are certain elements of design that are used by all good designers to create beautiful websites.

• Good Color Combination


• Awesome Typography


• Clean Layout


• Beautiful Images

Together these elements create a beautiful harmony and consistency that appeals to your users. It not only looks great, but it also helps you achieve your business goals.

Most premium themes come with unlimited color choices and built-in tools to select fonts. You need to make sure that your premium WordPress theme uses better typography out of the box.

Don’t just look at the homepage. Go deeper in the theme demo and explore other sections. For example, if you are building a portfolio site then check theme’s demo for portfolio. If you will be adding testimonials, then checkout how testimonials look in the theme demo.

Make sure that there are plenty of page templates and layouts to use. Examine homepage, single pages, posts, and blog sections to make sure that they all maintain the same design consistency and appeal.

2. Features vs Presentation

The main difference between WordPress themes and plugins is that themes handle the presentation part of your website and plugins handle the functionality.

However, the premium WordPress theme market is highly competitive and sometimes theme developers cannot resist the temptation to add more plugin-like functionality into their themes.

Why is this considered bad practice?

When a WordPress theme crosses over into the plugin territory, it becomes difficult to switch themes. For example if a WordPress theme is using a custom post type, then switching to another theme would make those custom post types disappear from the admin menu.

Shortcodes defined by theme would also stop functioning which also makes switching a difficult and time consuming process.

On the other hand, there are WordPress themes which behave exactly like a plugin. Offering functionality needed to create very specific niche websites. For example real estate themes or hotel themes. Some of these themes are really useful, but if you are going to use those themes, then you need to understand that it will be difficult to switch themes later because other themes may not have the similar functionality.

3. Security and Performance

Many WordPress beginners don’t pay much attention to speed and good coding practices when choosing a premium theme.

In the race to win new customers, theme developers can integrate unsafe and quick solutions that can compromise your site’s security. The insane amount of features can cost you speed and performance issues.

Now the problem is that most beginner level users do not have the skills to study code. So how do you know that the code behind a premium theme is of good quality?

First, you need to buy your premium themes from trusted and well reputed WordPress theme shops. Some of the theme shops that we trust and recommend are:

• Themify


• StudioPress


• Elegant Themes


• Beaver Builder

Secondly, look around for reviews and customer testimonials. See who else is using themes developed by that particular theme shop or developer. Are there any big websites or blogs using their themes? Checkout the testimonials page on the theme shop or search for their reviews on Google.

4. Compatibility Check

Before you start browsing for a premium theme, take a few moments to write down all the features you are looking for. For example:

• Do you need eCommerce support?


• Translation readiness for non-English websites


• BuddyPress or bbPress support


• Any other plugins that you might be using

Many premium themes come with built-in templates and support for popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.

If a theme you are looking for is not available in your language, then ask the theme developer to see if a translation is in progress.

Some users may want to use very specific plugins to create niche websites like job boards, question answer websites, etc. Feel free to ask the theme developers if their theme would work with a specific plugin.

You need to make sure that you are investing your money in the right place.

After Selecting the Perfect Premium WordPress Theme

A good premium WordPress theme would help you easily build high quality websites. However, there are still many things you can do to improve your site.

We recommend taking a look at these 24 must have WordPress plugins for all websites.

If you want to further customize your website, then you should look at CSS Hero which makes it easy to customize websites (see our CSS Hero review).

We hope this guide helped you choose the best premium WordPress theme for your site. You may also want to see our comparison of the best WordPress contact form plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Choose The Best Premium WordPress Theme for Your Site appeared first on WPBeginner.

How To Choose A Blogging Platform

alt="How To Choose A Blogging Platform" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/blogging-platforms-500x332_c.jpg" />

class="alignright size-full wp-image-6307" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/blogging-platforms.jpg" alt="blogging platforms" width="350" height="233" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/blogging-platforms.jpg 350w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/blogging-platforms-300x199.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />

Blogging has soared in popularity over the last ten years, and consequently the choice of blogging platform has also expanded. Whether your blog is for personal purposes or you’re going to use it to promote your business, choosing the right blogging platform is a crucial part of title="starting your blog from scratch" href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/blogging-tips/start-a-blog-today/">setting up your blog. The success of your blog won’t hinge on what platform you use – the content you post and your promotional skills are more important – but it could make a difference to how much time and energy you spend working on your new site.

Most of the major blogging platforms are free, which is useful if you’re starting a website you want to monetize, and the choice will depend on the kind of features and customization you want. Before you choose a platform, it’s helpful to think about what you want from a blog provider, and to do some thorough research. Platform comparison charts, such as href="http://www.buildabetterblog.com/2011/06/how-to-choose-a-blogging-platform-comparison-chart.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> this one created by professional blogger Denise Wakeman, can help you make sense of the differences. After all, it’s much easier to switch to a different blog provider in the early days of your website than it is to export your content to a different platform later.

Considerations

Before comparing the different blogging platforms available, it’s helpful to think about your ideal blog and what you want from a platform.

One consideration to think about is the cost : although most platforms are free, some popular platforms charge a subscription. You need to decide whether you can afford this outgoing, especially if you’re starting a business or website and it’s difficult for you to predict how much incoming cash flow you might have.

href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/15/choosing-a-blog-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> ProBlogger author Darren Rowse breaks down the cost of setting up and running a blog into three main parts:

1. Platform,
2. Web hosting, and
3. A domain name.

He also points out that you might choose to pay for a professional design too. Therefore, when you’re budgeting how much you can spend on your new blog, you need to take hosting, domains, and designs into account. Generally, a self-hosted or paid account with a blogging platform will come with more features, so decide whether you need these features now and, if so, how much you can afford to pay for them.

The second consideration is how much space you’re going to need on the platform’s server – or whether you’d rather host your own blog but use the platform’s CMS (content management system). Text pages don’t take up much space, but pages containing images, video or audio clips will. If your blogging platform caps the amount of space available to each user, you could find yourself in trouble as your blog or website grows.

You also need to think about which features you want to add to your blog , now and in the future. This includes advertising and extra functionality, such as forums. Some platforms are compatible with online advertising companies like Google AdWords, and other platforms don’t allow you to host adverts on your blog or website. This is especially important to establish and research if you are intending to use your blog to make money, as you could spend a lot of time setting up your blog, only to discover you have to export it to another platform.

Another important consideration is how much you want to customize your blog. Some platforms provide ready-made templates that can totally change the appearance of your website, and allow you to enter your own HTML and CSS code. Others aren’t so customizable, and you might find the ability to customize the appearance of your blog is limited. You should also think realistically about your technical skills. If you want a blog you can customize but don’t know any HTML or CSS, you might want to choose a platform like WordPress, which come with thousands of free and paid website templates. Some platforms are also easier to use and update than others.

The final aspect to consider is whether you want the blog to be hosted by the platform, or whether you’re going to host it yourself . Some blog platforms, such as Blogger, offer hosted blogs, while others, like WordPress and TypePad, give you the option to host your blog on an external server, while still using the platform. Hosted blogs are usually free, and simple to set up, however they do have limitations that stand-alone blog platforms don’t have.

As well as thinking about these points yourself, it’s helpful to ask other bloggers for feedback about which platforms they use, and what their experience is like with each platform.

Major Blogging Platforms

WordPress

style="text-align: center;">class="border aligncenter" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/1004-1.jpg" alt="WordPress" width="750px" height="355" />

WordPress (href="http://wordpress.com/" target="_blank">WordPress.com / href="http://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress.org) is one of the most popular blogging platforms available, and users can choose between WordPress.com, which offers hosted blogs, or WordPress.org, which provides a platform for self-hosted blogs. As well as hosting options, WordPress.com and WordPress.org have several key differences. For example, you can’t upload plug-ins to a WordPress.com site, however you can to a WordPress.org site. You also need more technical knowledge to run a website using WordPress.org, and are responsible for maintaining back-ups and installing any software updates.

You should also choose carefully between the two WordPress options if you want to monetize your site. As online marketing consultant href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2012/03/04/wordpress-com-or-wordpress-org-which-ones-right-for-you/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Matt Hooper advises, only established websites with “moderate to high traffic and appropriate content” are eligible to sign up to WordPress’ advertising program, href="http://en.wordpress.com/apply-for-wordads/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> WordAds. If you install WordPress.org, however, you can run ads on your website from day one.

Tumblr

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Founded in 2007, title="Tumblr" href="https://www.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr is a free blogging platform, and one of the most intuitive blogging systems available. You can’t self-host using Tumblr – every blog is hosted on Tumblr.com, however you can purchase your own domain name instead of using the .tumblr.com subdomain. Tumblr places a strong emphasis on sharing, and makes it easy to connect with other Tumblr users, and share your best content on the Tumblr network. You can customize your website’s design, however the customization features aren’t as flexible as they are with other blogging platforms.

Blogger

style="text-align: center;">class="border aligncenter" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/1004-3.jpg" alt="WordPress" width="750px" height="292" />

title="Google Blogger Platform" href="http://www.blogger.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Blogger is a free blogging platform from Google, and href="http://yfsentrepreneur.com/2011/08/11/blogging-for-business-how-to-choose-the-best-blog-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> YFS Magazine recommend it as a starting point for people who have never created or managed their own blog before. Setting up a blog through Blogger is a quick and easy process, and you can use your own customized domain name. The platform also allows advertising.

Typepad

style="text-align: center;">class="border aligncenter" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/1004-5.jpg" alt="WordPress" width="750px" height="508" />

You can sign up to two different versions of title="TypePad" href="http://www.typepad.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TypePad: Micro, which is free, and Pro, which starts at .95 per month. Although it is the most expensive blogging platform from this list, it’s easy to use and allows you to customize your blog without having a lot of technical knowledge.

Squarespace

style="text-align: center;">class="border aligncenter" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/1004-2.jpg" alt="WordPress" width="750px" height="420" />

title="Square Space" href="http://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Squarespace provides a comprehensive service, offering you the ability to create and host your website, purchase a domain, and get analytics information about traffic, all from one place. The Squarespace service starts at per month, and lets you build a fully-customizable blog or website without having experience, or a lot of technical know-how.

Next Steps

Setting up your site is just one step involved in starting a blog from scratch, but it’s an important decision, so it’s worth taking the time to research your options carefully and ensure you’re making the right decision.

Once you’ve chosen a blogging platform, you can get busy creating your blog or website, and take the first steps towards developing and title="How to monetize your blog" href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/inbound-marketing/the-most-profitable-ways-of-monetizing-a-blog/" target="_blank">monetizing your online business.

Page 22 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

How To Choose A Managed Hosting Provider

alt="How To Choose A Managed Hosting Provider" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/default-image-500x308_c.jpg" />

Are you interested in outsourcing your web hosting services? Do you require a dedicated server? If the answer is “YES” to both of these questions, you may want to href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-reviews/">consider a managed hosting provider.

In a managed hosting environment, the hosting provider owns and is responsible for the data center, network, devices, operating system and application infrastructure components. The customer generally manages the applications infrastructure and maintains full control over the business process.

Whether you are looking for your first managed hosting provider or switching from an existing provider, making the selection can be an overwhelming task. Each organization has unique requirements and the best provider for one may not be good for another.

Once you have taken the plunge and selected a provider, it can be very difficult to back out or make yet another change. This is why it is so important to make the selection carefully. Of course, it never hurts to ask friends and colleagues for recommendations, but this should only be a starting point.

Below are some things to consider when making your decision.

Scope of Services

class="border" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/images/2012/1004-10.jpg" alt="Dedicated Hosting Guides" width="750px" />

To start, you should determine exactly which services you need and whether each managed hosting provider can support them. Some providers may offer a variety of plans ranging from partial managed hosting to full managed hosting. It just depends on how much support you require and how much you are willing to pay.

Here are some standard services to consider:

• Management of Windows or Linux environment
• Application of security patches and upgrades
• Management of the platform: hardware, networks, operating System, storage, database, domain name system, firewall, etc.
• Clusters, redundancy and load balancers

Here are some additional services you might need:

• Backups
• Application support
• Website security
• Migration from the existing site (if applicable)

Service Levels

Response time and problem resolution are critical to any hosting service. You will want to review the capabilities of your prospective managed hosting provider to identify whether their service level is adequate to meet your needs. This is one area where you get what you pay for. Small, less expensive providers may not have the resources to provide expert assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Below are few questions to ask:

• Are they available by phone, e-mail, chat, etc.?
• Do they provide 24 hour support?
• What is the average response time during the day, at night and on weekends?
• How long does it typically take to resolve problems? Are expert resources available in the off hours to resolve difficult problems quickly?

You may even want to call the provider in the middle of the night to see how long it takes to get a response.

Uptime

You should href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/uptime/">determine the level of uptime that your business requires. Of course, everyone wants 100% uptime, but higher service levels may cost more. In particular, consider the cost of downtime to your organization. Are you a retailer who will lose thousands of dollars per hour if your site is down during the holiday season?

No managed hosting provider can provide 100% uptime and you should be skeptical of any that claim that they do. Ask the hosting provider what their average uptime is and if they guarantee an uptime service level. If they cannot meet the guaranteed service level, how will you be compensated?

Fortunately, most managed hosting providers maintain well over 99% uptime. Netcraft tracks the performance of many providers and you may find the information at their site helpful: href="http://uptime.netcraft.com/perf/reports/hosters" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Netcraft.

Scalability and Traffic Spikes

The ability of your site to handle spikes in activity is dependent not only on the managed host provider, but also on how well your website is programmed.

Clearly, you should provide prospective managed hosting providers not only your average traffic levels, but also your peak levels. Ask them if they can accommodate the peak levels. If traffic spikes can be anticipated, how much lead time do they require in order to prepare?

Ask the provider how many visitors per month they currently handle. How many websites are they hosting? How many visitors does the average site have? This should give you a good idea if they can handle the size of your business.

Applications & Languages

Make sure that the provider can support the applications and languages you intend to use. These might include:

• WordPress, Drupal, Joomla
• Windows Server, Linux
• PHP, .NET, Python, Ruby

It’s important to not only make sure they can accommodate the applications and languages that you use, but also the particular versions you are using. Ask if their other customers are already using these same versions.

Server Control

If your developers will need full server control, be sure that the managed host provider offers it. For example, some developers need Secure Shell Support (SSH) access to customize their environments. These are all details that you want to specify upfront to avoid nasty surprises late in the process.

Cost

In the end, the provider and plan that you select will represent a compromise between the service levels that you desire and href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/ultimate-cheap-web-hosting-guide/">the amount you are willing to spend.

Be sure that you understand exactly how much each plan costs. Which costs are part of the standard plan and which are a la carte? How much bandwidth is included? How much storage is included? How many domains can you host without additional charges?

Most hosting problems can be avoided by conducting a thorough review BEFORE selecting the provider. If you do your homework and are clear about your requirements, you should have no problem finding a good managed host provider that meets your needs. Good Luck!

Page 23 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

What Really Is VPS Hosting and How to Choose a Reliable VPS Provider?

alt="What Really Is VPS Hosting and How to Choose a Reliable VPS Provider?" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vps-shared-dedicated-hosting-500x753_c.jpg" />

Note: We have published a comprehensive guide on VPS hosting in September 2014 to discuss about how VPS hosting works, when is the right time to switch, how to choose, and the right price to pay. Some special discount and promotion coupons were also added at the bottom of the article. To learn more, read: href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/vps-hosting-guide/">Ultimate VPS Hosting Guide: The Basics, How-to Choose, and Discounts.

When you are starting a new website, there are a lot of new challenges awaiting you out there. One of the harder ones is the confusing task of href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/choose-the-right-web-hosting/">choosing between different hosting packages. Most newbies start off with a tight budget and that usually leaves them with few options to choose from. Shared hosting is ideal for a new website that is not yet popular. But there is a bigger risk in going with shared hosting if your website is likely to outgrow its capacity very soon. Also, it wouldn’t be wise to go with shared hosting for an ecommerce store which would need high end hosting resources. In such cases, VPS or virtual private server hosting can be the right solution since it offers better security, features and advantages for a slightly higher price.

id="attachment_8514" style="width: 460px" class="wp-caption alignright">class=" wp-image-8514 " src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vps-hosting-anatomy.jpg" alt="vps hosting anatomy" width="450" height="328" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vps-hosting-anatomy.jpg 750w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vps-hosting-anatomy-300x218.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" />class="wp-caption-text">Anatomy of VPS Hosting href="http://www.gouriwebmedia.com/blog/vps-hosting">Image Credit