In the early stages of developing BloggingReview.com I decided I wanted to launch the site with a premium WordPress theme. Premium themes are all the rage right now and there are some really nice options out there. Just about every theme I found had it’s own distinct set of features and benefits so the challenge was to find the right premium theme for my needs.
The premium theme I was looking for would offer the following:
- Design Flexibility
- 3 Column Option Preferred
- Attractive “Out of the Box” typography
- Solid Support, User and Knowledge base
Seems like a pretty simple list right? Well, I’m a pretty particular person so it proved to be a bit more daunting than I originally thought. After doing an exhaustive search I narrowed it down to 3 options.
Option 1: Revolution Tech Theme
The Revolution Tech theme is one of a really nice stable of premium Wordpress themes by the Revolution Brand. The Tech version is a stylish 3 column magazine style theme that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. This theme is widget ready and is not very image heavy which means customizing would be fairly easy. Revolution has a good user support forum and a nice set of tutorials as well. Overall, this theme did fit all of my criteria very well. The only issues I needed to decide on where the formatting of the 3 columns and the magazine style layout. I have used magazine style themes on some of my affiliate blogs and like them quite a bit so it wasn’t something I was adverse to. This theme was a really strong contender and is definitely one I’m going to try sooner or later on another project.
Option 2: Thesis WordPress Theme
The Thesis WordPress Theme was developed by Chris Pearson and is quite a piece of work. The theme itself doesn’t really give the WOW factor at first glance but it’s features, options and flexibility really do make it stick out. Thesis comes with a nice set of SEO features and a customizable backend to allow users to spend less time tweaking the code and stylesheet. The backend interface has a slick set of easy to manage options including site structure (# of columns), design and typography settings, title tag customization, RSS setup, analytics setup, navigation customization, along with quite a few more customization options. Thesis also features a robust user guide and user support forum. Perhaps most attractive aspect of the Thesis theme for my needs was the flexibility for design changes. I wasn’t planning on running my premium theme with the default design so as a “non designer” this theme made sense. The Thesis theme fit all of my criteria and after giving it a second and third look made it’s way into my final contenders.
Option 3: Unique Blog Designs Citrus Theme
The Citrus Theme is a relatively new theme by the folks at Unique Blog Designs. Let me first say that Unique Blog Designs is awesome. They produce some of the most attractive and functional blog designs I’ve seen. If I ever decide to move to a custom design these guys will be at the top of my list. This Citrus theme immediately got my attention because of my affection for the creators and it doesn’t disappoint. It provides the beauty and functionality I’ve come to expect from UBD. This theme comes with a set of 6 built-in color schemes, good SEO, custom ad management and like the Thesis theme a custom backend section to allow less time spent tweaking code. Unique Blog Designs provides a strong set of video tutorials and a user support forum as well. Perhaps the only aspect of this theme that didn’t appeal to me was the two column layout which might actually be strongest argument for the theme as a whole considering it made my top 3 without meeting all of my criteria.
I chose the Thesis WordPress Theme
It was a very tough decision between the Thesis and Revolution theme and ultimately I decided against the magazine style. The decision wasn’t easy but once it was made I didn’t look back. I’m very happy with the choice as I found using the Thesis backend design and structure options to be a breeze. Even though I did end up doing some coding tweaks here and there I probably could have easily gone without it. I went from default install to my first post on a customized theme in less than 3 days which might very well be a record for me.
So Which Theme is Right For You?
The Thesis theme fit my needs perfectly. While it does cater to a large blogging audience it is very possible that it would not be the right theme for you. If you are shopping for a premium WordPress theme I highly suggest taking a few moments to jot down a wish list. If you aren’t sure what you want browse some blogs that you visit and note what aspects you like to help you develop a list. It will make the selection process much easier.
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