Are you building (or rebuilding) a website and wondering where to find WordPress themes that will work for you? In this week’s tools, tips and resources article, we profile Themeforest – a site for WordPress themes of all kinds.
How does it work?
Themeforest is part of the Envato group of creative marketplaces and specifically sells themes – these could be for WordPress or other types such as CMS or PSD templates. The themes are sourced from creators all over the world who use Themeforest as the platform through which to sell them. This means that there is a large mix of different themes and features within those themes. There are also different agreements with regard to support provided and upgrades available – you need to check these features out for any theme you are interested in purchasing.
If you are specifically looking for a WordPress theme, start by clicking on the WordPress button at the top left of the page, then you can sort by theme type and other search criteria such as date, author, rating or sales.
Make sure you click the WordPress button at the left of the page…
What are the features?
Features available are too numerous to list here – you could have anything from a personal blog to a full-blown eCommerce site or magazine. But here are some things to look out for when choosing the theme for your website…
- Number of downloads – look for themes that have had a large number of downloads previously. Why? Themes can often be buggy when they are first released, if it has had a fair number of downloads they have had some time to update and correct any bugs.
- Check the available support. If you prefer to be able to get support from a theme author (Themeforest does not provide individual support for each theme), then check under the support tab for the theme you are looking at to see what support is available. Some authors do provide support through their own help functions, but they don’t have to. What is supplied for each theme are help files for technical items.
- Check that updates are provided. Not all themes provide updates, in fact some that are sold in package deals will specifically say that they don’t include updates or support.
- Make a list of key functions that you need for your website – are they able to be supported by that theme (or a plug-in that will work with it)?
- You can often get an overall feel for the theme and how well it is supported by looking in the comments under that theme. What are people saying? What kind of response are they getting from the theme author?
Overall Assessment
If you take all precautions to ensure you are buying a theme that is compatible with what you want in a website, Themeforest is a great resource for both buyers and creators of themes worldwide. Envato staff do look over themes before they are offered for sale on the site, but they obviously may not pick up everything so you can’t always expect to get something absolutely perfect. We love the sheer number of choices available and the fact that you can see what type of support is available before buying. Some authors will even offer customization jobs if you are willing to pay for them. It’s definitely worth a look!
