Free Wordpress Themes

Free Themes and WordPress - Your Choices

Whether you are an experienced blogger or just starting out, WordPress is certainly the way to go.

WordPress is free open source blogging software (OSS) and there are two ways of using it. Firstly, with WordPress.com everything is taken care of which is especially useful if you are new to blogging. WordPress.org on the other hand requires the software to be installed on your own (or third party) servers.

WordPress.com has the benefit of being free and easy to set up with a choice of over 70 themes. You do not have to dowload software, pay for hosting or manage a web server. The set up, backups, spam, upgrades, and security etc are all taken care of. Your log in is secure (SSL) and your posts are automatically backed up. The servers are also secure and are able to handle high volumes of traffic. You do not need your own domain name as you will get a URL such as "myname.wordpress.com".

However, with WordPress.com you cannot use premium or custom themes, change any coding, or upload plugins. What WordPress.com does give you is to free blogging!

If you want more flexibility with your blog then you can move on to WordPress.org.

The software, again, is free, but you will need to install it on your own server and will need your own domain name. You will be able to change themes and upload plugins. You can also modify the PHP source code and edit the database. Adverts and GoogleAds can also be added so you can generate revenue.

WordPress.org requires a reliable and robust web host and more technical knowledge is required to set up and run it as you are responsible for making your own backups and stopping spam. You will also need to do the upgrades when a new version of WordPress is released. Hosting your own WordPress software can be rewarding as well as fun and most of all gives you more flexibility.

You can choose from a wide range of free themes, many of which come with popular plugins and other features such as social network links, etc.

Whilst there are many free themes available, you need to remember other people may have the same one as you. Free themes do allow you to change your theme as often as you like from the ones you have downloaded, unless you use a theme like EzeeOne which allows you to change colours, layout and much more, giving you greater flexibility for free. Some providers of free theme have a "donate" button so that you can help support them in their ongoing development of free themes; buying someone a coffee shows appreciation for their hard work!

Many providers of free themes provide online support (although some may charge) and for a small fee, may tweek the theme to make it more personalised to you or your business.

Premium themes are ones that you pay for. They usually have more features than the free themes; however you will pay anything from $20 upwards. Premium themes are also widely available so there is no guarantee that someone else won't have paid for the same theme as you have. Having said that, Premium themes are less abundant than free themes.

If you require something totally unique, then you will need a customised theme but it will cost you; you will of course be the only person with that theme and will have more features and flexibility than free or premium themes, whilst still working on the WordPress principle.

Ultimately, you can design your own WordPress theme, or have it professionally designed. This will certainly ensure your theme is unique, however it will need to be coded so that it will work with WordPress and, of course, will cost more!

Whichever option you go for, there is no doubt that WordPress is easy to use and offers something for everyone, from beginner to experienced blogger.

I hope this article has clarified some points with regard to WordPress.com and WordPress.org, as well as the different levels of themes available.  For more information on free themes and to test drive EzeeOne before you download, visit EzeeOne.

Happy blogging!