Factors of a popular WordPress theme
- Filed under: WordPress
One popular (great) theme garners more rewards than ten average themes. If you don’t have the patience to put out a great theme, you’re wasting your time. So, while you sit there to admire your creation, here are some things to think about to better your theme.
Although the future for free WordPress themes is more and more plugin support and customizable theme options, looks matter. Bloggers are judging free themes, mostly, by the quality of their designs. With less experienced theme users, you need to make a good first impression.
Second, your theme needs to function well. Cross-browser compatibility is a must. A widget-ready sidebar is a plus (should be a must). Fluid width is a plus (expand and contract, based on users’ resolution). And if your theme supports multiple plugins, you’ve got a winner.
Last but not least is patience, design is about details, styling is about details, coding is about detailed testing. Without a lot of patience to take care of the details, you end up with an average theme.
Before you start another free theme, make a check list. Don’t release that theme until every item on that list is checked.
It’s completely true, but at the same time it’s sad for everyone’s beginning to design own themes… like me.
I would like to see which plugins you think are the best to include with a theme.
And, as you said, “patience” is important. It is probably the most important thing about designing a great theme.
With sponsored links the rage, dozens of themes are appearing over night. If you are not unique, and well coded who will use your theme? How many downloads does it take to get one user?
Your theme becomes part of your branding. Sweating the details definitely takes work.
@Justin - I’ll put together a list of popular plugins for theme development.
I’ve just started to design WP themes and I like this site. I will also enjoy the list of popular plugins, because widgets isn’t everything. Keep it on!
i HATE widgets. lol
Then you better get used to widgets!
[…] pointed out that multiple plugin support is a factor of a popular WordPress theme, in a previous post. Here’s a list of popular plugins your theme should […]
[…] the previous post about business models for WordPress theme designers, I mentioned a little about designing stock themes. Here’s how I think stock themes should be […]
i also make sure that my themes are XTHML valid. I choose the Strict version because its more future proof.
[…] to my post about factors of a popular WordPress theme is a checklist to give your theme a fighting […]
[…] to my post about factors of a popular WordPress theme is a checklist to give your theme a fighting […]
[…] or leave a comment.What’s worth reading today? Here’s what I’ve been looking at. factors of a popular wordpress theme was marvelous. Don’t forget to look at Blog Community Building Starts With Two. It was […]