2014 Karen McCamy Freelance Technology Review. An Introduction for Beginners

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1 2014 Karen McCamy Freelance Technology Review. An Introduction for Beginners

2 Why Themes??? Aesthetics Look & Feel For Example

3 What IS a Theme? In a word stylesheets CSS = Cascading Style Sheet

4 What is a theme continued CSS BASICS: Used to style elements: Colors Images Fonts Layouts Columns Sidebars WHY CSS? For efficiency! Sets Global formats Typography H1, H2, H3 Captions Paragraph styles Defines MENU Styles Styles POSTS/PAGES Defines default formats

5 Theme Basics WordPress MUST have 1 theme to function WP includes 2-3 FREE themes, produced by Automattic (the company behind WordPress)

6 WordPress & Widgets Widgets: little applets that provide added function to your site Twitter feed Facebook feed Calendar Map Menus Widget content may be impacted by changing to a new theme

7 Theme Best Practices Paid vs. Free Why should I pay for a theme when there are FREE themes out there??? Good Question! Know what makes a GOOD theme! Proper Coding Consistent & Continuing Support Continuously Upgraded with WordPress Theme Quality A Very Hot Topic!

8 Best Practices continued 1. ALWAYS go for a PAID theme! 2. Use themes for aesthetics 3. Leave functionality to plugins a. Prevent bloat b. Simplify theme changes (remember Widgets?) c. Guard against abandonment by theme developers

9 How to Find Themes Theme Houses My term for theme developers/authors Don t confuse with Marketplaces It s BIG Bu$ine$$ There are tons of them!

10 How to Find Themes Notice # s of PAID Listings! Google Results in the Millions!

11 Evaluating Themes Critical Step! For WordPress Beginners & Start-Ups Iterative Process Take Your Time Don t Rush this Step Explore What s Possible Take Notes on What You Like Document Possibilities

12 Evaluating Themes Resources Wordpress.org Theme Houses My Site My Way ( Woo Themes ( ThemeShaper ( Elegant Themes ( Rocket Themes ( Theme Marketplaces (such as ThemeForest) Independent developers Buy at your own risk (code compliance issues!)

13 Evaluating Themes If this is your business it doesn t start with WordPress! You need a Plan!

14 Evaluating Themes For WordPress Startups continued First Things First: You need a Plan!

15 Evaluating Themes For WordPress Startups continued WHY Plan??? It will shorten your search It will keep you sane You will stay focused

16 Evaluating Themes Remember: the Iterative Process! I recommend 3 search phases! 1 st : Look for inspiration, ideas 2 nd : Refine your search 3 rd : Make a decision! Invest your time This is not a race!

17 Evaluating Themes What to Include in Your Plan Site Purpose Your Audience Site Contents Articles Galleries Videos Products (Cart?) Aesthetics Site Structure Branding/Message Site Navigation

18 Evaluating Themes (still for Startups) Critical Elements in Every Theme Dedicated Custom CSS Location Responsive Design Is it truly responsive on all device sizes? DEMO? Always try it out! Custom Theme Menus? Always evaluate! # of Included Site Menus Support & licensing policies

19 Evaluating Themes Rating/ranking Themes Features you re looking for Ease of Customizing! Support/licensing Update History User Reviews / Support Tickets Especially still open problems How long to fix? Any unresolved???

20 Evaluating Themes Changing a Theme For established sites Planning & Assessment Essential Why are you changing themes? Consider migration issues Widget Content might not play well with new theme Compatibility with existing plugins Existing Framework??? Genesis Thesis

21 Evaluating Themes TIPS For everyone Filtering & categorizing Specifying theme styles cuts search time Magazine Themes (content heavy) Galleries/Portfolios Freelance/Services Sites Retail/Product Heavy ( catalog ) E-Commerce

22 Installing a Theme This is the easy part! In WP Dashboard: Appearance Themes Click the Add New Button Themes Menu Page

23 Installing a Theme Install Themes Page Click Upload (Note: you can also search for themes from this screen)

24 Installing a Theme Locate saved theme Click Install Now

25 Installing the Theme Theme will install WP will give you progress reports Install completed!

26 Activating a Theme On same page, you have 2 options: Activate Turns theme on Preview If you re just experimenting

27 Using a Theme Custom Theme Menu In your Dashboard Every theme developer is different! Theme Menu

28 Using a Theme Customizing Best Practices : Explore your Theme Options Look for Theme Doc s & Read! Link to the Docs & Support! Decide on changes (make a list!) Prioritize those changes Try out 1 change at a time!

29 Summary Themes are for aesthetics All themes are different In style and format In support and licensing There is no shortcut invest your time to do the requisite research Find something you like Make sure you can work with it yourself I m happy to help: me

30 For More Freelance Resources Visit my web site:

31 Questions or Comments? Karen McCamy - Freelance Technology Review

Oh crap! We need a web site! Now what?

Oh crap! We need a web site! Now what? Jim Echter www.tcturning.com jim@tcturning.com Twitter: @JimEchter YouTube: SpindleJim WordCamp Boston 2018 Link to this presentation https://tcturning.com/tips-articles-and-videos/