If you spent time reading my previous post, The Importance Of A Web Presence, you may still be left with a few questions as far as what a website theme is exactly.

Before I break web themes down, I’d like to first give a little bit of background information:

“After the economy’s downturn in September, 2008, many previously thriving web companies began to realize that small businesses could no longer afford their beautiful, custom built websites. Now that the economy is headed back up and many companies are again able to begin thinking about building or updating their websites, there is an overwhelming realization that spending tons of money on a custom built website is not the only answer. The fact is that during the economic recession, web designers and developers began looking into the future by making a way to offer bulk websites at a much cheaper rate.” (The Importance of a Web Presence)

Chances are you may be thinking that you would like to be a company with distinct branding and a custom website design, aimed mostly at making other local companies jealous. This may set you apart from all of your competitors, but more than anything this will end up setting your bank account back further than you would like.

Your next and less expensive option is to begin the process of choosing a web theme. Although you may initially choose a theme by its looks, most themes have tons of different layout options which easily creates the illusion of a custom-made website. Now that you know that you have the ability to choose multiple website layouts you should also begin to accept the fundamental fact that your website is actually becoming a custom website, by your own handiwork or by the hand of a trusted website coordinator like myself.

Just what is a website theme?

Think of it like this: your website is like your body. Just like the organs that power your body, your website visitors will never need to see the complex software that powers your website. For that matter, neither will you, unless you’re a developer (which would be somewhat similar to a doctor in our analogy). What website visitors will see is your content which includes the images that you upload, the text that you write, the products you sell, etc. Think of your content as the skin and unique characteristics that others notice when they see your body. Your website theme is how you present your body of content to the public. Themes are like outfits – you can switch them out periodically when you desire a new or appealing look to showcase your content.

With all of the theme layout options to choose from, how do you then customize your own website? It’s actually fairly easy. All of these changes are made possible by WordPress, one of the best and most user friendly content management systems available. WordPress was designed to power websites while enabling website owners to avoid the complicated technology that makes websites work. WordPress themes take advantage of WordPress’ capabilities so that you can create layouts, manage content, and change the total appearance of your website all by yourself.

With that said, the process of actually setting up your web theme is where you may need help. Keep in mind that the initial setup of your website is going to be far less costly than having an entire custom website built from scratch by a traditional web design firm.

If you are interested in beginning the process of setting up a website theme for yourself or your business, all you need is a new or existing domain/business name and a well-designed website theme. If you’d like to search for your theme now, check out themeforest.net. Be sure to search for WordPress themes on themeforest by mousing over the “WordPress” tab and then select the type of theme which relates closest to your business (whether it be Blog, Corporate, Education, etc.). Prior to purchasing a theme, it would be wise to consult your web expert to make sure that the theme you selected is right for you and your business.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.