I became aware of the Thesis WordPress theme around the time I started exploring using WordPress as a serious blog/CMS package. I looked around for reviews of it, and found many people questioning why anyone would want to waste spend their hard-earned money on a commercial WordPress theme when there are thousands of free WordPress themes. Combining a free theme and a bunch of plugins (such as HeadSpace2 and various SEO plugins) it is possible to do many of things that Thesis does. However, Thesis has one primary ‘feature’ that sets it apart – continued support and updates.
Thesis Support and Updates
In the past few months I have frequently research and discovered some really useful plugins for WordPress, and some really well designed themes. On installing them in the latest build of WordPress (currently version 2.8.4) I have ended up with warnings that they are no compatible with my version of WordPress, or worse still they fail to run, rendering a good plugin useless. On the other hand, Thesis has ongoing support and updates, so will always be compatible with the new releases of WordPress.
Separating Design from Content
Although I have spent many years designing websites (in Frontpage, Dreamweaver, and even in Notepad!) and developing database driven website using ASP and PHP scripting, moving to an established CMS package that has ongoing support and updates (especially regular security updates) has given me a lot more time to concentrate on writing or organizing the content of the sites – which is where the money is. Yes, if I develop a website for a client I get paid, but there are only so many hours in the day. The whole point of having an online business (whether a blog with Adsense and affiliate links, or an online store) is to allow revenue to be generated outside of normal business hours, and to research markets that traditional physical forms of marketing and selling just can’t reach. To be able to customise the overall design and layout of your website by essentially clicking buttons an changing a few settings saves a lot of time, and there is an area where the Thesis theme excels.
Credit Where Credit is Due
The kind people at DIYThemes (makers of Thesis) put in a plug for an article and video on the workings of Thesis, and just how easy it is to use. The post, “Hey Bloggers! I’m in Love With Thesis!” by Lisa Irby, has a video in which Lisa shows some of the behind-the-scenes workings of Thesis, which makes for a compelling reason to buy! Lisa’s two main reasons for choosing Thesis are similar to my own: support and easy customization. Of course, for me the SEO aspects are another bonus.
Search Engine Optimization
Increasing search engine traffic is essential when building a website for marketing purposes. There are dozens of WordPress plugins that allow you to do this, however Thesis has this taken care of. Simply install the theme and the options are there. The main thing I wanted was to be able to enter Meta Description data for each posting or page that I create, as this is generally an important part of optimizing a website for Google and other major search engines. Meta keywords are not so important (for Google), but you can enter a few of these also.
Cost or Investment
There are two ways of looking at this. Buying the Thesis theme is either a cost (and unnecessary) or it is an investment. I believe it is an investment that can pay dividends in saving time and money. Customizing WordPress to make it stand apart from all the other sites and blogs on the internet is a time consuming thing. To be able to make minor tweaks and changes (and some major design changes) all from the WordPress control panel is very time saving. Yes, I can build my own themes. Yes, I could write by own plugins. Yes, I could pay a freelancer to build themes and write plugins. But an off-the-shelf option such as Thesis saves time and money.
The Dunedin Web Hosting refit
Before the move to thesis I had this site using the free Gears theme. I liked the simple design. I had installed HeadSpace2 and another plugin to allow me to add Google Analytics script to the bottom of the webpage HTML code. Thesis made these two plugins unnecessary.
Thesis Support and Updates
In the past few months I have frequently research and discovered some really useful plugins for WordPress, and some really well designed themes. On installing them in the latest build of WordPress (currently version 2.8.4) I have ended up with warnings that they are no compatible with my version of WordPress, or worse still they fail to run, rendering a good plugin useless. On the other hand, Thesis has ongoing support and updates, so will always be compatible with the new releases of WordPress.
Separating Design from Content
Although I have spent many years designing websites (in Frontpage, Dreamweaver, and even in Notepad!) and developing database driven website using ASP and PHP scripting, moving to an established CMS package that has ongoing support and updates (especially regular security updates) has given me a lot more time to concentrate on writing or organizing the content of the sites – which is where the money is. Yes, if I develop a website for a client I get paid, but there are only so many hours in the day. The whole point of having an online business (whether a blog with Adsense and affiliate links, or an online store) is to allow revenue to be generated outside of normal business hours, and to research markets that traditional physical forms of marketing and selling just can’t reach. To be able to customise the overall design and layout of your website by essentially clicking buttons an changing a few settings saves a lot of time, and there is an area where the Thesis theme excels.
Credit Where Credit is Due
The kind people at DIYThemes (makers of Thesis) put in a plug for an article and video on the workings of Thesis, and just how easy it is to use. The post, “Hey Bloggers! I’m in Love With Thesis!” by Lisa Irby, has a video in which Lisa shows some of the behind-the-scenes workings of Thesis, which makes for a compelling reason to buy! Lisa’s two main reasons for choosing Thesis are similar to my own: support and easy customization. Of course, for me the SEO aspects are another bonus.
Search Engine Optimization
Increasing search engine traffic is essential when building a website for marketing purposes. There are dozens of WordPress plugins that allow you to do this, however Thesis has this taken care of. Simply install the theme and the options are there. The main thing I wanted was to be able to enter Meta Description data for each posting or page that I create, as this is generally an important part of optimizing a website for Google and other major search engines. Meta keywords are not so important (for Google), but you can enter a few of these also.
Cost or Investment
There are two ways of looking at this. Buying the Thesis theme is either a cost (and unnecessary) or it is an investment. I believe it is an investment that can pay dividends in saving time and money. Customizing WordPress to make it stand apart from all the other sites and blogs on the internet is a time consuming thing. To be able to make minor tweaks and changes (and some major design changes) all from the WordPress control panel is very time saving. Yes, I can build my own themes. Yes, I could write by own plugins. Yes, I could pay a freelancer to build themes and write plugins. But an off-the-shelf option such as Thesis saves time and money.
The Dunedin Web Hosting refit
Before the move to thesis I had this site using the free Gears theme. I liked the simple design. I had installed HeadSpace2 and another plugin to allow me to add Google Analytics script to the bottom of the webpage HTML code. Thesis made these two plugins unnecessary.
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