InteractiveWoo

One of the biggest struggles for new bloggers, or for anyone that is looking to freshen up a blog with a new theme, is the challenge of finding the right theme. Free or Premium? Magazine style or traditional blog style?

Especially for Wordpress users, there are so many choices with multiple types and variances in quality and design. In this post I will provide a comparison of the different types of themes to help you choose the right type for your blog. Before I do that, let me answer the question what are Wordpress themes? Wordpress themes are pre-made designs templates that are made in compliance with the Wordpress Platform. These themes can be installed seamlessly and effortlessly to any site that is utilizing the latest Wordpress script. There are thousands of themes to choose from and the best (premium) themes are download-able for a fee.

Free Themes vs. Premium Themes (varies from $20 to $90)

So how much better are premium themes than free themes? Is it enough to justify paying the price tag? Here’s a list of reasons why you would pay for a premium theme:

• Quality - premium themes are built by design professionals and ideally are of higher quality in design and function than free themes. Notwithstanding a few high quality themes, most free themes are of very poor quality. This is because anyone can develop and distribute a free theme.
• Uniqueness - because of the price tag, premium themes are for serious bloggers who want a professional blog that stands out from the crowd of bloggers using free themes. Most premium themes include code-free design customization whereas to customize free themes, you will have to tweak it in the code of the theme.
• Functionality - most premium themes offer much more in terms of features and functionality such as integrated advertising and analytics, more robust widgets, or customizable front page (magazine themes).
• Flexibility - premium themes also offer the ability to select various color schemes or the ability to choose between 2 or 3 column for your blog without touching the code of the theme.
• Scalability - hopefully your blog will grow over time and you may want to include new features to your blog. Most free themes will only allow you to showcase typical blog posts, while premium themes will have better options for adding pages, sub-pages, categories, archives, advertising.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - a poorly designed theme can cost you valuable exposure in the search engines. Most free themes are very poorly optimized, and in most cases the theme designers give very little consideration to SEO.

Although I always recommend premium themes for the serious blogger, I do also recommend trying out some free themes so you can experience the difference in quality, function and flexibility. For some bloggers, a free theme may offer enough to serve their purpose as they may not hope to make money from blogging or support a business.

If you’re a blogger who wants to increase or produce income through blogging, I highly recommend going with a premium theme. It will help you save hundreds of dollars and hours of your time in the long run. Choose a Premium Theme now!

Magazine Style vs. Blog Style

You all know that in a traditional blog style layout, the most recent post sits at the top of the page with previous posts below it. As blogs grew, there was a need for a better way to organize content so posts didn’t get lost. The magazine style layout was the solution and quickly became popular among premium themes. This layout typically includes a front page that features excerpts or headlines of posts in a grid format, acting as a portal to content. However, the magazine style layout is not a good fit for all blogs. Here’s when you would choose a magazine style:

• Multiple Topics - if you have or plan on having a blog with many different topics and you would like to feature one or more posts from each on the front page to improve navigation and accessibility.
• More Professional Look - if you want to go away from the typical blog look.
• Large Site - if you have or plan on posting content daily or have multiple authors, the magazine style layout can be a great way to organize content.

To the last bullet above, the opposite is true. If you post only a couple of times a week or less, you would go with a traditional blog style. If you’re still not sure what’s best for your blog, don’t worry. Another reason why I love premium themes (to the flexibility point above) is that the best ones (ones that are included in our services) offer the flexibility to choose between both magazine and traditional styles.

Interactivewoo has hand-picked the best free and premium Wordpress themes on the web with consideration to overall look, SEO, readability, flexibility, and more. As part of our blogging package, we’ll work together to find the best theme for you and offer our premium themes with savings of up to 50% of the retail value.
Please send an email to Interactivewoo@gmail.com and if you have any questions.

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Every website on the internet is hosted on a server - which means that there are hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies to choose from to host your blog (why host?). As someone new to blogging, you don’t want to research and compare them all. You just want yours to work and be easy to work with. Fortunately, my colleagues and I have hosted our websites and blogs on numerous web hosting companies and came up with these top 3 easy-to-use, dependable hosting companies that also happen to offer the best value.

Blue Host - $6.95 per month
WordPress Auto-Install, UNLIMITED disk storage, UNLIMITED data transfer/bandwidth, free domain name, 2500 POP/WebMail addresses, 100 MySQL databases, voted best support from 2004-2008, free control panel, 24/7 network monitoring, 99% up-time guarantee, mirrored storage backups, no hidden fees.

Powweb - $3.88 per month (1st year) then $5.77 for 2 yr plans
Wordpress Install, UNLIMITED Disk Space (Raid Storage), UNLIMITED data transfer/bandwidth, UNLIMITED POP/WebMail addresses, free domain name, Load Balanced Technology, 75 MySQL databases, daily database backup, e-Commerce ready, 24/7 email and chat support, Toll-free phone support, free control panel.

DreamHost - $5.95 per month for 10 yr plans (increase in price with decrease in yrs)
Wordpress Install, 500GB Disk Space, 5TB data transfer/bandwidth, UNLIMITED POP/WebMail addresses, free domain name, UNLIMITED MySQL databases, etc. The difference between DreamHost and all other webhosts is the community feel of their web panel. Besides the standard links for things like email and domain management, there are areas for customer suggestions, DreamHost newsletters, the DreamHost Site of the Month, DreamHost donations, the unofficial DreamHost directory, the DreamHost Rewards program, as well as a customer discussion area.

1. Who Else Wants [blank]?

Starting a headline with “Who Else Wants…” is a classic social proof strategy that implies an already existing consensus desire. While overused in the Internet marketing arena, it still works like gangbusters for other subject matter.

• Who Else Wants a Great Blog Template Design?
• Who Else Wants a Higher Paying Job?
• Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress When on Vacation?

2. The Secret of [blank]

This one is used quite a bit, but that’s because it works. Share insider knowledge and translate it into a benefit for the reader.

• The Secret of Successful Podcasting
• The Secret of Protecting Your Assets in Litigation
• The Secret of Getting Your Home Loan Approved

3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]

Simply identify your target audience and the benefit you can provide them, and fill in the blanks.

• Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance
• Here is a Method That is Helping Children Learn to Read Sooner
• Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles

4. Little Known Ways to [blank]

A more intriguing (and less common) way of accomplishing the same thing as “The Secret of…” headline.

• Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill
• Little Known Ways to Hack Google’s Gmail
• Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Quickly and Safely

5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

A classic formula that identifies either a painful problem or an unfulfilled desire that the reader wants to remedy.

• Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All
• Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All
• Get Rid of That Lame Mullet Hairdo Once and For All

6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

People love quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging problem.

• Here’s a Quick Way to Get Over a Cold
• Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior
• Here’s a Quick Way to Backup Your Hard Drive

7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]

The is the classic “have your cake and eat it too” headline — and who doesn’t like that?

• Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money
• Now You Can Meet Sexy Singles Online Without Spending a Dime
• Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

8. [Do something] like [world-class example]

Gatorade milked this one fully with the “Be Like Mike” campaign featuring Michael Jordan in the early 1990s.

• Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat
• Party Like Paris Hilton
• Blog Like an A-Lister

9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

Appeal to vanity, dissatisfaction, or shame. Enough said.

• Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of
• Have a Smile You Can Be Proud Of
• Build a Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of

10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]

Big curiosity draw with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.

• What Everybody Ought to Know About ASP
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Writing Great Headlines

By Brian Clark