I like free stuff.
I’ve built plenty of WordPress sites on free frameworks and child themes and was plenty happy.
As I begin to hear more and more about how awesome premium WordPress themes were, I began to look into investing into a premium theme. It was a stretch for me, but the more I heard about good code being an important foundation to any WordPress site, I was warming up to the idea. Plus, I didn’t want to waste any more time investing time and energy learning the ins-and-outs of free theme after free theme, when I could be learning the ins-and-outs of one finely tuned premium theme.
Once I realized that some premium WordPress themes have features built in that would save me time in developing websites, I was ready to throw down some bucks.
There are many advantages to using a premium WordPress theme:
- Bugs are often removed and themes are updated.
- Some premium themes are updated and made compatible with new versions of WordPress via beta testing. No more waiting a month or two before you can upgrade your WordPress install.
- Many themes have must-have plugins and widgets built into the theme, saving loads of time, and in some cases, makes your site run faster.
- Premium themes can be easily customized, just like free themes.
- Many premium themes are already styled really well and can be a great shortcut to deliver good looking website elements.
- Finally …
… I must share with you my biggest reason for jumping on a premium theme:
- Support
When you’re ready to buy a new theme or upgrade, make sure they offer good support.
I don’t care how cool of a coder you think you are, this is about saving you some time. You can find out from user forums or contact theme support directly.
So, what premium theme did I sink my teeth in?
I know, I know, big surprise, right?
This blog is built on Standard Theme, so what else am I going to say?
The fact of the matter is, I had Standard Theme in my sights far before I ever dropped a post on ChurchMag. Standard Theme was listed on Mashable as one of the 8 Best Premium WordPress Themes for a reason.
As for the support aspect, Standard Theme delivers.
There’s nothing like getting support from the same guys that were involved in the coding.
Any questions?
I would be happy to share with you my experience using the Standard Theme.
April says
I love Standard Theme and use it on my blog as well. It’s the best premium theme I have found because it’s so diverse and easy to change up!
Chris Ames says
I hope you have a support license… we have a big update on the horizon!
Chris
April says
I do simply because I wasn’t sure what I would and wouldn’t be able to figure out on my own since I’m relatively a newbie. 🙂
Eric Dye says
You’re going to LOVE Standard Theme 3!
DavidW says
Hey Eric, if you would be interested in comparing a framework to Standard theme we would be happy to supply you an evaluation copy of k9 Canvas from Howling Dog Themes. We know it wouldn’t be a completely fair comparison since you already know the ins and outs of Standard, but we’d be interested to hear what you have to say anyway. Just let us know http://howlingdogthemes.com/contact/
Eric Dye says
Drop me a copy. eric [at] churchm.ag
Ken says
so you are in love with this “standard” theme and think it’s the best?
hahahaha
what about all the other premium themes like Thesis, Genesis, Headway etc? “Standard” is better than all of them?
hahahaha
Eric Dye says
Yup.