How to Modify your WP Theme

In my previous post, I showed you how a premium theme can contribute to the monetization of your wordpress blog.

There is however another reason why I think you're better of with a premium theme: they are easier to to modify.

I modify wordpress themes for 2 main reasons:

If the (x)html code generated by a theme isn't W3C compliant, then I try to fix it. I check the validity of the produced source code at the W3C Markup Validation Service. I'm very picky about that because I believe that perfect codes are better indexed by the search engines.
In case you find an error and you can't fix the code yourself, ask the company or person who designed your premium theme. I am sure they'll do this for free, as it is in their best interest to deliver perfect codes.

The other reason why I like to modify a theme is to make the theme a bit more personal. Small changes are usually enough to make a difference.

At the time of writing...
The WP theme I am using right now, as any other premium theme designed by Woothemes, is very easy to modify. In case you also installed a Woo Theme go to your WP dashboard, and click on your theme's options menu (at the lower left-hand side of your wordpress 2.7 dashboard). There you can add your custom logo, your tracking codes, your banners, etc...

Also, Woothemes are fully widgetized, which makes it a breeze to add widgets to your blog's sidebar.

Well, there you have it. Next time I will talk about some essential plugins you need to install. Talk to you later!

Premium WP Themes? Yes! Here is why…

Should you pick a free theme or a premium theme for your wordpress blog or site? Well, that depends on what your intentions are.

If you like making money (like I do), then I believe it's better to pick a premium theme. Here's why...

At the bottom of your wordpress site, you usually find a copyright notice and a link to the company or individual who designed your wordpress theme. Now that's where the money is.

When you pick a nice premium theme, some of your fellow bloggers/visitors who aren't familiar with your theme might check out that link...

When you replace the original link with your affiliate link (*) you're in for some extra cash: each time someone purchases a premium theme through your affiliate link, you get a percentage. It's a nice way to monetize each page of your wordpress blog.

Good luck!

(*) To get your unique affiliate link, you need to sign up for the theme developer's affiliate program. All it takes is a valid email address and a couple of clicks.