For those who frequent my blog may have noticed a big change! I wrote about this a few months ago in Finding the Best Wordpress Theme. At that time, I was getting discouraged about finding a free one but after a bit of searching, I found one that I liked (this one!).

The theme comes from BloggingPro and it is, in fact, a derivative of their own blog. If you like the look of this (and their) blog, you can download their theme for free at BloggingPro. Be sure to download the Widgets-Ready version…it will make your life much easier!

BloggingPro Widgets-Ready Theme

So why did I choose this theme? Here are a few of the main reasons why I chose it (and a good checklist of things for you to look for, too!)

1) Look for a theme that is aesthetically pleasing to yourself (including the color scheme)

2) Look for a theme that is either topically relevant or neutral to your niche. For me, I chose a neutral theme. A clever website that incorporates cartoon into the theme (for this case, his name) can be seen at JohnCow.com. Yes, the theme is about money making, but they were able to make it fun and incorporate the name into the theme. Being clever is good, but don’t try to force the issue, especially with a free Wordpress theme!

3) I like sections! Sections are easier to read, easier to find things and are more welcoming. I purposely added my own more defined sections to the sidebars specifically for this reason. (I put my most important features within bubbles!)

4) I like the ability to have a large, customizable header at the top. This is a prominent position on the page to highlight your most important goal (that can be a ad, a banner, a subscription request, etc.). In this case, I chose to highlight my current Facebook Page. This adds a psuedo-Feature element to your page. Why waste the most prominent part of your page with just your blog? Your visitor already knows your post is here!

5) More focus on the subscription button! Yes, this is one big button I have on the right! I also put it in an enclosed section with options for both RSS feeds and email subscriptions. Blogs survive and grow primarily due to their subscription base. It should be one of the most prominent calls to action on your Wordpress blog!

(If you have not subscribed to my blog yet, you can do very easily right now on the right side of the page…hint!, hint!)

6) A “sprinkle” of Adsense! I still want to make money on the page and one of the best ways of doing this is to incorporate advertising. I use a well-integrated link ad below my Facebook banner to appear like site links (by following the same color scheme of the page). Again, I do NOT want this too look like an Adsense site, but I can incorporate it with a subtle, but effective feel.

7) Affiliate links or advertising banners. Why not? This is my field. These are my recommendations. Again, the placement and call-to-action are very subtle and not prominent. Still, this provides another potential stream of revenue and placing these links in the sidebar is quite a common practice and most viewers will not perceive it as too much of a sales pitch. Once your viewership becomes high enough, you may consider replacing these affiliate banners with paid banner advertising.

I am excited about the new theme and I have plenty of more plans to improve it!