After sporting the Thesis theme by DIYThemes on this blog for several months, I switched back to using a StudioPress theme.
It wasn't that I didn't like Thesis. I do. It's an excellent theme and I still highly recommend it to those looking for a professional theme for WordPress.
Once you get past the learning curve (which all themes have), manipulating Thesis is pretty straightforward. I especially liked the number of design and SEO tweaks available within the options. The Thesis OpenHooks plugin turned out to be a big help too.
So, why did I switch back to StudioPress?
Well, after writing “How Many Blogs?“, I realized that working with too many themes was almost the same as working with too many blogs.
So, instead of researching, writing, and marketing – activities that are significantly more important (and lucrative) to a professional blogger – I felt I was wasting precious time tweaking every time an update for either theme was released.
Not only that but moving back and forth from one theme to another always involved having to take time to ‘stop and think' about how that particular theme worked.
On the other hand, when you use only one theme across all your blogs, there is no transition time. You're always working with the same theme and SEO options and all the upgrades can be done at once when a theme or framework update becomes available.
So, my suggestion is this.
Unless you work for others installing and tweaking out themes for WordPress, use a single theme framework for each of your blogs… whichever theme that might be – StudioPress, Thesis, Woo, or Socrates.
P.S. The new theme on this site isn't quite finished yet… I still have to tweak it out a little with a nice header. 🙂
Did you find this post informative and useful? If so, please share it with others! If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, please leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Great post Rosalind. Rather than focus on the pros and cons of both, I love the way you wrapped it into productivity. Only last evening, I had to update a site that was using the older version of Genesis and I struggled to remember how to do simple tasks.
Even working with clients, I offer Genesis StudioPress exclusively because it helps me serve my clients better and increases my productivity.
Hey, I noticed that the small banner ads on the right hand side bar (125 x 125) are not working. They all go to an error page. Just thought you’d like to know. 🙂
They work for me – must have been just a momentary glitch.
Hey Graham,
Sorry for the late reply and thanks SO much for letting me know… Seem to get that error every time I do a WordPress update.
Cheers,
Ros
You seem to be saying if what you do works then stick with it.
I also like to stick to one theme because you get to know it. I have spent the last six weeks on tweaking and problem solving which leaves little time for quality writing.
Since I host and sell blog set up and instruction, I have come to realize that it is better to limit the styles of templates so I can easily get in and out of the admin panels. I like iThemes templates….been happy with them for quite a while.
.
I’m LOVING the Genesis Serenity Theme! You’re right, they’re easy to work with, intuitive and make really attractive blogs.
I have also had many blogs before and realized soon that having a blog focusing on different aspects is not that bad, people can identify you as writing on different topics. I can see the need for one or two different ones, but like you said, you can have too many blogs. I also think you can have too many social network platforms. I think having one or two pace setting networks work well.
I also like to stick to one theme because you get to know it. I have spent the last six weeks on tweaking and problem solving which leaves little time for quality writing.
Thanks for the post.
Hey Roz,
I certainly agree with you about keeping one template to work several blogs. Since I host and sell blog set up and instruction, I have come to realize that it is better to limit the styles of templates so I can easily get in and out of the admin panels. I like iThemes templates….been happy with them for quite a while.
Rosalind, I think this is great advice. There are a lot of great themes out there, but we have also settled on Studiopress and their Genesis framework for pretty much all of our clients. I love your comment … “you don’t have to stop and think…” which is so true. It allows us to focus less on the underlying structure of the web site, and focus more on content and things that are going to drive business to our clients. Thanks for sharing.
Tim Fahndrich
Third River Marketing
Hi Ros.
You seem to be saying if what you do works then stick with it. It is so easy to be sidetracked by all the new stuff coming online every day.
I loved your hornets nest of MLM versus Affiliate marketing most enjoyable.
Can we please have an article on website versus blog, for free traffic relative to volume and timescale. I find websites very easy to put online but have problems with WordPress themes.
Regards
Richard
This is a very valid point, Rosalind. I don’t even dare to think how many hours I have spent tweaking wordpress themes lately and I feel I’m in a verge of becoming a wordpress expert. I actually enjoy it but it’s not what will earn me money. 😉
The technical side of internet marketing can easily swallow all your time if you let it. It is a great way to procrastinate, though!!
You are soooooo right. Standardization is key or else it all becomes too much to handle!
Totally agree with you Rosalind!
I have almost all my sites on the same theme, the iThemes builder theme. It’s actually a pretty new theme but as soon as I found it I knew it was the theme I’ve been looking for for a long time so I started switching everything I own to Builder.
It makes it so much easier when you have one theme across your sites. It’s amazing how much time little things like this can take up. But knowing a theme inside out allows you to really use it best. Also when you put up a new site it’s really quick and easy when you know a theme well.
Ros
That was pre-Wordpress 3.0. With WordPress multiuser, you could manage all your websites from the same interface and install all common plugins for all your websites from one place.
Keeping your websites updated in this new environment is much, much easier than it used to be.
I meant that I spent the last few days switching all my sites to the same “theme”
How TIMELY this post is. I just spent the last few days switching all my sites to the same thing. I’m happier now and feel that everything is more uniform and it allows me to be more organized.
I plan on switching all my sites back to the Genesis theme as well. I agree, it simply takes too much brain power to “re-learn” each theme’s tweaks every time you want to make a change.
One theme on many sites = less headaches and more time focusing on content.
Look forward to seeing the new look on RosalindGardner.
Do you have any experience with the Suffusion theme by Sayontan? I have used it on my latest site and quite liked it.
Which theme do you find best to use for a physical product affiliate website?
Ros,
This is great and timely advice. A few years back I had to make a choice between wordpress and drupal…the latter is a great platform but it has a lot higher learning curve and I spent a great deal of time just trying to figure it out. And the same thing has happened on themes and getting those to look just right. I finally realized I was spending way too much time on tweaks and touch ups than the real work that mattered the most and that’s creating good content and generating useful information. I must admit I still fight the “tweaker” in me and want a blog to look really good but these improvements can come over time. The most important thing is to get it up and running, build it out, get some traffic and money coming in, then refine it from there.
Thanks for the reminder!
Mark
What Theme are you using for Affiliate Blooger Pro?
I love Studio Press themes! The Genesis framework is genius and while in my line of work I do, I have to work with dozens of themes; I always prefer Studio Press.
Hi Rosalind,
Thank you for your honest approach when it comes to online marketing. While I am fans of guys like Kern and Moffatt, more for pure entertainment style, I appreciate what you do and the way you do it.
I want to tell you that I love this theme for your blog much better. I find it so much easier to navigate and it is more pleasing on the eye.
From a fellow Canadian
Thank you
I know exactly how you feel and why you’ve done that… I’ve done the same thing. I personally like the Socrates theme.
I think it may have something to do with our age and the memory capacity because my 17yr old son has no problem… 🙂
Cheers
Ian McConnell
Western Australia
I agree, Rosalind.
It is a lot easier to master one theme than trying to learn all the nuances of several different ones.
I have been using Thesis exclusively on all of my sites for well over a year. I also use it to create all of my client sites, as well. There is a learning curve to it, but I love the flexibility it offers.
DIY Themes releases updates to Thesis pretty regularly and I have everything from versions 1.5 – 1.8 on my sites. I am holding off for the big 2.0 release to get them all up-to-date – because you are absolutely right: tweaking and customizing themes on our own sites isn’t what pays the bills! 🙂