I covered in previous posts what I believed to be the difference between “premium” and truly premium themes. A new discussion has arisen over some of the most popular WordPress designers and community members including, but not limited to:
– Adii
– WP Hacks (Kyle Eslick)
– WP Fun (Andrew), saying that they are just ‘themes’
How Premium Themes Originated
I want to start by briefly discussing where premium themes started, to the best of my knowledge. Some premium theme designers may have conflicting ideas, but this is what I see as the originating factors.
- There were many free themes available for consumption, but none of them stood out (this is in 2006/07 when WordPress didn’t have as many features built-in). It took a lot of time to code additional features into the themes, and there really was no model for selling them at this time.
- A “small” business of selling links or placing “affiliate” links into the themes become a popular practice. In all reality, it wasn’t going to go that far, as people could easily remove them and not suffer any consequences (there really wasn’t/isn’t any ways to “turn off” a stylesheet remotely when it is hosted on someone else’s server). In general, the more downloads and users of the theme, the more the designer could sell each link for.
- When this practice became known by Google and others, it was shut down. It was more rampant by bloggers selling links in their sidebars, but it was also found quite often within themes, especially the less feature-rich ones.
- WordPress became more popular (mid- to late-2007 and through current times) and users wanted more advanced, customized themes. They didn’t want to have someone custom-code the entire theme, as this generally runs into the thousands of dollars. Putting economics into play, the designers wanted to still make money, but they would only see a few sales at the regular price, usually $1000+ for a custom theme.
- And soon came with it the rise of premium themes, which were sold at a fraction of the price of regular, custom themes, but were sold to more people, making them not as “unique” but still with the same features found within higher-costing themes.
Even though this might not be the exact course that premium themes took, I think it is a pretty good representation for how the market came about.
As a few “free” theme designers began transitioning to a “paid” model, more jumped on the bandwagon. Perhaps it isn’t as much about making a quick buck as it is getting paid for your work – coding and designing a theme takes some time, as any theme designer will attest to.
Free Themes: Defined
I’ll explain what I look for when I search for a “free” theme, in quotes because with anything free, there will certainly be limitations. This is likely what other people look for, but correct me if I happen to be wrong.
– A theme that functions without requiring any additional knowledge on the end of the user.
– Basic functionality – comment and page support, widget-ready sidebars, and a basic navigation structure.
– A theme that suits my tastes and desires. It doesn’t have to be complex, but shouldn’t be a direct modification of another theme.
– Support only provided if the designer has said that he or she is going to be providing it (optional).
“Premium” Themes: Defined
This is in quotes because it refers to the themes that people call “premium,” but are technically free. They usually have more features than the regular themes.
In these themes, I expect there to be:
– A certain level of quality, higher than a regular free theme.
– A price tag that is either free or paid, and this is where the disputes occur.
– Some features that other themes do not have.
Premium/Commercial/Paid Themes: Defined
When I look at themes that cost money, I am looking for a certain number of things that the theme should have included.
– Support from the developers, and not just other members. They should have (for basics) forum, email, and chat/Twitter support, if not phone support.
– A back-end panel for customizing the theme or changing the built-in features that would normally require editing the code in a free “premium” theme.
– All the basic functionality that is included in free themes, but with the extras, such as Gravatars, threaded comments, and any other features that might not be in free themes.
– A design that “wows” anyone that visits the site. In other words, it is so unique with elements, design choice, and features that it stands out from the rest. With the built-in customization and added stylesheets, it isn’t hard to make the theme your own.
– Coding should be top-notch. Search engine optimized, with all headings properly used, textual elements integrated into the theme, and readable/commented code for further customization.
– Anything else that wouldn’t be included in a free theme.
– Most importantly, a complete package that ties everything together – a set of clean, sensible, and compatible code, graphics and design elements that complement and work in your favor, and features that don’t overwhelm you, and are packaged together in a way that makes you want to use them.
Further Thoughts
Honestly, it would be ideal if the disputes ended over what constitutes a “premium” from a premium theme. The main reason we’ve become associated with premium for paid themes is the fact that they do (and should) contain the advanced set of features and unparalleled support, at least relative to free themes. The term “paid” and “commercial” probably will never be associated with the themes or the market for selling the themes due to the additional licensing terms and the confusion that would arise out of the changes.
For example, if a theme designer said that he or she sold “commercial” themes, it might tell their potential customers that they are able to use the themes on commercial websites and for purposes like re-selling and for packing as part of further development work, when the theme, under its licensing terms, can’t be used in these ways (according to the package that was purchased). Additionally, “paid themes” really doesn’t hit a tune with customers, it doesn’t really make you want to purchase it, as there is cost involved and doesn’t really relate to the supposed higher quality of the themes.
In reality, what determines what a free theme is versus a paid theme is all in the eyes of the designer. It is them that control what goes into the theme and the features that are scraped from the theme. Maybe more theme designers should jump on the bandwagon of offering a stripped-down version of a more advanced and sophisticated theme. It’s worked before, but isn’t always the most successful, compared to a single, more expensive paid theme that has everything that people want.
The Single Theme Critic
Some have suggested that there should be a single body that controls the reviews of premium themes, ranking them according to what is included, the code, and how the theme stacks up for its price (relative). While this would work in an ideal situation, it probably will not work in the premium themes market.
The best way I could see going about this is if a third-party group created a website for reviews and feedback from all users. Just because people hear about this site, it doesn’t mean that all feedback will be posted there, eliminating the chance that this will be one place to find and purchase themes. It will greatly undermine the purpose of the free market, which helps determine which companies (the theme designers and their products) are successful and which ones aren’t.
For example, if Automattic/WordPress took this control, there would be limited feedback other than the number of downloads and an arbitrary star rating system, which says little other than that users like the design and what has been offered, not what may be best for them. Due to their stance on GPL licensing, it would also mean that there would be limited acceptance into the program.
The average person that purchases themes isn’t entirely concerned about the license of the theme. They are more concerned that they are getting what they asked for and within their budget – a budget that is flexible and expands according to the number of features and additions that have been packaged in.
Let’s take a look at Theme Forest, an Envato site. Imagine, if you will, that this is a future theme review site. On nearly every theme, I am greeted with requirements, a brief set of instructions, and some of the features. At the forefront of each theme, there is a listing of the features/functionality: WordPress Version: 2.7, Columns: 2, Widget Ready: Yes, Functionality: CMS. Each category can then be sorted by Title, Author, Category, WordPress Version, Columns, Widget Ready, Functionality, Rating, Sals, and Price. It’s a start, but why couldn’t this be included in each theme designer’s site?
What I propose is a way that presents themes in a more organized fashion. Perhaps the community could come together to propose a set “standard” of how themes are presented, eliminating the need for any single review site. Users want to be informed about what they will be purchasing, including what they won’t be receiving.
The Purchaser
Someone who purchases a theme is also granted with some responsibility. For one, they have to know what they will be receiving. The price tag: what does it consist of? Support, back-end features that make it easier to use the front-end functionality, SEO-friendly coding that makes it easier to promote your business/brand, and an appealing design – how many of these are included or do you have to pay extra for a developer/expanded license?
People who prefer magazine layouts’ look, but don’t want to have to deal with finding an image related to the post, resizing it, adding a link, etc., might not realize that this is required before purchasing a premium news/magazine theme, so this should be stated. They won’t be aware of this unless they know what to expect. It’s really that simple: the end-user has to be aware that there are certain things to expect, but that they should also be aware of the core differences between a premium and free theme, and vice versa.
In Marketing
The marketing and promotion of premium themes isn’t anything new. The theme designers need to sell their themes to remain in operation. With the current economic situation, I’d say that the market is still there for these themes, and certainly isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. People still want the features and now more importantly than ever, support and updates.
When a designer claims to have a better, more advanced theme, it better be. Deception isn’t good in the premium themes market, as the community that you’ve developed with other theme designers/developers could completely backfire and you’ll be left without any more sales.
Pricing
I’ll get into pricing briefly, but in general, you should be paying more for a theme that comes with the following:
– Better support.
– More flexibility in the design and features.
– Coding that allows you to redesign it in the future.
– A more appealing design.
Essentially, what constitutes as a premium/paid theme also applies to the cost that you should be paying for the theme.
Conclusion
Even though I briefly got off topic and went on a rant about some of my beliefs, you should be able to get the picture: “premium themes” and premium themes are interchangeable terms, although you generally look for more “premium-like” features when you are paying for a theme. However, when broken down and to the naked/uninformed eye, they are all the same thing: themes. Some have more features, and warrant a cost to them, while others contain some of the same premium features, but are hastily put together, and have been released for free, in an attempt to “give back” to the community.
What are your thoughts on the two types of premium themes – free and paid? What should be done (as a community) to get the definitions separated and present the purchaser a more complete set of tools to make an informed decision?
February 6th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
really good article. i trust to implement some of these in my blog. thanks!