Experiences In Blogging-Premium Themes is up next in my series about my experiences in getting Culinary Zest up and running.
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When I started out, I was mainly using free themes that I came across that I liked in principle but wanted to adapt to suit my overall needs. Though it was an educational process, learning how to do it, it proved a frustrating experience as well. I found having to edit code in drastic ways tiring in the long run. It became time-consuming and in the end more trouble then I really wanted to deal with. Making minor changes and adding things or removing small things here and there is fine, but trying to really overhaul something in a major way brought on more headaches than I really wanted to tackle, or had time to tackle.
What started out as something that would help me get up and running without cost was turning into a massive time eating monster. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot trying to do it that way, but found that it took more time then I had to give it. You have to be careful where you get your free themes from, make sure you are dealing with legit creators with solid reputations. You don’t really want to turn code lose on your site without knowing that it’s clean and without malicious code planted within. Please put the time in to find out who is creating the theme you want to use. That goes for free themes as well as premium.
I decided to spend some time looking at what was out there in terms of premium themes. And there is a lot out there to choose from. I want something that appeals to me on many levels but also makes it super easy for me to change things without having to resort to drastic code changes, but leaves me with the ability to do so if I want too. I really want something that allows me to create the look I want, to make it mine, but that has the perk of having someone else do all the ground work for me. Build the framework for me, make it super easy to use and then let me do the decorating.
That’s when I came across the U-Design WordPress Theme on Themeforest. They have a great Live demo site that really caught my attention. It was really interesting to see exactly what this theme could offer, which is a lot. I can very easily say that after the purchase of my domain and my hosting services, it ranks as a great buy for my creative process.
U-Design is easy to set up, easy to use, and super easy to customize. It’s a great theme for newbies or the more experienced developer. It’s designed with SEO in mind, has a responsive layout, regular updates and is mobile ready. It has rock solid documentation and 24/7 support. The U-Design team does a great job answering questions and pointing users in the right direction. I have yet to fail to find the answers I am looking for in their Support Forums.
I’ve used the U-Design WordPress Theme for over two years now and can honestly say that it has been money well spent. They’ve even added new features that didn’t exist when I bought my theme and at no extra cost to me. That’s what I call great Customer Service.
Going with the U-Design WordPress Theme was exactly what I needed and at the right time. I’ve changed the look of Culinary Zest a lot since its original launch and U-Design made it super easy to make those changes without having to worry about how. The U-Design WordPress Theme does the hard stuff for you and leaves you to enjoy the creative process.
If you don’t have the time, the know-how or the want to design a site from the ground up yourself, seriously consider going with a good premium theme. One that meets your needs and wants and allows you the freedom to develop the way you wish too.
The U-Design WordPress Theme makes it possible for me to get to the stuff I really want to spend time on and leave the other important stuff to people who know what they are doing and do it well.
Up next in my Experiences In Blogging Series will be plug-ins and why they make your WordPress sites awesome!
