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It takes you not more than 5 minutes (or less) to Google for a free WordPress theme and install it into your blog. But sadly, not all bloggers try to weigh the pros and cons of having a free theme setup on their blogs, before downloading a free theme.

Every one of us fall for free goodies. That is fine to an extent. But is it fine at the cost of our blog and blogging career?

Needn't mention, most freebies come with some or the other strings attached. Why do you think someone creates a WordPress theme (which is not such an easy task after all) and gives it away while he cloud make good income if it is categorized under premium themes?

Fishy. Isn't it? 

Well, it is quite obvious that there is something a free WordPress theme distributor seeks in return. But not all such distributors are into black hat business. And again, this clearly implies that SOME ARE into such black hat deeds.

The point I want to convey here is that you must be acquainted with the pros and cons of using free WordPress themes before you go for one. Also, being able to identify a bad free theme comes handy in blogging.

Having setup tens of WordPress blogs for myself and my clients (both with paid and free WordPress themes), I am well aware of this and would willing take you through it.

So let us get started with the better side of it first. 

Pros of using free WordPress themes

• Obviously – It is FREE.
• Way too many options to choose from.
• Some free theme providers allow you to change it/re-code it (of course this point does not exist under pros for people who are not technically into coding).
• Since it is a free theme that you are willing to install, you can try out many options as it costs nothing. 

Cons of using free WordPress themes

• You’d not get a customer support from the theme provider if your theme ever breaks for some reason.
• Free themes are rarely updated. Even when they are, you’d not get any update information upfront.
• Unlike in premium themes, you’d not get any warranties with the free ones.
• Though there are thousands of free WordPress themes out there, good ones can be counted on fingers.
• Most newbie bloggers rely on these few good free themes. So chances are high that the theme you choose is no more unique and is being redundantly used by thousands of other blogs and sites.
• Most free themes are not compatible with the latest WordPress plugins as they are almost never or rarely updated.
• Since no theme developer would want to invest more time on a freebie, free themes generally do not come with many features; but are just enough to hold articles and basic sidebar widgets.
• Not all free theme creators seek branding. Many out there also use the so distributed themes to generate backlinks to low quality sites. In many cases these links are cleverly hidden within the themes.
• Due to time constraint, the theme coders code it haphazardly without following a proper syntactical coding approach (which is not good for SEO).
• Some notorious theme developers release free WordPress themes with the goal of hacking websites/blogs by placing unidentifiable malware within the theme code.
• Free themes are generally not responsive (mobile friendly).

This said, let’s see what measures you can take while using a free WordPress theme.

How to choose a free WordPress theme?

Here are certain things you can do to avoid the pitfalls in installing free WordPress themes. But you cannot take these for granted and that the free theme you've got is unarguably secure.

• You’d first want to check the theme zip file for any virus soon after downloading it. One place to check is at VirusTotal.
• Then you may use an authenticity checking WordPress plugin called TAC. It checks if there are any encrypted links within the theme.
• You can also manually check to which sites your theme is linking with the browser plugin SEOquake.

Above all, never fall for nulled themes. Instead get the free theme from known theme distributor like StudioPress, WooThemes and other such.

Why Buy a Premium WordPress theme?

• Premium WordPress themes are feature rich.
• Most premium themes bought can be modified/recoded by you.
• Most paid themes come with the PSD files so that you can change some of the theme images for more personalized look.
• Most paid themes come with automatic updates. You only need to hit a button in your WordPress dashboard and you are done with installing a theme update.
• Premium themes get customer support from theme merchants.
• Since SEO has become more important than ever, the theme developers take utmost care to keep the themes they sell compatible with current SEO standards.
• Premium themes follow sematic coding of latest web development programs like HTML5, CSS 3, JQuery, etc. 
• Today’s paid WordPress themes are inherently responsive. So you need not use external plugins to make your site mobile/tablet friendly.
• Some theme providers allow you to purchase themes under extended license. This means that the so bought theme will not be sold to anyone else.

A noteworthy fact is that though so many features can cost a fortune, premium WordPress themes have become cheaper than ever before due to immense competition. The competition also brings out the best from the developers. So there are hundreds of new and better premium themes being released day in and day out, giving us better choice and safeguarding our site’s uniqueness. Nevertheless, they all come at a cost in the end.

Happy and safe blogging!

WordPress is famous for many reasons , but the plugins and themes plays the main game.

WordPress themes plays a vital role in the appearance of a blog and plugins in the management of the blog. These two thing makes a WordPress blog admirable. WordPress plugins are of two types free and premium , there is a little difference between them.

Free plugins provides you with some limited features whereas premium will fulfills your needs.

Choosing a best plugin for your blog is bit difficult , but don’t worry I’m here to help you out. After a hard work, I’ve listed down some the best plugins which will definitely sparkle up your blog. I’ve categorized them into different segment to help choose the better one , so mate are you ready ?

So let’s start up and make your blog sparkle

#1: Security Plugins :-

Security is the main problem of a WordPress blogs. Recently many of the WordPress blogs were hacked due to some loopholes in their security. There are some awesome plugins which will keep your blog 99 % safe from hackers .

1. WP Better Security:

Better WP Security takes the best WordPress security features and techniques and combines them in a single plugin thereby ensuring that as many security holes as possible are patched without having to worry about conflicting features or the possibility of missing anything on your site. The best part of this plugin is that it’s 100% Free. This plugin got 4.8 out of 5 Ratings , It’s it Amazing ? So I’ll prefer this plugin for security.

2. Wordfence Security:

Wordfence Security is a free enterprise class security plugin that includes a firewall, anti-virus scanning, cellphone sign-in (two factor authentication), malicious URL scanning and live traffic including crawlers. Wordfence is the only WordPress security plugin that can verify and repair your core, theme and plugin files, even if you don’t have backups.

3. Bullet Proof Security:

This plugins gives you a all round WordPress website security protection. Website security protection against: XSS, RFI, CRLF, CSRF, Base64, Code Injection and SQL Injection hacking and lots More .. This Plugin Ranks 3rd in the Security Category.

So , the top 3 security plugins are listed above and I ensure that all of them will be working. Lets now start the comments category.

#2: Spam Comments

The commenting feature on WordPress is proven to be the best as it links up your website or blog with your name! But there is a small disadvantage, the spam .

The Spam comments always spoils the game , I just hate spams , you too ? That’s good. But you cannot spend all the time deleting the spam comments yourself , you’ll need a help and that too a strong help, so here is the helping plugins :-

1. Anti-Spam:

Anti-spam plugin blocks spam in comments automatically, invisibly for users and for admins. This Plugin got 4.6 out of 5 Rating.

2. Spam Free WordPress:

Comment spam blocking plugin that blocks automated spam with zero false positives.

3. Akismet:

Akismet is the best spam prevention plugin for WordPress. Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. This Plugin got the maximums Hits ( downloads ) 16,789,373 , Isn’t this Cool ? You can get the API key for the plugin for free.

#3: SEO

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the key factor to make our blog stand out to crowd. Setting up of SEO needs takes lot’s of time. But WordPress has some plugins that saves your time , Let’s have a look 

1. WordPress SEO by Yoast:

Improve your WordPress SEO: Write better content and have a fully optimized WordPress site using the WordPress SEO plugin by Yoast. WordPress SEO by Yoast is one of the best and easy to use SEO plugin which helps you getting out of the box SEO results . this is a free plugin and awesome one too.

2. All in One SEO:

WordPress SEO plugin to automatically optimize your WordPress blog for search engines. One the best SEO plugin after WordPress SEO. This Plugin got a download hits of 15,403,441 and 3.8 out of 5 Rating. This Plugin has free version and premium version too.

3. SEOPressor:

Real-time evaluation and recommendations to improve site content for SEO. It’s essentially as though you’re having an SEO expert right beside you and suggesting on ways to improve your site’s on-page SEO. This is a premium Plugin. 

So , here we end up with the SEO plugins for best search results. Utility Plugins are of great need , there are some out of the box , best WordPress utility plugins, which I have listed Below.

#3: Utility:

1. JetPack:

Jetpack is probably one of the best free WordPress Plugin. It is a whole package of plugins that will improve the features of your WordPress site. Here are some of its features: Site Stats without additional load on the server, spelling and grammar check, mobile theme, sharing, backup and much more.

2. W3 Total Cache:

This plugin improves user experience by boosting server performance and reducing download time. It also provides transparent CDN or content delivery network integration. It’s a free Plugin.

3. BackWPup:

With this plugin, you can use the backup files to save your entire installation, which include WP-Content. It pushes them to an outside backup service, if you choose not to save your backup files in one server. You can restore your installation with one backup.zip file.

4. Contact Form:

You may require a contact form if you are creating a website. For that, the best free and most suitable plugin is Contact Form 7. It is so easy to use and can deal with dozens of numerous contact forms.This is one of the best contact form plugins.

5. FontPress – Font Manager Plugin:

This plugin will allow you to customize your WordPress site with customized fonts. You can even do it without writing any code or file. Amazing plugin which will make your blog sparkle!

6. WordPress Quiz:

WP Quiz is a plugin of WordPress that allows you easily create the multiple choice questions for many purposes, such as teaching, blogging, advertising and etc.

The Main Features are : -

• MVC code structure
• Nice design
• Multimedia in questions
• Many configuration options
• Randomly sort questions and answers
• Customize interface
• Localization
• Shortcode
• Multiple quizzes on the same page
• Preview questions when finish
• Submit score via email to owner
• Social sharing
• Statistic with chart

This is the unique plugin ever made for WordPress, this is a premium plugin which provides you with out of the box services.

7.WordPress Email Newsletter Plugin:

This is a bulk emailer plugin that was created particularly for WordPress 3.x versions. It is very rich in features and so easy to use. With this plugin, you can send professional newsletters quickly to your existing user database. This is a premium Plugin .

8. Attention Grabber: WordPress Notification Bar:

This will allow you to grab user attention through a fully customization, but simple banner in your site, which is displayed on the top or bottom of the page. This is also a premium plugin.

9. ROYALSLIDER:

This is jQuery content slider that is cross device capable and incorporated with fluid layout and touch base navigation.

10. CSS3 Responsive Web Pricing Tables:

This is actually a pure CSS3 Web Pricing Table Grid set designed for WordPress that has 12 predetermined color versions and a couple of table styles.

11. WordPress Live Chat Plugin for Sales and Support:

This plugin will allow you to chat with your clients easily within your website for sales and support. There is no need for monthly payments when you are using this plugin. Just install it and it is ready for business.

12. Go – Responsive Pricing & Compare Tables for WP:

This is a responsive plugin that will allow you to create beautiful tables quickly and easily, and incorporate them into your WordPress powered website.

13. Toolset Plugin :- Develop your WordPress site without PHP knowledge!

Toolset plugins make website development faster and give you the power to create sites exactly like you want. Web developers get more work done with Toolset. This plugin is available for free trial.

14. Emma Boxes - Multipurpose Boxes:

This plugin was created to display various kinds of contents. You can select the kind of content that you will display, create custom contents and show them. It might interest you to know that Emma Boxes has been optimized for displaying WooCommerce content.

15. LivIcons for WordPress – Animated Vector Icons:

LivIcons are cross browser vector icons. They are built with JavaScript and there is a individual mini animation for every icon (except ‘Brand names’ ones). LivIcons are powerful in animated mode when you need strong attention effects (for example on ‘call-to-action’ buttons, different promo blocks etc.) and in static mode, as well.

16. Subscribers Magnet:

This plugin will allow you to integrate email list signup forms easily to almost all sections of your WordPress site. If you want to save time, track your signups, and gain tons of email subscribers this is for you! want to increase your subscribers ? then buy it!

17. Hide My WP – No one can know you use WordPress!

This plugin will let you control PHP files access. It will protect your website from almost all XSS and SQL Injection attacks, which means that you no longer have to worry about security very much. 

18. Logos Showcase – Multi-Use Responsive WP Plugin:

This plugin will allow you to display images in a carousel slider or grid. It is the perfect option for displaying lists of partners, sponsor logos, supporters and clients in your WordPress powered site.

19. Booking System PRO (WordPress Plugin):

This is a plugin that helps in creating bookings and reservation systems easily into a WordPress powered blog or website. 

20. Quform – WordPress Form Builder:

If you are requiring custom forms and a WordPress user but do not have the knowledge or time for codes, Quform is the perfect tool for you. This plugin will allow you to create multiple forms quickly and easily in WordPress with complete control.

21. Sidebar & Widget Manager for WordPress:

This is a premium plugin for WordPress that will let you have complete control over the widget areas, page contents and the widgets themselves. If you will widgetize your page, you could drag and drop the widgets in the page content area using horizontal and vertical alignment.

22. The Countdown Pro:

You can add countdown functionality easily into a sidebar or content area using this plugin. With its up and down counting function, you can have complete control over your counter.

23. WordPress Social Share Buttons

Adding jQuery social sharing buttons to your WordPress website is more fun with this plugin. Buttons can be added through jQuery to enable faster loading of pages.

24. Banner Rotator / Content Slider:

This plugin includes five kinds of banner plugins for WordPress. These include thumbnails banner, content slider, carousel, banner with playlist and banner rotator.

25. Fanciest Author Box:

This is an author bio plugin that is rich in features. It adds the author bio before, after or both automatically into pages, custom post types and posts.

So, utility plugins ends up here. There are lots of awesome utility plugins, but these are the best ones.

Over to You !

Even though there are a lot of plugins to install, you should take care of page speed in one hand. Because some plugins uses too much CPU resources which might result in suspension of your hosting account.

The list ends up , now tell me which plugins do you use ? Do you know any of the other best plugins ?

I would like to have your awesome answers through Comments

If you are reading this, you use WordPress for your blog or website, and there’s a high chance you are using a generic theme like thousands of other amateur site owners.

Perhaps it is time for an upgrade. Together with our good friends at ThemeFuse we are giving away 5 vouchers to hongkiat.com readers to redeem one of the 5 premium WordPress themes below.

The Prizes

We’re looking for 5 winners. Each winner can redeem any one of the following WordPress themes.

Conexus – Striking, bold and modern, Conexus is a responsive theme that supports multiple purposes across a wide variety of businesses.

Exquisite Works - This elegant and delicious theme gives the professional corporate image that every small and medium business needs.

VideoGrid – Need a theme for a video-ladened site? This theme is optimized for that. Showcase your latest flicks or tutorials through integrated viewers.

Creative Juice – Whether you are an artist or web designer, showcase your portfolio and talents with this eye-catching theme and win new clients.

My Journey – Just want to find an upgrade for your personal blog? Whether you document travels, personal opinions or share tips on workout regiments, this is the theme you just have to have.

How To Enter The Giveaway

Have you set your heart on any of the themes? To stand a chance to win, using the widget below

Login via your Facebook account / Email address.

Like us on Facebook (if you aren’t already a fan)

That’s it!

This contest ends 8th of October 2013.

Find out how else you can earn entries (and a higher chance of winning).