WHAT IS THE BEST WORDPRESS THEME FOR SEO

[goperformancelabs]

Hi, Seomozers

I would like to know if theres any particular Wordpress Thema that works better for SEO purposes rathen than other.

Thanks in advance

Maria Jesus

[evolvingSEO]

Hi Maria

While I can't say I know of the best theme for SEO, here are some considerations;

I would purchase from a trusted vendor like woothemes or themeforest  If from themeforest, look for a theme with a 4-star rating or higher, a decent amount of purchases, and look to see that the developers actively provide support and respond to questions.

I'd say more importantly, is what you do with wordpress, no matter what theme you use.  I have been trying Yoat's seo plugin for wordpress and am very happy with it.

-Dan

[10JQKAs]

I'd say more importantly, is what you do with wordpress, no matter what theme you use. +1

+1 on Wordpress SEO by Yoast.

[kelly_vaught]

Hi Maria,

I think Dan gives some good advice here as far as due diligence goes when picking a theme, namely choosing one through a reputable source, qualifying your options by considering reviews and usage, etc.

There are certainly a lot of well designed WP themes out there to choose from, and I think if you employ the approach that Dan suggests you will help yourself to find something suitable.  That being said, this is the way I personally looked at my situation when deciding on the course I wanted to take.

You have some options:

Custom designed WP theme: If completed by a quality designer, this option is arguably the best.  This option is, of course, the most expensive, but can potentially suit your needs most effectively.  I think whether or not the upside is worth the additional expenditure depends on the depth and complexity of your business model, goals, and uniqueness of your offerings.  If you're dealing with a traditional and established type of business or are simply aiming to have a presentable, clean, and professional looking blog or simple site using WP as a content management system, then you will probably be fine with one of the vast number of available already created themes out there.  However, if you have a business model that is less common or are looking to add a lot of additional functionality, then custom design may be the way to go.  Personally, I had a custom WP site created by a development team, that I would be happy to recommend if you like - they have been great to work with.  For me, a custom site was the best option to achieve the look and functionality that I desired.  These considerations, as well as of course budget constraints, will help to influence your ultimate decision.

Premium WordPress Themes:

This option is not free, but will most likely cost you far less than paying a developer for a custom theme.  A great thing about WP is that the community contributing to the product is large, and therefore any person creating a theme, plugin, add-on, etc is subject to competition and mass feedback, providing at least some incentive to create a quality product, especially if one is trying to earn revenue from his or her efforts.  When there are a lot of participants in a marketplace like this one, you are more likely to have transparency into what is quality and what is not.  Because of this, I believe a premium theme creator is more likely to be compelled to produce a quality product that conforms to appropriate guidelines and that is supported and updated accordingly.

Free WP Themes:

There are also many free WP themes to choose from.  While free has it's upside, I would be particularly observant if you choose this option.  I'm not suggesting that all free themes have problems - I imagine that there are many that follow the same best practices as do custom or premium themes.  However, I do think that the lack of financial incentive for creators of this theme gives rise to a greater risk than do the other two aforementioned options.  If you choose this option, then I would heed Dan's warning with particularly strong vigor.

While I agree with the sentiment that what you do with your WP site is more important than the theme that you choose, I think there is something to be said for the foundation on which you build your house.  Rotten site design can significantly hinder your ability to accomplish the goals of your business and website, regardless of the quality of the effort you make in optimizing and promoting it.  Yes, you'll want to create original, compelling content as well as engaging in a myriad of other SEO related efforts, but I do believe it's critical to make sure those efforts aren't destroyed nor damaged by a problematic base.

Finally, Yoast is respected in the field and I've heard positive things about his SEO plugin, including those echoed in the other responses here.  I personally have been using the WordPress SEO plugin by Joost de Valk and have no complaints thus far.  That's not to suggest that what I have been using is any better or worse, it's just the only WP SEO plugin that I am qualified to comment on at this time.

Kelly