Step 4: Pick a theme.
Time to decorate your fancy filing cabinet! Instead of collecting touristy magnets from New York and San Francisco, you’ll choose a theme. WordPress.org offers hundreds of free themes, which you can narrow down by color, columns, width, and features. Most themes include a demo of the appearance in action, and they’re generally customizable. (Especially with a little CSS knowledge!) You’ll find some of the same themes offered on WordPress.com as well, if you want to keep your blog’s current appearance.
For those of you with spare change jingling in your pockets, there are more selections offered with the Genesis Framework ($59.95) and Thesis Theme ($87). Many bloggers switch to one of these and hire a designer after steady increases in traffic (and revenue!).
Note: In January 2014, I purchased the Genesis Framework and created my own theme. I highly recommend buying their software, but unless you have decent knowledge of CSS and HTML, you may want to hire a designer to customize your theme instead!
Other Steps in This Series…
Step 3: Pick a Website Builder
Step 5: Save, Export, and Upload Your Content
Step 7: Add Email and RSS Subscription Options
Step 8: Reach Out to Old Readers
Bonus: 4 Features of a Successful Blog
