I’ve been really pumped to start this new WordPress-based website (yeah, this one!) – lots of ideas just waiting to leap out of my head and onto my blog. But first there was the dreaded task of trying to find a WordPress theme that matched my vision of the new site.
Though the search would be daunting, my requirements were few:
1. At a minimum, compatible with WordPress 3.0 – “built” for WordPress 3 would be even better (designed to exploit some of its new features)
2. A clean, classy, professional look
3. Flexible and powerful
4. Full customization interface (please don’t make me edit source files!)
5. Well-supported.
That’s actually a pretty tall order – so it was sheer luck that I stumbled upon the RichWP WordPress themes. I spent the better part of an afternoon researching the theme and investigating its capabilities. That night I purchased, and haven’t looked back.
The RichWP theme meets all of my requirements and then some. It’s built on a core framework, with specific child themes that can be purchased separately and used with the framework. The child themes currently available include:
A. RichBIZ theme
B. Affiliate theme
C. Photo theme
D. RichGRID theme
Quick view of the Affiliate child theme:
The theme developer, Felix Krusch, seems committed to keeping his themes updated and to continuing to release a broad variety of child themes. Your first purchase includes the framework and one child theme of your choice; additional child themes can be purchased separately.
With the RichWP themeset, you can create your theme design completely from scratch if you wish. But for those of us who are less inclined to do so, several ‘preset’ designs are also included. (You’re looking at one of them!).
A 23-page installation/configuration manual is included – and as long as you read it, you won’t have any trouble setting up the theme. The manual has quite a few syntax errors, but nothing that impacts one’s understanding. (Probably most people wouldn’t even notice, but Mom was an English teacher, so I notice everything).
Thus far I’ve found no functional errors, though – a good thing, because while installation support is provided for free, support beyond that rings up at $75/hour. That means I’m expecting documentation that is thorough and accurate. I think that the hourly fee is designed, at least in part, to ‘encourage’ people to use the manual, rather than using the ticket system as a first resort, as many are inclined to do. In my experience, I’ve had to ask Felix a couple of post-installation questions, and my questions have been answered quickly and accurately.
Installation was a breeze – first the framework is uploaded directly from the WordPress admin panel. Once the framework is in place and activated, the child theme and preset designs are loaded up from within the RichWP options area. Just follow the steps outlined in the manual.
The options page for RichWP is loaded with just about every customization option imaginable – all right at your fingertips, without ever having to touch a line of code. With one simple click I can put the sidebar on the right, the left, or split it so the content is centered between two sidebars. I can modify the design and color scheme to my heart’s content, switch to a different preset design, incorporate ad blocks, add my Google Analytics code, and much more. I particularly love that it has built-in SEO functionality.
The theme is hard to improve upon as it is, but if there’s anything I’d like to see added in future updates, it might be some built-in functionality for affiliate-related monetization strategies. The Socrates Theme does some of this, but I find that theme too hypey for my tastes. To me, the Socrates theme screams “Buy, buy, buy!” from every corner – not the message I want to purvey to my valued visitors. Conversely, the RichWP theme, in its understated and professional way, enables me to focus on providing good content and a quality experience for my site visitors.
The suite of RichWP themes have been completely updated to integrate with WordPress 3.0, and by all indications, more child themes and preset designs are on the way. While some may consider it a bit pricey, the license allows for installation on as many sites as you wish – it’s essentially a developers license. Thus in my judgment, it’s worth every penny.
Just have a look around this website. Like what you see?
Click here for more details about the RichWP themes.