Where to Get the BEST WordPress Themes

If you have a WordPress websites, you need to get the BEST WordPress themes that will best suite your sites.

There is no doubt that there are several great WordPress themes out there that are free and is readily accessible right within your WordPress. All you have to do is to download it.

However, one must take note that most WordPress themes these days come with a pro version. These pro versions are usually the extended capabilities and options that you can get from the theme. This is one way of monetization from the side of the developers. But, again, I am pretty sure that there are still completely free themes out there that you can get.

I have already tried tons and tons of free WordPress themes. Years ago, one of the best that I have tried is the Atahualpa. It is a robust highly customizable WordPress themes. However, you will still need to know some codes in order to make the best out of it.

The BEST way to get out of more trouble is to get Pro version themes. And in this post, I will enumerate 4 sources of BEST WordPress themes at least for my experience of using.

  1. Elegant themes – Elegant themes is already out there maybe more than a decade ago when WordPress was still starting out. They are already a great source of WordPress themes. However, few years back, they made a great leap by developing their flagship Theme called DIVI. I would categorize Divi NOT as a theme, but rather a THEME BUILDER. Meaning by using Divi, you can build any kind of theme that you need and the best that will suit you. Of course there is a learning curve in doing that. But if you are a developer, this one is good for you. Not to mention that they offer a lifetime plan.
  2. Elementor – Elementor is another Theme Builder. It is very similar to Divi, only that they differ in some of their operations and functions. The best thing with Elementor is that it is lightweight in comparison to Divi.
  3. Genesis Themes – I have used Genesis themes for a long time. And they sill remain to be one of the best WordPress theme sources out there. Their flagship theme is Genesis Framework. And from that theme, you can purchase premade Child Themes that you can readily install. Before they come with a lifetime plan, but now I think they are already in a yearly plan. You can check: Why Genesis is the Foundation of Any Smart WordPress Design
  4. Forest Themes – Forest Themes is run by Envato, one of the largest depot of themes, codes and plugins for WordPress and some other platforms. Many developers sell their theme in Forest themes. They are definitely one of the cheapest sources of WordPress themes. You are also free to hunt aesthetically designed themes there. Want to get a huge number of choices? Go to forest themes.

These four sources are for me the best way to start. I personally recommend Divi and. Genesis since these two are themes that I have used the most in my projects. And I can assure you that they are certainly a premium choices.

How to Install a Child Theme in Divi

In this short tutorial, you will learn how to install a child theme in Divi. The same procedure is needed if you are going to use other WordPress theme.

Watch this video first:

In the video there are 3 files, 1 is functions.php, 1 style.css, and an image for the theme.

So first, open a Notepad, then copy the code below:

Here’s the code needed for the functions.php

<?php
function my_theme_enqueue_styles() { 
    wp_enqueue_style( 'parent-style', get_template_directory_uri() . '/style.css' );
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_theme_enqueue_styles' );


//add new code here

Save it as functions.php

Then open the notepad again (you can actually use other Text Editors) and copy and modify the code below:

/*
 Theme Name:     The Disciplers Divi Child
 Theme URI:      https://thedisciplers.com
 Description:    Divi Child Theme customised by WordPress Medics
 Author:         WordPress Medics
 Author URI:     https://www.wordpressmedics.com
 Template:       Divi
 Version:        1.0.0
*/
 
 
/* Theme customization starts here
------------------------------------------------------- */

You can basically customize all the details here since you are now the new author of this new Child Theme.

Save it as style.css.

Put it in the folder together with your premade image for the theme.

Compress the file and make a zip file.

Upload the Parent theme, in this case the Divi theme and activate it.

Once uploaded, upload the zip file that you made and activate it.

NOTE: Your Child theme won’t activate unless the parent theme has been activated first.

Does S2Member Works On Divi Theme

This tutorial is on how are you going to protect certain parts of the post or page in a membership site using s2member. But first, let’s answer, the question, does S2member works on Divi Theme?

The answer is yes. It works seemlessly on Divi at least as far as my trials and evaluation is concern and up to the writing of this post which is April 2020.

Here’s the shortcode used in the video.

[s2If current_user_is(s2member_level1) OR current_user_is(s2member_level2)]

[/s2If]

Basically the shortcode protects 2 levels, levels 1 and 2. If you only want to include 1 level, let’s say level 2, you will use this:

[s2If current_user_is(s2member_level2)]

[/s2If]

Alternatively, if you want to protect the entire post, you will have to use the sidebar settings on the post as shown in the image below:

There are some other scenarios that we can do in using s2member. It’s one of the most extensive and robust to features membership plugins out there. It is not as easy to use, but it’s definitely one of the best giving you a lot of flexibilities on your membership status.

4 Best Free Security Plugins for WordPress

Today, I will share to you the 4 best security plugins for WordPress that I have used personally so far. I say best because I personally tried them and have seen them to be the most helpful and had the least problems after years of used.

security plugin

I have tried other security plugins. Some are really great like Sucuri, but it’s not free. So if you are on a tight budget, then this very short list is for you because they are free and they can do the job.

Akismet – I first used Akismet about 10 years ago. It was created by Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress itself. The plugin first came out in 2005. After more than 10 years, this comment spam filtering plugin became one of the most reliable plugins in what it does.

The main advantage of this plugin is that it was made by the creator of WordPress, and is maintained by Automattic. So, we are pretty sure that this plugin will work well with WordPress.

Also Check: WordPress Optimization Secrets

Akismet is free for personal blogs. You only pay when your site is a commercial one or for business.

Jetpack – This plugin had made a huge leap over the years. I have become aware of the existence of this plugin when I was still new in WordPress. I used this in several of my sites, and it has become a giant security plugin since then.

This plugin contains the necessary security features for free. But if you want to enjoy some serious security features, then you should get the premium version.

Jetpack protects your site from brute force attack, spams, and malwares. It also has an auto-backup features, and performance enhancement features.  

Wordfence – Wordfence is the BEST security plugin that I have tried so far. It includes endpoint firewall and malware scanner. The free version is already a big help to your site. It is a light plugin, but heavy in security.

I would say that this is a MUST to install to your website. The downside of this plugin is that the premium version is quite expensive. If you have funding and do want to have a serious security, then this plugin is a good one.

Bulletproof Security – This plugin probably has the most important security features in this list. It has malware scanner, firewall, login security, anti-spam, etc. And guess what, these essential security features come in free version. I love this plugin. This really has a heavy security feature.

The only downside that this plugin has is that it is heavy on the server side. This works best if you do have a good hosting account. If you have a slow shared hosting, you may want to think twice before installing this one.

So what should I install?

It depends on your need. If you are only for blogging, Akismet is a good spam-filtering security plugin. I haven’t seen an equal so far with this one. However, it is limited to spam-filtering. So apart from Akismet, I will use Wordfence too.

Also Check: WordPress Optimization Secrets

If your site is huge, then I suggest you use Jetpack. And if you can, upgrade it to premium to make the most out of it.

If your site is both blogging and a huge site, and granted you have a good server, use Bulletproof Security.

So there you have it, the best free security plugins for WordPress.

WordPress Optimization Secrets eBook

For quite a while, I started working on gathering my resources and the things that I already know and practicing. This WordPress Optimization Secrets eBook is a product of hard work and knowledge from my wide experience on website optimization.

So in this ebook, I discussed the most important things that one should do in optimizing their website for search engine and for long lasting effect of such optimization.

Wordpress Optimization Secrets

Check: WordPress Optimization Secrets

In this ebook, you will learn the following:

In this Book, You will Learn:

  • Page Rank Basics
  • Using Articles and Blog Posts
  • Backlinks
  • Directories
  • Social Media and Sitemaps
  • etc.

This not an all in one SEO mastery program. But this is the basic things that you should know how search engine works and what you have to do in your website to be called optimized. Meaning this will lay a good foundation for your website when it comes to search engine optimization.

If you are looking for super advanced SEO? This is definitely NOT for you. BUT, if you are looking for SAFE and long lasting optimization effect, this is for you.

Many gurus out there has been suggesting this and that. There is so many technical things to do which makes SEO very technical. However, if you are starting out and want it to be optimized this is the ebook that you should be reading. Very basic, but very powerful.

I have been doing this for quite a while, so I know which ones work and which ones does not. I have sites that ranked well, and I have sites that is also doing well with specific keywords. And what I said in this ebook is what I have been doing in building a strong SEO foundation.

So, go ahead and download this ebook here.