Is it worth it to a paid theme for a blog?

[yunarel]

I have been recommended by some friends to buy a paid theme for my blog. I've also seen lots of really great looking free blog themes out there. So, if I purchase one, do you think its worth getting a paid theme, or would you just go with a free ones?
What are the benefits of buying paid themes? I think paid theme will have better support, if no, everyone will go with free themes, right?

 

[jyy]

It depends on subjective factors mostly. However, though, some paid themes might have special features that make it more functional for what you wish to do. For instance, JobRoller is a theme which integrates jobs from Indeed and there are other ones which function as a directory and probably there are some dating site ones. Basically, there seems to be something for everyone.

Oh, by the way, what exactly do you want to do with your blog and what is your budget?

 

[vishwa]

I always prefer to use Paid themes. Paid themes are come with lots of features and are SEO friendly. The best part of using paid themes are that they are secure and always get updates frequently. While free themes are poorly designed and their codes are vulnerable and they also not get frequent updates. So, it is worth to go with them.

 

[virtubox]

virtubox

For a website I agree, but for a blog it's not always required. Paid themes include always several pages examples, useful when you build a website, but totally useless for a simple blog. With an architecture harder to understand (custom post type, heavy page layout), SEO is not always the easiest part with paid themes.

Several paid themes include popular plugins like Revolution Slider or Visual composer without subscription required, and you have to wait for another release of your theme to also update your plugins. Revolution slider include a new vulnerability almost each month, so thinking paid themes are more secured is not really a good idea.

For a blog, you can easily find some basic/small theme (without extra-plugins neeeded) and you will be able to understand the structure quickly, and to customize yourself the design or the layout.

 

[vishwa]

vishwa

That is Solely your choice of using a paid or free theme. I never manipulate Individual's decision. I am just expressing my thoughts based on my own experiences. However If you are using a paid theme there is no necessary of using sliders and other options. You can disable it from theme option page. I think there might be some reasons that pro bloggers always use and recommend every body to use it.

 

[virtubox]

virtubox

When "pro bloggers" will recommend paid themes without using their affiliates codes in all links, I may consider to purchase a theme for a blog. But currently, for any other usage than business, pages example/page builder/sliders/mega menu are not really needed.
Good fonts and content will have more impact on your traffic. Ghost.org is the good example about what should be a blogging platform.

 

[andrewskyler]

Most of the time it is very worth buying theme. The benefits of support, alone, can make it worthwhile. And when you think of the most expensive topics under $ 100 - and most likely $ 20 to $ 50, that's a small investment.

 

[jeiss]

It's worth it if it meets your needs. Basically, paid themes provides some functions that are not usually available on free themes. To name a few, support, security, updates, customization, proper SEO, and premium design.

If you know what you want and you find it, you shouldn't mind spending a few dollars on it.

 

[Saiah Davis]

Personally, I develop many different websites for marketing affiliate products. I use a single premium theme for my sites for functionality, appearance, features and support. If it is currently within your budget, I would recommend using a premium one.

 

[georgeuser]

A lot of people use Genesis themes, since each theme license lets you use it on an unlimited number of sites. The Genesis framework + 1 theme is below $100. Might be worth a look if you like a theme and have multiple sites you can apply the theme to.

In general though the biggest advantage of paid themes is support IMO. If you're new to theme customization that's the biggest reason right there to pay for them.

 

[tim_cloudcone]

I have to agree with what virtubox said. Unless your blog has a lot of other pages with uniquely formatted content, or you need to customize the theme to make it look unique and do other changes to the theme, I don't see a good enough reason for you to get a paid theme just for a blog.

The content you post on your blog will be playing the key role in getting traffic to your website and retaining visitors.