WordPress Tip: Creating WordPress Themes to Match Existing Sites
I sent out this tip in my last WordPress newsletter. You can subscribe to my WordPress newsletter here.
I decided to start up a WordPress newsletter to offer weekly tips on WordPress. I added the sign-up widget on my sidebar about a month ago. Since then, 56 people have signed up. I just sent out the first newsletter today. I'm copying the newsletter content into this post below. If this information is relevant to you, consider signing up for the newsletter. There's a sign-up form below the ads in the my sidebar. You can also sign up here.
The Most Commonly Asked Question About WordPress I Receive
Let me kick off my first newsletter with an answer to the most commonly asked question I receive about WordPress:
"Can you create a WordPress theme to match my original HTML site?"
Most people don't realize that WordPress can act as a lite content management system, allowing you to manage all of your website content in WordPress. The home page of your site doesn't need to be a list of your latest posts. Your home page can be a static page that describes your company or services. You can then make your WordPress posts appear on another page.
You can configure all of this under Settings > Reading. So when people ask if I can create a theme to match their original site, I usually tell them they can migrate their entire content to WordPress and manage it more conveniently there. It's a much better strategy than managing two sites separately.
I want to provide one more tip. If you need an attractive WordPress theme, take a look at the themes at http://woothemes.com. Woothemes is one of the best theme development sites for WordPress. I have a developer account with woothemes that allows me to use their themes on as many client sites as I want. So if you see a theme you want, just ask me for it and I'll send it to you for free. I think the Canvas theme (a minimalist theme) is particularly well-built. (Of course if you want me to implement and customize it for you, I would charge for that.)
I hope to provide more regular tips on WordPress. In a couple of weeks, WordPress 3.0 will be released. WordPress 3.0 will contain a new default theme, among other new features. If you want to check out the new default theme in WordPress, explore it here. I like this theme so much I almost implemented on my own site. I'll provide more details in the coming newsletters about the features 3.0 has.
If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me.
About Tom Johnson
I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.
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