You can check out there whole list, but here are a couple of our favorites.

Sharpfolio: Examples of your work are displayed on the main page with a bit of information about each off to the side. Clicking on any of the images will give you a lightbox enlargement of the image.

f8: f8 allows you to customize colors, fonts, front page categories, contact info, slideshow height and other options all from the theme options page in the admin section so that you may change it to your heart’s content. All thumbnails link to full blog posts where you can then provide your users with as much information as you like about the work you did.

When getting started on a blog or website, sometimes it’s hard, expensive process to get a good unique feel. A free wordpress theme might be what you need to get going. Even the free themes have the ability to customize the colors and some of the layout. That is what we are here for, to help you get started on even the most simple websites or blogs. Contact us now for a free consultation or even on some free advise on what free wordpress theme would work best for you.

1. Change you user account settings

Be sure to set up a new password and add your name in the fields.

2. Edit the permalinks

Go to Settings > Permalinks and change them to something other than the default. The default setting isn’t SEO friendly and makes the url look bad.

3. Activate the Akismet plugin

Akismet is a plugin that blocks comment spam and if your blog allows comments then trust me, you’re going to get spammed.

1. Go to the Plugins page in the admin area and activate Akismet
2. To complete Akismet activation, Wordpress requires an API key. You can get this by registering on Wordpress.com then viewing your profile.
3. Now go to Plugins > Akismet Configuration, and paste in your key.

4. Install Google XML Sitemaps

Google XML Sitemaps generates a compliant XML-Sitemap for your site, allowing the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Ask, MSN) to easily index your site. Every time you edit or add a post, the sitemap will modify itself.

Click here for Google XML Sitemaps plugin.

Now go to Google Webmaster Central and log in with your Google Account. On the first page, there will be a link to “Verify” your site. Follow the instructions there.

Once that’s done, you can then click the “Add Sitemap” link from the first page and put in the URL to your sitemap, which will be http://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml

5. Setup your RSS feed in FeedBurner

You will need a FeedBurner account, or if you have a google account you can use that to log in.

Download the plugin, then follow the instructions below to begin forwarding all WordPress feed traffic to your FeedBurner feed.

1. Copy the plugin file, FeedBurner_FeedSmith_Plugin.php into your default WordPress plugin directory, wp-content/plugins/ .
2. Activate the plugin by logging into your WordPress administration area, clicking Plugins, then clicking Activate at the end of the “FeedBurner FeedSmith” row.
3. In the WordPress administration area, begin the configuration by clicking Options and then the FeedBurner FeedSmith sub-option.
4. Follow the links to create your FeedBurner feeds, or if they already exist, simply fill in their URLs in the boxes provided.
5. Verify your URLs in the text entry fields, and click Save.

Now all of your WordPress feed traffic should be redirected to FeedBurner.

6. Setup Analytics for your site

It’s always a good idea to keep track of the visitors on your site. WordPress has a Stats plugin but I would recommend Google Analytics. This will require you to add some code to the footer.php file on your site.

Additional reading

Famous 5-Minute Install
The Very First Steps After a Fresh WordPress Install
Easier Theme Development with Sample WordPress Content

Although, most small business owners who want to set up a website or blog might not want to or have the time to learn this and do it. If you are in the need of help setting up a simple blog or a complex website, contact us here at WP Blogs Direct.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using these, and any, free wordpress themes.

First, someone has taken the time to develop these and you need to give credit where credit is due. Most free themes will have some copy and links at the bottom of the page giving credit to the creator. These links need to remain.

Second, because these are free themes you might not be the only one using it. If you are a business looking to be unique, this is not the way to go. You need to have a website or blog designed and developed just for your business.

Third, you need to be cautious of where you get them from. Some themes will contain code that will leave your website unsecured. If you are not familiar with wordpress themes you should have a trusted source look at it and make sure there isn’t any additional code that will make you vulnerable to spam or passwords being taken and your system hacked.

Here at WP Blogs Direct, we take security very seriously. Any theme that you use from our site is tested and secure. WP Blogs Direct will also take an theme we set up for you and make sure it doesn’t contain any additional code that would leave your site unsecured.

If you have any additional questions or concerns about free wordpress themes, please contant us.

*Custom design should be looked into and thought of as an asset for your business.

First, Get a domain name (www.yourname.com) for your website and use in. Domain names will run you about $10 a year and you can use them with most of the free hosting and blog systems. Find a domain name that is your company name or something similiar. It might be hard to find the one you want but keep in mind you can use a .com, .net, .org, or any other extension. There is nothing more unprofessional than having a company blog or website with a “.blogspot.com” attached to it. This is an easy fix and will help you look more credable.

Second, when you get your domain you are allowed to have at least one and sometimes an unlimited amount of email address. For all business purposes, use an email with your domain on it. (example: rob@yourname.com.) It will keep you business brand and profile consitent and will not detract clients from doing business with you. What will detract clients? Using any free email provider such as gmail, yahoo, or hotmail. These are great for personal use but should only be used for personal use.

When I talk about your business brand being consistent, you shouldn’t make potential clients guess at what your company is or does. With your own domain and email it will take a lot of the guessing work out of it. Think of it this way, and I will use a partner of ours as an example. You could either be

www.325studio.com with an email info@325studio.com

or you could be

325studio.blogspot.com with and email info@hotmail.com

The first example is consistent and directs you to the website whether you have the domain name or email address. The second example adds to much clutter with the blogspot and hotmail.

Sometimes starting a business and expecting to be online is a little overwelming. Most of us starting out looking for the cheapest way of doing things and mostly the free ways. Even utilizing the free services correctly you can still look professional. As I mentioned before, domain names are no more than $10 a year and is a great way to look professional.

Upcoming articles:

Using a Domain Name with Blogspot (Blogger)

Purchasing Hosting for Your Website

Why Custom Design Matters

If you are unsure where to start, that is why WP Blogs Direct was started. Check out some of our business starter plans or contact us for any additional help.

Download here