This tutorial will show you a neat little function inside of your Wordpress site that will let you upload a theme without having to worry about using an FTP client.

The first step is to log into your Wordpress site.

Once logged in, Click on the Add New Themes link under the Appearance section.

Across the top of the Install Themes page, there are five links, these links provide a list of options on how you can find and install your new theme.

The options listed are…

• Search. The search page opens by default. When you click on the Add New link you are on the search page.
• Upload. If you have previously downloaded a theme to your local hard drive, you can use this function to upload the themes zip file to your Wordpress site.
• Featured. Using this option will bring up a list of all the current Featured Wordpress themes on the Wordpress repository.
• Newest. As the text implies by clicking on this link you will be able to view a list of the newest Wordpress themes available at Wordpress.org
• Recently Updated. By clicking on this link you will see all of the themes that have been recently improved and updated.

Each of the five options are pretty easy to understand and use, the Featured , Newest, and Recently Updated options will display the themes within there respective categories on the Wordpress.org repository.

The Search page provides a lot more flexibility allowing you to search for themes with specific colors, layouts and function.

As you can see in the image below there are two main sections on the Search page, I have explained them in detail below the image.

In the first section, labeled with the number 1 you have the Search by Term, Author or Tag.

• This function is especially handy if you are looking for a specific theme, maybe one you have used before or a theme someone has suggested you try. Simply type in your Keyword and Click on the Search button.

In the Find a Theme Based On Specific Features section, labeled with the number 2, you can refine your search with more Generic details.

• For example, if I wanted a light colored theme with a right hand sidebar, all I would do is click in the check boxes that fit my needs and wants and hit the Find Themes button, labeled with the number 3.

I will then have a list of themes to choose from that are related to my search queries.

Regardless of your preferred search option, the search results will be displayed in a similar fashion.

In the image below I have included a screen-shot of a typical search result using the Featured link.

Along with a thumbnail image of the theme you also get a basic description of the themes functions, a link to preview a working version of the theme and a link to install the theme.

1. The Page Link.
2. The link to preview a working version of the theme.
3. The link to install the theme to your Wordpress site.

To install the theme simply click on the Install link.

Once your theme has been installed you will either have a confirmation message telling you that the theme has been Successfully installed or a Failure message telling you the theme could not be installed.

If you have problems installing the theme using this feature of Wordpress, contact your webhosts support, you may need to change your file directory permissions.

To actvate the theme simply click on the Activate link to start using your brand new Wordpress Theme.

More On This Topic...

• How To Install A Wordpress Plugin Without Using An FTP Client.
• Wordpress Themes, How To Find The Right One For You.
• How To Install A Wordpress Theme Using FileZilla.
• How To Download Wordpress Themes

After all, first impressions count, don’t they? Plus you want to find a theme you will be satisfied with for some time, don’t you?

And depending on the amount of effort you put into modifying your theme, changing it can be more involved than just “Activating” a new one.

Here are some tips you may find helpful when looking for the right theme for your site.

Is It Cross Browser Compatible?

Some themes are not compatible with all browsers, make sure you test your theme in all of the popular browsers. Internet Explorer 06 is notorious for destroying themes. If this concerns you, choose a theme that is IE6 compatible. Check Out The Themes Compatibility Here.

Is There Any Support Available For Your Theme?

I have found support one of the biggest factors for choosing a theme. Sometimes your only option for decent support means you have to pay for a premium theme. I use and recommend Justin Tadlock’s Hybrid theme, and although it is a free theme, you do need to pay for the support, which for $25.00 PA, is an absolute steal.

Check The Code In The Footer.php File.

In the past I have found some Awesome free themes that I instantly fell in love with.

They were perfect in every way, but when I uploaded, activated and started setting up the theme, I realized the code in the footer had been encrypted, meaning I couldn’t edit the code.

This to me was a problem. Apart from the fact that it contained links pointing to particular health and gambling sites, there was no way of knowing what else was in the code. There may have been something malicious that would allow unauthorized access to my server.

So, if your thinking about using a free theme, open the footer.php file and check the code before uploading to your theme file.

Establishing The Purpose.

Establish from the outset what your site is to be used for. Many churches use Wordpress as their website’s Content Management System without taking advantage of the blogging aspect of it. Determining this will help you make a decision on what you want from your theme.

Will You Promote Products From Your Site.

Decide if you ever intend on advertising on your site. If your website is for a personal ministry (and not for your church) and you think you will want to promote some products at some stage, then make sure you choose a theme that is set up with advertising areas already built into the theme.

Find Out What Is Already Popular.

Go to the Wordpress codex and browse through their list of free themes. Check out the themes that have been downloaded the most, take notes on the color schemes, layouts and functions within the themes you like.

Another place to see what’s popular within the blogging community is Technoraties Top 100 blogs. Although you probably won’t get your theme from here, you most certainly will get some good ideas for what is actually proven to work and is popular.

The sites listed at Technorati are among the most popular blogs on the web. I’m sure these guys tested different theme layouts, color schemes and user friendly designs. Take notes and make a list of any sites you like and the features they have that you would like to see on your site

What Plugins Work With Your Theme.

If you need a specific plugin for your site, make sure your theme can handle it. All themes don’t work with all plugins.

Finding Your Content.

Make sure the theme has adequate navigation. This is fairly obvious but check to see if the navigation to your content is well laid out and easily visible.

Things to consider… are your pages and categories clearly defined and separate from each other and is your most important content easy to find.

How Easy Is Your Theme To Customize?

One of the things I love about Wordpress is the ability to change the theme layouts easily. With the use of Widgets and Plugins you can easily change the look and feel of your site with a couple of mouse clicks. Check if the theme your looking at has multiple widget areas.

How Clean Is The Code?

Make sure the code is clean and well written and without errors. You can check out a themes code using the Markup Validation Service.

Does The Theme Get Updated?

Check the age of the theme and if it’s regularly updated and improved upon. Wordpress is constantly getting upgraded and with new versions always coming out your theme could become a security issue. Make sure you choose a theme that is regularly updated and supported.

What Is Your Content?

There are themes that are specifically designed for various types of content, Video, Pictures, and your standard Text type themes. Choose a theme relative to the type of content you will be adding.

Do You Need Different Page Templates?

Some themes already come pre-installed with different page templates. Different page templates can add different functions to your site without any additional coding or modifications. The Hybrid theme is an excellent example of a theme with 18 pre-installed page templates.

And One More Thing To Consider.

Are Your Articles Easy To Read?

Sometimes themes can become so cluttered with “Stuff” that if really distracts the user from what’s most important, “Your Content“.

Does the theme you are wanting to use have plenty of clean space?

And what is the text font and size?

The readability of your text can also play a major part on how well your content is displayed.

More On This Topic...

• How To Install A Wordpress Theme Without Using An FTP Client
• How To Download Wordpress Themes
• Adjusting The Reading Settings In Wordpress
• Check Your Privacy Settings

To get started open up Filezilla and connect to your server.

Once you are connected to your server, the next step is to find and Double Click on the public_html file.

Once you have located and opened your public-html file, look for the specific site that you want to add your new theme to. If you only have one site on your hosting account you may not see your domain name, don’t worry just move on to the next step.

After Double Clicking on the correct domain name, you now need to Double Click on the wp-content file.

After opening the wp-content file look for the themes file.

Once you have located the Themes Folder, you have two options, you can either Double Click to open the Themes file before uploading the new theme, or simply drag your new theme from your Computers hardrive straight into it without opening the themes file. More on that in the next step.

Now your ready to find your theme on your computer.

To locate the theme you downloaded to your hard drive look to the left hand side of your Filezilla user interface.

You will see all of the files stored on your hard drive. Look for the folder that you downloaded your theme to, but make sure that you have already Unzipped your theme file.

After Locating the theme you want to upload onto your hardrive Click and Hold with your cursor on the theme file, then drag it onto your server into the themes file within your wp-content file.

Once you have positioned your theme over the themes folder, simply let go of the left mouse button. Your theme should start to Upload automatically.

The next step is to log into your Wordpress admin.

Once inside your dashboard, look on the left menu bar for the Themes link under the Appearance section. Click on it to continue.

In the Themes page, you should see your New Theme along with the two default themes which are pre-installed in Wordpress.

You will see listed under the theme’s thumbnail image three links. Activate | Preview | Delete.

To Activate your new theme just Click on the Activate link.

And that’s all there is to installing a new Wordpress theme using the Filezilla FTP client and changing the appearance of your Wordpress blog.

More On This Topic...

• How To Install A Wordpress Theme Without Using An FTP Client
• How To Install Wordpress Plugins Using Filezilla
• How To Install A Wordpress Plugin Without Using An FTP Client.
• Wordpress Themes, How To Find The Right One For You.

Even though you can now install Wordpress themes directly from your Wordpress admin, I thought I would run through this simple exercise just in case you ever wanted to upload a theme that wasn’t hosted directly on the wordpress.org themes repository .

In the following example I thought it would be appropriate that I show you how to download the Hybrid theme, seeing how this is the theme I am currently using.

But the lesson here is applicable for almost any Wordpress theme you find on the web.

Usually when downloading a Wordpress theme you are presented with a link to a working version of the theme (Demo) and a link to download the theme file (Download).

One way to start the download is, you simply Click on the Download link. A new window will pop up asking you to Save the file.

Another way, is to place your mouse cursor over the download link, Right Click and choose the Save Link As option, as in the example below.

After choosing the Save Link As option, you should see another window open up asking where you would like to save the file on your computer.

I recommend you create a file specifically for your website, and within that file you create another file specifically for any themes you want to download and try.

Click on the Save button, the theme should start downloading to the specified file on your hard drive.

Once the theme has finished downloading, which should only take a couple of seconds, you will need to Unpack or Unzip it before it can then be uploaded to your server.

To unzip it on a Macintosh simply Double Click on the zipped file and it will automatically Unpack itself.

If your using a PC you will need to use a software that will unzip the file for you.

Seeing how I’m using Macintosh these days, It’s kinda hard for me to show you how this works, but I do know that Alzip is a very good Free program, which I have used in the past for unzipping files.

I’m sure they will have tutorials on how to use their software on their site.

More On This Topic...

• How To Install A Wordpress Theme Without Using An FTP Client
• Wordpress Themes, How To Find The Right One For You.
• Adjusting The Reading Settings In Wordpress
• Check Your Privacy Settings