Here is my current blog site... http://www.mtbtrailreview.com I have a feeling that my current homepage is really holding me back so I am looking at changing themes. I am also having a hard time with a couple of plug-ins playing along with the theme. So I am looking to switch and I need some opinions before I take on the huge task of switching a theme over. I am having trouble with some plugins and customizing my current blog theme for advertising. What is your opinion on my current theme vs. these two? http://www.woothemes.com/demo/?t=6 or this... http://www.woothemes.com/demo/?t=3
Holy moly! Your current theme is a mess. I just glanced at your Head section and it is filled with javascripts and styles that should of been in external files. A lot of these are even duplicated (poll, cform, etc.) more than once. The rotating images with descriptions from Flickr is your number one speed killer. Not only are you relying on an external server for those images, those image sizes are obscenely large. Preloading of the images appears to be happening before your sidebar is rendered too. Another concern is that you are unusually high in Http requests -- a total of 60, with over a third of those to external servers (flickr in large part). Each object on the page denotes a request (script file, css file, image file, etc.). Each request takes x amount of time. Factor in latency or high traffic, then you run the risk of having your page seem to 'pause' at the most inopportune times. As for the two themes that you have your eye set on, I am afraid you will experience the same problems. If you are bent on overloading your pages with all the latest gadgets and plugins, then there is nothing you can do about the slowness of your pages. Even upgrading to a faster hosting service will not help ... why? Because you are at the mercy of the adservers and Flickr for serving your content ... it is out of your control. My suggestion is to remove all the fancy-shmancy from your pages that you do not need, or more to the point, that you readers do not care to see. Dump some of the ad services and stick with just one -- after building your readership, you can sell adspace and pocket the money yourself (not a novel concept, just putting that out there).
I agree with a lot of what you are saying...which is why during the change...I am doing a lot of optimizing and skinning down...(moving image sources, fewer categories, code, etc...). What about overall layout? That is the main reason I am looking at the switch, but I am also using this as an excuse to clean house while I am at it.
From a strictly aesthetic standpoint, your current theme is much more unique and better looking than either of the other two sites.
I rather like the theme you are using right now. If I had to choose between the other two, for polling purposes, I would go with the first one (Fresh News). Fresh news likes: static post images, the "asides box", dark contrasting header, the minimal double 125x125 ad box, the newer style scripted tab-box for tags, popular, featured Fresh news dislikes: that garishly large ad at the top of the sidebar, multimedia boxes for video and Flickr, not utilizing the footer enough (some of the stuff in the sidebar can be put in here). Again, watch that Flickr stuff. It would be nice to have an actual Gallery Plugin hosted locally, complete with image optimization -- haven't checked, may already be one.
Like the Fresh News theme. The second theme reminds me to much of the CNN.com home page. Not sure why I had such a negative reaction to that...