What's the Best WordPress Theme for Conversions?

I've been working with WordPress for a while now and a few clients have asked me to optimize their sites for conversions.

Now I know there's a list of things to do to get to that point but is there a WordPress theme that is optimized for conversions out of the box (ie. text/video placement, fonts, size & space formatting)?

 

Maybe this could help you out: http://www.optimizepress.com/

 

Thanks. I've heard of it. I'll check it out!

 

If you are talking conversions as in visitors to clients, if you are thinking your THEME is going to have a significant impact as opposed to actually developing content of value, you have so completely tied your hands behind your back you'll never have a website worth a flying purple fish.

Though you said that too the moment you mentioned turdpress.

 

Woah woah deathshadow. Hold on for a minute.

I wasn't saying that the theme is the end all be all BUT it does make a difference when it comes to the visual representation of the site. The way things are laid out on the page, etc.

If you think that's not accurate, google 'User centric design' and see how much time people spend on these psychological triggers.

I'm not saying that WordPress is the best thing since sliced bread, but it does offer a lot to people that aren't trying to spend $5000 on a custom website (like most web design guys try to sell oyou on if you know nothing about technology).

But if you are dealing with small business (like I do pretty often) then they like the idea that they can manage their own site.

 

Use optimize press features for example, converting squeeze pages, powerful product, blog, autorsponder integration, membership site etc...

 

I agree -- but shoehorning content into an off the shelf theme on an off the shelf product rarely if ever delivers that -- and can do more damage to a business' reputation than having a REAL website.

Between the "accessibility, what's that?" idiocy 99% of WP themes in circulation have and the massive code bloat increasing the hosting costs if you have legitimate traffic to absurd levels, it is for all intents and purposes grabbing turdpress and some re-re off the shelf theme is shooting yourself in the foot -- TWICE.

99% of websites have no excuse to cost more than half that regardless of the solution -- and MOST sites if they are for a BUSINESS trying to make MONEY have no business putting up a website that costs them less than a fifth that given the labor that should go into crafting their solution. Anyone who doesn't see it that way probably shouldn't have a website for their business, PARTICULARLY one that is attempting to do any form of 'conversions' from visits to clients.

But that stems from a lot of people thinking of websites as revenue streams instead of what they really are for most conventional businesses -- an EXPENSE.

Unfortunately that is an illusion causing the delusion they can do it themselves, when to be frank most of them don't know enough about managing a website or designing content for it to be doing jack **** online. Lying to them about it so you can walk off with their money isn't the right answer -- though it sure as shine-ola seems to be the one that's become the norm in the industry from top to bottom -- from the idiotic dipshit morons spanking in on the display and having the cojones to call themselves "Designers" when they aren't qualified to be 'designing' a blasted thing -- to the idiots who chop it up any old way with presentational markup to try and turn that inaccessible crap into an even less accessible websites, to the dimwits who dive for the off the shelf solution with zero concern for the fact they're using a deuce and a half lump to drive that square peg into the round hole.

It's called nube predation, and it's about time we start slapping these people across the face with a wet trout EVERY time the subject of some half-assed approach to sleazing out a site any old way comes up.

Which is what some off the shelf theme with turdpress is -- PARTICULARLY if it's for anything that would have 'conversions' as a concern.

 

deathshadow,

Everything that you pointed out in your responses are good points. As I said, I never claimed WP was the best option, just started with a simple question.

What I would ask you to reply with is your recommended solution for your clients that know nothing about technology nonetheless websites (I assume you've done this long enough to make a business out of it)?

 

I agree with Caden Grant.

 

The solution is to educate them. Sure you can buy a brand new Ferrari for $500 - if you don't need wheels, an engine, a body, a frame ... But that Ferrari emblem sure looks nice, doesn't it?

A website that's WP + theme + some patching isn't going to drive business to your client - and may drive business away from them. They can buy fresh oats or oats that have already been through the horse, but teach them that the two aren't the same product. Then if they choose to buy garbage it's not your fault.

 

You're right. But is it really the website platform that drives business?
Or is it the content.

I really don't put too much on it.
I am a fan of WP for some of the things it does with huge time savings.
Not saying nothing else is better.

But I try to spend most of my time educating the client on what content will help them to do the best.

The feedback I was requesting on WP is a side note that I might mention.

 

You can optimize content for conversion increase, you can't get much increase in conversion by making a pink pig pinker - it's still just a pig. Wordpress is for do-it-youselfers who a) don't want to learn to actually create a website and b) aren't serious (as in spending real money) about driving business to the company, If someone comes to me and asks me to 'develop' a WP site for them, I teach them that WP is a DIY solution and that if I develop a site it's not going to be by playing with WP a little.

 

Even IF I was to use an off the shelf software on the back end, I would NEVER use an off the shelf template as a starting point -- for one simple reason -- a reason you even re-iterated:

Content is EVERYTHING, and that's the problem with off the shelf templates -- particularly for things like accessibility, usability, SEO or driving conversions.

Content as a rule of thumb should dictate the markup -- so that things that should be headings end up in the RIGHT headings for a logical document structure -- so that things that should be lists or tabular data end up in lists or tables -- so that all the things you mentioned about driving conversions like user centric design are actually present...

... and you're just NOT going to get that trying to shove the fat woman's #11 foot into a #3 shoe. As a rule of thumb off the shelf templates are poorly written useless crap that does more to destroy traffic (much less conversions) to all but the simplest of small personal pages.

In a lot of ways it comes down to educating the client, and if they don't listen asking "What did you even hire me for?!?"

Admittedly, that's the question I asked when I quit my last full time job working for someone else -- admittedly with a decent amount of profanity thrown in for good measure. When the client hires you as an expert, then micromanages, doesn't listen, ignores all your warnings about their pile of **** recommendations resulting in a useless money pit, THEN tries to blame you for their own failures it's very hard not to rip them a new hole asking "Just what the {string of expletives} did you hire me for you ignorant {string of expletives} rhesis monkey!?!"

Let's just say there's a reason I'm retired... the same reason why websites like http://clientsfromhell.net/ exist.