Free New WordPress Theme for Small Business

One of the challenges with a lot of the WordPress themes I check out is that while they look very nice from a “pure design” (if there is such a thing) viewpoint, they are often not going to be easily adaptable to how a range of small businesses may want to present themselves online.

Sure, there are businesses that want a funky look, or a floral look, or pictures of mountains or rivers, but if form is to follow and support function, there is plenty of scope, in my view, for some more themes which, while they might not win creative design prizes will be well suited to the requirements of a range of small businesses.

Leading online marketing expert John Jantsch, of Duct Tape Marketing fame, has helped to improve the situation with his just-released WordPress theme, the Duct Tape Business Blog theme, designed specifically for the needs of small business. It is free to download and use – and yes, it is widget ready.

The Duct Tape Business Blog theme avoids the trap of looking nice but not being right for business. It’s a nice, clean, businesslike look and could be used to get any business moving in its bloggy mode. By the way, my personal view is that a company blog doesn’t necessarily need to have the same look and feel as an existing company website: your mileage may differ.

As I mentioned yesterday in my post Cautionary Points on Choosing a WordPress Theme, having some arrangement for support is a big plus. So it is good to see that the theme’s designer Cory Miller has provided a support site – with an invitation to report any theme-related problem, via the comments box. Potential users can take comfort from the fact that Cory is the owner of a web development and marketing studio, Cory Miller Media, which focuses on WordPress designs.

I’ve done a quick install just to see how the new theme would look for one of my blogs. The install was straightforward. I’d need some time to experiment with configuring it to my needs before providing a more detailed review, but right now it looks like a very good offering.

So if what is needed by a business is an economical and preferably free theme which looks “businesslike”, this one looks like being well worth a run.

Technorati Tags: blog design, WordPress themes, Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch, Cory Miller, small business, Duct Tape Business Blog