If you type in premium WordPress themes on any of the search engines, you are going to get back up to a few million hits. There are thousands of sites out there that are simply giving away WordPress themes. The question is what is the effect of these sites on web designers?
The Problem
The number of themes available out there for WordPress and other platforms is a great way for designers to make money. However, the current market setup is causing some major problems caused by these marketplaces as well.
Low Quality
When it comes to finding a WordPress theme, there are many sites out there that offer very low quality themes. From the theme being simply outdated having a bad coding or simply, being badly designed, the number of low quality themes available is astounding. However, there are a few sites out there that offer high quality themes. The problem is that the average theme buyer does not know the difference.
Pirate Sites
Another huge problem with the industry is a number of sites that are selling themes that they are not legally allowed to sell. While pirated sites can work in the favor of a designer, by giving them exposure that can lead to paid work, it can also work against them. If you are a designer and your designs are available on this site for free, why would anyone pay you to use them?
Fewer Options
When you start browsing through some of the sites that offer free themes, you will begin to notice a pattern. All of the themes seem to be the same. The reason for this is most of the sites are getting their themes from the same people. The problem with this is the rate at which each site pays the designer for use of them, can be extremely different.
Quality Control
The simple fact is that with so many theme sites out there, quality control is a huge problem. When it comes to themes, low quality can give everyone a bad name. This is sad, because there are truly some great designs out there, but when people use sites that do not test the usability or functionality of a theme before allowing people to use it, the whole industry gets a bad name.
Good Things About the Market
Even with all of the bad things going on when it comes to the theme marketplace, there are a few good things as well. There are some very good places out there for selling themes. These places hold designers to high values and are raising the bar when it comes to theme design.
In addition, the number of places available to sell themes means that there are some very good opportunities available for designers that are selling themes. The best marketplaces for themes encourage their designers to be creative and come up with innovative ideas.
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