Has someone recommended WordPress for your law firm’s website, but you have no idea what it is? WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), so it’s an excellent choice for any website. In this post I’ll show you three free WordPress themes to get you started fast.
WordPress powers 30 percent of the web.
Its popularity means finding useful articles and tutorials is simple, thanks to an enormous global community of developers and users. Whatever your question, you will likely find the answer in the WordPress forums.
Related: How to build a WordPress website
What is a WordPress theme?
A WordPress theme is a pre-built template that enables those with some technical skills to build a nice-looking website.
Some themes are designed with great flexibility for a wide range of uses, while others are built for specific fields such as law.
The great part about themes is that all of the coding has already been done for you. Once you choose a theme, you customise it with your own text, photos and videos. You can add features to your new website using widgets and plug-ins if you like.
There are thousands of themes available online, many to purchase.
But I want to highlight three free WordPress themes that would be a great choice for your firm. All are responsive, meaning they automatically resize to fit the viewer’s screen. So your clients can easily open and use your site no matter what device they use.
Free WordPress themes: what’s not included
While WordPress itself is free, there are a few expenses involved in launching a WordPress website:
- A domain name. This will be the web address you share with clients.
- Web hosting to make your new website visible to the world.
There are also tons of free WordPress themes available online. But unless you have technical skills (or a technical friend) you could end up paying dearly for that free theme.
A free WordPress theme might not offer any customer support.
Free WordPress theme developers offer help through WordPress forums, but they are not obliged to answer requests for help.
They might or might not update the theme regularly, opening you to the kind of security gaps that hackers look for.
And free themes don’t come with any warranty or guarantee — if you run into trouble, you’ll need to look online for answers … or hire a pro to fix it.
Option 2: The easy way
GoDaddy’s Managed WordPress service makes WordPress supremely easy for those with no time to spare.
Managed WordPress come with everything you need to launch your website this weekend including:
- A domain name.
- Always-on hosting.
- 24/7 help from pros.
The GoDaddy team even takes care of routine WordPress updates and security patches so you can go about your business without thinking about your website.
Once you’ve chosen a theme, all you need to do is replace the images and text with your own and click Publish. Done.
1. Velux
Velux is a visually attractive theme included free with Managed WordPress. The eye-catching background image that bleeds off the edges of the screen isn’t always easy to accomplish if it doesn’t come as a theme feature.
The large headline commands immediate attention.
I consider Velux to be the most minimal option of the three I’ve recommended in terms of focusing on the images and the content. A great demonstration of this is the ‘About Us’ page (check it out here). It’s easy to scan and leads potential clients to a strong call-to-action.
Use the three blocks below the main image to highlight your specialties, replacing the photos with free images you select from the large library that comes with Managed WordPress.
2. Escapade
The Escapade Lawyer theme features an off-centre design with a left-hand menu that enables visitors to quickly find the information they want. Like all GoDaddy WordPress themes, you customise this one via a toolbox on the right side of the builder. Change color, type styles and photographs with just a few clicks.
In addition to the legal photography in the built-in library, you can also use your own photographs if you prefer.
3. Uptown Style theme
The Uptown Style theme features a centered layout that communicates strength and stability. The eight pages included in the standard layout are listed horizontally along the top of the home page, making it easy for visitors to find what they need. All of these menu labels can be adjusted.
The pink Get Started button could be changed to blue, black, brown or another colour for a more somber look. The words could be changed as well, but keep it short — Get in touch, for example.
The bottom line
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, used for everything from the smallest of blogs to large media sites including Fox Sports. No matter how you choose to build your WordPress website, choosing a theme is an important decision. Make the wrong choice and you can run into serious problems down the track, including the need for help from a costly pro developer.
Managed WordPress includes a large library of pre-built WordPress themes — all come with 24/7 help from the world-class pros at GoDaddy. Check out the entire library here.
