Well okay, maybe it’s not that cut and clear but when it comes to “Do It Yourself” themes, the two leaders are the Headway Theme and the Thesis Theme. So which one is better? Which one is worth your time and money?

Round 1: Customization Control | Winner: Headway Theme
When it comes to customization control, Headway comes out as the winner hands down. Both allow you to create different layouts with the click of a button and re-size them without needing to know PHP code or CSS.

But Headway makes it so easy while Thesis can be a chore. I found myself pretty frustrated when I was playing with Thesis. Headway is set up with a drag and drop style but with Thesis you need to put in the actual numbers and it isn’t as easy to make it the way you want. Even by just looking at the sample themes from Thesis and Headway, Thesis sites all look similar while the Headway themes are much more creative and unique.  The Thesis navigation systems are almost all the same...kinda crappy if you want to make something customized to your design. It’s just too much work with Thesis compared to Headway.

You’ll notice all the Thesis themes look kinda the same. That because it is so hard to customize. Headway Theme allows you much more flexibility in the layout because it is based on leafs rather than just columns. You can custom create leafs for anything and place them anywhere, at any size. Thesis is somewhat limiting in layout in comparison.

Headway Theme Customization Control (4.5/5 stars)

Thesis Theme Customization Control (3.5/5 stars)

Round 2: User-Friendly Back End | Winner: Headway Theme
Headway is much more intuitive and easy-to-use than Thesis in general.  It is much quicker to catch on to the Headway back-end than it is the Thesis back-end. The thesis back-end, while not using code, still feels code-ish. But the Headway theme is all drag and drop, click and re-size. Much quicker learn and easier to use.

Headway Theme User Friendliness(4.5/5 stars)

Thesis Theme User Friendliness (3/5 stars)

Round 3: Support | Winner: tie
Theme support can be very helpful especially when dealing with more interactive themes like these. In each of these cases you get access to support forums with tons of valuable information and users who have dealt with previous problems or can talk you through issues you might be having.

Headway Theme Support: Forum (3.5/5 stars)

Thesis Theme Support: Forum (3.5/5 stars)

Round 4: SEO – Search Engine Optimization | Winner: Thesis
Both Thesis and Headway provide a very SEO centered approach – separating the code from the design in a way that makes your site consistently attractive to search engines like Google. The code is neat and tidy on both systems and will keep your site getting seen the way you want it to. The thesis theme code is somewhat neater then the Headway code is – but it isn’t enough to make that much of a difference as the Headway code is still very smart and neater than most other theme code out there.

Headway Theme Support: Forum (4.5/5 stars)

Thesis Theme Support: Forum (5/5 stars)

Round 4: Cost | Winner: Tie

Single Purchase:
Headway Theme: $87.00
Thesis Theme: $87.00

Developer Package:
Headway Theme: $164.00
Thesis Theme: $164.00

And the winner is….Headway Theme comes out as the clear winner…it’s just way cooler. No offense to Thesis lovers!

Have you ever had a difficult client? Someone who wanted full design changes daily or weekly? If you are into web design, sooner or later you will have a client like this. And if you have quoted them a solid price rather than an hourly rate, you could be in for a long haul.

Well it might be smart to deal with these types of clients in a new way – a way that works for them! The correct term for this type of client is not necessarily “Difficult” but they are what we call the “Do-it-yourselfer” and there are themes out there that can work miracles in these types of situations.

I would call the “Do It Yourself” (DIY) themes “Site Builders” – because that is really what they work like.

There are a few solutions out there for WordPress which allow people with very basic (if no) knowledge of design or web coding to completely design and customize their websites to their own liking. You can provide an entire site-builder to these clients – and the best part is that it is built on WordPress – one of the best Content Management Systems for websites out there. The whole thing is drag and drop and everything is changeable.

One thing to keep in mind is that a theme from a site like Woothemes or Press75 likely has MUCH better design and layouts as they were built for specific purposes by web designers with training and know-how in design. So a DIY theme might not work in every case – but for certain projects they can be exactly what you need.

Here’s a list of a few “Do it yourself” themes or “Site Builders” (We’ll be adding reviews for each of these very shortly)

-Headway Theme (4/5 Stars)
-Thesis Theme (2.5/5 Stars)
-WPRemix Theme (Yet to be rated)

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I had a chance to test out the “Do it yourself” (DIY) Theme that everyone has been talking about lately! It is called “Thesis” and it is a theme that basically lets you configure your entire theme right from within WordPress. Pretty cool idea.

You can manage everything from text to colors to the layout of the site. I was pretty surprised at how powerful it was and how much control over the look and feel of your WordPress theme it gave you.

Check out this screen-shot of the back-end control features:

However, there are definitely things it can’t do as well. In a general sense, you won’t be able to create any original header displays, or get some real custom design without still having some CSS and PHP scripting knowledge. This theme is definitely better for designers or developers with scripting knowlege who have some time to customize their WordPress theme.

When you break it down, this theme costs as much or more than a completely done theme from sites like Woothemes or Obox. If you are going to spend your money on a theme, I would recommend using a completed theme that you know is exactly how you want it – rather than paying the same amount and not necessarily loving the finished product.

However, if you are the type of person who loves to get their hands dirty and have more control over the look-and-feel of your site, than this theme might be perfect for you. But again, keep in mind that some knowledge of CSS and PHP will definitely help.

Pros:
- Easily customize text, colors, layout and positioning of elements
- Great for web designers and developers with some time to customize
- Great help with making a custom theme quicker

Cons
- Lets face it, it can’t do ANYTHING. Don’t expect to make anything happen easily.
- The cost is the same (or more) than a “Completed Theme” that likely looks/works better than something designed though the Thesis Theme.
- You’ll need to put in some time to make this look the way you want

Want to get the Thesis Theme? Save 25% by using this coupon:

Click Here to View Coupon Code

Interested in checking out some other themes?
-Woothemes
-Obox
-Studio Press
-Press 75

Thesis Coupon Code:

Save 25% off on the Thesis WordPress theme!

Click Here to View Coupon Code