Our Pick of the Best Email Marketing Software for Australia 2023

Email marketing software reviews and comparisons from a web agency perspective

Last Updated: August 16, 2022

Email Marketing Software Reviews in 2022

As a professional web development and design agency, we have many clients that come to us asking what is the best email marketing software or system to use. This is a great question as there are many to choose from.

These are our pick of the top email marketing software systems for Australia that will help your business run effective and successful email marketing campaigns.

Sendinblue – Best Free Email Marketing Software
GetResponse – Best for templates
ActiveCampaign – Best for automation
AWeber

“There are a lot of email marketing systems on the market today, all with different features and offerings. As a the owner of digital agency, we are always asked what platform we recommend to our clients. The tricky thing is, it all depends on the clients needs and also their future requirements. Small businesses can get away with any of the systems that offer a FREE plan, however, if you plan on growing then it’s best to look for a system that wont cost you a fortune”

Our Top 4 Email Marketing Platforms

OUR NUMBER 1 PICK FOR EMAIL MARKETING SOFTWARE

1. Sendinblue Email Marketing Software

Voted #1 – Free Signup, No Credit Card Required SendinBlue is one email marketing software that you may not have even heard about. It has been around for quite sometime and has a good reputation in the industry. Whilst they have many of the standard features found with the majority of email marketing software available, they do lack in a few areas including the variety of ready made templates and support for additional features like surveys and polls, A/B split testing and rss feed integrations. They do however include SMS Messages and the ability to send transactional emails. Overall worth a look as they do have a free account which is always a good way to test a platform out (no credit card required) For more info check out the Sendinblue website or read our Sendinblue review here

Pros

Up to 4 times cheaper than Mailchimp
Forever Free Account - 300 emails/day
All new features - CRM, SMS & more
Compliant with the GDPR
Unlimited contacts

Cons

2. GetResponse Email Marketing Platform

GetResponse is a simple yet powerful email marketing software that includes simple drag-and-drop creation of autoresponders, signup forms, emails, and landing pages. Their claim to fame is 99% email deliverability, higher response rates and overall more results.

The core features of GetResponse include drag and drop editor, autoresponders, advanced analytics, a/b split testing, scalable workflows based on customer journeys and much more.

Being the first service to provice a complete Webinar Marketing Solution is definately a great feature to generate new leads and please existing customers.

GetResponse has a range of pricing options, with discounts for yearly memberships. There is a FREE 1 month signup period to test the system out.

For more info check out the GetResponse website

Pros

Cons

3. AWeber Email Marketing Software

Aweber are one of the original email marketing platforms founded back in 1998, so you know they arent going anywhere. Currently providing services to over 100,000 small businesses, their product must be good. They boast a library of over 700 mobile responsive email templates, with an easy to use drag and drop editor. One feature that stood out for me was the simple automation setup. You basically have 2 rules, SEND EMAIL and WAIT that can be dragged into position to create your own specialised email sales funnel, educational courses or lead nurturing campaigns. As standard these days there are a full range of API solutions and form integration options, along with email tracking and deliverability reports. They also have a handy app for Android and iphone which will allow you to have all your email marketing stats and reports at your fingertips. And best of all they are available 7 days a week via phone, email and also my favorite – livechat. If you want to find out more about Aweber and their services visit the website.

Pros

Cons

4. ActiveCampaign Email Marketing Platform

ActiveCampaign is more than just an email marketing software. It is an integrated marketing and CRM solution that specialises in email delivery targeted towards small to medium sized businesses. It is simple and easy to use with a great contacts import function. It has a lot of Zapier connections which can come in handy if you are connecting to other software. The automation features are easy to use with a drag and drop interface. Overall it’s a good software with great ease of use. Unfortunately their API is very limited and reporting really misses the mark. There have been issues with downtime which can really effect a business. If you want to find out more about Active Campaign and their services visit the website.

Pros

Cons

Choosing the Best Email Marketing Platforms & Software

When doing any review there are a range of items we look at and with Email Marketing Software the same rules apply. The core review items such as:

Ease of use – How user friendly is the software to setup and use
Features – Does the software suit your requirements based on features
Support – Does the software provide adequate documentation, online and offline support and resources
Cost – Is the cost of the product viable for you and/or your team

So hopefully our reviews will help you in choosing the best Australian email marketing software that best suits your needs.

A Guide to Email Marketing Like the Pros

Major companies utilize email marketing, and there’s a reason why: it converts readers into buyers and customers into community. Gone are the days of marketing emails solely driven by spam. Nowadays, emails are a platform for a more nuanced and sophisticated digital marketing strategy.

There is a plethora of choices in email marketing software that streamlines and automates delivery. But when it comes to marketing that hooks readers, you’re the one with the power to reel them in. To take your email marketing to the next level, check out the guide to find out the do’s, don’ts, and tricks of the business.

Get on the Invite List

The first item on the list is to get on the invite list. It’s never a good idea to spam customers because that is a surefire way to turn them off. Instead, get customers to invite your emails to their inboxes. Getting customers to opt to receive your emails increases deliverability and engagement.

There are a few ways to get customers on the mailing list, and the effectiveness of these methods depends on the product and the pitch. Some companies prefer to offer a free giveaway, while others might offer to keep the customer updated with newsletters or announcements of new products. E-commerce retailers might have subscription services added on or offered with product purchases. Websites are a good platform for customers to click and subscribe via subscription buttons or links. Incorporating a subscribe form into your website design so it is both appealing and enticing will increase your signup rates

CTA: The Perfect Pitch

The pitch is the other crucial component for getting customers on the mailing list. But it might surprise some readers to consider that the perfect pitch isn’t really about marketing, at least not in any obvious way. Readers see plenty of sales-driven pitches and calls-to-action (CTAs) encouraging them to buy now or like and share. This type of generic copy is easy for readers to ignore. Instead the perfect pitch is about honest and direct copy that does the marketing for you.

A clear-cut CTA is the best solution for effective marketing. Being upfront in what your emails will deliver increases the chances that customers will become regular readers who open the messages and follow through from inbox to purchase.

Ideally, the CTA should go hand-in-hand with the product. CTAs can come in many forms:

Newsletters
Daily or weekly updates
Coupons or discounts
New offers and products
Free downloads
Services that only subscribers can access

Don’t Get Waitlisted, Get Whitelisted

To prevent emails from waiting around in junk or spam folders, get customers to whitelist your email address.

Getting on the whitelist is the email equivalent of being entered into someone’s little black book. The whitelist means your email is in the recipient’s address list, ensuring your messages won’t end up in a spam folder.

The most effective ways to get whitelisted are with the initial and follow-up emails. In the initial email response to the customer’s subscription, add a note near the top of the email that encourages readers to add your email address. Placement is key to putting the message right in front of the reader’s eyes. Other simple tricks like using a different color, boldface, underlining, or font can make the message pop even more. The first email should have a similar message in case readers missed it the first time.

Timing Is Everything

Time is of the essence, or so the saying goes, and for email marketing that adage holds true. Timing is key to effective marketing on many levels.

Primarily, the frequency with which emails get sent can affect subscribers. If the service is a daily news update, then daily deliveries are appropriate. But hourly message deliveries? Subscribers might not be so pleased. Think about the product and the content of the message and combine that with an understanding of the audience to know how often to send emails.

Timing is also about the time of day and the day of the week to send emails. The time of day depends on the product or service being promoted, but it’s safe to say that 3AM deliveries probably are not going to gain reader engagement. On the other hand, 9AM deliveries will draw reader interest.

The day of the week can also affect engagement. Generally speaking, Saturday and Sunday tend to have the lowest engagement rates. Monday through Friday are steady across the board, although Thursdays seem to be the optimal delivery date. So, if you offer a weekly mail delivery, Thursdays look pretty good.

TOP: Targeted, Organized and Productive

To create a comprehensive email marketing campaign, mailing lists need to be TOP: targeted, organized, and productive. By striving for these qualities, you can enhance the impact of your emails. The key here is segmentation.

Segmentation is dividing the email list into focal groups. This is helpful both for subscribers and marketing strategists. Subscribers can get only the mail they want to receive and not have to hassle with reading long messages to get what they’re seeking. For marketers, segmentation improves deliverability and allows them to monitor which messages get the best engagement.

Some ways to segment the subscriber lists include:

Stay on Top of the Stats

Once you’ve established a mailing list, you’re in for the long haul, and the process of tracking and maintaining customer engagement begins. Effective marketing isn’t only about getting your voice and message heard—it’s about getting customers to respond.

Customer engagement largely depends on having high deliverability. Deliverability is a measure of the effectiveness of your emails. It includes getting the message into inboxes, open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), and unsubscribes. These stats will help monitor the success of your marketing.

Getting the message into the inbox is the first step, but just because it’s there doesn’t mean the customer will open and read what’s inside. Fortunately, there are email marketing tools to measure deliverability. Meet the marketer’s friendly little helper: analytics.

Email service providers and marketing platforms provide analytics of how often your message was opened, read, and clicked through. Navigating the stats is necessary follow-through for the marketing techniques, and knowing how to read the stats lets you know how to fine-tune your emails.

Aim for Great Open Rates

The open rate measures how often customers open your messages. A low open rate might indicate that readers are just deleting the message as soon as it appears in the inbox. The reader signed up to the mailing list for a reason, but it could be that upon reading the first two or three messages, the reader decided the messages were not relevant or worth reading. Make sure the messages contain substance and deliver on the promises made to the readers when they first signed up.

Higher CTRs Signals Superior Copy

CTRs measure if the customer is actually read and clicked through the email. High CTRs mean customers are happy to be on the mailing list and intrigued by the messages you’re sending.

Low CTRs are a sign of poor copy. The point of email marketing is to deliver a message to the customer and get them to engage with your company through various means. But if the copy is vague or lacks a clear purpose, then it may as well be junk mail.

Unhappy Readers Equals Unsubscribes

Monitoring the unsubscribe rates and comparing it to opt-in rates helps identify weaknesses in your marketing campaign. If readers unsubscribe after a specific type of email, then that email needs to be reworked. When readers unsubscribe not long after joining the mailing list, it could indicate that they are unsatisfied with the content. Perhaps the content is not delivering what customers were expecting, in which case you’ll want to look at whether the copy delivers what was promised in the original CTA. Unhappy readers may also mark your emails as spam which can result in hosting companies blocking your emails in the future.

Free vs Paid Email Marketing

Depending on the level of email marketing you’re trying to achieve, you can opt for free or paid email marketing systems. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

With free marketing, the main benefit is obviously that it’s free. Free doesn’t have to mean low-quality, and there are systems out there that offer good packages at no cost to you. The free systems come with some basic design options for newsletters, channels to link to social media networks, and measures of the basic analytics.

On the downside, the free systems might have caps on subscriber amounts, so if you anticipate that the readership levels will be high, then the free systems offer limited options.

Pros of free marketing:

Cons of free marketing:

The paid email marketing systems are more customizable to your company’s needs. Benefits can include higher delivery load for emails sent per month, hundreds of choices for design templates, additional customization features, multiple segmentation options, and increased volume for subscriber lists.

The negatives to paid systems can be the cost. Plus, with so many options, it can be overwhelming to launch a marketing campaign. Fortunately, in terms of cost, many of the paid marketing systems offer different price plans depending on the volume of your emails and subscriber mailing lists.

If you liked this page, check out our reviews of other software including the best video conference software and best vpn software for Australia.

Disclosure: We receive commissions from some of the companies listed on this page.

Email Marketing Software FAQs

Is Email Marketing Software Free?

There are quite a number of email marketing platforms that offer free plans. These free plans are usually capped by either the number of contacts in your list or by the number of emails sent each month.

How Often Should I Send Email?

There is no real set answer for this one. It will depend on the services/products you are promoting and how old your customers are. You should start sending emails slowly, and increase the frequency over time as you build trust with your customer base.

How Do You Increase Your Email Open Rates?

The number one way to increase email open rates is by having a compelling subject line. Keep it short and to the point, and don’t give away too much information in the subject. You want the customers to be intrigued by the email and want to click to find out more.

Our #1 Email Marketing Software Pick

How we can help you

New Websites

Website Updates

WordPress Training

Digital Marketing

Search Engine Optimisation

Know what you want? Get a free quote within 24 hours

Are you struggling to find a decent WordPress designer or developer?

The team at m2media has 20 years experience providing affordable website design services for small business throughout Brisbane. Our small yet highly qualified inhouse designers and developers know how to design and build websites that will be an asset to your business not just a pretty face.

By using WordPress as our content management system of choice, it allows site owners to take full control of their investment. Combine this with our expertise in digital marketing and SEO and your website will be ready to generate leads and provide a positive roi. If you are looking to start your own business and need a website, talk to m2media!

Make your website work for you! Ask us how!

What our websites include

All the websites we build utilise the world’s most trusted content management system WordPress. This allows site owners to have full control over their sites content. Not only that, we ensure all sites are responsive and mobile friendly and optimised for search engines.

A sample of our work

A quick sample of WordPress website projects for some of our fabulous clients.

Multinail.com.au

Custom Design & Development

m2 in partnership with VIE Marketing & Soak Creative were engaged to provide a complete redesign and build of the Multinail corporate website.

The redesign was part of a complete rebrand for Multinail by VIE Marketing, which resulting in an AMI award for brand revitalisation.

Use of video was priority to create a more engaging user experience, whilst the use of angles was an important factor on point with the branding.

Matisse Framing

Search Engine Optimisation

Working with Matisse Framing, Brisbane is always a pleasure. M2 had the opportunity to assist Matisse with their onpage SEO and help increase their rankings in Google.

After an initial site audit, content creation and onpage content updates, we were please with the outcomes.

Matisse Framing now ranks in the top 3 for their core targeted picture, certificate and memorabilia framing keywords in Brisbane.

A word from our happy customers

We have recently had our first webstore built here, and were very impressed. Our needs were understood intuitively and the team was able to make a technically complex task simple and pleasant for our potential customers. All work was done on time and within budget and we will be using their services again!

Having worked with M2Media for some time now, I can confidently say it’s hard to find web devs and designers as competent as they are... fresh designs, great communication, super friendly :). They definitely have my stamp of approval for any WordPress design!

Best WordPress Expert in Brisbane for Web Design and Development. I needed a local Australian WordPress website designer/developer and engaged M2Media for various website projects. They were experienced, reliable and did a great job. Their professional knowledge of web design principles show in the high quality, beautiful websites they developed for desktop and mobile

We have been using M2Media for 9 years as our design arm. The work is always perfect as our clients request, it is always on time or faster, and we cannot fault them. We have never had a single issue with the workmanship, and even when we are being that painful client, Matt is super patient with us and delivers beyond our expectations. Keep up the fantastic work!

We are happy to call M2Media a valuable resource of Soak Creative's digital development arm, now and into the future. With their support, our agency have received continued success and advanced capabilities in WordPress, Website, and Design Development.

Matt and the team at M2 have been great to work with on our new website for AluminiumSlats.com Not only did they do a top job on the website, they have been fundamental with driving traffic and generating leads.

Request a quote or start a LiveChat.

If you would like to discuss any of our services or arrange a meeting feel free to contact us at any time using either the form or our LiveChat below.

[email protected]

2/2 Heather Street Wilston,
Brisbane QLD 4051

Phone +61 7 3059 9411

Best Email Marketing Platforms for NZ

As a professional web development and design agency, we have many clients from New Zealand that come to us asking what is the best email marketing software or system to use. This is a great question as there are many to choose from.

These are our pick of the top email marketing software systems for NZ in 2020 that will help your business run effective and successful email marketing campaigns.

Sendinblue – Best Free Software
GetResponse – Best for templates
ActiveCampaign – Best for automation
AWeber

Best Email Marketing Platforms NZ:
Our Top 4 in detail

OUR NUMBER 1 PICK FOR EMAIL MARKETING SOFTWARE

1. Sendinblue

Voted #1 – Free Signup, No Credit Card Required

SendinBlue is one email marketing software that you may not have even heard about. It has been around for quite sometime and has a good reputation in the industry. Whilst they have many of the standard features found with the majority of email marketing software available, they do lack in a few areas including the variety of ready made templates and support for additional features like surveys and polls, A/B split testing and rss feed integrations. They do however include SMS Messages and the ability to send transactional emails.

Overall worth a look as they do have a free account which is always a good way to test a platform out (no credit card required)

For more info check out the Sendinblue website or read our Sendinblue review here

Pros

Up to 4 times cheaper than Mailchimp
Forever Free Account - 300 emails/day
All new features - CRM, SMS & more
Compliant with the GDPR
Unlimited contacts

Cons

2. GetResponse

The core features of GetResponse include drag and drop editor, autoresponders, advanced analytics, a/b split testing, scalable workflows based on customer journeys and much more.

Being the first service to provice a complete Webinar Marketing Solution is definately a great feature to generate new leads and please existing customers.

GetResponse has a range of pricing options, with discounts for yearly memberships. There is a FREE 1 month signup period to test the system out.

For more info check out the GetResponse website

Pros

Cons

3. AWeber

One feature that stood out for me was the simple automation setup. You basically have 2 rules, SEND EMAIL and WAIT that can be dragged into position to create your own specialised email sales funnel, educational courses or lead nurturing campaigns.

As standard these days there are a full range of API solutions and form integration options, along with email tracking and deliverability reports.

They also have a handy app for Android and iphone which will allow you to have all your email marketing stats and reports at your fingertips. And best of all they are available 7 days a week via phone, email and also my favorite – livechat.

If you want to find out more about Aweber and their services visit the website.

Pros

Cons

4. ActiveCampaign

Unfortunately their API is very limited and reporting really misses the mark. There have been issues with downtime which can really effect a business.

If you want to find out more about Active Campaign and their services visit the website.

Pros

Cons

What we look at when reviewing the Best Email Marketing Platforms & Software

When doing any review there are a range of items we look at and with Email Marketing Software the same rules apply. The core review items such as:

Ease of use – How user friendly is the software to setup and use
Features – Does the software suit your requirements based on features
Support – Does the software provide adequate documentation, online and offline support and resources
Cost – Is the cost of the product viable for you and/or your team

So hopefully our reviews will help you in choosing the best Australian email marketing software that best suits your needs.

A Guide to Email Marketing Like the Pros

Get on the Invite List

CTA: The Perfect Pitch

Ideally, the CTA should go hand-in-hand with the product. CTAs can come in many forms:

Don’t Get Waitlisted, Get Whitelisted

To prevent emails from waiting around in junk or spam folders, get customers to whitelist your email address.

Timing Is Everything

Time is of the essence, or so the saying goes, and for email marketing that adage holds true. Timing is key to effective marketing on many levels.

TOP: Targeted, Organized and Productive

Some ways to segment the subscriber lists include:

Stay on Top of the Stats

Aim for Great Open Rates

Higher CTRs Signals Superior Copy

CTRs measure if the customer is actually read and clicked through the email. High CTRs mean customers are happy to be on the mailing list and intrigued by the messages you’re sending.

Unhappy Readers Equals Unsubscribes

Free vs Paid Email Marketing

Depending on the level of email marketing you’re trying to achieve, you can opt for free or paid email marketing systems. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

On the downside, the free systems might have caps on subscriber amounts, so if you anticipate that the readership levels will be high, then the free systems offer limited options.

Pros of free marketing:

Cons of free marketing:

Disclosure: We receive commissions from some of the companies listed on this page.

Our #1 Email Marketing Software Pick

Best Premium WordPress Themes for 2020

As a professional WordPress development and design agency, we are always asked by our clients what the best WordPress Themes are. This is a great question as there are many to choose from.

These are our pick of the top WordPress Themes that will give your website a professional online presence and your WordPress website running smoothly.

Price	Page Builder	Mobile Friendly	Quick Summary	Reviews
$60	Yes - Fusion Builder	Yes	Great support Easy to use builder Lots of page elements Lots of page prebuilt page layouts & demos	Avada Review
$59	Yes - Visual Composer	Yes		X Theme Review
$59	Yes	Yes		Enfold Review
$39	Yes - Visual Composer	Yes		The7 Review

“There are a lot of WordPress Themes out there to choose from, so which one is best? As a the owner of a web design company, we are always asked by clients what the best themes are. This got us thinking, and after some research, we have provided a review of available WordPress Themes that we think are the best. As an agency we prefer to build our own custom themes, however, many clients don’t have the budget and therefore a purchased WordPress Theme is the next best option.”

Top WordPress Themes Marketplaces:

These are 3 standout marketplaces to get the best WordPress Themes for your next website project.

Theme Forest

ThemeForest has a wide range of quality, premium WordPress Themes across many categories. At last check they had 11,613 themes to choose from.

Elegant Themes

87 quality WordPress Themes used by over 500,000 people worldwide both professionals and business owners.

Template Monster

Huge collection of themes including a wide range of WordPress Themes. One of the original theme providers on the internet with over 60,000 products.

Best WordPress Theme Comparison:
Our Top 5 in detail

THE NUMBER 1 BEST SELLING WORDPRESS THEME

1. Avada – Responsive Multipurpose Theme

Voted #1 on ThemeForest with over 450,000 in sales!!

Features: 9/10
Ease of use: 9/10
Support: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10

Avada is a standout multipurpose theme and their sales records and reviews prove that. With over 450,000 sales and 5 Star Customer satisfaction rating it is a theme you can put your trust in.

The theme itself has been around for 6 years and is constantly evolving with every new release of WordPress. It has it’s own built in builder called Fusion Builder which makes creating your own layouts a breeze with a wide range of page elements to drag and drop. The theme options has over 50 different panels to customise your website to exactly how you want it, with different header and menu styles, sidebars, backgrounds, typography and custom post type which allow you to create Portfolios, Projects, Events and more.

This is a great theme that is perfect for any type of business. There are also many demo layouts to choose from and deploy easily from the admin area. If you are looking to run an online store, Woocommerce is included with dedicated page layouts built into the theme.

Overall, we can see why this theme is the most popular, it simply ticks all the boxes – use a demo or completely configure it to your own liking, the choice is yours.

2. X – Multipurpose WordPress Theme

Review coming soon.

3. Enfold – Responsive Multipurpose WordPress Theme

Review coming soon.

4. The7 – Multipurpose Website Builder

Review coming soon.

What we look at when reviewing the Best WordPress Themes

When doing any review there are a range of items we look at and with WordPress Themes the same rules apply. The core review items such as:

Ease of use – How user friendly the theme is to setup and use
Features – Does the theme suit your requirements based on features
Support – Does the theme provide adequate documentation, online and offline support and resources
Cost – Is the cost of the theme viable for you and/or your team

So hopefully our reviews will help you in choosing the best premium WordPress Theme that best suits your needs.

How to Choose the Best WordPress Theme

If you’ve already taken your first steps in the web design process through WordPress, you’ve most likely encountered various options for designing your site known as “themes.” Just like when a new website creator learns about what tools are necessary to use when designing their site, it’s important to understand what themes are exactly and which theme is going to be best for your specific content.

What Are WordPress Themes?

A theme is basically the design template that displays your site. WordPress thinks of themes as the “skin” to a weblog that shapes the content of the site into a specific design while still allowing the user to control the look and presentation of the site through customization.

The theme transforms the information you load into a site and presents that information in an appealing and organized way.

WordPress themes have a unique layout and appearance, each is intended to suit different types of sites and their users.

Themes help convey your specific brand to customers, clients, and other visitors. Without a theme, your site would be a blank page of written text, pictures, and data. Basically, WordPress themes are what make your site exciting, unique, and professional.

WordPress themes require you to both have a WordPress site setup on WordPress Hosting. If you require hosting, check out our best WordPress hosting reviews.

Why Choose A Theme Over a Site Designer?

Themes allow everyone to design websites that are professional and polished without needing to hire a web design professional. Web designers specialize in creating WordPress themes that are easy to customize and organize and aim to make web design accessible to users through their specific theme.

Themes are the easiest and most cost-efficient way to create your own site without hiring a site professional, but each method has its own unique advantages. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of hiring a site designer compared to using your own theme.

Pros

There are advantages to hiring a website designer. Rather than spending the time to learn how to customize a theme, upload and organize your information, and learn about the WordPress design process in general, a designer already knows how all of this works and will simply deliver you the site when it’s finished.

This will be especially necessary for those that have difficulty operating a computer. For those that do not own a computer or understand how to use one effectively, you will save time and energy by handing over the web design endeavor to a professional.

Cons

If you predict that setting aside time to learn how to use a WordPress theme and design a site will be difficult, hiring a professional will probably be more advantageous if you can afford the expense. However, those that do not learn how WordPress operates might run into trouble in the future if they need to update their site’s information. Contrary to popular belief, personal web designers become long-term investments rather than one-time service providers.

Those that are able to choose a theme and start working with it are choosing the most cost-effective choice, as well as learning a new and helpful skill that might benefit them during future web design projects and revisions.

Where To Find WordPress Themes

Themes are conveniently located on the WordPress website. WordPress provides a Theme Repository, where web designers are able to upload their work. The Repository includes hundreds of choices from web designers and allows users to search for specific themes and compare options before settling on a choice.

The large number of options can be overwhelming, and because the Repository hosts themes provided by WordPress users and not the company itself, it is possible to choose a theme that is poor functioning. However, the uploaded themes do go through a review process to prevent the spread of malware and data loss. A secure way to prevent choosing a faulty theme is to browse through the Featured and Popular tabs, which filter themes with good reviews and recommendation by WordPress staff.

Themes can also be found on other sites that are created to host a wealth of theme choices. ThemeForest is a marketplace that includes over 6,000 WordPress themes that include both specialty themes and highly customizable options.

Both The Repository and ThemeForest are trusted sites for theme browsing and downloading. If you find a theme on a different site that you’re interested in, research the site and ensure that this is a trustworthy host. Otherwise, both WordPress and ThemeForest are guaranteed to offer a quality theme from their vast selection.

How Much Do Themes Cost?

This entirely depends on each theme. Many WordPress themes are free, which are still professional and suitable for all users. However, most of these themes are standard and generic. Because they are free, most people choose these themes and therefore they’re very recognizable. Depending on the function of your site – for example, if you want to have a personal blog or website with limited information – a free site will be the most convenient for you since you most likely won’t need a complicated and signature layout.

However, if you’re a business owner and are planning to use your site as a host for your brand and expect heavy web traffic, it would benefit you to purchase a paid theme that will make your site professional and distinct.

WordPress designates these themes as Commercially Supported GPL Themes, are available from trusted third-party web designers with additional features that are intended to benefit businesses. These GPL themes range in price, but through WordPress modest users can still purchase a lower costing theme and receive the perks of a highly customizable layout and slick design.

WordPress makes it easy to browse through both paid and commercial themes through filters on their Theme Directory, but for first-time users, it can be difficult to determine whether a free site is enough to satisfy your site needs or if a GPL Theme is necessary.

What Makes A Quality WordPress Theme? A Buyer’s Guide

Regardless of its cost, your theme should be customizable, efficient, clean and versatile. This will not only make it easier for you to create but also will be more appealing to visitors. Here are some specific qualities to look out for when researching an ideal theme for your website.

Simple Layout

The theme’s layout is one of the most important qualities of a theme because it will determine how well both you and your visitors can navigate through the site. Many WordPress themes exist with complicated structures and additional features that may not be necessary for your site’s purposes. When researching on a database, browse through pictures of a theme you’re interested in so you get a sense of what the layout will provide you with ahead of time.

Sometimes certain users will choose a theme that is designed for a specific type of website, such as a blog or online magazine. Ensure that the theme you’re using will suit the content you’ll be featuring. Otherwise, choose a multipurpose theme that can be customized and doesn’t limit your site to one look.

Media Friendly

If you are featuring high-resolution images, videos, or graphics on your site to attract viewers or show off your skillset, it’s important that your theme supports high definition content. Choose a theme that prides itself on being media friendly and includes space in its layout for images and video.

Mobile Compatible

Because many people browse the net on their phones, it’s important that your theme allows you to customize your layout for mobile compatibility. This might mean creating a separate design for mobile specifically, but it will be worth the additional effort because otherwise many viewers might not be able to read your information.

Supports Plugins

Many WordPress themes will include helpful widgets that allow a user to upload a variety of content including links, logos, downloads, graphs, tables, etc. It can be extremely helpful to choose a site that permits you to upload additional content to your pages so users can access all of the information you would like to provide.

Make Your Own Theme

Although WordPress offers hundreds of great themes that are easy to customize and adapt to your liking, it is also possible to create your own completely from scratch. This is a great idea for anyone that is already interested in learning more complicated web design. To create your own theme, it does require you to learn the basics of web development, which includes understanding HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript.

You’ll also need to know how to work with a web server and database, so you can learn how information is transferred through a server such as WordPress that is ultimately displayed on-screen to users. It’s definitely more complicated than customizing a theme through WordPress, but learning these skills will ultimately allow you to fully take control of your site’s features without hiring a professional designer. WordPress provides helpful links on their site to make learning more accessible.

Summary

Because of the number of themes WordPress offers to site users, there’s really no need to navigate away from their site to try to find a better theme tailored to your specific needs. If you are struggling to find the right theme for you, consider making your own using WordPress’ helpful tutorials and tools.

A word of caution: the chance of finding a free site with paid features is slim and dangerous. It’s possible to download a theme from a suspicious site with potential malware or other technical problems, and the one you choose might not even be WordPress compatible. Instead, trust WordPress’ several themes that host a range of features to help you make the best site possible. Whether you run a blog, business, or a place to display a portfolio, a WordPress theme is waiting for you.

Our Pick of the Best Email Marketing Software for Australia 2023

Email Marketing Software Reviews in 2022

Our Top 4 Email Marketing Platforms

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Choosing the Best Email Marketing Platforms & Software

A Guide to Email Marketing Like the Pros

Get on the Invite List

CTA: The Perfect Pitch

Don’t Get Waitlisted, Get Whitelisted

Timing Is Everything

TOP: Targeted, Organized and Productive

Stay on Top of the Stats

Aim for Great Open Rates

Higher CTRs Signals Superior Copy

Unhappy Readers Equals Unsubscribes

Free vs Paid Email Marketing

Pros of free marketing:

Cons of free marketing:

Email Marketing Software FAQs

Our #1 Email Marketing Software Pick

Are you struggling to find a decent WordPress designer or developer?

What our websites include

Easy to use content management system

Responsive, mobile friendly site layouts

SEO optimised and digital marketing ready

A sample of our work

Multinail.com.au

Custom Design & Development

Matisse Framing

Search Engine Optimisation

A word from our happy customers

Request a quote or start a LiveChat.

Best Email Marketing Platforms for NZ

Best Email Marketing Platforms NZ: Our Top 4 in detail

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

What we look at when reviewing the Best Email Marketing Platforms & Software

A Guide to Email Marketing Like the Pros

Get on the Invite List

CTA: The Perfect Pitch

Don’t Get Waitlisted, Get Whitelisted

Timing Is Everything

TOP: Targeted, Organized and Productive

Stay on Top of the Stats

Aim for Great Open Rates

Higher CTRs Signals Superior Copy

Unhappy Readers Equals Unsubscribes

Free vs Paid Email Marketing

Pros of free marketing:

Cons of free marketing:

Our #1 Email Marketing Software Pick

Best Premium WordPress Themes for 2020

Top WordPress Themes Marketplaces:

Theme Forest

Elegant Themes

Template Monster

Best WordPress Theme Comparison: Our Top 5 in detail

1. Avada – Responsive Multipurpose Theme

2. X – Multipurpose WordPress Theme

3. Enfold – Responsive Multipurpose WordPress Theme

4. The7 – Multipurpose Website Builder

What we look at when reviewing the Best WordPress Themes

How to Choose the Best WordPress Theme

What Are WordPress Themes?

Why Choose A Theme Over a Site Designer?

Pros

Cons

Best Email Marketing Platforms NZ:
Our Top 4 in detail

Best WordPress Theme Comparison:
Our Top 5 in detail