I’ve always been fascinated with WordPress themes for some reason, and particularly WordPress business themes. Probably because they allow us to change virtually everything about our sites in just seconds, via a simple “activate” button under a new theme.

This actually gives extraordinary power to any online business owner. Back in the day, getting a new design for a business site had a price tag of $1,000 (if you were lucky), $3,000 (usually), or even $10,000 (the top notch designer’s charge).

Nowadays, this is no longer the case thanks to various WordPress business themes and a bunch of additional plugins. Granted, some of them do have a price tag, but rarely more than $99, and there’s even some quality free stuff (be careful here though).

By the way. Feel free to also check out my list of top plugins for online business and the WordPress glossary I published a while ago.

Now, about the list. Instead of pointing out a set of random features about each theme, I’ve actually created a standardized set of important traits for a proper WordPress business theme and then checked each theme against it.

Also, the themes on this list come from only a handful of quality sources. I’m careful with the themes I recommend, and if I’m not 100% sure that the source code is quality and safe, I don’t feel comfortable encouraging anyone to get a given theme. Without further delay, here are the top 20 WordPress business themes of 2013:

ThemeFuse themes

Conexus

Get it here.

Feature chart (a detailed description why the following features are important for every WordPress business theme can be found at the bottom of this page):

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES, apart from the slider, the theme leaves much room for your own branding.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, FAQ, 404, Pricing, Services, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES. The theme looks credible and trustworthy.

Qlassik

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: NO. The theme’s only apparent flaw.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. Much room for including your own branding.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Pricing, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES. The theme has trustworthy, yet casual feel to it, which will make your business seem more friendly right off the bat.

Metro Vibes

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Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES. Actually there’s an integrated color adjustment tool.
• Gentle design elements: YES, although the style of the theme itself doesn’t make it suitable for all online businesses.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Contact, Testimonials, Services, About Us, Pricing.
• Authoritative feel: YES. Very modern design, you basically can’t get more 2013 than this.

Envision

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Feature chart:

• Responsive: NO.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. Very easy to brand.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Contact, Homepage, Pricing.
• Authoritative feel: YES. Very serious-looking design.

StudioPress themes

Executive Theme

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. The theme’s design is based on good layout rather than flashy design elements.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Archives, Landing Page, Portfolio, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES. Modern and professional design.

Minimum Theme

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: NO. The main design is gray, but there’s an option to include any custom background you wish.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Archives, Landing Page, Portfolio, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: Moderate. The theme has a very minimal design yet every element is of high quality, which conveys the right message about your website and business.

ThemeForest Themes

Kickstart

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Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. The design is based on using quality pictures.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Team, Services, FAQ, Testimonials, Skills, Gallery, Sitemap, 404, Contact, Products/Shop.
• Authoritative feel: YES, highly, due to the clean design with good typography.

CoWorker

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Coming Soon, Landing Page, Portfolio, Services, Team, FAQ, Contact, Pricing, 404.
• Authoritative feel: YES.

Business Essentials

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: No data.
• Gentle design elements: Moderate. Functional for more casual business types that want to convey a customer-friendly feel.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Sitemap, Join Us, Services, Team, Case Study, Contact, 404.
• Authoritative feel: YES, but highly dependent on the branding elements you’ll use.

Blue Diamond

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Team, Gallery, FAQ, Sitemap, 404, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES.

Stoken

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. It’s a full-width clear design, leaving much place for your branding.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES.

Robust

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, About, Pricing, 404, Portfolio, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES, although much depends on the content/images you use in the main homepage slider.

Million

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Testimonials, Team, About, Contact, Archives, FAQ, 404, Gallery, Portfolio.
• Authoritative feel: YES.

GoodWork

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: Built-in optimized structure.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Services, Skills, Team, We’re Hiring, Pricing, Testimonials, Gallery, FAQ, Archives, Sitemap, 404, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: YES. Perfect for creative-works businesses.

WooThemes

Swatch

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(The first free theme on this list.)

Feature chart:

• Responsive: NO.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Archives, Contact, Gallery, Sitemap.
• Authoritative feel: Moderate.

Appply

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Product Finder, Archives, Sitemap, Timeline, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: Moderate. It all depends on the branding elements you’ll use after getting the theme.

Definition

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES. Much room for your branding.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Timeline, Contact, Archives, Products/Shop.
• Authoritative feel: YES. A very clean design creates a trustworthy feel.

Empire

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: NO.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: YES.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Sitemap, Archives, Contact, Products/Shop.
• Authoritative feel: YES, highly!

Other theme sources

Responsive

Get it here.

(This WordPress business theme comes from the official directory at WordPress.org.)

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: No data.
• Gentle design elements: YES, very minimal design, leaves much place for branding.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage.
• Authoritative feel: Moderate, depends on the way you fine-tune your site.

Flexible

Get it here.

Feature chart:

• Responsive: YES.
• Customizable layout/sidebars: YES.
• Widget areas: YES.
• Pre-made color schemes: YES.
• Gentle design elements: NO. There’s a lot going on, so use the theme only if it’s in tune with your business idea and feel.
• Logo customization: YES.
• Blog functionality: YES.
• SEO-compatible: No data.
• Custom page templates: Homepage, Portfolio, Sitemap, Advanced Search, Member Login, Gallery, Contact.
• Authoritative feel: Moderate.

The traits of quality WordPress business themes

It’s probably about time that I should explain what’s with the whole set of features I’ve been referencing throughout this post, and what their importance for an online business site is. Here’s the story:

• Responsive. A responsive design is one that looks equally as good on any device and screen size. In short, responsive sites look great on both desktop computers or laptops, as well as on various mobile devices.
• Customizable layout/sidebars. As a site owner, you need to be able to pick the exact layout you want to use on a given page. The bare minimum here is to choose between a one-sidebar layout (left and right) and no-sidebar layout. Here’s an example of a one-sidebar layout on this site (link), and here’s one of a no-sidebar layout (link).
• Widget areas. Widgets are a must-have feature in every modern theme.
• Pre-made color schemes. Their presence makes your work much easier when fine-tuning your site to be congruent with your brand identification.
• Gentle design elements. The less flashy graphical elements there are, the easier it is to make the site brandable by using various images, logos and other elements.
• Logo customization. Another must-have for modern themes. You simply always need to be able to include your business’ logo on the site.
• SEO-compatible. It’s always good when a theme is SEO-ready from the get-go. Don’t sweat though if yours isn’t. Plugins like WordPress SEO make it possible to include good SEO structure on most themes.
• Custom page templates. The best themes on the market offer a wide range of various custom templates, which you can use to create specialized pages that your site could utilize for various purposes. Such templates usually include: Homepage, Portfolio, Sitemap, Gallery, Contact, 404, Team, Prices, Services, About, Archives.
• Authoritative feel. This is probably the most mysterious trait on this list. Basically, and this is only my personal point of view, this is about how authoritative the theme feels when you look at it the first time. In other words, would you take a business using a given theme seriously right from the get-go?

Okay, this has become an awfully long post so allow me to call it a day. Did any of the themes here catch your attention?

Top 20 WordPress Business Themes of 2013 – The Comparison | newInternetOrder.com