{"id":12463,"date":"2010-04-12T20:42:09","date_gmt":"2010-04-12T15:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=12463"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:13:16","slug":"thesis-wordpress-theme-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Thesis WordPress Theme Review: Our Experience and Thesis in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking about the <strong>Thesis WordPress theme<\/strong>? In April 2010 we switched QuickOnlineTips to Thesis by DIYthemes after finding our site was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/slow-site\/\">slower than 94% of sites online<\/a>, and wrote this review after the first days of use. Thesis has changed completely since then. It is no longer sold as a standalone theme; it now lives inside DIYthemes&#8217; Focus product. Here is our original experience and what you need to know in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12472\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-multimedia.png\" alt=\"Thesis theme multimedia box options\" width=\"295\" height=\"286\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Thesis was one of the most popular premium WordPress theme frameworks around 2010, loved for its SEO options and hooks. Today Thesis is a template and design system from DIYthemes that you get only by buying its Focus skin. For most new sites, a free modern theme like Kadence, GeneratePress or Astra is a simpler choice.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ac8c7d6b8ee0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ac8c7d6b8ee0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Our_Thesis_review_from_2010\" >Our Thesis review from 2010<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#It_cost_87\" >It cost $87<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Powerful_options\" >Powerful options<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Hooks_instead_of_template_files\" >Hooks instead of template files<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#SEO_options\" >SEO options<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Thesis_in_2026\" >Thesis in 2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#What_we_use_now\" >What we use now<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Thesis_alternatives\" >Thesis alternatives<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#What_Thesis_got_right\" >What Thesis got right<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Is_Thesis_still_available\" >Is Thesis still available?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Is_Thesis_good_for_SEO\" >Is Thesis good for SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/thesis-wordpress-theme-review\/#Can_I_still_use_an_old_Thesis_1x_site\" >Can I still use an old Thesis 1.x site?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_Thesis_review_from_2010\"><\/span>Our Thesis review from 2010<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"It_cost_87\"><\/span>It cost $87<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Thesis was not cheap at $87 for one site, but it came with free lifetime upgrades and was still far cheaper than hiring a designer. We had followed designer Chris Pearson since his famous Cutline theme, and Copyblogger&#8217;s Brian Clark pointed out that Danny Sullivan, Matt Cutts, Chris Brogan and Robert Scoble all used Thesis. That was enough for us.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Powerful_options\"><\/span>Powerful options<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Installation was easy, apart from making a few files writable by FTP. The options panel let us change colours, fonts, sizes and layouts from one to three columns with a click, choose exactly which pages appeared in the navigation bar, and add a multimedia box for rotating images, ads or custom code. Header and footer script boxes made adding analytics simple.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-bylines.png\" alt=\"Thesis theme byline options\" width=\"289\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-bylines.png 289w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-bylines-150x113.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hooks_instead_of_template_files\"><\/span>Hooks instead of template files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The tricky part: there was no single.php, header.php or sidebar.php to edit. Everything went through Thesis hooks in custom_functions.php. One small PHP mistake could take the whole site down, which happened to us twice. Custom styles went in custom.css, which survived theme upgrades.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SEO_options\"><\/span>SEO options<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Thesis included detailed SEO controls for titles, meta descriptions and noindex settings, which was a big selling point before SEO plugins matured.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-seo.png\" alt=\"Thesis theme SEO options\" width=\"282\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-seo.png 282w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/thesis-seo-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thesis_in_2026\"><\/span>Thesis in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What it is now:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/diythemes.com\/thesis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thesis<\/a> is described by DIYthemes as a modular template and design system for WordPress. Themes built on it are called Skins.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How to get it:<\/strong> Thesis is no longer sold on its own. It comes with <a href=\"https:\/\/diythemes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Focus<\/a>, the DIYthemes flagship skin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who it suits:<\/strong> existing Thesis users and people who like DIYthemes&#8217; focused, minimalist approach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_we_use_now\"><\/span>What we use now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We later moved from Thesis to our own QuickPress theme, then to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/09\/genesis-wordpress-theme-framework-review\/\">Genesis Framework<\/a>, and today QOT runs on a Kadence child theme. The lessons from Thesis still apply: keep customisations separate from the theme so upgrades never wipe them, and keep your code light for speed.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thesis_alternatives\"><\/span>Thesis alternatives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kadencewp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kadence<\/a> &#8211; free theme with a visual header and footer builder.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/generatepress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GeneratePress<\/a> &#8211; very lightweight, with hooks for developers.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wpastra.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Astra<\/a> &#8211; popular free theme with many starter sites.<\/li>\n<li>Block themes like the default Twenty Twenty-Five theme for full site editing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Pair any of them with an SEO plugin, and use a child theme for code changes. See how we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2020\/02\/add-custom-css-wordpress-post-editor\/\">add custom CSS to the WordPress editor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Thesis_got_right\"><\/span>What Thesis got right<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Looking back, Thesis was ahead of its time in three ways. It separated design settings from code, so non-developers could restyle a site safely. It treated SEO as part of the theme, years before most themes cared. And its sidebar widgets and teaser layouts showed us how powerful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/11\/how-to-widget-enable-wordpress-themes-in-3-easy-steps\/\">widget-ready themes<\/a> could be. Modern themes have absorbed all of these ideas, which is one reason Thesis no longer stands out the way it did in 2010.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Thesis_still_available\"><\/span>Is Thesis still available?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, but only as part of DIYthemes&#8217; Focus product, not as a standalone theme.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Thesis_good_for_SEO\"><\/span>Is Thesis good for SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It was a leader in theme-based SEO options. Today most sites rely on SEO plugins and fast, clean themes instead.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_use_an_old_Thesis_1x_site\"><\/span>Can I still use an old Thesis 1.x site?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Very old versions may not work with current PHP and WordPress. Plan a move to a maintained theme and test on a staging site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking about the Thesis WordPress theme? In April 2010 we switched QuickOnlineTips to Thesis by DIYthemes after finding our site&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,41,36],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-12463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-search-engine-optimization","category-about","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12463"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63447,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12463\/revisions\/63447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}