Are you just in the process of setting up your company with a new WordPress website?

You may have already found that changing the look of WordPress is as easy as downloading and installing a theme. This change is so simple that you can usually apply a new theme to WordPress in well under 5 minutes.

The problem is that many first time users of WordPress look for free themes by using a search engine. As Siobhan Ambrose of WPMU.ORG found – many of these free themes contain hidden code that may be malicious or causing your web site to unintentionally link out to other web sites (think spam and pharmacy type sites).

This post is a must read for anyone just getting started in the world of WordPress or who has been tasked with selecting a theme for their site.

Of the top ten listings on the first page of a Google search for “free wordpress themes” Siobhan found only 1 of 10 that she deemed safe.

Why You Should Never Search for Free WordPress Themes In Google or Anywhere Else