Thinking about changing my Blogs Theme. . . .

[That Guy]

OK my blog has been going well, it seems to be fast loading, XHTML Valid and ranks well.

I think the only thing letting it down is the theme, which I think is starting to look a little dated.

You can see the current theme here: http://www.chrislowthian.co.uk

I am looking at changing it to this one: http://www.theme-junkie.com/themes/freshlife/

Just wondering what people think of the new theme vs the old one. Including Speed, SEO Friendliness, Navigation/Layout.

Thanks in Advance :)

[Faevilangel]

I would get a custom made one IMHO if you want seo, or you will constantly be rewriting the code to add new seo bits that the theme doesn't have, or making mods to the theme to be more how you want it.

It's down to your budget really but a nice custom theme looks so much nicer than a pre-built theme as it's unique and would be built to your specs, and not modified to just about fit your needs.

[That Guy]

I would love to but sadly money does not permit right now, maybe next time I overhaul the site :)

I was trying to find a new Theme which was fast loading, easy to navigate and a nice simple design.

I also wanted it to be bright and not full of slide shows and other effects which could impact the sites speed.