There are a host of microblogging platforms available online today. However, there is one that stands out for it has a wide user base and readers. It is known as Tumblr. Tumblr is a popular network that allows users to manage multiple blogs at once. With free Tumblr themes, you can share short-form content and media-type content with ease. The network has over 200 million active blogs per month and 550 million users share content daily. These include audio, visual, bogs, links, and quotes with other members of the Tumblr community. What we love about Tumblr is how easy it is for users to build communities by following other bloggers who work in the same niche content. It may lack some of the features that a hosted blog may have; it has features such as themes that make it possible to have a huge demographic and user base that it has. As such, it is reasonable that Tumblr should have these elegant themes that keep it so popular. Despite having some paid themes, a majority of the themes on Tumblr are free to the users. The themes appeal to the users as it makes microblogging possible. The platform may have been sold to Yahoo recently; nonetheless, this has not reduced the number of users for the site.
In this article, we are exploring must-have features and popular free Tumblr themes that the network offers. We are also going to show you what makes Tumblr a great social media marketing platform by installing and customizing a custom theme. The platform offers many premium and premium themes to help you create an account. We are going to look into 23 of the best Tumblr themes to see what they offer. This doesn’t mean that these are the only themes you are going to get. There are several others and if tried some of them, you are free to share with us in the comments section.
5 Must-Have Features For A Great Tumblr Theme
If you are looking for the best theme for your Tumblr website, these tips will give pointers on how to choose one. Keep these points in mind while choosing theme for your website:
1. Responsive and Neat Layout
There is more to Tumblr that just blogs and photo albums. You can use this platform in so many ways. Tumblr offers free hosting for its users and you can use it to build all kinds of websites. Picking the right theme allows you to create magazine blogs, portfolios, agency sites, business websites, creative websites and so many more. Don’t go for the free theme if you want to build a professional website. They lack all the juice to make your website effective and eye-catching. Settle do premium options as they offer clean and responsive themes for all kinds of devices and platforms.
2. A Widget Supporting Sidebar
A great good Tumblr theme should have a sidebar that supports widgets. This area allows you to add links to your social media, categories, email subscribe boxes, and tag menu menus. Many of the Tumblr themes support Twitter and Instagram widgets, about the author, and MailChimp widgets.
3. Supports All Kinds of Post Types
You need a Tumblr theme that supports all manner of blog types so that it makes it easier to post them. This means that the user can share his work in all kinds of ways. The theme should allow you to post text, images, videos, GIFs, photos, and audio. Before picking a theme, check if it supports all these.
4. It Should have Customizable Backgrounds and a Tag Menu
For visitors to explore and find what they are looking for on your website with ease, you need a clear navigation menu. That is why you have to ensure that your Tumblr theme has a tag menu. It should also have an option to change the theme’s background using your image or photo.
5. Integrate with Disqus Comments and Google Analytics
Integrations with Google Analytics and Disqus Comments is a must-have feature if you are planning to create a professional website on Tumblr. This will allow you to know more about your site traffic and visitors. When running a magazine blog using Tumblr, Disqus Comments will allow visitors without The Tumblr account to leave comments.
23 Free Themes available on Tumblr
Fluid Neue
Fluid Neue Tumblr theme has been installed by over 10 million users making it the most popular theme. Its features include photo-set mechanic, rebuilt audio, upgraded framing as well as shadows. It is also integrated with Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr. It also has the most professional share widget above all other themes. This is a recommendable elegant theme to use on Tumblr and it is free. The theme’s glossy sharing widget makes it add more elegance to your blog.
WaterColor
The watercolor theme on Tumblr is simple and elegant. This professional theme has watercolor pastels that are beautiful and clean. It is an ideal free theme for any Tumblr user who wants to put their creativity to work while keeping it simple. Besides, it is a great theme with clean and white typography.
Indy
Indy makes your blog easy to understand and neat. This allows users to focus on your blog when they come across it. Its layout is easy to set up and beautiful. Once you have it running, you can use it as long as you want. Besides its stunning looks, the Indy theme comes mobile-ready, responsive, and unique making it one of the best free Tumblr themes. The ‘less is more’ approach in its design makes this theme special. Any online content that you are going to post using the Indy Tumblr theme will shine and pop out to grab visitors’ attention with ease. If you pick this theme, your work, skills, and anything else you want to display via your blog will stand out above the rest. Only the Indy theme can achieve this. If you like how it sounds, you will love how it works once you install it.
Color Shades
If you are tired of the white space around your content, the color shades Tumblr theme is the answer for you. This elegant theme provides you with the chance to change any color scheme and has a floating widget located top right of your screen. This unique Tumblr theme is free and will help your microblogging work and stand out.
Plaid
If you do not like the white spaces behind the text, Plaid is a free Tumblr theme that will be of help. It offers a tablecloth layout in the background that gives the user and reader a happy and appealing feeling and looks. Feel free to bring out your wild side using the Plaid theme on Tumblr.
Salvia
Those in the creative sector or running a creative blog will love this theme. Salvia is a great Tumblr theme for any product or content that you want to promote online. If you are a photographer, writer, artist, web designer, or video editor, you are going to love this theme. Meeting your business goals is going to be easy with this theme. It presents a great way to share your portfolio with the world and secure new gigs. One of the best features of Salvia is the hidden menu, which makes your page look minimal. While doing this, users can view your links and still navigate with ease. To make your readers read your content with ease, it offers a wide range of fonts, colors, and other great features that are changeable. You can use this theme with all kinds of devices and web browsers since it’s compatible with most of them.
Tumbledesk
This is a great free theme that has a cool feel to it. The background seems like a clean work desk with the element you need to microblog and creates something that feels good. This elegant theme adds more spice to your blog on Tumblr due to its clean typography.
Also, You Can Read GeneratePress: Fast loading & Responsive WordPress Theme
Ten Toes
Ten Toes is one of the best Tumblr themes that combines, simplicity, sophistication, and beauty in its design. No matter the kind of device you are using (desktop or mobile), you can run this theme on it. It also works well with modern web browsers.
Those who like expressing themselves using pictures and images will find this theme great. Ten Toes reveals its strengths by bringing out the best from your visuals. The theme doesn’t limit you in any way and you can use it in all your post types. With this great Tumblr theme, you are going to get unlimited colors and endless scrolls. Users can also upload their logos when using Ten Toes. Just hover over the post that you want to share and you will see sharing options such as reblog. A popup option will open you are using a large photo. The theme allows you to edit and enhance it in any way you like to achieve desired results.
Vertigo
By using this theme you get a fun, quirky, and single columned theme. This elegant theme was inspired by Art Goodman, Dave Nagata, and Saul Bass’s works. The inspiration for this theme is based on Alfred Hitchcock’s poster based on the classic Vertigo. It offers a single accent color and this is the main configuration usable for your link, title, and graphic elements. Essentially, it will do a lot for your microblogging needs and help you place your marketing
Wicked
Wicked is among the simple Tumblr themes but has a stunning look that any reader will like. Even though it’s a free Tumblr theme, it is feature-rich and responsive. This means that your blog will look good on any device including mobile phones. Another great thing about this theme is that it comes SEO-ready and you can use it in all kinds of browsers. With great loading speeds. If you are not amused by its looks, you have an option to edit its web design fully. If you pick Wicked as your theme, you will notice how easy it is to tweak the various options. With little effort and time, you can create a unique layout that displays your content perfectly. When you need to work without destructions, Wicked is the best theme for you.
UltraLite
If you are looking for minimalist Tumblr themes, Ultralite is the theme for you. It is the only minimalist theme on Tumblr and has subtle fonts with a simple white background. The topography for this theme complements the clean design it as well.
Ashley
Ashley is among the best Tumblr themes to manage all your blogging needs. You can change anything you want in this theme to cater to your content needs. Ashley is also responsive, simple, and it supports all types of posts. Bloggers who want to create multiple content types will find this theme quite easy to use. Using Google Fonts integration, you can quickly change how the font looks to make your blog easy to read.
Bus Full Of Hippies
If you need to give your Tumblr blog a fresh feel, Bus full of hippies Tumblr theme will do just that. With a natural and green background full of leaves, flowers, and grass, you have the chance to go green and make a unique blog. Essentially, your microblogging will have a background message to it once you use this theme.
Svbtle
Svbtle was rapidly growing when it was a free theme. The growth slowed down when it switched to a premium theme. Svbtle now charges 6$ per month for bloggers who want to keep their blogs alive. Many bloggers use these theme because it gives them the comfort of using a paid theme. They feel relaxed since the theme has all the features needed to share their blog content with ease. If you like paying money for a quality theme, this theme is well worth it. You will get value for your money when you choose the Svbtle Tumblr theme.
Esquire
Esquire is a Simple and clean Tumblr theme that gets its inspiration from the Esquire Magazine. Essentially, you are getting great typography inspired by the magazine with configuration options that include options to select three colors to use as you make your blog. Essentially, the theme gives you the same options you would find in a typical Esquire magazine cover.
Pation
The Pation Tumblr theme is for those bloggers who are focused and are passionate about what they do. This theme helps them keep their work fresh and clean since it allows them to create organized layouts. It has a unique feature that allows images to rearrange themselves once the page is reloaded. It has a stylish look with options to change the hover styles, fonts, or dark themes. It allows users to keep their blogs efficient since its highly optimized. It supports all sorts is web browsers and it will open regardless of which browser you are using.
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Observer
The Observer Tumblr theme helps focus the attention on your text, music, and photos. It also among the minimalist Tumblr themes. This theme focuses more on images, typography, and videos. The layout is responsive to many customizations and two headers. With such a great theme, you have all you need to make a great blog post and do your marketing.
Hipster
How does it feel when you get premium features of a plugin with its free version? Awesome right? That is what you get when you decide to settle for the Hipster Tumblr theme. Among the best features that you are going to get with this freemium theme are sticky content and it also allows you to use the keyboard to navigate through the content. It also has a sidebar that shows vital details of your content and Instagram integration for displaying your latest pics. If it’s free version offers premium-like features, that about its premium version? You are going to feel overwhelmed with the modern features it offers.
Basic
Basic is among the simple Tumblr themes that get your blog running in a few seconds. With the pixel-perfect look, the theme is responsive and appealing to the user and the readers. Also, the Tumblr theme is available for all mobile devices.
Simplify
For those who’ve just started blogging, Simplify offers the best services for announcing new products or services. Its appeal comes from the stylish and modern feel that the theme has to offer. This makes it a great option for written news airing out vital info using proper designs. The stylish designs make your blog look appealing and engaging. On the right corner of each page, you will see a menu button that eliminates the necessity to display overly many HTML elements. Instead of this, readers will focus on the content near the mobile navigation experience. The theme supports Google Analytics and Disqus.
Also. you can read Google Analytics 360 Suite-What to Expect
Persona
Persona Tumblr theme is great if you have a business or personal blog. You can easily customize the blog with the many features and minimized options. You have five header images, font options, and social media icons. Persona provides the best option for you to start your blog with this elegant theme.
Laser
The Laser Tumblr theme electrifies your website with stunning videos and images, making it a dynamic theme. In the online world, the first impression matters big time. If you can catch the attention of your readers, you can easily turn them into loyal users. The Laser theme is a great theme that lets you do that and more. With its unique vertical and horizontal scrolling options, users can swipe through left or right.
With this theme, you can post all kinds of content. These include photos and slideshows. You can tweak the sidebar to what you like or translate your content. You have the freedom to change anything you want to get your desired looks. The Laser Tumblr theme does all these and you don’t need to worry about speed or performance. It works with all kinds of browsers well whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or mobile versions.
Lunar
There isn’t any better word to explain Eclipse lunar except simple. Forget about complex changes, the mood of your blog is revealed with the kinds of photos you post. All you need to do is focus on how to improve your content since everything is done for you. If you are running a portfolio blog, then Lunar would be perfect for you. The theme is built to support any most SNS, making it easy to use with all social networks.
How To Install A Custom Tumblr Theme
How easy is installing a custom Tumblr theme? It is bread and butter easy! The thing you need to do is download the ZIP file for your premium theme. Once you have this file, the next step is to get a text file or an HTML file. This file contains the HTML code for the theme design. You need to copy the code and proceed with these steps:
- Access your Tumblr account by logging in
- Once you have clicked on the Account icon, select Edit Appearance
- From the Website Theme section, click on the Edit Theme button
- You need to delete all code on the page by clicking on the Edit HTML link
- Take the HTML code from your theme and copy it
- Click on the Update Preview, once you’ve pasted the code
- Click save if you like the preview
Don’t forget to save a copy of the HTML code of your theme in case anything happens.
Check Out the Quick Video Review On Free Tumblr Themes
Source: Tumblr Tutorials
How to customize your Tumblr blog?
You need to pick your blog’s theme first. Both the free and paid Tumblr themes allow you to make changes to suit your needs. Whatever you like, you can mold options to get the desired look. You can tweak categories, audio player, or the header to what makes you good. If you are an expert and you know what CSS-tables means in web design, you can piece in your interface from scratch. If you are a novice, you can learn how to create a custom HTML theme.
Conclusion
To surmise, it is clear from the list of free themes above that you can do a lot with Tumblr. It also gives reason to why there are so many blogs on the platform and a wide base of users and readers. Tumblr themes can be used as a microblogging platform for many things. You can promote your business by promoting it through Tumblr; nobody wants to go through so much text, all you need is a simple image or video and short text. By so doing, you are getting your message to millions, and in this case, help you grow your visibility online or improve your business revenue. Finally, there is no easier way to do much and get great results than when you use Tumblr. It is clear from the themes portrayed above.
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