1. StudioPress. StudioPress uses a theme called Genesis to power almost all of their other themes. To use most of their themes, you have to install Genesis first (but not activate it), and then install the theme you want to use (called a child theme). The child theme gets its inner workings from Genesis, but gets its unique design from its own theme files. Kind of like how a child gets its DNA from its parents, but that DNA works itself out a little different from child to child in a family. The Genesis theme itself is pretty powerful and I’ve used it on several sites. The best thing about StudioPress themes is their support. It is A++++. I have NEVER seen a product with such great support. In fact, when possible anymore, I start with a StudioPress theme and make modifications to it.

2. ThemeForest. Themeforest is a collection of themes for various platforms, not just WordPress themes… but you can search just for WordPress themes. ThemeForest is a theme marketplace, meaning many different theme authors sell their themes there. This is nice because it offers a great variety of themes. The theme this site currently uses is called Magzimus, and I got it at Themeforest. I suggest reading through a theme’s Comments before you purchase a theme through ThemeForest, and look to see how the theme author responds to questions and requests for assistance. There are some truly creative themes at ThemeForest that make great use of what WordPress is capable of, and you just won’t find those themes anywhere else.

What theme are you using for your site now? What do you like about it? Not like? Can we take a peek? Do you need a recommendation for a theme to use for a particular project – tell us about in the comments.

Let me explain how my three step system is going to help you. With my system, you won’t need a graphic designer or website designer because you’ll be able to build your own website using a simple tool called WordPress, then install an amazing theme created just for information products, and finally, create your own eBook cover…all for less than $100. Here’s how in three easy steps.

Step 1: Secure hosting and a domain for your website and install WordPress on that hosting.

I personally recommend HostGator. If you’re not sure what hosting is, you can check out this article on the four pillars of a website. Once you’ve purchased your hosting, you should install WordPress. I personally recommend HostGator‘s one-click install. If you know anything about information marketing, you know WordPress is the *insert name of your dream car here* of website-building software. It’s free with your HostGator account, and easy to install.

Once you’ve installed it, you will need to create a LOOK for your website that really WORKS for an information product. I just finished an eBook site for Jim Kukral’s new book “Attention: This Book Will Make You Money,” and the theme I used was a SUPER-simple WordPress template called obviously enough, “eBook,” from Templatic.

Step 2: Attract and retain visitors with the eBook theme from Templatic.

What’s great about this theme is that it has an AMAZING administration panel and a great support forum. It features this great landing page (above) with links to the internal pages, an integrated BLOG, twitter feed, feedburner subscription box, testimonials from readers, an “About the Author” widget, and more! The Pages on the inside can look differently than the blog itself, too… All of the nifty text areas on the front page are either widgets accessible through the standards widgets administration area, or are custom admin panels found through the Appearance>Theme Options tab.

Once this theme is installed, if you follow the instructions given with the theme, you can have your site up and running in about an hour. Not bad! Except for this one thing… the big eBook staring at you on the front page, of course! That’s obviously not YOUR must-have information product. You still have to have the image of YOUR eBook to drop in there. So here’s the easiest way to get a GREAT eBook cover (or CD, Video, Magazine…) cover, whatever your information product happens to be. Step Three of how to to create your E-book cover and website…

Step 3: Impress Your Readers With The Online eBook Cover Software

Click here for a quick video showing you the easy-to-use Online Book Cover Software. Creating an eBook cover is not the simplest thing to do…I did my own for the Easy Website Playbook, and even for someone like me who is neither graphic-dumb nor graphic-rockstar, it wasn’t easy. I used a free template, but I still had to create my own cover graphic and then distort it to the shape of the template. When I have to do it over again, I will use this software rather than waste hours of my time doing it myself.

If you’ve taken the time to create your own information product, then you definitely have it in you to create your own eBook cover and website. Do it right the first time and use the eBook theme from Templatic and the Online Book Cover Software.

P.S….I’m in the middle of my own eBook project called the Easy Website Playbook. Don’t let what you don’t know about building a WordPress website scare you from moving your business forward online. I’ll show you how! You can get a sneak peek here, and if you want to know the minute it’s out – sign up for my newsletter.

If you WOULD like to look at some PREMIUM themes (that you have to purchase), here are a few publishers for which I am an affiliate (which means that I would USE these themes myself, and in the case of Press75, I have used their themes on several sites!)