The Privateer

With the Privateer Theme for WordPress, you can easily create nice looking wordpress blogs and non-blog web sites as well as wordpress minisites, wordpress sales pages, and wordpress landing pages that have looks which are distinctly different from both your site and each other.

Mix that kind of functionality with a ton of custom content areas and the ability to save, export, and import different site layouts and use one sales page’s settings as the basis for creating another one and you can not only get great results, but save a lot of time doing so.

No need to be a web guru

Even if you are just getting started and know little to nothing about html and css, you can get started quickly be choosing from one of the default looks and learning as you go.

Of course, to get the most out of the Privateer theme you should have a basic understanding of both HTML and CSS as well as a bit of time for getting used to how the Privateer Theme works.

No editing Theme PHP files required

The functionality detailed here is available out of the box without having to modify php files, which can easily result in broken pages and sites for those who are unfamiliar with programming. A full blown menu system is included in the Privateer that allows you to configure and style just about everything within the theme.

You can set up your side bars, your site header, your site footer, and the different sections of each page template as you see fit from within the menu system without ever touching a line of code.

Theme Manual Included

A full manual for the theme is included in pdf form. It is up to date and covers the functionality of the theme while walking through how to set up a site with it.

Basic CSS and HTML Manual Included

If you are unfamiliar with html or css, I am including my Basic CSS and HTML guide at no extra cost so that you can learn the basics necessary to make full use of the Privateer.

Detailed Tutorials Available

In addition to the included manuals, you can find more information on specific things which the Privateer Theme can do at the Tutorials Page.

Web site setup course available

If you would like to receive step by step instructions for designing and setting up a web site using WordPress and the Privateer Theme, be sure to check the very bottom of this page for details on a class that I offer which does just that.

Within the wordpress post and page editors, you have the ability to heavily modify any page or post without leaving the editor. Using this functionality, you can create nice looking sales pages easily.

Replace or remove the web site header

You can choose to use your normal site header, remove it completely, or display an alternate site header using the built in header bars and two extra custom bars which you can enter content into and style within the editor.

To remove the normal header, simply change the header to None instead of the default value of Normal.

To use a completely different header, change the header to Custom, enter the list of header bars you want to use for the custom header, and, if using the extra custom bars, enter the site headers content and styles.

Replace or remove the normal web site footer

Like the site header, you can choose to use your normal site footer, no site footer, or a custom site footer that you can enter content for and style within the editor.

Change the Favicon, Page title style, and Backgrounds

Within each page and post you can choose to use a different favicon, set different backgrounds and styling for the site, and alter the style of the page title.

Turn Off Unwanted Page Elements

Most of the main page elements can be easily turned off with check boxes for individual posts and pages so that they will not show up no matter how a normal page on your site would be displayed.

For example, this page has the normal page footer, post byline, post footer, and sidebars turned off. If I didn’t want the navigation bars at the top and bottom of the page, I could check the Navigation box and have them hidden as well.

Choose which page and post elements to hide.

Use custom Sales Box Elements

The Privateer offers 9 sales boxes that you can style to suit your tastes and use within your pages and posts. You can even use them in your home page, search results, archive pages, and 404 page.

While the defaults do not currently make use of graphics, you can use basic css styling to set them up with graphics.

Override the look of Sales Box Elements

Not only can you set up default looks for each of the nine boxes and use them as you see fit, you can override all styling for them on an individual post and page basis to make them look completely different when necessary.

Re-use your existing looks

Once you have completed designing a sales page, you can that pages settings to additional pages, using them to save yourself valuable time.

Unique looking landing pages of different types can be created using the same functionality that is outlined above for sales pages.

Two Column Squeeze and Opt In Pages

Two column landing pages, can be easily created by using a page or post with the appropriate Two Column Side Boxes custom display, which is included with the theme.

Just enter the content you want to be displayed in one column, select the Two Column Side Boxes custom display, save your changes, and configure the custom display to show your squeeze box or opt in page in a second column, which you can size and place within the editor.

If you want some more content displayed beneath the two columns, add it in with the extra bottom content box available within the custom display.

Re-use your landing pages

As with sales pages, you can start new landing pages by copying the configuration of other pages into them and then make changes as you see fit.

For each multi post template ( the home page, search page, and four primary archive types ) you can choose how many columns you want to use in order to display the post list.

Additionally, you can choose to mix content areas into your post lists by entering your content and specifying where it should be placed in relation to the posts displayed.

See the post columns with ad spots article on this site for some more information about this functionality.

Out of the box, the Privateer has 20 custom content areas available which you can use to place html, javascript, widgets, images, etc. into. By using custom displays, you can make even more content areas available to your different page types.

3 Headline Areas

The header of the Privateer is made up of horizontal bars that you can choose to use or not use as you see fit. Three of these bars are custom content bars that you can place content into and style as you see fit.

These are excellent for placing banner advertisements, daily quotes, widgets, and AdSense blocks into.

Areas Above and Below each Sidebar

Each sidebar has an area above and below it that you can place custom content into.

If you place both sidebars on the same side of the page, you can merge the areas above or below them to have one larger content area that is ideal for displaying an ad block containing multiple 125×125 ad spots.

The Footer

The footer can have anything you want placed into it, including custom content.

Seven Extra Template Areas

Each template type within the Privateer has its own configuration panel that lets you display the following content areas:

• A Kicker
  Displayed at the top of the page above any Title.
• A Title
  Yes, even your home page, search page, archive pages, and 404 page can have a custom title specified.
• A Byline
  Displayed under the title block.
• A Subtitle
  This can be placed inside one of the other content areas or hidden and used for seo purposes.
• A Summary
  This can be placed inside one of the other content areas or hidden and used for seo purposes.
• Above Postlist HTML Area
  A content area above the post list on any template that can be used to place whatever you want. This is a great place for AdSense blocks, banners, widgets, and other such things.
• Below Postlist HTML Area
  A content area below the post list on any template that can be used to place whatever you want.
• Footer
  A final content area at the bottom of the template.

Each of the above content areas can be set up on a template by template basis. This means that you can set these up for your Home Page, Search Page, Single Pages, Single Posts, Author Archives, Category Archives, Date Archives, Tag Archives, and even your 404 Not Found page.

Five content areas for each displayed Post

Within the post display panel of each templates configuration menu you can set up the following content areas for each post shown:

• Post Kicker
  Displayed above the title of each post
• Post Byline
  Displayed between the title and content area of each post
• Post Footer
  Displayed under the content area of each post
• Post Subtitle
  Entered via the post editor. This can be shown inside of the title block or content block or used strictly for seo purposes.
• Post Summary
  Entered via the post editor. This can be shown inside of the title block or content block, used on multi page templates in place of the excerpt, or used strictly for seo purposes.

The kicker, byline, and footer can be shown when the post is displayed on multi post pages such as your home page, archive pages, and search page. These can use variables to provide information on things such as related tags, related categories, etc.

More Content Areas Available

If you need more content areas, you can use custom displays for each template and individual posts and pages to add extra space as needed.

You can also add extra content areas to the post list for multi post pages such as the home page.

Out of the box, the Privateer has 18 different available looks, with more being added on a regular basis. Included looks include 10 color sets, 5 banner sets, 4 mimic sets, and 1 utility set.

Color Sets

These are looks which use different colors without graphics to make clean looking pages. They are intended to be used as they are or to have graphics with matching colors added.

Banner Sets

These are looks which include a banner and use colors that match it to make prettier sites without having to get your own artwork.

Mimic Sets

These are looks which will give you displays similar to those of various themes and/or web sites.

Utility Sets

These are looks meant to be used for specific purposes. The included utility set is meant to be used when creating new looks from scratch as it removes most styling from the site.

Save your looks and re-use them

Once you have a look that you are satisfied with, you can save it and use it on other sites, give them to other users of the Privateer theme, send them to clients to apply the look to their sites, etc.

Have me make looks for you

If you don’t want to be bothered with creating a particular look, but know what you want, contact me and I’ll typically be happy to make a new look that suits your needs at a cost that suits your wallet.

If you want to use graphic sets for your looks, be sure to provide them as I’m no graphic artist. I’m quite good at placing graphics together, but creating them is not currently one of my strengths.

If you spend time setting up AdSense sites, you can set up an AdSense based site quickly using the Privateer theme.

Setting up an AdSense site

To create an AdSense site easily, do the following:

1. Apply the AdSense Crusher or Tutorial Quick Set.
2. Adjust colors to suit your tastes.
3. Generate and insert your ad and link units into the pre-styled areas.

Re-use your existing setup

Once you have set up an initial AdSense site and tweaked it to suit your tastes, you can export a quick set and apply it to other sites so that they have exactly the look you want with minimum time spent.

Unlike most themes, the Privateer has built in search engine optimization which can be configured at the template level.

Template Level SEO Settings

Each of the following templates can have their seo settings configured individually:

• The Home Page
• Single Pages
• Single Posts
• Search Results
• Author Archives
• Category Archives
• Date Archives
• Tag Archives

You can set up the meta title, meta description, and meta keywords tags as well as the index, follow, noodp, noydir, and canonical robot tags for each one of them.

The meta tags can make use of any titles, subtitles, and summaries you have set up.

Override robots on pages and posts

For pages and posts you create you can override the default index, follow, noodp, and noydir tags within the post or page editor.

Sane defaults

The default settings that come with the theme are sane and designed to give those who don’t know anything about search optimization the ability to have reasonably good settings out of the box.

Plays nice with SEO plugins

If you really want to use a particular seo plugin, you can do so without much worry as all seo for the Privateer is done at the code level…so plugins that override things can do without conflict.

Of course, if you really want something in particular, let me know, explain your reasoning, and I might well add it to the next version of the theme.

Built in XML Sitemap Generator

The Privateer has a built in xml sitemap generator that submits to Google, Yahoo, Ask, and Live/MSN, and you have a theme that will help to get your site indexed in the major search engines quickly.

If you make use of any of the following plugins, you can have them automatically added to page or post kickers, bylines, and footers by placing variables within them.

• Sociable
• WP-Print
• WP-Email
• WP-PostRatings
• WP-PostViews

Additionally, you can use quick tags to stick icons, tag lists, category lists, author information and more into them as well.

As of version 1.6, you adding 3rd party plugins which require editing template files has become much simpler as you only need to edit one file ( or contact me to have me add support for the plugin ) in order to make use of most plugins.

Featured Content Gallery

Support for both the iePlexus Featured Content Gallery plugin and my own version, the PWS WP Featured Content Gallery Plugin has been added as of version 1.6.

Buy a copy of the Privateer Theme from me and you can do a lot of things with it that most other premium theme makers charge a lot of extra money for.

Use it on as many of your own sites as you want

Whether you use it for one web site or one hundred web sites, you pay no additional money to do so when setting up your own sites.

Use it on Client Web Sites

If you build or maintain web sites for other people, you can use the Privateer theme on their sites without buying any special license or paying anything extra.

Of course, if your clients want to have access to the owners forum, receive free updates, etc. without your having to get them and install them then they should consider buying a copy of the Privateer for themselves.

Resell Privateer Sites

If you build web sites to flip them, you can do so with the Privateer without worrying about extra licenses or paying anything extra.

However, if those you sell to want to get future updates for the theme or access to the owners forum, they should pick up their own copy of the Theme…but they may use the theme version already installed at no extra cost.

Client copies

If you resell sites or build them for clients using the Privateer, feel free to inquire about ways to either make a bit of extra cash selling copies or getting discounts for your clients.