ONE, TWO or EVEN FOUR COLUMNS in WordPress?  (PART ONE)
I’ll follow up with a selection of sites to find the best themes that you’ll need in PART TWO!

When you install Wordpress, you’re next task is to pick a theme. I’ll try to help you decide which format theme you can use –ONE Column to FOUR Column.

Here is the general logic process you can use to build a site with one to four columns –The less commercial activity you plan to pursue, the less columns you’ll need.

Most WordPress sites are fine with just two columns. This setup actually looks like a basic business site with navigation at the top for the major pages, and sidebar navigation for individual pages, to other sites and running some advertising.

If you are going to run an expert site or authority site about a given niche, then there is no need to add a lot of ad space and make a huge presentation. All you need to do it present the information you need your readers to know and put in enough links to your sponsors.

Things get much more complex with 3 or 4 columns. I’ve run the Rich Sage dot com for about 6 months with 3 columns. But now the objectives I have with Rich Sage dot Com are bursting at the seams! It time to add more content room and build upon the next level of Rich Sage dot com success.

Continued –The elements you’ll need to consider in a 4-column theme…

Here are the considerations I made as I migrate to a 4-Column Theme:

My overwhelming goal was to balance the needs between sponsor areas and the published materials about the various topics. I want to inform all of my readers and features a few areas that advertisers can use. In the process, I don’t want to alienate each group and lose my readers. Below are some of the decisions that I made after studying the matter for many hours, looking at other successful web sites and applying my own ideas:

1. At this time I have one navigation area. I am expanding that to two, with the top navigation area pointing to pages that are part of the web site that presents some core ideas. The second set of navigation areas link to important areas of the richsage dot com make money online features. These are the key areas that I want visitors to experience at the site.
2. The left margin area features ads at the top and below that are the most important post links. For example, I am featuring the most often commented on posts in this area. Of course, that also presents room for a generous amount of ads. I think around 4 ads and 2 Rich Sage promotional areas will be featured.
3. I need a little wider area for writing. This is the most important area by far, as this is the reason people come to the site. Overall, the new theme needs to be just a little wider in the content area. That will allow me to put a 250×250 size ad in the text area when a page is viewed in it’s entirety.
4. These are the two columns that are used mainly for advertising and some page navigation. The top area features the subscriber area for the feed readers and below that are 6 or 8 ads. I have not decided how many. Perhaps, I’ll start with 6 and see how it goes. Below that I will have ample room for more page navigation including some exclusive reader offers.
5. I would like to have a corner ad -in the right corner. One that is a peel away type. Another ad may be place at the very top edge, but I am debating that.
6. In this area I have several link areas that allow reader interaction. At the top is the “Most Commented Posts” and below that the “Categories” for Rich Sage dot com. All the way at the bottom is a footer that has some of the other network sites that I like to keep an eye on.
7. This is the area directly below the center column or text area presenting at the very bottom (footer) that shows other locations with Rich Sage dot com presentations –here I’ll link to pages on Digg, Stumble Upon, WikiPedia, etc that referrance the Rich Sage.
8. Lastly, at the bottom right, (footer) I’ll display MyBlogLog visitors. I plan to convert this area one day to a self-generated program that manages a community of Rich Sage dot com readers.

Another element that I want to add is a display of the latest FREE Ad Forum posts that readers can look at closely. I hope that my review of the up-coming 3rd generation theme update at Rich Sage dot com has helped you decide how to address your own theme needs.

Just a parting thought: Advertising is the *least* desirable way to make money online. I am doing it to show you what can be done and to take a little advantage of the traffic that I am generating. The true means to make money online is to monetize your own efforts with as many subscription services as you can manage to promote from your site. I am doing that as well as the “Rich Sage Underground” and the “Maxsimo Network Tools & Services” launch.

Having a mix of monetizing ideas running seamlessly is the best possible way to make a very successful online business.

Carpe Diem,
Rich Sage