The theme in question is an iThemes original called Builder. While this theme allows for a great deal of customization from a built-in style manager, some things still have to be taken care of in the CSS. Finding the bullet points isn’t particularly difficult – simply search the CSS for list-style-type and locate the entry associated with the sidebar.

Once the correct line is found, there are a couple of ways to make this change. The first, and often simplest, is to just remove the line completely. In this case, however, it’s works better to change the list-style-type to “none.” Who knows if they’ll want the bullet points added back in tomorrow, right?

One final change also needs to be made in this case. The margin line above controls the amount of space around the menu text, and included the buffer area in which the bullet point sat. The four numbers in the margin attribute control space at the top, right, bottom, and left, in that order. To shift the content left, where the bullet points used to be, I need to change the last number in this list. A little trial and error is sometimes warranted in this type of change. Don’t be afraid to just pick a number and try it. In this case it was easy to just mimic the other numbers, but sometimes it takes a few tries to get margins where I want them.

Of course what’s really important is the final result.

On all of my WordPress sites I use Austin Matzko‘s simply-named “WordPress Database Backup” plugin (http://austinmatzko.com/wordpress-plugins/wp-db-backup). While this plugin doesn’t contain all of the options, switches, check-boxes, and customization many alternatives do, it does have the benefit of not containing all of the options, switches, and check-boxes other plugins have. Sometimes less is more.

Austin’s database backup plugin allows for both one-shot backups and scheduled backups, both of which also allow the user to choose which tables are included. For the average WordPress user taking a backup once per week, or automating the delivery of a backup once weekly is probably enough. For sites which undergo rapid changes daily, the schedule should be more aggressive.

For multi-site environments, such as that which I run at Worley Systems, this simple plugin can become the starting point for a much more complex operation. All of my sites are set up to mail a “once daily” database backup to an email account that is checked regularly by a script running on one of my Linux servers. This script catalogs the backups, sends me a daily report of which might have been missed, and archives previous backups. By archiving a daily WordPress database backup, I can quickly revert a site to a previous state if it becomes broken or corrupt, while also maintaining any data which might have been added after the corruption or damaging changes may have been made. It’s something of a geeky “get out of jail free” card for customers who like to make changes to their WordPress setup!

Know your content.

Will your site be text heavy? Are you showcasing your artwork? Does your business have logos or images which must be on the front page? What type of content your site will contain has an enormous impact on the overall design of the theme. Some sites simply require a tall header, two sidebars, and a footer. Others simply need a header and a footer. Before you search for a theme, think about what you’re going to put on it, and plan accordingly.

Pick a color. Any color.

WordPress themes are indexed according to a few features, the top two being colors and number of columns. While recoloring a WordPress theme is in most cases a fairly simple thing, it’s a good idea to know what colors you want to use in your site early on. Choosing colors that accent your company logo, pictures of your hiking adventures, or help convey the spirit of your site is key to developing a great website.

To sidebar or not to sidebar.

Sidebars can keep important information present on every page, lead visitors to related content, or give your site a shot of color. The layout, positioning, and color of your sidebars (or the lack thereof) can also be a prominent part of your site’s overall look. They can, however, be distracting, confusing, or limit space for your content. WordPress themes are largely sorted by how many sidebars are stacked around your content window, so having an idea of what you need is helpful in finding that perfect theme.

Free themes

WordPress.org keeps a fantastic repository of free themes at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes. There you can search by color, columns, and other features. This is where most WordPress users start their search, and for good reason.

Premium themes

Some premium themes can cost upwards of $500, but offer loads of extra features and options. Premium themes also guarantee some degree of uniqueness, as fewer sites will share the theme you choose. A few good places to start your search for a premium WordPress theme are ithemes.com, templatic.com, or studiopress.com.

Conclusion

Your choice of theme is second only to your content in importance, so taking the time to think about your content, color options, and desired layout early on can go a long way toward ensuring the success of your site.