This review was updated on June 23, 2012.

Install EarthlyTouch On Your Website

In order to install the EarthlyTouch WordPress theme onto your website, you will first need to be an Elegant Themes premium subscriber. If you have already become a member, simply go to the themes page and scroll down near the bottom where you will find the EarthlyTouch icon. Click the Download link and then choose the Theme Package option to save the .zip folder to your hard drive.

With the EarthlyTouch .zip file saved locally, go to the wp-admin page of your site and click the Appearance > Themes tab on the left-hand menu. This will load a separate window in which you will need to select the Install Themes tab followed by the Upload link immediately below that. Place the EarthlyTouch .zip folder in the browse box then hit Install Now to being installing this theme.

Once the theme has unpacked (this should take less than a minute), you will be provided with a list of options on how to proceed. If you are ready to make EarthlyTouch the default theme for your site, click Activate.

There are many customizable features that come with this theme, and the vast majority of them can be configured via the ePanel. Click the EarthlyTouch Theme Options link to access the ePanel.

Earth Tones Bring Out The Best In This Theme

With five unique color schemes (Orange, Blue, Green, Purple and Red), EarthlyTouch is likely to be well-received by bloggers who want a professional layout that is easy on the eyes. The Top Navigation Bar and Category menus are separated by the logo area. Both have dropdown menu capability.

From the ePanel, you or your webmaster can select how many articles will be displayed in the “Featured” area. Featured posts will display a square-shaped thumbnail image, title, excerpt and “Read More” button.

The number of “Recent Comments” and “Random Posts” that appear below the Featured section can be configured via the ePanel General Settings > Homepage tab and will lead in to a separate homepage content area with excerpts and post info for recent entries.

Full Posts and Comments

When a reader of your blog site click-through to view the full post, he/she will be taken to a page that includes a thumbnail image, title, full text, author name, date, number of comments and categories.

Below all posts is a section where logged-in readers can provide input. Comments are “threaded” in order to give readers the option to reply directly to a post or to a previous response.

Widget Aware WordPress Theme

EarthlyTouch is a widget aware WordPress theme. From the Appearance > Widgets tab, you can place custom widgets including 125×125 ad banners and your personal blogroll.

If you wish, there is also an Ad Management ePanel tab that will allow you to enable a 468×60 banner advertisement to appear below each post.

Full Shortcodes Collection

EarthlyTouch has a full shortcodes collection for one-click programming of tabbed content, images, boxes, social media buttons and more. This theme also comes complete with custom page templates, support and updates, plus automated thumbnail re-sizing and an optional blog-style layout.

Give your blog a earthly feel that will give visitors an enjoyable and simple overall navigation experience. When downloading the EarthlyTouch WordPress theme, you can also check out the Readme file that features a number of answers to many Frequently Asked Questions that have been put forth by Elegant Themes customers.

For more information, or to see their complete collection of themes, please visit elegantthemes.com.