One dimensional ZnO nanostructures prepared by favorable and simple solution growth methods are at the forefront of this research. Vertically oriented ZnO nanorods with uniform physical properties require high-quality seed layers with a narrow size distribution of the crystallites, strong c-axis orientation, and low surface roughness and porosity. It has been shown that high quality seed layers can be prepared by the sol–gel process. The sol–gel process involves three essential steps: preparation of the sol, its deposition by dip coating, and thermal treatment comprising preheating and annealing. We put emphasis on the investigation of the heat treatment on the properties of the seed layers and on the vertical alignment of the nanorods. It was demonstrated that for the vertical alignment of the nanorods, the preheating step is crucial and that the temperatures reported in the literature have been too low. With higher preheating temperatures, conditions for the vertical alignment of the nanorods were achieved in both investigated annealing atmospheres in air and in argon.