The Best Way to Change a WordPress Theme
If you’re looking to completely overhaul the look of your website, making it look and function like a new and improved version of itself, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll teach you the best way to change a WordPress theme. You will learn about the various options available to you, which ones you should avoid, and what you should focus on. Towards the end, you will find a list of useful links that will get your foot in the door of design agencies.
How Do I Switch To a New Theme?
If you’re looking to change the theme for your WordPress website, you’ll find a range of options in the dashboard. From there, you can either search for a new theme or click the switch theme button to browse available themes. If you’ve installed WordPress from scratch, it may take you a few minutes to get there.
From the dashboard, you can also hover over the theme switcher to view more information about the themes. This is particularly useful for those looking to switch to a child theme. You can view all of the info here including the description, key features, and reviews. From here, you can get a good sense of whether or not the theme is right for your site. It’s always a good idea to install and use a theme that suits your needs. If you have enough experience, you don’t need to feel intimidated by the amount of customization available. In fact, by removing the intimidation factor, you may find that the benefits of using a free WordPress theme far outweigh the challenges. More and more people are realizing this, which is why we’re seeing so many people move to using WordPress as their content management system.
What Are The Different Types Of WordPress Themes?
As we mentioned above, WordPress comes with a range of pre-made themes that you can use to get your website up and running quickly. On the surface, these themes look very similar, which can be a little confusing. If you’re new to WordPress, it may be difficult to know what kind of theme is right for your site. That’s why we’re going to spend a little time explaining the differences between the various types of WordPress themes. In case you’re wondering, a theme is simply the template that your website uses to display content.
Firstly, there’s the traditional themes that look and feel similar to the demos that come with WordPress. These were the themes that WordPress was built upon. Back in the day, they didn’t have a lot of customization options, which meant that they were pretty much perfect for creating a simple blog. With the rise of advanced technology and the ability to manipulate the code, traditional themes have become a little outdated. However, there are still hundreds of thousands of websites that run on traditional themes. If you’re looking for a quick fix and don’t want to go too far beyond what’s offered by WordPress itself, traditional themes are the answer.
Moving on, we have the premium themes, which offer a combination of style and functionality. Just like the name would suggest, premium themes are usually cost-effective and allow for more flexibility when it comes to styling and functionality. When you buy a premium theme, you’re not just getting a website, you’re getting a way of creating websites. Because of this, we’re starting to see more people buy into the idea of owning a tool that can help them create a coherent look and feel throughout their website. Naturally, this is a good thing, as it means more options for people who buy these themes. With premium themes, you don’t necessarily need a design agency to build you a professional looking site. It’s easier for everyone involved if you have some basic design sense, as you’ll be able to make the most of the extensive documentation that comes with most premium themes.
Last but not least, we have the free themes. As the name would suggest, free themes are completely free to use and do not require you to pay a penny to use them. Naturally, this is because they’re usually built on completely free software, such as WordPress or bbPress. As a result, you’re getting an incredibly stable and feature-rich foundation, along with a designer skin that you can use to customize the look of your site.
All of this being said, there’s nothing wrong with using a free theme. In fact, most designers will often tell you that you can’t go wrong with free themes. The problem is that not too many people know how to make the most of them, which is why it’s often a daunting task changing the theme of your website once it’s built. This is one of the reasons why we suggest you keep your eye open for a premium theme, as they tend to be a little easier to upgrade. Of course, this does mean you have to commit to paying a little more initially, but at least you won’t have to break the bank later on when it comes time to upgrade. It’s also worth pointing out that all of the themes on this list are legally watermarked with the WordPress logo, which means you’re not just getting a free theme but a fully-fledged WordPress license as well.
What Should I Look Forward To?
As we mentioned above, it’s possible to completely change the theme on your WordPress website without too much effort. Naturally, this means that it’s also possible to make your website look completely different without having to start from scratch. The key is to know where to look for help, as there are certainly designers out there who specialize in making existing sites look like new again. This is why we’re listing a few things you should look forward to once you change the theme of your website.
Firstly, you’ll notice that when you switch to a new theme, your site will probably load a little slower. This is because the default theme loads a lot of unnecessary code and libraries that have been built into WordPress over the years, which means your site will have a higher amount of resources loaded into it. Once you get used to the new theme, however, this difference in speed should disappear, as you won’t be loading any extra code or libraries.
Secondly, as we mentioned above, it’s easy to make existing websites look completely different, as all you need to do is replace the theme. Naturally, this can be a little tricky, as you won’t be able to tell what’s going on under the hood, which can lead to problems down the road. For this reason, we always suggest starting fresh with a new theme. This way, you’ll know exactly what’s going on, as opposed to guessing based on what’s been revealed about the default theme.
At the end of the day, it’s all about personal preference. Everyone has their own style and they don’t necessarily have to follow suit with what’s been laid down by WordPress or any other content management system for that matter. As long as you can produce a coherent look throughout your site, you’ll most likely end up doing something that suits your needs. In addition to this, you’re not stuck to one theme forever. Once you find a suitable replacement, all you need to do is swap it out and you’re good to go. This is one of the major advantages of having a content management system in the first place.