What Theme Was Covered Again and Again

How to Alter WordPress Themes

Both themes and plugins are essential to the WordPress platform. Fortunately, they're usually elementary to install and use. However, changing your active theme isn't simply a matter of clicking a button.

In fact, at that place'southward plenty to consider earlier you activate a new theme. For case, y'all'll need to select the theme you'll use carefully, and take some vital steps such as backing upward your current site.

In this article, we'll walk you through how to change your WordPress theme. Before that, let'south cover the very nuts – starting with what themes actually are!

What Is a Theme?

In a nutshell, a WordPress theme is a visual template for your site. It can also add new features, only you'll mainly use a theme to determine how your site looks, before extending its functionality using plugins.

Unremarkably, you'll stick with the theme you've chosen for a long time – it's not something you lot want to modify on a whim. This is because specific design elements related to the theme will disappear once you brand the switch, and you may need to do some piece of work to get your site looking correct again.

However, many WordPress users do change their agile theme at some point, in club to introduce a fresh design or incorporate desired features. If that's something yous're thinking of doing, you'll desire to choose your new theme carefully.

What to Wait For in a Theme

Picking the incorrect theme can hamper your site'due south ability to reach its goals. Fortunately, choosing a solid choice isn't hard. Here'southward what you'll desire to expect for:

• Compatibility with all major browsers. You plain want to reach as many people as possible, and ensuring that your site is visible on all browsers across multiple devices helps.
• Plugin support. Some themes have been coded with certain plugins in mind. Therefore, you'll want to ensure that your essential plugins are compatible with the new theme.
• Page builder integration. Page builders make it unproblematic to perfect your website's layout, so ascertaining whether your favorite tool works with your theme is essential.

In addition, you'll want to brand sure the support channels available from the developer are peak-notch, only in case y'all need assistance. Usually, the reviews and ratings for the theme will help to point the quality of its support.

Finally, you'll also desire to ensure that the theme has been coded with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind, and that it'southward mobile-friendly. Fortunately, well-nigh themes now have both of these aspects into account.

Things to Do Before Switching Themes

Every bit nosotros mentioned earlier, changing your theme isn't a one-step procedure. In fact, there are a number of aspects to consider earlier getting started. You'll want to:

• Make a backup. We'll discuss how to practice this shortly, but needless to say, this should be the very commencement matter y'all do.
• Ensure that you record whatever custom changes you've made. This mainly refers to any Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code, or additional PHP within the functions.php file.
• Check your analytics and tracking features. Make sure to re-create over any codes yous'll demand to continue 3rd-political party connections active.

In fact, the more than you do hither to make sure every aspect of your site is unaffected by the change, the better the transition volition go. And then nosotros'd suggest running a fine-tooth comb over your site, so yous know everything will brand the jump unharmed.

How to Change Your WordPress Theme

At this point, let'southward talk nigh how to actually switch your WordPress theme. The steps are pretty simple, and we'll walk y'all through each one.

Step one: Back up Your Site

Before you exercise anything else, brand sure yous accept a full site backup in identify. This is absolutely vital, mainly because if something goes incorrect, you'll have a clean restore point to work from.

Fortunately, we've previously covered how to support your site in detail. In that article, we looked at a number of different methods that might work, depending on your expertise and resource. We'd suggest you to work through whichever technique is more convenient for yous before moving onto the second stride.

Pace 2: Navigate to Your WordPress Themes Section

At present you're ready to change your theme. To get started, head to Appearance > Themes within WordPress:

Here, y'all'll see a list of all your currently-installed themes. Your active theme will exist clearly highlighted:

What y'all do next depends on whether your new theme can be plant in the WordPress Theme Directory, or whether you lot've bought a premium theme elsewhere. Regardless, click the Add New button, and motility on to the next phase.

Step 3: Install Your WordPress Theme

To cull from the thousands of gratuitous themes that are available, simply search for one using the drop-down menus on the Add Themes page:

If y'all've bought a premium theme, on the other hand, y'all'll be provided with a ZIP file. This tin be installed by using the Upload Theme link on the aforementioned folio, and then using the Choose File dialog to locate the file:

Either way, in one case y'all've found or uploaded your desired theme, you'll just need to click on the relevant Install push button. WordPress will work its magic, and yous're almost done!

Step 4: Activate Your New WordPress Theme

The terminal footstep is to actuate your theme. For premium themes, you'll usually see an activation link on a confirmation screen, afterward the installation process is complete.

If not, you lot tin can view all of your currently installed themes past heading back to the Appearance > Themes screen. To use a new one, merely hover over information technology and click on the Activate button:

In one case that'southward finished, you can check out your new theme on the front end of your site. It should be up and running, and looking pretty expert. Even so, if there are any issues, you lot'll want to check out the side by side section.

Nearly Mutual Mistakes Made When Changing WordPress Themes

Changing your WordPress theme might non always go to program. Here are two of the well-nigh common issues that can occur, along with how to rectify them.

White Screen of Death

First up, the White Screen of Death (WSoD) is arguably the nigh frustrating fault within WordPress. This is considering you'll be faced with a blank screen, without any indication of what's incorrect.

Ordinarily, this fault is due to a compatibility issue you oasis't discovered yet. Fortunately, the ready is straightforward, albeit time-consuming. We've actually covered how to resolve the WSoD over on the Torque blog, and so check out that article if you run into this fault.

Irresolute URLs and Everything 404s

The Settings > Permalinks screen can help yous solve many theme-switching issues, namely ugly URLs (i.e. those that use random character strings) and 404 errors. Admittedly, these problems are both usually associated with new installations, but we accept seen them occur with theme changes.

The good news is that by navigating to the Permalinks screen, you tin can select a new, 'prettier' permalink construction:

If y'all're as well seeing 404 errors after switching themes, simply clicking Save Changes here and checking out your site again should resolve the event.

Get Support for More than Common WordPress Questions from WP Engine

A quality and reliable host is arguably the best foundation for your site, regardless of the theme you cull. Here at WP Engine, we offer both that and a stellar support team. Plus, there are enough of other WordPress tips and tricks to be found in our Resources Center – check it out for all manner of helpful tidbits!

degregorioapid1982.blogspot.com

Source: https://wpengine.com/resources/change-wordpress-theme/

Share this post