Just lately, considered one of our readers requested us tips on how to correctly change a WordPress theme on their web site with out breaking something.
WordPress makes it tremendous straightforward to vary and handle themes. Nevertheless, you must keep in mind that altering the looks of your stay web site is a significant occasion. It’s worthwhile to maintain sure issues in thoughts earlier than and after you modify a theme so that you don’t lose any information and web site visitors.
On this article, we are going to present you tips on how to change a WordPress theme with a step-by-step guidelines.
Why Change a WordPress Theme?
Chances are you’ll need to change the theme in your WordPress web site to make it higher match your area of interest.
For instance, for those who run a style weblog, then you definately would possibly need to swap to a theme with the model of an expert style web site.
Switching to a special theme can even give your web site a recent look, improve the consumer expertise, and even enhance your web site’s Search engine optimization by making it simpler for search engines like google to crawl and index your content material.
Plus, some WordPress themes include built-in options that you could be want in your web site. As an illustration, some themes embody options for eCommerce, membership websites, and portfolios.
Having stated that, let’s see tips on how to correctly change a WordPress theme in your web site. Right here’s a fast overview of what you’ll study on this article:
Issues to Do Earlier than Altering a WordPress Theme
When you can simply change a theme with only a few clicks, you could take some precautionary steps earlier than beginning this course of.
We advocate that you simply undergo the next guidelines to make sure that the method of fixing your WordPress theme goes easily and that you simply don’t find yourself dropping vital information.
1. Copy Snippets from Your Present Theme
Some intermediate WordPress customers prefer to customise their web site by including code snippets on to the theme’s features.php file.
Since these adjustments have been made as soon as, folks normally neglect about them.
If you happen to or your net developer made these adjustments, then make sure that to undergo the recordsdata of your present theme and word all the extra code you’ve added beforehand. This may let you add these snippets later into your new theme’s features.php file or a site-specific WordPress plugin.
Professional Tip: We advocate all the time including code to your web site utilizing WPCode, which is the most effective WordPress code snippets plugin available on the market. This manner, whenever you swap to a special theme, you gained’t have to fret about copying and including code snippets.
For extra particulars, simply see our information on tips on how to correctly add customized code in WordPress.
2. Check Load Time
Earlier than altering your theme, you need to examine the load time of your web site. This may also help you simply evaluate the variations within the web page load time after you make adjustments to your web site.
Keep in mind, WordPress pace is a crucial consider consumer expertise and Search engine optimization, so you must be sure that the brand new theme is quicker than your earlier one.
You may examine your web site pace by utilizing a WordPress pace check device. For extra directions, see our information on tips on how to run a web site pace check.
Just remember to check the load time of the homepage and likewise a few of your inside pages.
3. Don’t Lose Any Monitoring Code
Some customers add their analytics monitoring code on to their theme recordsdata. Additionally, some WordPress themes let you add AdSense or Analytics code of their settings panels.
One of the crucial widespread errors inexperienced persons make is to miss these code snippets.
It’s worthwhile to just remember to copy all of the monitoring code so you’ll be able to add it to your new web site after altering the theme.
To future-proof this, we all the time advocate customers set up Google Analytics utilizing a plugin like MonsterInsights. This plugin helps you to view the analytics and experiences immediately out of your WordPress dashboard with out having so as to add any monitoring code to the theme recordsdata.
Alternatively, for different monitoring codes like adverts, we advocate utilizing WPCode. For detailed directions, see our tutorial on tips on how to correctly add Google AdSense to WordPress.
4. Make a Full Backup
It’s all the time really helpful to again up your posts, photographs, plugins, and the database earlier than altering your theme.
You should utilize a WordPress backup plugin like Duplicator to create a backup of your whole web site. Just remember to obtain this backup to your laptop earlier than transferring ahead.
This step will guarantee that you would be able to get better your web site simply if something goes fallacious.
For extra data, you’ll be able to see our newbie’s information on tips on how to again up your WordPress web site.
5. Sidebar Content material
Sidebars are used for including totally different widgets together with social hyperlinks, ads, subscription types, or a contact kind.
Make a remark of those adjustments. If there’s any customized code added to a widget, then be sure to copy and paste this code in your laptop to be able to reuse it in your new theme.
6. Preserve Your Website in Upkeep Mode
It’s a very good apply to place your web site in upkeep mode when you find yourself making adjustments to it. This will forestall customers from seeing an incomplete web site and guarantee a easy transition to a special theme.
We advocate utilizing SeedProd for this function.
It’s the greatest WordPress web page builder available on the market that lets you simply create coming quickly and upkeep mode pages to your web site.
First, you must set up and activate the SeedProd plugin. If you happen to need assistance, then observe our step-by-step information on tips on how to set up a WordPress plugin.
Observe: You should utilize SeedProd’s free plan to allow upkeep mode. Nevertheless, upgrading to the premium model will unlock extra options like pre-built templates, superior customization options, and e-mail advertising device integrations.
Subsequent, head over to the SeedProd » Touchdown Pages display screen out of your WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Arrange a Upkeep Mode Web page’ button.
After that, you could choose a template to your upkeep mode web page. It’s also possible to use a clean template and create a web page from scratch.
To decide on a template, merely hover your mouse over a thumbnail after which click on the examine icon.
Now you can use SeedProd drag-and-drop web page builder to customise your web page. Merely add new blocks by dragging them from the menu in your left.
SeedProd helps you to add commonplace blocks for textual content, photographs, buttons, and headlines. It additionally gives superior blocks, together with contact types, giveaways, social sharing choices, and rather more.
Don’t neglect to save lots of your adjustments by clicking the ‘Save’ button within the prime proper nook.
After that, head over to the ‘Web page Settings’ tab and alter the Web page Standing by toggling it to ‘Publish.’
When you do this, click on the ‘X’ icon on the prime left nook of the display screen to exit the drag-and-drop builder. This may open a immediate on the display screen asking you to activate the upkeep mode.
From right here, merely click on the ‘Sure, Activate’ button to show the upkeep mode to the customers visiting your web site.
If you happen to want extra inspiration to create a upkeep mode web page, then you’ll be able to see our checklist of upkeep web page concepts that you should utilize in your WordPress web site.
Find out how to Set up a WordPress Theme
After following the above precautions, the following step is to put in a theme that you simply need to use in your web site.
When you’ve chosen a theme, you must set up it in your WordPress web site. You should utilize any of the next 3 strategies to put in a WordPress theme:
Utilizing the WordPress theme search choice
Importing a theme out of your WordPress dashboard
Putting in a theme utilizing FTP
For extra data, you’ll be able to examine our newbie’s information on tips on how to set up a WordPress theme.
There are literally thousands of free and paid WordPress themes obtainable so that you can choose from. The truth that you’re studying this text means you’ve doubtless discovered a very good theme to your wants.
Nevertheless, for those who haven’t already chosen a theme, then we are able to extremely advocate the next WordPress themes:
1. Astra
Astra is a light-weight and speed-optimized WordPress theme that’s suitable with standard web page builder plugins like SeedProd, Beaver Builder, Divi, and Visible Composer.
It’s a translation and RTL-ready theme. It lets you begin your web site in any language and even create a multilingual web site.
Astra may also be built-in with the WooCommerce plugin, so you’ll be able to simply create a web-based retailer with out a lot problem. You may even customise the header, footer, structure, and extra utilizing the WordPress Theme Customizer.
Our favourite factor about Astra is all of the starter web site templates it comes with. It has greater than 250 choices for every kind of niches, together with enterprise web sites, on-line shops, and private blogs.
2. Divi
Divi is without doubt one of the hottest WordPress themes available on the market. It’s powered by the drag-and-drop Divi Builder, which lets you simply construct any type of web site.
It comes with over 2000 pre-built layouts and 200 totally different content material components. You may simply customise every factor of your web site and see the adjustments in actual time.
Plus, Divi can be tremendous Search engine optimization-friendly and may also help your web site rank larger in Google and different search engines like google.
3. SeedProd
SeedProd is the most effective WordPress theme builder available on the market, with over 1 million lively customers.
We already talked about you should utilize it to create a upkeep mode web page. However you can too use it to create a customized WordPress theme with out writing any code.
SeedProd comes with a drag-and-drop builder and 300+ professionally designed templates to get you began. You may simply customise your theme with ready-made blocks, sensible sections, and WordPress template tags.
It additionally exhibits a real-time preview of all of the adjustments on the fitting facet of the display screen, so you’ll be able to see how your web site will seem to customers earlier than it’s even revealed.
4. StudioPress Genesis
Genesis is the most well-liked WordPress theme framework constructed by the StudioPress staff. You may create wonderful web sites utilizing the Genesis framework and different StudioPress themes.
In case you don’t know, StudioPress is part of WP Engine, the most well-liked managed WordPress internet hosting firm.
One of the best half is you’ll get 35+ StudioPress themes totally free for those who join any WP Engine internet hosting plan.
5. OceanWP
OceanWP is a responsive and multi-purpose WordPress theme. It gives a number of demo templates which have been constructed with totally different professions and companies in thoughts.
It’s suitable with the main web page builder plugins. It’s also possible to use totally different extensions to take your web site to the following degree.
Find out how to Change WordPress Theme With out Going Stay
When you’ve put in your new theme, you’re prepared to change themes.
Nevertheless, it’s all the time really helpful to check a theme earlier than switching to it in your stay web site.
This manner, you’ll be capable of examine the compatibility of the brand new theme along with your present plugins and be sure that every thing is working correctly.
There are 3 ways that you would be able to change your WordPress theme with out going stay.
1. Stay Preview Possibility
By default, WordPress lets you preview a theme in your web site with out altering it.
To do this, head over to the Look » Themes web page from the WordPress admin sidebar.
On this web page, you’ll see all of the put in themes in your web site. Go forward and hover your mouse over the theme you need to preview and click on on the ‘Stay Preview’ button.
This may open your new theme within the WordPress Theme Customizer.
Now you can check your new theme and be sure that every thing is working correctly.
2. Theme Switcha Plugin
Another choice is to make use of the Theme Switcha plugin. It lets you preview your new theme with out activating it.
First, you must set up and activate this free plugin. For detailed directions, see our step-by-step information on tips on how to set up a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, go to the Settings » Theme Switcha web page from the WordPress dashboard and examine the field subsequent to the ‘Allow theme switching’ choice.
When you do this, scroll to the underside of the web page to click on the ‘Save Modifications’ button.
This plugin will now show all of your put in themes on the backside of this web page.
From right here, merely click on in your new theme to preview it in a brand new net browser tab.
3. Check Your Theme on a Staging Website
It’s also possible to check your WordPress theme with out making it stay by making a staging web site. This web site is a clone of your stay web site and is used for testing any type of adjustments.
You may simply do that by utilizing your internet hosting supplier’s built-in staging web site function. For this tutorial, we shall be utilizing Bluehost.
First, you could go to your Bluehost cPanel and click on the ‘My Websites’ button. When you do this, swap to the ‘Plugins’ tab and activate the The Bluehost Plugin.
Subsequent, go to your WordPress dashboard and head to the Bluehost » Staging web page.
From right here, click on on the ‘Create Staging Website’ button to proceed.
Bluehost will now put together the staging surroundings for you.
After that, it’s going to show the ‘Staging Website’ part the place you could examine the ‘Not at present enhancing’ field.
This may open a immediate on the display screen asking you to change to your staging web site.
From right here, click on the ‘Swap’ button.
When you do this, you’ll be able to head to the Look » Themes web page from the dashboard and activate any theme that you simply need to check with out worrying about it affecting your stay web site.
Then, when you’re proud of the theme, you’ll be able to simply push the adjustments stay.
For extra particulars, you’ll be able to see our newbie’s information on tips on how to simply create a staging surroundings for a WordPress web site.
Find out how to Change WordPress Theme on a Stay Website
After you could have examined your new theme, it’s time to begin the method of switching the theme in your WordPress web site.
To do that, go to the Look » Themes web page from the WordPress admin sidebar.
As soon as you’re there, simply hover the mouse cursor over the theme you need to use after which click on the ‘Activate’ button to vary the WordPress theme.
Now, you’ll be able to go to the homepage of your web site to see the brand new theme in motion.
Find out how to Change WordPress Theme Manually
Typically, an error could make your WordPress admin space inaccessible. In that case, you gained’t be capable of change the theme utilizing the above technique.
To get better your web site, you must restore it from backup or troubleshoot the WordPress error inflicting the issue.
Nevertheless, for those who don’t have a backup, then you’ll be able to change the theme manually with the assistance of phpMyAdmin.
This technique lets you inform WordPress which theme to make use of by altering the knowledge within the database.
First, you must connect with your web site utilizing an FTP shopper and go to the /wp-content/themes/ folder.
Right here, you’ll be capable of see all of the themes which might be at present put in in your web site. It’s also possible to set up a WordPress theme by way of FTP for those who don’t see it.
Subsequent, you need to write down the folder identify of the theme you need to use as a result of you will have it later.
After that, head over to the cPanel of your WordPress internet hosting account. For this tutorial, we shall be utilizing Bluehost. Nevertheless, your cPanel might look totally different relying on the internet hosting service that you simply use.
On this web page, scroll all the way down to the phpMyAdmin part and click on the ‘Handle’ button subsequent to it.
As soon as you’re in phpMyAdmin, you’ll see a listing of databases on the left facet of the display screen. From right here, click on on the database that you’re utilizing to your WordPress web site.
This may open all of the database tables in the fitting column of the display screen. Now, go forward and click on on the wp_options desk to open it up.
Observe: By default, WordPress makes use of wp_ because the prefix for the desk names. Nevertheless, it’s potential to have a special database prefix, as proven within the picture.
This may open a listing of different recordsdata that have been saved within the wp_options desk.
From right here, you could find the template and stylesheet rows in the fitting panel.
When you do this, click on on the ‘Edit’ hyperlink within the template row to open the editor.
Right here, you must change the worth within the option_value discipline to the theme identify that you simply need to use.
It’s normally the identical because the folder identify within the /wp-content/themes/ folder that you simply copied earlier.
As soon as you’re accomplished, click on on the ‘Go’ button to save lots of the adjustments. Subsequent, go forward and repeat the identical course of for the stylesheet row.
After making adjustments to each rows, you’ll be able to go to your web site to see the brand new theme in motion.
Issues to Do After Altering Your Theme
When you’ve modified the theme in your web site, you must deal with sure issues earlier than turning off upkeep mode.
You may try the next guidelines of issues to do after altering your WordPress theme.
1. Check Your Web site
First, you must be sure that all of the functionalities, plugins, and widgets are working correctly in your web site.
It is best to make investments a while to check your web site and take a look at various things together with the posts, remark part, photographs, and get in touch with kind.
As soon as you’re glad with how your web site seems to be and works, you’ll be able to transfer to the following step.
2. Cross Browser Compatibility
Browsers generally tend to point out sure issues otherwise.
To be sure that your web site seems to be good in each main browser, you need to check your web site in numerous net browsers, together with Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Web Explorer.
3. Add Monitoring Code
After you’ve examined the options and the cross-browser compatibility, you need to add your analytics and AdSense monitoring code to your web site.
You should utilize the MonsterInsights plugin so as to add the Google Analytics monitoring code. This may let you correctly arrange analytics and consider detailed web site stats proper inside your WordPress dashboard.
For extra particulars, see our information on tips on how to set up Google Analytics in WordPress.
For including Google AdSense monitoring code, you’ll be able to learn our information on tips on how to correctly add Google AdSense to your WordPress web site.
4. Flip Off Upkeep Mode
Now you can disable upkeep mode in your web site to make it go stay.
If you’re utilizing the SeedProd plugin, merely go to the SeedProd » Touchdown Pages display screen out of your WordPress dashboard and click on the toggle to ‘Inactive’ to show off the upkeep mode.
5. Check Loading Time
Upon altering your theme, we advocate utilizing the IsItWP Web site SpeedTest Instrument once more to check the loading time of your homepage.
Subsequent, evaluate it to the load time when your outdated theme was put in. If you happen to see any main variations, then you’ll be able to observe our information to enhance WordPress pace.
6. Monitor Bounce Charge
After switching themes, you need to monitor the bounce fee of your web site.
In case your new theme isn’t user-friendly and troublesome to navigate, then it could enhance the bounce fee and drive guests away out of your web site.
You may add associated posts, standard posts widgets, and breadcrumbs to scale back the bounce fee and enhance web page views.
7. Ask for Suggestions
It’s also possible to ask your customers for suggestions and recommendations on tips on how to enhance your web site design. You should utilize survey types or on-line polls to assemble consumer enter.
For instance, you would possibly use consumer suggestions so as to add a two-question survey immediate in your web site. For detailed directions, see our tutorial on tips on how to create a survey in WordPress.
You may share the brand new design along with your subscribers utilizing an e-mail advertising service and ask them for his or her recommendations. This may provide help to to get concepts for what they wish to see improved.
Bonus: Replace a WordPress Theme With out Dropping Customization
After getting switched to a special theme and customised it in response to your liking, you’ll want to maintain that theme often up to date to the newer variations.
Nevertheless, whenever you replace a theme, you’ll be able to lose a few of the customization settings. For instance, you’ll lose all of the code that you’ve got added to the theme’s features.php file, stylesheet, or templates.
Nevertheless, you’ll be able to simply replace a WordPress theme with out dropping all of your customization by creating a toddler theme.
This theme will inherit the father or mother theme’s performance, options, and elegance. You may then customise the kid theme with out making any adjustments to the unique one.
Subsequent, you could determine all the adjustments you made to your theme and replica them over to the kid theme. The best means to do that is by evaluating your outdated and new theme recordsdata utilizing software program like WinMerge or Kaleidoscope.
When you make the adjustments, merely export the customizer settings from the father or mother theme and import them to the kid theme.
Upon doing that, you’ll be able to preview your adjustments within the customizer and click on the ‘Save & Publish’ button to make these adjustments stay.
For extra detailed directions, see our tutorial on tips on how to replace a WordPress theme with out dropping customization.
One other solution to replace your theme with out dropping any customization is to all the time add your customized code with WPCode. It’s the greatest WordPress code snippet plugin available on the market that makes it tremendous straightforward and protected so as to add customized code to your web site.
When utilizing this plugin, you gained’t have to fret about dropping the customized code in your features.php file, stylesheets, or templates whenever you replace your theme.
It’s because the code shall be saved in WPCode and can robotically be executed in your web site. For particulars, see our full WPCode evaluate.
We hope this step-by-step information helped you correctly change your WordPress theme. You may additionally need to see our newbie’s information on tips on how to use the WordPress theme customizer and our prime picks for the must-have WordPress plugins for enterprise web sites.
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