How To Choose Templates In Wordpress

How to Alter WordPress Themes

Both themes and plugins are essential to the WordPress platform. Fortunately, they're normally simple to install and utilise. However, changing your active theme isn't just a affair of clicking a push button.

In fact, there'southward plenty to consider earlier you actuate a new theme. For example, you'll need to select the theme y'all'll use carefully, and take some vital steps such every bit bankroll upwards your current site.

In this article, we'll walk you through how to alter your WordPress theme. Earlier that, permit's cover the very basics – starting with what themes actually are!

What Is a Theme?

what is a wordpress theme

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

Usually, y'all'll stick with the theme you've chosen for a long time – it'due south not something you lot want to change on a whim. This is considering specific blueprint elements related to the theme will disappear once yous make the switch, and you may need to do some work to go your site looking correct again.

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

What to Look For in a Theme

Picking the incorrect theme can hamper your site'southward power to accomplish its goals. Fortunately, choosing a solid pick isn't hard. Here'southward what you'll want to look for:

Compatibility with all major browsers. You obviously desire to achieve as many people as possible, and ensuring that your site is visible on all browsers across multiple devices helps.
Plugin support. Some themes accept been coded with sure plugins in heed. Therefore, you'll want to ensure that your essential plugins are compatible with the new theme.
Folio architect integration. Page builders make it elementary to perfect your website's layout, and then ascertaining whether your favorite tool works with your theme is essential.

In addition, you'll want to make sure the support channels available from the developer are height-notch, merely in case you need assistance. Usually, the reviews and ratings for the theme will assist to indicate the quality of its support.

Finally, you'll likewise want to ensure that the theme has been coded with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind, and that it'southward mobile-friendly. Fortunately, most themes now take both of these aspects into business relationship.

Things to Do Earlier Switching Themes

Equally we mentioned before, changing your theme isn't a one-step process. In fact, there are a number of aspects to consider before getting started. You'll desire to:

Make a fill-in. Nosotros'll discuss how to do this shortly, merely needless to say, this should be the very first thing you lot do.
Ensure that you lot record whatever custom changes you've fabricated. 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 certain to copy over whatsoever codes you lot'll need to go along 3rd-party connections active.

In fact, the more you practice hither to make sure every aspect of your site is unaffected by the change, the better the transition will go. And so nosotros'd advise running a fine-molar rummage over your site, so you know everything will make the jump unharmed.

How to Modify Your WordPress Theme

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

Footstep 1: Back up Your Site

Before you practise anything else, make sure you accept a total site fill-in in place. This is absolutely vital, mainly because if something goes wrong, y'all'll have a clean restore point to piece of work from.

Fortunately, nosotros've previously covered how to back upward your site in item. In that article, we looked at a number of dissimilar methods that might work, depending on your expertise and resources. Nosotros'd advise you to work through whichever technique is more convenient for you before moving onto the second pace.

Step ii: Navigate to Your WordPress Themes Department

Now yous're fix to change your theme. To get started, head to Appearance > Themes within WordPress:

How To Change WordPress Themes

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

change wordpress theme

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

Stride 3: Install Your WordPress Theme

To choose from the thousands of costless themes that are available, only search for i using the driblet-downward menus on the Add together Themes page:

install wordpress theme

If you've bought a premium theme, on the other hand, you'll be provided with a ZIP file. This tin can be installed past using the Upload Theme link on the same folio, and then using the Cull File dialog to locate the file:

changing wordpress themes

Either style, once you've constitute or uploaded your desired theme, you lot'll just need to click on the relevant Install button. WordPress will piece of work its magic, and yous're near done!

Step iv: Actuate Your New WordPress Theme

The concluding footstep is to activate your theme. For premium themes, yous'll usually run across an activation link on a confirmation screen, after the installation procedure is complete.

If not, you lot tin view all of your currently installed themes past heading dorsum to the Advent > Themes screen. To use a new one, merely hover over it and click on the Activate push:

activate wordpress theme

Once that'due south finished, you can check out your new theme on the front end end of your site. It should be up and running, and looking pretty good. However, if there are any issues, y'all'll want to bank check out the next section.

Most Common Mistakes Made When Changing WordPress Themes

Changing your WordPress theme might non ever go to program. Here are ii of the virtually common issues that can occur, along with how to rectify them.

White Screen of Death

Kickoff up, the White Screen of Death (WSoD) is arguably the well-nigh frustrating error within WordPress. This is because you lot'll be faced with a blank screen, without any indication of what's wrong.

Usually, this error is due to a compatibility issue yous oasis't discovered nonetheless. Fortunately, the fix is straightforward, admitting time-consuming. We've actually covered how to resolve the WSoD over on the Torque blog, so bank check out that article if yous come across this mistake.

Irresolute URLs and Everything 404s

The Settings > Permalinks screen can assistance you solve many theme-switching issues, namely ugly URLs (i.due east. those that use random character strings) and 404 errors. Admittedly, these issues are both normally associated with new installations, but we take seen them occur with theme changes.

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

fixing 404 errors

If you're too seeing 404 errors later switching themes, simply clicking Salvage Changes here and checking out your site again should resolve the issue.

Get Support for More Common WordPress Questions from WP Engine

A quality and reliable host is arguably the best foundation for your site, regardless of the theme you choose. Hither at WP Engine, we offering both that and a stellar support team. Plus, at that place are enough of other WordPress tips and tricks to be plant in our Resources Center – check information technology out for all way of helpful tidbits!