Can a Wordpress Premium Theme Be Used Again?

How To Change & Edit A WordPress Theme (Step By Step Guide)

Changing the theme of your WordPress website is an piece of cake task. Only it can be a complicated process for a beginner. If you're not conscientious, yous'll run into a lot of trouble.

Don't worry, it's non a difficult procedure. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to show yous how to safely and securely change your WordPress theme without breaking your website.

This guide is divided into two sections. In the first section, we'll show yous how to change the theme. And in the second section, we'll show you how to edit your theme files.

If you use any analytics or advertising programs, you lot'll need to edit the new theme to install the tracking codes. We'll show you how it's done too. Let's swoop in.

Why Change WordPress Themes?

Irresolute the theme of your website is a big step. But why change it if zero is cleaved?

Well, there are few reasons to consider irresolute your current WordPress theme. For starters, some theme developers will suddenly finish support for themes. It means no more updates for the theme.

When this happens you will see bug with your website, specially when upgrading to new versions of the WordPress software. You'll besides see compatibility issues with plugins every bit well.

This tells you information technology's time to change your theme. There are also other reasons to change a theme.

Maybe y'all're not happy with the theme design or desire to update your site with a new and modern theme blueprint. These are all good reasons to change your theme.

Tip: Explore our WordPress themes collections to find inspiration

What to Practise Earlier Changing Your Theme

As nosotros mentioned earlier, at that place'due south a minor risk involved in irresolute your theme. Information technology's nothing to be afraid of. Simply, it's ever good to prepare and have precautions.

Here are a few things y'all should do before irresolute the theme.

Cheque for Compatability: Carefully read the theme documentation and the theme product page to brand certain it's compatible with the plugins you lot already use on your website. Contact and ask the theme developer if necessary
Backup Theme & Website: Offset, backup your electric current theme and website files. This will allow you to gyre back to a previous version if something goes incorrect. Read this guide to learn how to backup your website
Re-create All Tracking Codes: If you have tracking codes installed on your website, re-create them over to a notepad to install them on your new theme later. The codes will usually be in the header.php file
Use a Staging Site (optional): We recommend using a staging site to exam your theme earlier rolling information technology out to the alive website. It'southward an optional pace but information technology will aid you avoid taking any risks
Support for Page Builders: If you lot have any landing pages or product pages created with page builders like WPBakery or Elementor, make sure your new theme is compatible with your preferred page builder plugin

How to Install & Change a WordPress Theme

After completing all the preparations, now it'due south time to change the theme. Let'southward go started.

Once once more, make sure to accept your existing theme and website backed upward just in case.

Stride one: Download and Install the Theme

The starting time stride is to download your new WordPress theme. It volition make it in a Nix file. Don't upload this ZIP file as it is.

Excerpt the downloaded Nil file. In it, you'll observe lots of additional files like the documentation for the theme, plugin files, and more.

There will be another ZIP file amongst the extracted files with the theme's name on it. This is the one you need to install.

upload theme

Login to your WordPress dashboard and go to Appearance >> Themes and so click on the Add New push button on height of the folio. And select Upload Theme.

Now upload your new theme to install it.

Pace two: Switch to the New Theme

After installing the theme, don't actuate it right away.

change theme

Go to Appearance >> Themes one time again and find the theme you've only installed. Click on the Alive Preview button.

preview theme

This will let yous to preview the new theme in WordPress alive customizer before applying the theme to the live website.

Brand any changes to the theme design as necessary and when you're ready click on the Activate and Publish button.

How to Change WordPress Theme Without Going Live

After changing the theme, there will be a lot of work to be done. Similar customizing the pattern, changing fonts, testing different font sizes, optimizing images, and much more.

You don't desire to practise all these things while your website is accessible to the public. So information technology'southward always a good idea to change and customize WordPress themes without going live.

There are two ways to do this. The first method is using a staging site to make all the customizations and moving information technology over to the live site.

The second method is to put your website in maintenance way while yous brand the adjustments to the new theme. This volition temporarily hibernate your website from the public and then you lot can make any changes to the theme without affecting the user experience.

wp maintenence mode

You can use a simple free plugin like WP Maintenance Mode for this procedure.

How to Edit a WordPress Theme

Now that you lot have your new theme installed and set up to use, it'south time to customize information technology to match your branding.

But beginning, you'll demand to install the tracking codes and scripts from your previous theme into the new 1. To exercise this, you need to edit the header.php file.

How to Edit Header.php

From the WordPress dashboard, become to Appearance >> Theme Editor. And locate the header.php file.

edit-theme header

Then paste your tracking codes right earlier the endmost </head> tag. Don't forget to Save the changes.

We recommend that you apply a tool like Google Tag Manager to manage your tracking codes and scripts in ane place. It will make things much easier.

Method one: Utilize WordPress Theme Customizer

If you want to customize the theme design, you lot tin can practise so via the live theme customizer.

Most modernistic themes now fully support the WordPress built-in live customizer. This allows you to easily customize the pattern and alter branding while seeing the changes in the alive preview.

theme customizer

Go to Appearance >> Customize to launch the live customizer and commencement editing the design.

Method two: Use Theme Settings Page

Some WordPress themes volition have their own dedicated settings pages every bit well. You'll take to use this theme settings page to customize the design of such themes.

Make sure to read the documentation of the theme to see how to customize the theme.

Method three: Use a Page Builder Plugin

If your new theme is built with a page builder plugin like Elementor or WPBakery page builder, you'll exist able to hands customize your design using the drag and drop editor.

See our guide on how to edit a WordPress website for more info on how information technology's done.

In Conclusion

You lot're at present all set to alter your WordPress theme. Equally long as yous fill-in your website and theme files, yous won't accept anything to worry near.

If you're in the market for a new theme, check out our sectional WordPress themes bundle. It includes over 60 dissimilar premium themes and it costs less than the cost of one theme.

FAQs About WordPress Themes

Nosotros wanted to respond a few oftentimes asked questions about WordPress themes to help yous understand more nearly changing themes.

How to Delete a Theme in WordPress?

After installing a new theme you'll want to get rid of the older ones that you don't use. Deleting themes is easy. You lot tin can practise it from the Themes folio. Read this guide to see how information technology's done.

How to Make a Staging Site?

Creating a staging site requires a little bit of technical work. Some spider web hosting providers, similar Kinsta, take built-in features for making staging sites more easily. This guide volition aid you learn more well-nigh it.

Can You Change WordPress Theme Without Losing Content?

Yes, of course. Irresolute the theme simply affects the design of your website. It won't affect your pages or posts. However, if you apply any widgets on your website, you will lose them when changing the theme.

Is It Safe to Modify Themes in WordPress?

There is a bit of a chance involved in changing themes. If the theme is non compatible with the plugins you use, it will have compatibility issues. And at that place could be an touch on SEO every bit well, for both ameliorate or worse.

Does Irresolute WordPress Theme Affect SEO?

Yep, changing your theme could affect your website SEO. But information technology could be for the better also. If you've been using an older theme with an outdated design, a new theme could assist give your site a healthy SEO boost.

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Source: https://www.theme-junkie.com/how-to-change-edit-wordpress-theme/