Who doesn't love a free beer or a free soda? You can't complain about the brand when someone hands it to you. You just drink it and smile because it was free.
Lately, people have been reaching out to me asking if their theme can do this or do that. When I glance at their site, I often have to tell them no.
Now, I am not here to bash free WordPress themes. They are wonderful and we are all grateful for them. They serve a very important purpose. Often free themes are how a blogger gets started. It is a way to put your toe in the water and see if this blogging thing is really going to work out.
If you keep blogging and start getting some success, you also probably start hitting a wall with your theme. This is normal.
The good news is that a premium theme doesn't generally cost much. The theme that I am running on my blog only cost 67 bucks. That is not bad. http://bit.ly/206bDah
[clickToTweet tweet=”Why should you go premium with your #WordPress Theme?” quote=”Why should you go premium with your #WordPress Theme?”]
Why should you go premium with your WordPress Theme?
1. Security
We are fortunate that junior coders and experience coders alike create these free themes for us. However, since it was a free project, they don't always get updated. Hackers are always looking for a venerability in a WordPress theme. Over time, they generally find one. If the theme is no longer being kept up to date, things can go wrong.
You can check your WordPress theme by using this free plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/theme-check/.
2. Features
This is the primary reason that a blogger often updates a WordPress theme. For example, just today someone hired me to install and setup a premium theme on her blog. She wanted to simply change the way that the header looked on her blog. Sadly, that is not a simple change on her free theme. She also wanted a few other tweaks done. By the time that she reached out, she realized it was time for an upgrade.
3. Support
Suppose that you have found that perfect theme and you are in love. You install it and then you preview your site and it just isn't right. Not always but often, free themes don't have all that lovely of a support system. However, premium themes generally have a nice forum and contact system. Odds are high that someone else has run into the same problem as you and the answer is already in the forum.
Bonus: Download a free checklist of the first plugins that I always install on a new WordPress Blog.
Before you update your WordPress Theme
1. Plan
If you plan to setup your theme yourself, set aside between 4 and 10 hours to work on the new design. Try and do this during an off peak time for your blog. If you get most of your traffic in the middle of the day, do this in the evening.
2. Backup Your Site
Make sure that you have a recent backup of your blog before you install the new theme. Things could and often do go wrong during the setup process. If you run into a snag, you will have the peace of mind that you can quickly and easily roll back your site to using the old theme.
There is no perfect time to upgrade to a premium theme. There is no perfect WordPress theme. As a matter of fact there are some incredible WordPress theme shops out there today.
If you are still running a free theme that is awesome. Do not feel pressured to upgrade before you are ready.
People should definitely consider going with a premium theme. This is a helpful guide for those considering an upgrade.
Liz,
Yes, I agree very much on the premium theme. They just offer so much more value in general.
Blog On!
-Renee’
Great post Renee! I often get asked the same thing by my clients … now i can just direct them to this post for the answer :-)
Bruce,
That is awesome. Please let me know if you ever have client questions that I can answer with a blog post.
-Renee’
I don’t use WordPress but I have been thinking about setting up a new blog. You have certainly given me some food for thought that could save me a lot of time and trouble in the long term.
I’m considering moving to WP so this information is very useful
Julia,
That is great to hear. If you move to WordPress let me know if you have any questions. I love to help.
Blog On!
-Renee’
great post on the said topic, i like how detailed you made this post, am actually on blogger and should i find a need to migrate to wordpress, i am sure i have the right site to get the required information for that in this place. bookmarking this for future use. thanks alot.
Lex,
Thank you so much. Yes, I highly recommend WordPress for sure. If you do decide to migrate, let me know if you have questions.
Blog on!
-Renee’
Great tips! I’ve been thinking of changing to WordPress but been unsure how to do it but this post gave me answers to those questions – Thanks!
Tiina,
Yeah! That is exactly what I like to hear. If you have any additional WordPress Theme questions do let me know.
Blog on,
-Renee’
This is indeed a very informative post useful for beginners as well as pros!
Veethee,
Awesome to hear. Thank you for the kind words considering that is the goal of this blog, to serve new bloggers. :)
Cheers,
-Renee’
Those are great tips especially for those who are new to blogging. Finding the right theme can do so much for your blog and your visitors!
Elizabeth,
Yes, you got it exactly right. Thank you for the kind words. It is good to know that this is helpful.
blog on,
-Renee’
This post sounds very helpful for wordpress users. I will have to share it with my blogger friends.
Fatima,
Thank you so much for those shares.
Blog on,
-Renee’
I agree with you, free wordpress can be good for people who is just starting blogging and don’t know anyone to help them!
Lucky me I had a friend who took a basic free theme and made it exactly as I wanted it, that means… no one else has the same one! I think eventually is what we all should do, because even the payed ones can’t do everything we want for our personal space :)
Paula,
That is a darn good friend right there. Also, if you have friend like that or can afford it is a great idea. Of course the advantage of a big theme shop like Thrive Themes is that they always keep up with the latest security updates required.
Blog on,
-Renee’
I’ve been using a free theme since I started blogging, mostly because I’ve been too stingy to pay for a premium one. But I’m beginning to see other blogs out there that just look so much better than mine and I think it’s time to start considering a purchase.
Also, I never knew I needed a blog about WordPress until I stumbled upon this! You have some really excellent content! Sometimes I’m too afraid to ask what I think are silly questions, but you have plenty of answers here for me.
Suz,
Those kind of questions are exactly why I blog, so please always feel free to ask them here. Yes, there always comes a time when a premium theme just makes sense. If you have any questions about themes please email me at [email protected].
Blog on,
-Renee’
I am currently debating which themes to purchase for my blogs. I am not happy with any of the free ones, but they were okay to start with. Now, on the other hand, it is time to move on. I like your theme, but it would not fit with the blogs I have, so I am considering buying one from Studiopress, or maybe even from Etsy. Blessings!
Claudia,
Studio Press does make some great themes for sure. I currently have several clients running their themes.
Blog on,
-Renee’
Hi Renee. Thank you for what you do. I have found your podcast 2 days ago and already into episode 85. I love your tips. I am new WordPress user and I really appreciate your work. Btw This page design rocks. I am gon steal your concepts ;)
Jim,
That is so awesome. I will be behind the mic for new episodes very soon. Steal that design away buddy!
Blog on,
-Renee’