Checklist: Changing WP Themes (during early stage website building)
I changed my WP Theme last night and here are a few action steps that helped me to make this transition smoother in the very early stages of WP website building.
1. Widget-ready
Check if you are using a widget enabled theme and then switch to another widget-enabled theme. If you switch to one that is not widget enabled, you will lose some elements.
2. Functionality and plug ins
Once the new theme is activated, test that everything still works. Check if you need to go back and add functionality that you want from the old theme to the new one. Try out all features including single post pages, contact page, etc. Ensure all widgets are still there and working properly. If you want the formatting to be relatively the same, you might check the new theme plug-ins because some use their own default styles.
3. Different Browsers
Check your site in various browsers (Chrome, Explorer, Opera, Modzilla, etc.).You want your website to look as expected in most browsers used today. Please note, some embellished or elaborate themes may not appear exactly the same from one browser to the next.
4. Trim the Fat
Some themes have many features pre-loaded. Get rid of things you don’t need. For example, some themes have too many SEO features. As you learn more about various pre-loaded feature, you might want to eventually choose wisely and trim the fat.
5. Careful Steps
Start changing smaller elements and check it functions properly in various browsers. Later, you can try more drastic changes. Take time to understand the structure of the new theme before taking radical leaps.
6. Navigation Friendly
Some themes offer better website navigation than others. Some may appear very impressive initially – enticing and beautiful yet lack ease of use. You want to test the new theme by imagining yourself as an online user accessing your website for the first time. You want your readers to have an enjoyable, easy and smooth experience when scrolling or browsing through content, topics or other call-to-action type steps on your site.
7. Ask for feedback
When you switch themes, you might ask other users to check out your site on their preferred browsers (with different screen resolutions) to understand better what they see and how they react (like or dislike). Be open to listening to their initial tips. You may or may not decide to make changes based on what they’ve shared. You could even ask them to send you a screen shot (just in case it’s difficult for them to describe their opinions and improvement tips).
Recent Comments
24
These are great suggestions. I think about changing themes but I don't know what to expect. This helped. Thanks.
Debbie
Hi, Phoebe. I appreciated your post. I don't like my theme that I chose as a free beginner and had no idea what I was choosing. I think there is a way to be able to see what the themes look like before going ahead and switching. Do you know how to do that?
There is a plugin for WP Theme Preview (without activating).
Here are more details -
https://wordpress.org/plugins/theme-preview/
Oh, thanks, Phoebe. That will help me tremendously. I am sort of afraid I'll lose the whole thing if I start messing around with my theme. This will be great. Thanks so much. It may be months before I try it because I'm so absorbed in finishing lesson 6 of the second course at the moment! I'll let you know when I finally do it. Carol
I'm sure this will be most useful for anybody thinking about changing themes, Phoeby. :) ~Mark
Great stuff, well thought out Phoeby! I remember when I started designing sites years ago, I'd install a theme and it looked nothing like I had anticipated - certainly nothing like the demo. So checking all of the areas that you bring up is important. I published a couple of posts recently - 1 about creating a Free SiteRubix site to experiment on - a 1 about creating a Child Theme. Hope you find them helpful. Peace my friend. :-) Tips for Newbies and Old Heads Like Me Create a Child Theme in 5 Minutes
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Thank you