Switching to a new WordPress theme is a bigger task than it might seem at first. It requires careful planning and several important steps to ensure you don’t lose any data or traffic.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the necessary steps to change your WordPress theme quickly and smoothly. Let’s get started!
Pre-Theme Change Checklist
Before switching your theme, follow this checklist to make sure you don’t lose any data or affect your website’s performance. These steps are crucial to ensuring a smooth transition:
- Copy custom code snippets: If you’ve added custom code to your theme’s
functions.phpfile, make sure to save it. Any tweaks you made to your current theme may not work with the new one, so back them up in case you need to reapply them. This is especially important for tracking codes like AdSense or Google Analytics. - Test your site’s load time: Page speed is essential for SEO and user experience. Use a free tool to test your website’s load time before switching themes, so you can compare it later.
- Back up your website: Always back up your site’s data and database before making any major changes. This ensures you can recover your website if anything goes wrong during the theme change.
- Enable maintenance mode: Put your site in maintenance mode while you make changes. This keeps visitors from seeing an incomplete or broken site. You can refer to a guide on how to enable maintenance mode in WordPress.
- Find a reliable theme: Make sure the new theme you choose is SEO-friendly, well-designed, and a good fit for your site. If you need help selecting a premium theme, check out our guide on choosing the perfect theme to impress visitors and stand out from competitors.
Steps to Change a WordPress Theme
Once you’ve completed the pre-change tasks, it’s time to switch your theme:
- Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
- Navigate to Appearance → Themes.
- Find the new theme you want and click Activate.
Post-Theme Change Tasks
After you’ve successfully switched themes, there are a few more steps to finalize the change before turning off maintenance mode:
- Install required plugins: Some themes require specific plugins to function properly. For instance, if you’ve switched to a WooCommerce theme, you’ll need to install the WooCommerce plugin.
- Adjust the design: Customize the new theme by changing fonts, colors, and widget settings to match your brand.
- Test your website: Ensure all plugins, widgets, and site functionality work as expected with the new theme.
- Re-add tracking codes: Make sure you add Google Analytics and AdSense tracking codes to the new theme.
- Turn off maintenance mode: Once everything is in place, disable maintenance mode so your site is live.
- Compare load times: Test your site’s speed again and compare it to the previous theme. If the new theme slows your site down, follow this checklist to improve WordPress performance.
- Monitor bounce rate: Keep an eye on your bounce rate. If the new theme isn’t as user-friendly, you may need to make navigation adjustments.
- Gather user feedback: Consider sending a survey to your subscribers to gather feedback on the new design and user experience.
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide has helped you understand the steps involved in changing a WordPress theme. The process is straightforward, but careful preparation is key to ensuring everything goes smoothly.
If you’d rather not handle the theme change yourself, feel free to email us—we’re happy to help!
