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"How to change a WordPress theme" is a common question among WordPress users, mainly those who have just started working on their websites.
These beginners often find it difficult to switch from their current topic to a new one because they don't know the necessary precautions they need to take before the change.
So before we go into how to change a WordPress theme, let's take a look at the precautionary steps you should take.
Steps to follow before changing a WordPress theme
Create backups!
Before implementing a new theme, the most important crucial step is to create a backup of your WordPress website. Since there is a high probability that a new theme could break your website, a backup will help you restore your website and data to the way it was before you tried to implement a different theme.
You can create a backup through your hosting provider or use a backup plugin. If you are using Cloudways, you can easily create backups by going to Backups from the administration of its server on your platform.
If your hosting provider does not offer this feature, you can use a plugin to create backup copies of your website.
Here is a list of the best WordPress backup plugins to help you find the best plugin to create a WordPress backup.
Copy code snippets
Many WordPress users tend to customize their website by placing various code snippets in their themes. These code snippets enable users to add various functionalities to their websites such as a hello bar, a side widget, and more.
Users often forget that they have used a code snippet on their website as these are unique customizations. If you are one of those users, you need to copy these codes so that you can use them in your new theme.
Copy tracking codes
Tracking codes like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel are embedded in the WordPress theme to track visitor activities on the website. It's easy to forget that these codes are on the subject because, again, it's a one-time change, just like code snippets.
Even experienced WordPress users sometimes make the mistake of not saving their tracking codes.
In our case as an example, when we switched to a new topic, at the same time we forgot to copy the tracking codes to the new topic and as a consequence we were unable to track our website traffic for the next two days.
In this way, it is highly recommended that you save your tracking codes and copy them to your new theme.
Clone your website
It is recommended to have a WordPress developer by your side when you are changing the theme of your website as it can be very complicated. But if you can't, you should create a clone of your website to test and review your theme before taking it live.
Testing the theme on a clone or staging site reduces the risk of the site crashing when switching to a new theme. At the same time, it is easy to create a clone of your website if you are using a managed cloud hosting provider like Cloudways, as they offer one-click cloning through their platform.
Now that we've gone through all the precautions you need to take before changing your website theme, let's see how to switch to a new WordPress theme.
How to change the WordPress theme
Changing the WordPress theme is easy. All you have to do is follow these steps and you can enjoy your new WordPress theme.
Change the WordPress theme through the Management Panel
Once you log into your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance> Themes.
Click on Add new to search for the topic you want.
The themes you see on this page are free in the WordPress repository. These are great options if you're just starting out on a budget, but I highly recommend choosing a paid theme or a free one that has a lot of features to offer instead.
A premium theme will cost you between $30 and $200 and even more, but it should be noted. Why? Because premium themes offer great customization and freedom if you want to make a lot of changes to your website.
Another advantage of a premium theme is the constant updates. As you may already know, WordPress keeps releasing updates constantly, so it is crucial that all your plugins and your theme are updated at the same time. Premium themes come with automatic updates that make them compatible with each of the major WordPress updates.
Here are some of the best markets to get premium themes:
The forests
Templatemonster
aThemes
Colorlib
Mojomarketplace
If you decide to install a premium theme, you need to download it from one of the previously mentioned markets and upload it to your WordPress. This is how you can do it:
From your dashboard, go to Appearance> Themes> Add new and click Upload topic. Click on Choose file and upload the zip file of the theme you downloaded.
Once the upload is complete, click Install Now.
WordPress will take a few minutes to install the theme.
You can get a live preview of the theme if you want before activating it, and if you are satisfied, just click Activate.
In the same way, if you decide to choose one of the free themes available in the WordPress repository, just click on Preview and it will allow you to see what the theme looks like on your website before activating it and taking it live.
Change WordPress theme manually
Another way to change the WordPress theme is through an FTP client. I have used FileZilla FTP and Cloudways for this tutorial to show you how you can change the theme manually.
The first step is to log into your server through the FTP client by entering the server credentials provided on the Cloudways platform.
Copy and paste these credentials here ...
…. and click Quickconnect.
Once you are connected to your server, search for your application here.
Enter your application to view your WordPress files and click on the public_html file…
... and then the wp-content file to access the WordPress theme.
You will see a folder of topics in the wp-content.
The theme file includes all the themes that are installed on your WordPress website.
To add a new theme to the listing, simply copy the theme .zip file from your system, paste it into this folder and the theme will be added to the WordPress dashboard.
Now you can test and install the theme on your WordPress website directly from your control panel.
Final words
Changing the WordPress theme may seem like, but there are many complexities involved and I suggest you enlist the help of a professional developer.
Regardless, in this article, I have shown two methods of changing the WordPress theme so that you can tackle this operation yourself.
Let me know in the comments below if the tutorial has been helpful to you and if you want it to cover other topics at the same time.
