WordPress themes can be intimidating if you’re not sure where to begin. Picking the wrong theme for your website could leave you out of both money and time. Switching themes once you’ve already chosen one is also a huge chore. The best solution is to make sure you choose the best premium WordPress themes the first time around.
Whenever you pay for a premium WordPress theme, it’s always worth the extra time and planning. Because these themes usually come with advanced features, high-quality elements, and ongoing support, you need to ensure you’re making the right decision.
It’s easy to fall for shiny-object syndrome and choose the latest and greatest theme based on aesthetics alone, but that might not be the best fit for your WordPress website. You need to tread carefully, especially considering so many users care about the design of your website. 38% of people will stop interacting with a website if they don’t find it attractive.
This might sound harsh, but it just goes to show how powerful the right premium theme can be. In this guide, we’ll go step-by-step to help you choose the perfect premium WordPress theme without the stress.
Know Your Website Goals
Before you choose your theme, you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish with your website. While anyone can choose a theme or design based on looks alone, this won’t help you get very far if you don’t know your goals.
In other words, the content needs to come first. Define the purpose of your website clearly, and make sure you understand how you want to deliver this content to your users. A blog is going to need to look a lot different from an online store. Once you know your website’s goals, whether it’s to sell products, tell your brand story, or share articles, you’re ready for the next step.
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Create a Catalog of Your Pages
Next, you should create a clear catalog of all your pages. The more you know about what you plan to do with your theme, the easier it will be to avoid any surprises. For instance, you don’t want to purchase a premium theme only to discover that the type of page you need isn’t included. Luckily, you can avoid this with some planning.
Create a detailed list of the types of pages you need. Be specific about what will be included on each page. Will there be photos? Videos? Headings? Columns? All of these things need to be listed so you know what to look for. This will help you filter out the premium themes that won’t work for your needs and find your perfect match faster.
Set a Budget
When looking for a WordPress premium theme, you’ll quickly discover there are several different options to suit different budgets. If you’re working with a small budget, you’ll search in different places than if you have a large or mid-range budget.
In addition, knowing your budget will help you know when to compromise. Unfortunately, if you have a limited budget, you likely won’t be able to find everything on your wishlist. On the other hand, if you have a flexible budget, it might be worth seeking out all of these individual demands. While you likely won’t find a theme that works perfectly for your content immediately after download, it’s completely possible to come close.
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Understand Demo Features vs. Content
What does it mean to understand the difference between demo features vs. demo content? Basically, whenever you view a live preview of a premium WordPress theme, you need to make sure you’re paying attention to the right things. The website is usually populated by demo content which shows off the features, but don’t take this at face value.
You’ll be integrating your own content into your theme of choice. Whenever a theme designer creates a demo website, they’re trying to leverage the best possible content to show off the theme.
They don’t have the same limitations or content guidelines that a real website owner will have. If they need a bright image to match the background, they can use one. If only two paragraphs of lorem ipsum content look right in a certain format, they can stick to these guidelines.
That means that you shouldn’t give too much thought to how the content is arranged when viewing a live demo. Instead, focus on the demo features. The key features to pay attention to include:
- Navigation – Is it easy to use, and does it fit your content needs?
- Branding – How are branding elements integrated? Will your branding elements fit within this structure?
- Plugins – Are any special features built into the theme or are they additional plugins? In general, it’s easier to use features powered by WordPress plugins since they can be removed or swapped out as needed.
- Customization – Finally, what can be customized with this theme? If it’s not easily customizable, are you comfortable modifying the website through CSS or other hands-on means?
Evaluate the Functionality
Last but not least, don’t forget about functionality. In this day and age, functionality matters more than ever before. Almost 60% of all internet access is done through a smartphone, and that means your theme needs to be mobile-friendly. If the theme doesn’t function properly, what’s the point at all?
In addition to mobile responsiveness, take a look at the theme’s load time. While this can depend on several factors, too many elements or features built into the theme will slow down your website. This is bad news in a world where users expect content to load in a few seconds (or less).
Ultimately, don’t trust the developer alone when they tell you a theme is functional and responsive. Always test it yourself to make sure it’s good to go before investing in a premium theme.
Find the Right Premium Theme
Are you ready to choose the best premium themes for your WordPress site? No matter your goals, you’ll want to start this process carefully. If you move too fast, you might end up with something that doesn’t fit your needs or that downright isn’t useable.
Start your search with some best premium WordPress themes inspiration. Browse a few premium websites to see what catches your eye. Check both WordPress theme resources websites as well as the theme depository on the WordPress platform. You can browse by color, website type, and so on to find something that checks all your boxes.
Have you been hesitant about purchasing a WordPress theme? With these tips above, you can decide without the risk. Your money and time are worth too much to waste on the wrong theme.
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