WordPress has become a popular CMS platform to develop different types of websites. It offers tons of features that help developers to create any website within just a few times. Today, many beginners want to start web development using WordPress. They know that it is easy to understand and provides great options to perform site customizations as per the requirements.
To develop different types of websites on WordPress, some developers use premade themes, while some go for the full custom option. Both of these things are considered on the requirements of clients and what features you want in the website.
Many times, people commit mistakes while choosing WordPress themes. It mostly happens when they do not collect the exact information about the theme. As a result, they hastily try to switch to other themes that can offer them the required features. This leads them into another trouble when the sudden changing of themes breaks most of their site features.
If you are also facing a similar problem while switching to other WordPress themes, read this article in detail. It has defined some important points you need to consider before installing or switching to other themes. Let’s take a look at them in detail below.
5 Points to Keep in Mind Before Changing WordPress Themes
If you want to switch to other themes swiftly without breaking any site feature, try to consider these points. These tips will ensure to keep your data and all the site features in place while performing any change in the theme.
Note the Performance Metrics
It is always advised to monitor the performance of your website by analyzing some core metrics. It helps you to know about the efficiency of the current theme, as how well it is responding and loading on the web browsers. A lot of times, websites do get slow because of using heavy themes. It is the common reason why developers go for other themes that can enhance their site performance on the internet.
So, before changing your existing WordPress theme, always note its performance metrics. This will let you know its current state and why it should be replaced with the other theme. Similarly, when you completely switch to another theme, try to monitor its performance as well. This will give you a good comparison between the two themes which will perfectly let you decide the best among both.
Keep in Mind the Current Theme Sidebars and Widget Areas
Being a WordPress developer, you would definitely know the importance of Sidebars. They are basically used to add different types of widgets to the site, so that its front-end functionalities can be precisely enhanced.
It should be noted that every theme has specific widget areas and they can’t be easily changed by tweaking any little code. These widget areas quickly disappear when WordPress themes are switched because every single theme comes with its own sidebar configurations.
It is, therefore, best advised to properly note the widget locations before performing any change in the theme. If you will not do so, then all of your site’s front end will look muddled due to the mix-up of sidebars configuration.
By knowing the exact locations and copying the custom codes (if used any), you will easily replicate the sidebars configuration in the new theme. It will require a bit of technical knowledge, but will also ensure to keep all the site widgets in place.
Don’t Forget to Copy the Tracking Codes
Many WordPress themes come with inbuilt options to add analytics tracking code directly from the theme panel. It allows administrators to quickly add the code to their website without taking any technical hassle.
Meanwhile, if the option is not given in the theme by default, then some developers also add these codes manually into their theme files. It provides them a good opportunity to track different things related to the website, such as traffic, speed, etc.
Unfortunately, this could be easily overlooked when you are changing the theme of your WordPress site. A lot of developers forget about this thing while switching to other themes. As a result, they do not get the required analytical results which they expect after landing into a new theme.
So, if you want to stay out of this problem, always make sure to copy the tracking codes before making any change in the theme. You can also use different types of wordpress plugins to take care of this job. They ensure to keep all your data, so that you cannot face any interruption even after changing the theme.
Create Backup of the Current Website
It is ideally recommended to back up your website after regular intervals. The primary purpose of doing this operation is to secure all the posts, images, plugins and other important data related to your website.
Many times, developers lose critical data during the process of switching themes. Having a backup present at one place allows them to restore that lost data quickly. It is a standard practice that should be considered regularly by the developers. Not only for the switching process, but it also comes very handy in the wake of any unexpected website breakdown. It allows you to restore everything from scratch, just like its original state.
Go into the Maintenance Mode
When you are performing changes to your website, it is best recommended to display a maintenance message. It is a professional practice to let the users know that your website is under maintenance. It prevents them from taking any action or visiting the site during that period.
As a developer, it gives you a sense of relief to work freely during the whole theme switching process. Like as we discussed above, there are a lot of actions you need to take during this process which definitely requires a decent amount of time.
By showing the maintenance message, you can buy that time and can easily focus on the overall process. Many companies use this practice to let their online visitors know about the maintenance of their websites. It helps to keep everyone’s frustration in check while the maintenance work is being done properly on the website.
Final Words
That brings us to the end of this article in which we have discussed some important points you need to consider while changing WordPress themes. It is a very critical job that should be done delicately after covering all the bases. Many times, developers commit crucial mistakes during this process which eventually results in the loss of data. These tips will ensure to make your theme switching streamlined, so that you can get an error-free performance after the process.
