Switching the theme of your WordPress themes is a matter of just a few minutes (if you need more time to pick a piece). But, if you’re trying to make it a secure process changing themes, it becomes more complex. The fact is, your current music is ingrained in the functionality of your site, and any switch could damage it.
So, it is possible that the process of changing themes without creating any new issues can take a little longer than clicking the activate button. But, if you follow the basic steps to ensure your website runs smoothly after the change.
How to Change a WordPress Theme (Without Breaking Your Website)
To change your WordPress theme safely and effectively, your WordPress theme, follow these steps:
- Create a stage version of the website
- Install your music of choice and then preview it
- Active your new theme
- Fix any errors and replace the missing components
- Push your staging website live
Why Changing WordPress Themes Is a Delicate Process
Let’s take a brief look at a few of the most well-liked free WordPress themes that you can use for your website:
Most popular WordPress themes
If you don’t go through each of these pages, you will notice many stylistic differences between these options. So, it is familiar that changing to a brand new theme tends to mess with the appearance of your website and its function.
The ideal scenario is that the new theme isn’t compatible with a few elements, and you can quickly change or return to the previous state. However, the more closely your theme is incorporated into your site’s style, the more likely that switching to a brand-new theme could result in serious problems. It could be:
- The site’s essential functions (i.e., altering your navigation bar and contact forms, vital sections on your pages, etc.)
- Deleting any shortcodes introduced by your previous theme.
- Removal of the theme-specific widgets you’ve installed on your web pages
- Infringing on the web pages’ schema data
The more complicated the design you’re using, the more challenging it’s likely to be to modify it. For example, if you use a multi-purpose theme with the theme’s unique built-in page editor, you’ll likely be enduring a lengthy change.
This doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. However, it would help if you didn’t avoid intricate WordPress themes. Each website is unique, and you should choose music suitable for your specific requirements. Understanding how to modify your theme without risk is essential since problems could arise regardless of the article you’re currently using (or changing to).
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How to Change Your WordPress Theme Safely (In 5 Steps)
Before doing anything else, now is the best time to make a complete copy of the backup for the WordPress site. In the ideal scenario, you’ll have plenty of restore points that have been made recently. Changing themes is a huge issue, but you’ll need to be ready if you have to go back in any way.
Step 1: Set Up a Staging Copy of Your Website
It is possible to think of staging environments as a lab where you can conduct all the testing and crucial modifications to your website before the public can see all of it. With a staging version of your site, you can modify your website in any way you wish without any worries. If you break something, you can restart the process without penalty.
Several WordPress hosting platforms today provide staging capabilities as part of their plans. At Kinsta, for instance, you can create an environment for staging with two clicks:
The image alt=”Create an WordPress setting environment.” src=”https://kinsta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mykinsta-create-staging-environment.jpg”/>
Create a WordPress setting environment.
Because changing WordPress themes is an intricate process, it could be better to do it in the middle of the live website. Using WordPress staging, you can observe the content changes after switching themes and make any corrections before putting the results live once you’re prepared.
If your hosting provider doesn’t offer a staging feature, other options exist. For instance, you could install your own locally hosted WordPress environment and then create an exact copy of your site using backups.
This method isn’t as simple since it’s impossible to put your local site in the same way as you do with your web host. In this case, you’ll have to make a second copy of the website once you’re finished with your modifications and connect it to your host.
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