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Despite the fact that website developers do not build websites with templates and prefer to design them custom and develop “from scratch” based on the WordPress infrastructure, it is clear that I too can not ignore the huge market of web design using pre-made templates. In this article, I will review the pros and cons of using ready-made templates and give my tips for using them wisely and intelligently.
So what exactly is a WordPress theme?
In principle, a WordPress theme is a collection of files that include design files, images, JavaScript, etc., all of these files together it is run as a template in WordPress
That is, the theme actually creates the design of the site according to the different types of content in it. Today there are endless WordPress themes for free download or premium paid themes.
It is important to remember – by default every WordPress site must have a theme to produce the right design for the content and therefore the choice is not between a theme or not a theme but a choice between different themes.
What is the difference between a WordPress Theme and a Template?
Template files are ready-made designs for certain pages or sections of pages so that they do not completely change the entire design of your site and do not replace the theme files. There are lots of beautiful templates across the web but remember they are not themes.
In principle, a theme changes the footer, header, sidebars, comments, and any part that should be uniformly designed on your site.
Advantages of WordPress themes
There are many obvious benefits to WordPress themes that make their use very common.
Ease of use – For anyone who does not know to program, this is a real lifesaver. Quality themes with a page builder like Elementor can turn any entrepreneur or regular user into a perfectly reasonable web designer.
Save time – Templates save a lot of time for design, development, maintenance, and everything needed around website development and maintenance.
Price – Directly following the previous section, the price of developing a website using a template is significantly cheaper compared to the price of building a theme with a personal design.
Support – Most premium templates have pretty good support that allows you to have a calm mind about the main development files of the site.
Disadvantages of themes for WordPress
Lack of uniqueness – Usually, good templates are widely used by many websites which makes it difficult to create uniqueness at the design level.
Website speed – the more cluttered the theme is or alternatively, it is not well-built and loaded with elements, the more the website speed will be affected negatively.
Malfunctions – Many times themes can lead you to unexpected malfunctions such as a conflict between the themes core files and WordPress plugins code.
Control – that you build a website and also its template, you have complete control from the first moment about the proper development and the full process. When you purchase a template or use a free ready-made template you are actually dependent on the company that sold it to you to provide important security updates and updates over the years.
Recommended Marketplaces And WordPress Themes
In the WordPress library, you can find countless themes with high ratings. However, there are other really good themes in different marketplaces and individual vendors across the web.
ThemeForest Best Marketplaces
You can find thousands of premium themes and choose from the various categories using their smart sorting tool. It is important to look at the ratings of the software house that released the template beyond the ratings of the theme itself.
Muskan Best WordPress / Woocommerce Theme
Minopress is Best WordPress Theme and a highly recommended theme for 2022, They also sell themes and templates at ThemeForest Marketplace and have excellent 5-star reviews.
Porto | Multipurpose & WooCommerce Theme
This theme is highly recommended by buyers, it comes with many options, this theme has an option to build pages in a quick and easy way, in Elementor or WPBakery
TemplateMonster Template and Themes Marketplaces
A market of ready-made design templates that allows you to choose from an endless selection of beautiful designs. Please note – it is important to pay attention to the duration of the warranty and support here as well.
Questions and answers about WordPress themes
What is the difference between premium and free themes?
The big difference between free and premium themes is usually the ongoing updates, features, and other elements that make the premium theme my favourite option.
True, you can always find a good free template but keep in mind that in the end, you will need a suitable support system and that the theme will always be updated to the latest version of WordPress (to make sure there were no security breaches on the site). So paying for a premium theme is a binding recommendation especially if you are building a site that is beyond a personal blog.
How much does a WordPress theme cost?
Costs of themes between $ 29 to $ 129 on most sites, and template designs cost in the range of $ 29 to $ 79.
In conclusion:
In most cases, it is better to use a premium WordPress theme, because of the quality, the customer service.
In the end, buying a premium theme saves you a lot of money, from designing a unique design and building the theme for WordPress from scratch.
