Are you unsure of the steps to take before switching WordPress themes?
When changing your WordPress theme, there are a few critical steps you must follow to guarantee the process goes smoothly and you do not lose any valuable data.
Once you’ve picked which theme to use, make sure to follow the checklist below to avoid losing any content or data during the changeover.
Things You MUST DO Before Changing WordPress Themes
>> Take Note of Any WordPress Theme Customizations
Coding snippets are added directly into theme files by certain WordPress website owners in order to customize their themes. Additions to your website that are not included in the default theme can be made with code snippets.
If you add such snippets directly to your theme files, though, it’s simple to lose track of them.
If you or a web developer made these modifications, look through your current theme files and make a note of any extra code that was introduced.
We always advocate using a code snippets plugin like WPCode to add code snippets in the future. In this manner, even if you change themes later, you can preserve those bits.
>> Get the most recent WordPress theme performance metrics.
Before changing your theme, you should evaluate the speed and performance of your present website. This allows you to compare any variations in page load speed after switching themes.
Because WordPress speed and performance are essential factors in user experience and SEO, you should make sure the new theme is quicker than the one you’re currently using.
Using a WordPress speed testing tool, such as IsItWP’s free website speed testing tool, you can simply verify your existing website speed metrics.
>> Take note of the theme’s current sidebars and widget areas.
Sidebars are used to add widgets such as email newsletter signup forms, social media buttons, popular posts, and more to your website.
Because each theme has various widget regions, if you transfer themes, your widgets may unexpectedly relocate or disappear from your site.
That’s why, before switching themes, compile a list of the widgets you’re using in your WordPress sidebars and any other widget locations on your website. After switching, you can easily recreate them.
If you used custom code or shortcodes, make a duplicate of it and save it somewhere safe so you may use it with your new theme.
>> Copy Existing WordPress Tracking Codes
Many users will directly add analytics tracking code to their theme files. Some WordPress themes also enable you to insert tracking tags straight into the theme settings panel.
It’s common to ignore these crucial tracking codes.
Make a duplicate of all of your website tracking codes for analytics, advertising, and other purposes so you may upload them to your new website.
>> Make a backup of your current WordPress website.
Backing up your website on a regular basis is usually a smart idea. Before you change your theme, make a comprehensive backup of your posts, pages, plugins, media, and databases.
The simplest method is to use a WordPress backup plugin to generate a backup of your complete site.
Learn How to Backup your WordPress site >>
>> Set Your WordPress Website to Maintenance Mode
When making updates to your website, it’s usually a good idea to place it in maintenance mode. In maintenance mode, you may provide a user-friendly notification to your visitors.
This prevents your visitors from seeing your website while it is still in the works.
To do this, we recommend using the Maintenance plugin.
>> Test all functionality and WordPress plugins that have been installed.
When you activate a new WordPress theme, you must check that you have the same functionality as before and that all of your previous plugins are compatible with your new theme.
Begin by reintroducing the code snippets you downloaded from your previous WordPress theme files. More information may be found in our beginner’s guide on copying code snippets into WordPress.
Then, spend some time using the WordPress plugin-powered features on your site.
>> Test the New WordPress Theme on Different Browsers and Devices
Cross-browser testing will ensure that your new website appears fine across a variety of browsers, screen sizes, operating systems, and mobile devices.
The majority of your readers will most likely visit your WordPress blog using Google Chrome. Other web browsers, like as Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and others, are still used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
If your new website doesn’t operate properly in one of these browsers, you’re losing visitors and traffic.
Fortunately, there are several cross-browser testing tools available to help you examine how your website looks across multiple browsers and devices.
>> Remove WordPress Plugins You No Longer Require
When you install some WordPress themes, plugins are pre-installed. Some of them may be beneficial at times, while others will not.
To discover if your theme has included any new plugins, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Now is also a good time to check over your plugin list to determine if any plugins should be removed.
>> Let Your Users Know Your New Website is Live
When you’re ready to go live with your new WordPress theme, you may disable maintenance mode.
You should also contact your readers to inform them about your new website. This will prepare your audience so that any major design changes do not confuse them, and it will also assist to keep your subscribers interested and returning to your site to view the new look.
Notifying your audience through social media, push notifications, and your email newsletter is something we strongly advise.
>> Test Loading Speeds for Your New WordPress Theme
Once your new theme is online and you’ve completed the preceding procedures, it’s time to run another speed test. Ideally, your new website will be speedier and have higher speed test ratings.
Simply use the same website speed tool you used previously and compare the results.
If the new theme is slower than the old one, conduct numerous tests from different locations, and check for any caching or firewall settings that may be causing the drop.
>> Keep an eye on the bounce rate of your WordPress website.
The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors that arrive on your website and leave without proceeding to the next page. A high bounce rate indicates that you were unable to persuade your visitor to stay on your site long enough to take action.
It’s critical to keep an eye on your bounce rate after switching themes. Some themes are just better at assisting visitors in navigating your site.
If your bounce rate has increased since changing themes, you should attempt to reduce it. You may do this by enhancing your navigation menus, including a popular posts widget, and including additional internal connections, among other things.
>> To Improve Your WordPress Website, Pay Attention to Reader Feedback.
Finally, after switching to a new theme, it’s critical to listen to reader’s input. Certain aspects of your design may be favored or despised by some readers.
You are not required to listen to every reader and implement their suggestions. However, if a large number of people are having the same problem, it’s probably worth investigating.
You may get visitor input by including a contact form on your website or by conducting a poll asking for reader opinions on your new design.
We hope this post has taught you all you need to know before switching WordPress themes.
You have chosen your theme, so now is the time to launch your brand-new image and take the world by storm.
