Not sure, whether you should invest in a premium WordPress theme or not? It’s a common question everywhere. A lot of bloggers ask why do we need a premium WordPress theme if we’ve got thousands of free WordPress themes?
I understand.
As a new blogger, you may have questions like these.
When I started out, it was a baffling decision.
Free theme vs premium theme?
When someone emails me, or ask in my blogging community for starting a blog, I recommend two things;
1) Self-hosting with WordPress
2) A premium theme
If you’ve still not figured how to start a professional blog, then use this ultimate blogging tutorial to start your own blog from scratch. It covers everything you need to know about blogging! Also, find out the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot use a free WordPress theme. Of course, you can. There are multiple free WordPress templates that you can use for your blog. But, sooner or later, you will be thinking to upgrade to a premium theme for a number of reasons. Mostly, if you want to make a business from your blog then I would definitely suggest a responsive premium theme.
Honestly, I don’t want YOU to run your blog over a free theme for a year and then, considering the upgrade or investing in a premium WordPress theme. If you have started your blog, maybe it’s time to invest in a paid theme.
Why?
Look at the reasons below!
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7 REASONS TO INVEST IN A PREMIUM WORDPRESS THEME FOR YOUR BLOG
Let’s consider few reasons why you should invest in a premium WordPress theme for your blog;
1- Unique Design
As a blogger, you need to stand out from the crowd. And while you struggle to be noticeable, it is really important to choose a unique design that helps to stand out. Many bloggers simply install a free template and do basic changes that don’t make their websites appealing. The uniqueness of your blog design makes you noticeable, professional and dedicated. With a premium WordPress theme, you get unlimited options to distinguish yourself from other bloggers. You get the full freedom to customize a website design according to your brand, and choice.
As there is some money invested in a premium theme which makes these less frequently used by bloggers. Not everyone buys a paid theme. Those who invest enjoy the uniqueness.
Here’s a comment from one of the readers.
Many professionals and businesses use Genesis Framework but every website looks totally different. So, paid themes provide enough customization options to get a unique design.
However, the quality content, brand voice, and unique approach also make your business stand out.
2- Functionality
A number of designers and bloggers love color pickers, drag-and-drop, live previews and all amazing features that lessen the underlying process of designing a website page with coding. If you are somebody like me who don’t want to dig into more of the coding part, then you will love the client’s functionality feature of premium WordPress themes.
Everyone is not a web designer, or possibly interested in becoming one, so why coding?
This is why premium themes often customize the experience with advanced functionality. Now, you don’t need to hire someone. In fact, you can do it on your own.
For example;
Elegant Themes have a drag-and-drop Divi Builder plugin which allows you to make advanced design settings.
That means you can play with all the elements below and make a customized design WITHOUT the need of any coding at all! (Read Elegant Themes Pricing and Complete Review)
The most popular Divi from Elegant Themes has become a major choice for many bloggers, and business owners. Not just Divi makes your site look stunning, but also classy and unique.
Check out Divi here.
3- Compatible with latest WordPress version
One important thing is that premium WordPress themes offer guaranteed compatibility. That shows premium themes are compatible with latest WordPress Updates. The developers who create premium themes are responsible to fix any bugs and keep the code up-to-date. As a theme user, you don’t have to hire someone else to fix these issues if there’s an update to WordPress. Your yearly investment covers up the costs for updates and any other coding issues.
Let’s make it more simple.
On the other hand, free themes are designed once and probably are never updated. Many themes are not even compatible with the latest WordPress updates. At that point, the client or user has to ask a developer to fix any bugs or issues that arise due to updates. While premium themes developers frequently update their themes.
I’ve also compiled a collection of responsive WordPress themes for bloggers and creatives.
4- SEO Advantage
Do you know that a theme framework also plays a significant role in terms of SEO? In fact, responsive website design has become a fundamental component of SEO. It doesn’t matter what sort of website you have, but the responsive design gives a boost to SEO which is essential.
The fact is, people are consuming internet on mobiles and tablets. Desktop usage is falling every day. It looks like the trend is not going to change anytime sooner. Instead of just choosing a design that’s desktop friendly, now you have to choose a mobile-friendly theme.
Google also likes websites that are optimized for mobile users.
Premium Themes from StudioPress and Elegant Themes are popular for the improved site usability, faster page speed, and decreased bounced rate.
If you’re looking for feminine themes check the following themes;
5- Full-Time Support For Clients
The reason a lot of creatives, and bloggers buy a premium WordPress theme is that they always get support from the developers. If you face a problem in installing a theme or designing the elements the customer support team will give you quick guidance and help to resolve the issue. This is all we want, right?
As a user, you get the full support and all the things you need to install and run a professional theme on your site. Because my blog is built on the Genesis Framework, I know how amazing it is. If you choose to buy themes from StudioPress and decided to run your website on the powerful WordPress framework ‘Genesis’.
This is what you get from their customer support.
Even if you consider to hire someone for a customized theme, it can cost you more than $1000 which is huge! A theme that costs you somewhere around $60 – $130 will give you enough options to go unique, responsive and gorgeous!
6- Fully Customizable
Almost all paid themes have built-in options. The customization feature depends on the theme you buy. Many themes have pre-made templates for new bloggers and developers. even if you have no knowledge of coding, the templates are easier to customize with a drag-and-drop feature. Even, all the coding work is mostly done so you shouldn’t have to really mess with it. Just play around with templates, colors, pictures, widgets, texts, and other interesting elements to make your gorgeous website. I love this part of custom themes 😉
By playing with multiple elements and templates, you can easily design your blog in a unique manner. You need to conquer the creative demon inside you!
7 – Free guides and video tutorials
For all those who get scared before investing in a WordPress premium theme, you do get free tutorials. Themes are easy to install on WordPress. But, if you’re buying themes from popular developers then you should feel safe in every matter. These themes don’t just provide security, but their tutorials are excellent guides in installing a theme and making all the necessary website changes.
If you are thinking to go for a premium website theme, just have a look if the developers have tutorials or guides to get started. I’m sure they have!
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE RECOMMENDATIONS
I want to be very honest with you. If you are starting out, and don’t have enough budget then free themes work fine. You can always go for a premium theme when you have a few extra dollars to invest in your blog and business.
And, if you have got a little budget for a premium theme then DEFINITELY invest in one!
You will see the difference.
As my blog runs on the Genesis Framework with a custom Child Theme. If you’re looking for a powerful WordPress management system that handles the security, design and SEO foundation then this can be the ideal choice. Not to mention that you can choose a Studiopress theme according to your business category and a genesis framework would be required to run your theme.
Another favorite strong theme is Divi from Elegant Themes. You can read my complete honest Elegant Themes review to make a decision.
If you’re looking for more options, here’s a collection of Best & Responsive Wordpress Themes For Bloggers and Creatives.
Let me know what are your thoughts on free and premium themes?
What are you currently using on your blog?
Hi Arfa,
I personally love and recommend the Genesis Studio themes. That’s what I use on my blog and I love it.
Yes, most premium themes come with a little bit of a learning curve, but many of them have a great support that you can use if you get lost.
It’s so easy to want to start out with a free theme. After all, most new bloggers don’t want to invest in their blog before it makes them any money.
However, if you start out with a premium theme from the get-go. You won’t have to worry about changing things later. You can get everything set up on a premium theme and have your blog looking the way you want it to from the start.
Thanks for sharing these tips.
Have a great day 🙂
Susan
Hi Susan,
Genesis is love! You are so right. When someone starts with a premium theme they don’t really have to worry about making changes later. It’s just the beginning where one needs to put extra effort and make everything ready.
Thanks so much Susan for sharing your feedback.
I really appreciate that. 🙂
Great read for me as I am just starting out my blog, I will definitely be looking into purchasing a theme. Thank you!
Great! I guess this post came to you at the right time. Definitely, consider investing in a paid theme. All the best.
Agree with you- love Genesis and Child themes (made the mistake of an expensive custom one before not on Genesis on Talent Hounds. What a nightmare- about to pay to switch).
Genesis and child themes is a complete website design for professionals and creatives. It’s good to know that you have chosen Genesis.
Very nice post MAM. Mam I saw you are using Media(dot)net ad network on thisblog. please tell me is this better or Google Adsense is better? .. please reply and thanks for this post.
Hi Anish,
I think ad networks result varies with the niche of the website. I have never had great experience with ads, and I have only tested media net for a few months. What do you blog about?
i am totally agree with you ,when i was new in blogging, i always installed free WordPress theme . but I did not get much benefits, after that I started using the Paid version theme for my WordPress, now i am happy with my theme.
I’m glad you invested in a paid theme and satisfied with the results.