So, you want to change your WordPress theme, but aren’t sure what to do? Switching your WordPress theme is pretty simple.
1) First, locate, download and unzip (extract all files) a WordPress theme that suits your site. Check out my previous post The Best Source For Free WordPress Themes
2) I then upload the new theme to my FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Manager-to WP Content-Themes. I have two blogs (this one and OM), so I Host Unlimited Domains on 1 Bluehost Account $6.95 Per Month
3) If you’ve uploaded correctly, the new theme will show up under “Presentation” of your WordPress Blog. If, for some reason, you don’t see the new theme, just click off of “Presentation” and then click back on it. That always works for me.
4) When you see your new theme under “Themes”, it’s ready for you to use. Just click on the new theme, and you’ll get a message “New Theme Activated – View Site”. Click on the “view site” and there it is. What do you think?
At this point, I do some tweaking, although, I’ve also done a little bit of tweaking before I uploaded the theme to my FTP. Ideally, the tweaking probably should be done prior to uploading, however, I’m not too hung up on having my theme perfect before I start using it. Plus, I don’t want to spend time tweaking something I may not like. After uploading the new theme, I’ve found that some of my plugins aren’t active, because of the “code”, plus my Google Ads need to be reloaded.
If you don’t like your new theme, just click back on your old one, and go back to searching for that perfect WordPress theme. I’ve experimented with dozens of new themes, trying to find one I like that suits my needs. Sometimes, I’ve thought I found a perfect one, but when I start working with it, I find it’s not exactly what I’m looking for. Being a newbie blogger, who’s still following the learning curve, I’ll just experiment until I get it right. Currently, I’m very pleased with both of my themes.
Hint: When I’m searching for a new theme on WordPress Theme Viewer, it’s not uncommon for me to look at all of the 2 or 3 column themes, click “Test Run” on lots of them, and download more than one. Because the ThemeViewer site is being updated constantly, for me, it’s easier to download and later delete, if I don’t like the theme, than it is to go back and search again for just one theme.
