WordPress is one of the most commonly used content management systems. If you are deploying your website for the first time you can use the default WordPress themes usually available with automatic script installers such as Softaculous.
However, you might need to change your website theme to make it look more professional and appealing to your visitors. This is very important especially if you want to promote your brand and match your theme to the look and feel of your company.
In this guide, we will take you through the steps of changing your WordPress theme.
Prerequisites
- Domain name
- Hosting account that supports WordPress
- WordPress admin username and password
Step 1: Login to your WordPress admin section
Your WordPress website has both a frontend and backend. The latter is an admin section where you perform all administrative tasks such as creating new posts, approving comments installing themes and plugins, e.t.c.
First, log in to the admin section by entering your domain name followed by “/wp-admin†on a web browser. For instance, if your domain name is ‘www.example.com’ enter the text below:
https://www.example.com/wp-admin
You should see the login screen as shown below. Enter your username and password and click ‘Login’ to proceed. Tick the checkbox ‘Remember Me’ if you are using a personal computer so that you can stay logged in.
Step 2: Locate Appearance settings from the dashboard
Once you are in the dashboard, locate Appearance settings from the left menu and select themes.
Step 3: Install your preferred theme
If you want to add a theme that is already installed on your WordPress, you can do this by selecting it from the next screen. Once you locate your preferred theme, hover your computer mouse over it and click on ‘Activate’ as shown below:
If you want to see how your website looks before you permanently apply the theme, click on the ‘Live Preview’ button. This WordPress feature can be helpful if you are comparing a lot of WordPress themes.
Step 4: Upload a new theme
Sometimes, you might purchase a premium theme from a third party vendor. In this case, you need to upload the theme files manually on your WordPress site. To do this, click the ‘Add New’ button on the themes screen as shown below:
Next, click on ‘Upload Theme’ on the next screen
Then, click on ‘Choose File’ and locate where you have saved your WordPress theme. The file is usually an archived folder with a ‘.zip’ extension. Then, click ‘Install Now’ button to upload and install the WordPress theme on your web server.
WordPress will automatically install the theme and if everything is successful, you will see the following message. Just click ‘Activate’ to apply the theme to your WordPress website.
Your new theme will be activated and you can now visit your website to view the changes
Conclusion
Changing your WordPress theme should not be a complicated process. If you have access to the admin section, you can upload and change your WordPress theme with just a few clicks. You should consider purchasing professional WordPress theme if you don’t want your website to look too generic. I hope this guide will help you to choose your preferred WordPress theme and match it to your company’s website.
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