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In this tutorial, we explain how to change or upload a theme in WordPress.

We highly recommend that you research themes before deciding on one. Check to see if it is the right one for your business, whether it has any issues, and how user-friendly it is. To help you, please refer to our blog which lists our Top 10 Free WordPress Themes, or our blog: Does WordPress Have Free Templates?.

Change Or Upload A Theme in WordPress

First, you must be logged in to your Hosted.com Account.

Hosted.com Login Page

1. Login to your Hosted.com account with your username and password.

Hosted.com Client Portal - Dashboard

2. Click on “Manage Services”.

Hosted.com Client Portal - Manage Services

3. Select “WordPress Hosting” from the drop-down menu.

Hosted.com Client Portal - WordPress Hosting

4. Click “Manage” on the right of the screen

Hosted.com Client Portal - Manage WordPress Hosting

5. In “Product Information” followed by “Control Panel” you will see cPanel on the right

6. Click “Login”.

Hosted.com Client Portal - cPanel Logged In

7. Click on your domain name to go to your WordPress Admin area.

8. On your WordPress Dashboard:

Change or Upload a Theme in WordPress - WordPress Dashboard

9. Select “Themes” and a list of your current Themes will be displayed.

Change or Upload a Theme in WordPress - WordPress Themes

10. You can also click on “Install” and a full list of all Themes will open in a new window.

11. Scroll down until you find your Theme of choice and click its “Install” button.

Change or Upload a Theme in WordPress - Install Theme

12. We also recommend that you backup your WordPress site before making any changes to your current theme.

Additional Information

WordPress Staging Sites

To make changes to your website, don’t do this directly on the live version, as this can create problems. Updating a published site runs the risk of breaks, functionality issues and potentially causing the entire site to crash. Rather use a WordPress staging site, or sandbox environment to confirm everything works correctly before going live.

A WordPress staging site is a clone of your WordPress website. It is a separate environment used to edit themes and templates, test new features, and update plugins that allow you to make changes behind the scenes without affecting your live site.

When you set up a WordPress staging site, you can experiment with your site’s appearance and functionality without worrying about compatibility issues, breaks, or downtime.

Once you have finished updating your staging site and have confirmed everything is working correctly, you can clone it back as your revamped website.

Why Change or Upload a Theme?

Changing your WordPress theme and uploading a new one can be beneficial for several reasons. Some of the most common ones include:

Design & Branding

Consider updating your theme if you use an older theme. This can give your site a fresher, more modern look and feel. An outdated theme may make visitors less likely to return or make a purchase. Also, you may want to alter your theme to take advantage of any new branding changes you implemented, like colors, typography, etc. that are now reflected on your website.

Features & Functionality

As your website grows you may find that your current theme no longer gives you the features and functionality you need, such as more robust e-commerce tools and payment gateways, customization, or social media integration.

Mobile Responsiveness

With more people using mobile devices to access the internet and shop online than ever, having a mobile-responsive website is essential. Additionally, if your current theme is not mobile-friendly, changing it will also help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as search engines prefer responsive sites.

Improved Performance

Changing to a faster theme is recommended if your website loads slowly or has problems with plugins and other functions. A slow page can create a poor user experience and lead to potential customers leaving your page before it finishes loading.

Changing your theme to a newer, more modern one can improve your website’s performance, help it load faster, improve user experience, and help visitors stay on your site and complete purchases.

Better Security

Using an outdated theme can lead to security vulnerabilities that can put your site and visitors at risk. Using a newer theme that is updated regularly can help prevent unauthorized access, data theft, or harm to your site and server and keep your website secure.

Plugin & Theme Compatibility

When you integrate new plugins with an older theme, you may find this causes issues with your site. Incompatible plugins will not work correctly, may cause site breaks, or potentially crash your website completely. Older themes may also not be compatible with the latest version of the WordPress software, leading to similar functional and performance issues.

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