5 Reasons to Choose Premium WordPress Themes
Reading Time: 5 minutes 
Yep, WordPress is free. With all the free WordPress themes available, why pay for something you can get for free? Read on…
New clients seeking help with their sites often use free, public-domain, bare-bones themes. In most cases, the tweaks or features they want their theme to do are not baked into the mix.
Most are also unaware of the benefits of investing in a premium WordPress theme, both in performance and support, not to mention the features and sometimes theme-specific widgets and plugins included.
We’ve all heard the saying, “You get what you pay for.” The fact is that there is no incentive for free theme creators to support that theme in the long term. So what’s in it for them?
Most also offer premium themes with additional features and functions they want to show you. Others think that an unprofessional link to their website in your website’s footer will help with SEO.
Premium WordPress Themes = Support
We all need support at one point or another. You support talented and conscientious developers when you purchase a premium WordPress theme. Developers who are committed to creating a quality product. A product that they are willing to back with the service they know their users require.
If you think about it, service is a huge differentiator. Without the support your users require, even the best product out there is for naught. No matter the business, without reliable customer service, you will not succeed.
Moving away from free themes was something I did from the start. I learned the hard way, and that’s when I decided to seek out those developers positioned to offer their products for the foreseeable future.
Many years ago, I was burned by a premium theme. Yes, even a theme I paid for turned out to be junk. Unfortunately, it can happen to the best of us. (Is it a coincidence that the company is no more?)
That’s why I never recommend, refer to, or write about products and services I don’t use on my websites. If it is not good enough for me — it isn’t good enough for you.
But paying for something in itself is not a guarantee. That’s why doing your due diligence is essential when spending your hard-earned dollars.
These experiences also taught me not to go too far off the beaten path. Instead, I stick with established, time-tested companies for the products I use in my business. I need that confidence in my back pocket to contribute to my success.
One less thing to worry about…
This approach allows me to run my websites without worrying about my theme not working correctly, not updating when needed due to bugs or security concerns, or falling behind. If a theme doesn’t keep up with WordPress, you’ll eventually have to switch. The longer you wait, the further behind you’ll be.
I don’t have to worry about bugs or theme developers who don’t respond to updates or security concerns, which lets me focus on other issues that require my attention.
The fact is that having a WordPress website can be overwhelming. The site owner must constantly keep up with a slew of mandatory tasks. While DIYing your website is still something you can do on your own, truth be told, most are not up to the challenge.
A website requires tracking many details: off-site backups, security, performance metrics, updates, SEO, and site health status. That is, if you want to keep your site running smoothly and error-free and, more importantly, produce the results you desire.
Free Can End Up Costing Even More
What happens if your site gets hacked due to crummy code? Or when it is no longer compatible with the latest version of WordPress and PHP? Clunky code can impact your performance metrics, which can affect your SEO. That’s when the $$$ starts adding up.
Still not ready to open your wallet? Here are a few more benefits for your consideration:
Make the Wise Business Decision
There are some decent free themes out there. Most of the quality free themes are coincidentally offered by premium WordPress theme developers. This approach is the developer’s way of giving you a taste of their work and helping get the word out about their premium theme offerings.
Unless you know what to look for, you may work diligently to integrate a new free theme into your site, only to discover it doesn’t meet your needs. Or worse, it has bugs or doesn’t keep up with technology. And try to get your questions answered or any support you need when you need it. Good luck with that.
Yes, there are exceptions, but they are not the norm. For these reasons, I only recommend and have partnered with Premium WordPress Theme Developers whose themes I’ve worked with, whose support I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, and whom I can trust to recommend to you.
$100-150/year for a quality, cutting-edge supported WordPress site design — priceless.
At your service,
