I wrote recently about what you can do when your WordPress plugins have abandoned you, but what can be done  your theme is the issue?

On multiple occasions, clients have to come to us for clean-ups or redesigns of WordPress sites based around free themes. Free is a good thing, of course, but those themes often don’t receive the necessary maintenance to remain compatible with the ongoing WordPress and WordPress plugin updates. In such cases, applying important security and functionality updates can break the site or mess up the layout. When that happens, it’s time to consider a new theme.

To handle such conversions, we usually set up a staging site where we can install and work with a new theme while the previous site remains active and untouched. We then select a theme we’re confident will receive ongoing developer support. In some cases, the theme is compatible with the previous design’s layout and needs only minimal tweaking. Usually, however, it’s necessary to do a full rebuild to take advantage of the new theme’s capabilities and remove any outdated code from the previous one.

Other factors come into play, as well. Does the new theme give us access to plugins that can better showcase the previous design’s content? Does that content warrant creation of a custom post type system for easier client updates? Have previous hacks left remnant files that need to be cleared out before going live with the new theme?

Some sites recently re-themed by Dynamics Online:

• System4 Facility Management
• Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame
• Haber Dermatology
• The Warren Adler Collection

There’s plenty to consider, but don’t let that keep you trapped with an outdated and unsupported theme. Whether you want an upgrade for WordPress compatibility purposes or for a full redesign, feel free to contact us and we’ll help step you through it.