When you start creating a new website, the first and most important thing you might think about is the appearance of this website, and if it is based on WordPress, it will be the template that performs this task and the possibility of customizing it. To provide you with the desired look and feel, and among the widespread types of templates, you will probably tend most of the time to using a free WordPress template, and if so, are you sufficiently aware of the advantages and disadvantages of these templates?!
In this article, we explain to you why we advise you to stay away from this option.
In fact, we can classify WordPress templates into two basic types: ready-made templates and special templates. Some of the ready-made templates are free and some are paid.
At first glance, it may seem like a good idea to use a free WordPress theme; But you will soon discover that it is not the right idea and you will face many problems that are not desirable, especially for you as the site owner.
Why don’t we recommend using a free WordPress theme?
Based on experience and expertise, we do not always recommend using free WordPress templates. Below we will learn more about why it is recommended to stay away from using this type of template. There are a group of disadvantages that we will mention in detail:
1. It does not contain technical support
Technical support is almost devoid of any service provided today, but when talking about the field of WordPress and free templates in particular, the matter will be a little different, as these templates, unlike other paid templates, have very limited support, meaning that some, but not all, free templates may have technical support. But it is not as good as those with paid templates, and that is due to the template’s technical support team.
2. Missing updates
According to technical support, updates are also not supported in most of these free templates; Because it is released for free for everyone to use and does not have the same support as other paid templates, the updates aspect cannot be ignored; It must be given great importance because of its role in speeding up the site’s response and increasing its security.
3. Not permanently secured
As an obvious result of the above, the template not containing constant updates may expose the site to danger, because it no longer keeps pace with technical developments and security updates in particular, which address gaps that may expose the site to collapse. This is unlike other paid templates, which often have a team. Integrated and specialized support constantly updates the template, addresses its security aspects, and increases its compatibility with add-ons and other components on the site. All of this is in addition to the presence of pirated templates that expose the site to serious problems.
4. PROPERTIES LIMITED
Perhaps the most prominent disadvantages that free templates face are: the very limited number of features and components that prevent them from achieving the purpose in the desired manner, as these templates lack many of the features that should be available in websites, the most prominent of which are the options for customizing the way the site appears, the ways and place of displaying widgets and menus, and the extent to which The capabilities available to the site manager, in addition to the site’s responsiveness to different devices, language support, components and sections that can be included in the site’s pages, and other characteristics.
5. Not always responsive
WordPress website templates must be responsive to different devices and sizes, that is, the way the content is displayed on the site must be appropriate and attractive and can be interacted with easily and without any problems, such as difficulty reading and browsing the site. But the responsiveness problem always appears in many free WordPress templates, and this is also due to the template not being constantly updated, and the lack of sufficient and ongoing technical and technical support for it.
6. Not completely free
The word free may seem a bit deceptive. Free WordPress templates are not completely free as they seem to you. There are hidden costs that you may pay in the future. As problems quickly appear on the site, and many other matters that require the intervention of an expert to solve and deal with them, such as: security problems and vulnerabilities, compatibility problems with some components and add-ons, defects in response and display methods, and the template’s lack of many features and characteristics, which may prompt the hiring of specialists. In these areas.
This may cost many times the cost of purchasing a paid template that basically contains the required features, full technical support, and continuous updating. Even if you encounter any errors or problems, all you have to do is contact the technical support team and they will take care of the task themselves.
7. Restricted customizability
What restricts the site in this aspect are two things: the first is the difficulty of obtaining a distinctive visual personal identity for the site, given the limited features and the large number of audiences who use the same template with the same appearance, and the second is the lack of advanced customization options in the template, and the template often conflicts with some add-ons that give The site has additional features that distinguish it from others, similar to the disabled features that are only found in the paid versions of these templates.
8. Loss of personality
Imagine that you are among a large number of people who wear the same clothes with the same colors and appearance; Will someone distinguish you from this large crowd?
Don’t forget that when you use a free WordPress theme; There are often thousands of sites that use your template; Because it will be freely available to everyone, and perhaps this may seem like a simple thing to some; But it is a significant problem if you want to have a distinctive website that is not very similar and overpriced on the Internet.
Of course, you will not be able to fully customize the site ownership rights line (all rights reserved) that is located at the bottom of the site pages, which will make the site lose its identity and character, which is supposed to be unique in its form and content.
9. Spam links
Some developers of free templates set conditions for use, including preserving the form of the template, and the contents they put in it, such as some of the links that are found in the template, are essentially integrated into the template code, or they cause the template to lose its properties when deleted, and these links either have a path that leads to special promotional pages. By the developer, or they are malicious links, especially if the template is from an unknown and unreliable source. It may have been reprogrammed and released on the Internet for malicious purposes, and certainly the site owner will not accept any content that is not related to it.
10. Not well optimized for search engines
Users of free templates may face difficulty in archiving and preparing their sites for online search engines, meaning that the search results for the site do not appear at the top of the results page and the site may be slow. This brings us back to the main axis due to which the rest of the defects in the site often appear, which is the problem of updating and support. The continuous disruption of the template, in addition to not designing and programming the template optimally since its launch for use, causes poor quality of use and many problems for users.
11. Compatibility issues
Users of free WordPress templates often face problems with their sites due to these templates conflicting with other components and advanced plugins, which often perform the tasks of improving the appearance of the site and increasing its loading speed, in addition to other features that increase the efficiency and speed of the site, and the quality of its performance.
common questions
Are we always wary of free templates?
In fact, the goal of this article is not to permanently warn against the free WordPress templates , some of which we have recommended before, but to keep some caveats in mind so that you are not deceived into downloading an unprofessional template or downloading it from an unreliable source and then encountering the problems mentioned.
The solution is not complicated, as you can purchase one of the paid templates available online; But you must ensure that it is reliable, that there is technical support and continuous updating for it, and that it contains all the features that you want, or you can go to contract with one of the specialized template developers , and agree to create a template with unique features as you want.
Why are these templates free?
WordPress theme developers aspire to release the themes they have developed to the public. With the aim of obtaining ratings and reviews for them and receiving comments, opinions, and any improvements that users of these templates may provide based on their experience with them; Which leads to improving their technical and programming skills, in addition to sharing with others and creating a name in the market for the template developer.
What criteria do I follow to choose my template type?
To choose the perfect template type that will last on your site and provide high efficiency; We must stop for a moment and take the following criteria into account:
1) Required characteristics
Before purchasing a template, make sure that this template contains all the features that you want in it, such as the presentation method and contents that your site will include in the future.
2) Make sure there is support and updates
You should make sure that there is continuous support for the template in case you encounter any problems during use, and also that there are continuous updates to it that keep pace with everything new in the world of WordPress.
3) Determine your financial budget
You must determine the financial cost that you will pay for the template that you will use. Each template has its advantages and therefore each template has its own price based on the advantages it offers.
4) Price does not reflect quality
A high price does not have to be an indicator of a good template; You can get a template with exclusive and unique features for a reasonable and low price.
5) Check reviews
If the template is ready and available for purchase on the online market; Before getting the template, review the comments, the number of users, their ratings of the template, and what their experience was like. This will help you evaluate the template and learn about its advantages and disadvantages before using it on your site. Also, the presence of a user community will help you if the template is available for purchase for more than one user.
When can I use the free templates?
You can use free templates in a number of cases, most notably the following:
- If you do not care about the defects that we mentioned previously and do not affect the nature of the work of your site.
- The functions on the site are basic and do not require additional functions and features.
- The site is simple and does not require any special appearance.
- Free templates can be used during the startup phase of launching your own website and monitoring the initial results.
- You don’t have the funds to use a paid template.
In conclusion, we cannot ignore the features that uniquely free templates have over other types of templates, which are their free use, and the good option they give to new users, beginners in the field of WordPress, and owners of simple websites, as they often have a large user community that is easy to communicate with, and offer Problems that the user may encounter and discussion thereof.
These are the most prominent and important aspects that must be taken into account when thinking about using any free template, and we recommend following the previous tips and following the important criteria to choose the type of template that is appropriate for you.
