SHOULD ONE USE A FREE THEME OR HIRE A WORDPRESS WEB DESIGNER TO CREATE A CUSTOM THEME?

Should I use a free WordPress theme or hire a WordPress developer to make a customized website? The answer to this question depends upon your business needs and the budget that you hold. There are some essential things that you need to know before you make the final decision. Each of the two options has its own set of pros and cons. It’s on you what you decide.

To help you make the right decision, we have put together an account of what are the benefits of using free themes and in what ways is it not the best idea to use them to build your business website.

PRE-BUILT THEMES ARE AFFORDABLE AND EASY TO USE

WordPress offers multiple extraordinary templates that make it easy to develop a website. Once you start exploring the different types of themes it offers, you will get to know that most of the themes are easy to build on and they are super convenient, not just for the one who is building the site, but for those who are using it. There are several business websites that are developed on pre-built themes and they are doing a fabulous job in the market. The pre-built themes are easy to use and super affordable. If you are planning to opt for a fully customized website, it would cost more than $10,000 just for building and designing, with no content or build-out. The other things would require a big budget and investment in order to create a proper website. So, those who are short on the budget will find free themes a better option.

FREE THEMES ARE COSTLIER IN THE LONG RUN

Pre-built websites are expensive in the long run. A theme may be completely free to use. When you build your website using a free theme, there are a lot of aspects of a website which you will feel need tweaking later in the future. And when you try to make changes, it will cost you a lot.

LIMITED CUSTOMIZATION

Although free WordPress themes cover most of the needs, there is a limit to customization that they allow. Every business would want their website to be a reflection of them and with free themes, it is not quite possible to make every area of the website as you like. For a fully customized website, you will have to opt for paid themes or build one from a scratch.

FREE THEMES DO NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT EVERY TIME

When you pay for a service, the service provider is bound to offer all the support that you need. However, that is not the case with free themes. There is no surety that you will get the support that you expect when you use a free WordPress theme.

FREE THEMES INCREASE THE LOAD

Pre-built free themes have a lot of attractions and fancy animations so that they could attract users. Although these cool effects make the website very appealing, it requires JavaScript, and therefore, it slows down the website and increases the load on it.

A LOT OF BUGS

Sometimes we find most of the themes to be very buggy. They usually do not work properly and do not have good reviews too. Therefore, it also slows down the website and it may not work properly as in the way that you are expecting it to work.

PERSONALIZATION

By using free pre-built themes, you are restricted to the theme design. You can't design the website the way you had imagined. If personalization is your priority, then free WordPress themes are not the best bet for you.

Free WordPress themes may work well for small businesses that are initially only looking to build an online presence. However, that isn’t the case with well-established businesses. They need to have detailed and fully functional websites that are designed to perfection according to their services. That can only be done when an experienced WordPress web developer works on the website from a scratch. Depending on the scale of your business, your needs, and your budget, you should decide whether a free theme is suitable for you or hiring a WordPress web developer will serve the purpose better.