Demo websites are often misleading
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 4:26 am
All developers of WordPress themes are of course extremely careful to present their product in the best possible light. So you shouldn't let your decision be influenced too much by fully optimized demo websites. Demo themes are perfectly coordinated: images, colors and typography usually work together perfectly. The loading time is also already optimized and can look completely different with your later setup.
So remember that you will be using your own images later. Demo websites often use high-quality, paid stock images to convey a coherent overall impression. Theme developers are of course not allowed to deliver licensed images with the theme (theme image licenses).
Test mobile view
Also test the mobile view of the WordPress theme. You can do this using your browser's developer tools, for example. I'll show you how this works using Chrome and the Raidboxes website as an example:
Step 1
Go to “View” → “Developer” → “Developer Tools” (in Chrome). Alternatively, you can open the developer console by pressing Cmd + Option + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows).
WordPress Themes Developer Console
Step 2
Move the developer tools down a bit so that the website is visible and then click gambling data philippine on the mobile icon on the left. The default setting is "Responsive". This allows you to move the view as you wish and immediately see how it changes.
WordPress Themes Responsive Button
Step 3
By clicking on “Responsive” you will see options for different devices and can test the corresponding view.
WordPress Themes Responsive
You can also use your browser's developer console to see how many scripts (in the head area) the WordPress theme is loading. Many script files reduce the performance of the WordPress website.
If possible, test your chosen WordPress theme on your mobile phone. This will give you a direct impression of the loading time and the responsive view of the theme.
YouTube is your friend
On YouTube, you'll most likely find a review or comparison of one or more WordPress themes. Often in English, but this is usually a promising option for taking a look behind the scenes of a theme.
Read reviews & search forums
Ratings or reviews give you further insight into how the selected theme performs compared to others. However, the ratings for the free themes on wordpress.org are usually not very meaningful.
Also pay attention to the "Last updated" display on the free themes on wordpress.org. If an update was made more than half a year ago, it's best to avoid it. This point is more important than it first appears, because many compatibilities can break over time or are already broken if the theme doesn't receive updates.
More sales with the right content? That's how good content marketing works.
Learn more
You can find much more information on portals like Themeforest for paid themes. Here you can often ask so-called "presale questions", i.e. questions before you buy. The reviews of paid themes on Themeforest also give you information about how the theme developer responds to problems and queries. If the questions are not answered promptly, this suggests mediocre support.
Good theme developers also have special support forums for their themes. Here, too, you can find valuable information about common problems. If questions are answered promptly here, too, it shows that the developers have a real interest in their theme.
changelog wordpress theme
For example, try to find a so-called “change log” for a WordPress theme via Google. Here you can view the update history of a theme.
Checklist for reviews, questions, forums and tutorials:
Study reviews – Google search for experiences (pay attention to timeliness)
Ask questions to the developer (Presell Questions)
Find YouTube videos with reviews & tutorials
How up to date is the theme kept, is there a changelog?
Is there a support forum? If so, where do common problems arise?
Can you raise support tickets with the theme developers?
So remember that you will be using your own images later. Demo websites often use high-quality, paid stock images to convey a coherent overall impression. Theme developers are of course not allowed to deliver licensed images with the theme (theme image licenses).
Test mobile view
Also test the mobile view of the WordPress theme. You can do this using your browser's developer tools, for example. I'll show you how this works using Chrome and the Raidboxes website as an example:
Step 1
Go to “View” → “Developer” → “Developer Tools” (in Chrome). Alternatively, you can open the developer console by pressing Cmd + Option + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows).
WordPress Themes Developer Console
Step 2
Move the developer tools down a bit so that the website is visible and then click gambling data philippine on the mobile icon on the left. The default setting is "Responsive". This allows you to move the view as you wish and immediately see how it changes.
WordPress Themes Responsive Button
Step 3
By clicking on “Responsive” you will see options for different devices and can test the corresponding view.
WordPress Themes Responsive
You can also use your browser's developer console to see how many scripts (in the head area) the WordPress theme is loading. Many script files reduce the performance of the WordPress website.
If possible, test your chosen WordPress theme on your mobile phone. This will give you a direct impression of the loading time and the responsive view of the theme.
YouTube is your friend
On YouTube, you'll most likely find a review or comparison of one or more WordPress themes. Often in English, but this is usually a promising option for taking a look behind the scenes of a theme.
Read reviews & search forums
Ratings or reviews give you further insight into how the selected theme performs compared to others. However, the ratings for the free themes on wordpress.org are usually not very meaningful.
Also pay attention to the "Last updated" display on the free themes on wordpress.org. If an update was made more than half a year ago, it's best to avoid it. This point is more important than it first appears, because many compatibilities can break over time or are already broken if the theme doesn't receive updates.
More sales with the right content? That's how good content marketing works.
Learn more
You can find much more information on portals like Themeforest for paid themes. Here you can often ask so-called "presale questions", i.e. questions before you buy. The reviews of paid themes on Themeforest also give you information about how the theme developer responds to problems and queries. If the questions are not answered promptly, this suggests mediocre support.
Good theme developers also have special support forums for their themes. Here, too, you can find valuable information about common problems. If questions are answered promptly here, too, it shows that the developers have a real interest in their theme.
changelog wordpress theme
For example, try to find a so-called “change log” for a WordPress theme via Google. Here you can view the update history of a theme.
Checklist for reviews, questions, forums and tutorials:
Study reviews – Google search for experiences (pay attention to timeliness)
Ask questions to the developer (Presell Questions)
Find YouTube videos with reviews & tutorials
How up to date is the theme kept, is there a changelog?
Is there a support forum? If so, where do common problems arise?
Can you raise support tickets with the theme developers?