Why I Switched to a Free WordPress Theme + Blog Design Updates

Why I Switched to a Free WordPress Theme + Blog Design Updates

It’s been a while since I’ve made changes to the design of Let’s Reach Success. And while it wasn’t necessary, it’s a fun creative project for me, which also usually goes together with a change in direction and looking for ways to optimize my site’s performance and content strategy.

The funny thing is that I made changes in my blog design two times in the last 3 months. I first purchased a new WP theme and installed it on my site. But after that, I actually replaced it with a free WordPress theme (after having used only paid ones for years now).

Let me tell you why. 

passive income blog boss graphic

When to Pick a New WordPress Theme

If you’re still using a free WordPress theme but want your blog to perform better, to load faster and to look in a more unique way, then you better get a premium theme. 

That means purchasing one from somewhere and installing it on your site and activating it, just like you did with a free theme.

Paid ones are more lightweight, offer way more features and customization, and have better code. Some might be ideal for an eCommerce store, others go together with many templates which can be ideal for a website representing your brand, or let’s say if you’re a coach or service provider. So definitely do your research first and find the one that feels right and which is created for the type of website and business you have.

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need to invest in a theme yet. You’re better off spending your time getting your blog off the ground, creating helpful content, optimizing it, and getting some traffic. As well as publishing your blog pages, defining its categories, deciding what to include in the menu and in the footer, whether to have a sidebar or not, and so on.

If you are ready to invest in your website, though, and have the time for it, you might as well do it now and make sure your blog looks and performs great. This is also important for your brand and how you stand out from other WordPress sites using free themes and which look the same.

However, there’s one theme in particular (and maybe other ones that I don’t know about), the free version of which is also good, and that’s Kadence.

I know many pro bloggers and SEO experts who use it (usually, the Pro version), but the free one is also pretty amazing. I never thought I’d be using a free WordPress theme again, but here we are.

Why I Got a New WordPress Theme

I’m on a quest to optimizing my site, remove thin content, keeping it lightweight and having fewer plugins. I’m currently using Elementor, which is known as the best page builder and can help you design a pretty professional-looking website. But I also think I’m better off without it. 

Less is more when it comes to the number of plugins on your WordPress site, as each increases load time and uses server space. Page builders are known for conflicting with other plugins, slowing down your site, using code that’s bigger than it needs to be and then you need to clean it up, and so on.

Of course, most bloggers rely on them because they can’t afford a web designer, but want to design their site the way they want, and page builders make that look easy.

You can read more about the pros and cons of using a page builder and decide for yourself.

The case with Elementor is that once you design many pages on your blog with it, it becomes too much of a hassle to remove it and re-design each of them. Also many premium themes now go together with beautiful Elementor templates and that can be tempting.

First I wanted to pick a new WordPress theme though, then slowly redesign each page that’s done with Elementor, and then remove the page builder plugin.

I’m also making other changes in my blogging business, such as doing a content audit, removing some categories, working on growing blog traffic after losing it, and a change of its design and layout sounded good.

So I picked a theme and got it. This was also my chance to re-evaluate everything, from what to display on the homepage and in the menu, to whether or not to use breadcrumbs, how to design the footer, how to improve branding. It’s a nice reminder to update the main pages of the website as it’s been a while.

What I Love About Kadence 

Once I installed and activated the Kadence theme from the free WordPress theme directory, I also added 2 new plugins:

  • Kadence Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks for Page Builder Features;
  • Starter Templates by Kadence WP.

I could then remove Elementor and only use Kadence and Gutenberg to design a beautiful website.

The free Kadence theme comes with:

  • Professional-looking starter templates;
  • Header/footer builder;
  • Multiple posts and pages layouts (including Archives and 404);
  • Breadcrumbs;
  • Social links;
  • Scroll to top option.

And many more ways to customize it, make it look great, provide a great user experience (such as a search bar in the menu which expands when clicked, a button in the menu where you can place your most important offer, etc.) 

And thanks to the Kadence Blocks plugin, you also get many other features.

By the way, I also picked the free Kadence theme to test it. I might switch to Pro later on. For now, though, it doesn’t seem necessary.

One thing I want to mention about the starter templates is that they work best on a brand new site. I installed one and it overwrote the main pages of my site and caused some errors, so I had to use my backup to revert the damage.

The workaround I found to still use the templates is to install it on another site I have and which has no traffic, and copy and paste sections from it that I liked.

But if you have a brand new blog, just install one of the templates and you’ll love the end result. 

Now, let me share the exact changes I made to the design of my blog.

The Menu

In the menu, I have the About page, Blog, Podcast, Books, Courses, a Learn tab with a dropdown menu that shows some of the main blog categories, each of which is a well-designed and optimized page that contains more than just a list of articles. 

After that you can see another menu tab, which looks like a button. It’s named Community, and it links to the membership enrolment page

This is my main offer and the best way for bloggers to work with me, so I want it to be visible in many ways.

The Homepage

I replicated the previous design I had with some changes here and there. The idea is that you first see an image of me and a title and text of what I help you with, and below is an opt-in form for a freebie. 

Below, you can see the 2 main things I teach, building a blogging business and becoming a course creator. 

After that there’s a section titled ‘Content for Every Step of Your Journey’. It links to the interviews with business owners I publish, the podcast and my programs.

What follows is an About me section, linking to the About page where I share my story in detail, then you can see the latest articles.

I love the 2 sections at the end of the page. One displaying the blogger interviews, and another one inviting you to join the blogging community. 

Footer 

My footer looks a bit differently too. I love the Footer options Kadence comes with.

letsreachsuccess blog design kadence footer

It has a few parts.

First, there’s a ‘Get Started’ list with links to blogging resources I have. Then there’s a company section, which links to the About, Blog and contact pages, testimonials, the page for advertisers, and I also aded a sitemap there. Third comes a search menu, and some social links.

The legal pages are below, as well as the copyright notice.

Blog Posts

I’ve also updated the fonts and colors. Individual blog posts look different too.

If you head to the Blog and click on the latest article, you can see that the layout is different. Things look different on desktop and mobile, of course, but I’m talking about the desktop view now.

letsreachsuccess.com blog design post

The featured image is on top. Below you can see the breadcrumb (a navigation feature that’s good for SEO and user experience and which shows where you are on the website in relation to the homepage).

The blog category is underneath, followed by the title.

I have social share buttons added in the beginning and at the end of blog posts. I recently removed the floating ones actually, and only left these.

At the end of the article, you can see the tags, an author bio, the previously published article, and related posts.

In the sidebar, you can currently find a search tab, an About me section,  the 5 latest blog posts, and two promo graphics.

If you don’t have an ad blocker, you’ll also see ads everywhere, but I don’t see that, so I’m just talking about the actual blog elements. Each of these is carefully thought-out.

Conclusion

Back in 2018, I posted a similar article. You can check it out here. It’s also about installing a new theme, which improved the site’s speed and performance almost right away. I think that was my first paid theme.

What you might immediately notice is how different the style I go for is. Now it’s feminine, there are more features, I have more to offer than just content (such as the podcast, the courses, the membership, books, interviews). My photos are also everywhere, I’m not hiding that much anymore. The focus is also on authority and site structure

It’s always fun for me to see how things are evolving. This also shows how me and my interests and taste are changing. Then the blog looked more like a magazine, and the colors and design elements weren’t feminine at all. 

I hope this inspires you to re-design your blog better, maybe give a free WordPress theme like Kadence a chance, and improve the looks and functionality of your site.

Want to re-design your blog and give a free WordPress theme like Kadence a chance? Here's why I did it and how it works:

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