Understanding Support for a Premium WordPress Theme
Written By: Shane Clark on May 28, 2020
As I am in the middle of dealing with a website crisis related to a broken premium WordPress theme, I thought this is as good a time as any to write a blog post on this subject. When picking a paid premium theme is critical that the theme developer will offer ongoing support and updates. A WordPress website stuck with an unsupported and broken theme will be a disaster.
Picking a Well Supported Theme
Picking a well-supported theme could be a separate blog post topic by itself. The critical factor here will be picking one with a high number of downloads, consistent updates, and good reviews. If the web development/marketing agency strategy for WordPress development is using a premium theme, it is better to pick one for all use-cases. I have seen successful implementations of Divi, Elementor, Avada, and Beaver Builder by various digital agencies.
Never Let the Client Pick the Theme
As a matter of best practice, it is never good to let the “end client” pick the theme. I advise every agency-client I come into contact with to keep the clients out of the specific build methodologies whenever possible. If the client is picking the theme, you will lose control of your process. I find that using the “approved design model” tends to keep the clients out of the specifics.
Dealing with a Broken Premium WordPress Theme
When you encounter a broken premium theme, you have these three options:
- Get the theme developer to fix/support
- Attempt to fix it yourself
- Re-build the WordPress theme
If it is not already apparent, the ideal situation is that a ticket gets summited, and the theme developer addresses the issue and provides advice on the fix/solution. For this to happen, it is imperative that indisputable testing is being done to show the theme is the root cause.
Attempting to Fix the Theme Yourself
Even for the most seasoned WordPress developer, fixing a premium theme is not a very practical option. Chasing down an error in someone else’s code will take time. Besides, that change will most likely be overwritten on the next theme update. These updates are one more reason the solution must be coming from the original theme developer.
Re-Building the Theme from Scratch
A full theme re-build could be the most expensive/time consuming of the three options. If a digital marketing agency is managing the client, it will become political as you are looking at your choices. The following need to be considered if the theme is determined not to be viable/supported:
- Who built the website in question?
- What is the client’s budget/traffic?
- How critical is the error?
- How old is the website?
- What is the lifetime value of the client?
If an agency is inheriting a broken/unsupported theme that was not built by them, by a client running $10,000 in Google Ad Spend, it will be a much easier decision to recommend a full re-build to the client. On the other hand, if it was a site that the agency recently built, it will be a “hard sell,” asking for more money.
Be Ready to Prove Your Case
If the error(s) persist after testing, it should be enough to prove the cause of the issue is with the theme. At this point, you will want to submit a ticket to the theme developer. It is crucial to document all the testing done to prevent going back and forth. The theme developer will have a natural inclination to “push back” and claim the issues are not theme related. Annotated screenshots can help to prove your case.
Here are the core testing procedures I use to validate a “broken theme.”
- Disable all WordPress Plugins (1 by 1)
- Re-test
- Change the theme to the default WordPress installed theme.
- Re-test
Make sure to create a WordPress administrator-level account specifically for the theme developer to use. If you submit a ticket without, it will generate another round of waiting when they request it.
Summary
The best cure when dealing with a premium theme will be picking one that is well supported. If you are already stuck with a theme that has issues, do your testing and provide it in a well-documented form to the theme developer. Do not take no for an answer! If that does not work, give me a call, and I will build your WordPress website the right way.
