You're smart. You're beautiful. Why isn't your site?

You're happy with your website. Mostly. It has all the content you want. It performs well, and does what you need it to do — job done.

Except...maybe...it feels a little flat. Not quite what you had in mind. You know your business is brilliant, but your website? Not so much.

You could redesign the whole thing, but that feels daunting. Finding a designer, waiting for them to be inspired, countless rounds of feedback while you try and pin down what you want and they try to read your mind. And that's before a single line of code is written.

But what if you could give your site a fresh new look — without changing your content and without all the drama and stress?

With WordPress, you can. Themes make it easy to change the look of your site without touching the bones underneath. Just pick a theme, try it out, and — like a digital fairy godmother with her magic wand — your website will be dressed and ready for the ball.

What is a WordPress theme?

Think of it as your website's wardrobe. A theme styles your site — layout, fonts, colours, spacing, the works. When you select a theme, it's applied across your entire site at once, without you needing to update every page manually.

And just like getting dressed in the morning, you can pick the style you want to show the world. Do you want to be bold and colourful? Classic and artistic? Minimalist and modern? Cute and cuddly? There's a theme out there for every mood or mission, just waiting to dress your site.

What kind of themes are out there?

If you're talking style, there's at least one theme for every type of website. From blogs to e-commerce to photo galleries to news sites, there's something out there for everyone. You can, however, divide them up into two categories: cost and dependency.

Free versus paid

The WordPress Themes directory is full of free themes that look great out the box.

However, if you want more features, different designs, or support, many of the themes have paid or "pro" versions. For example, the free version of Astra offers a lot in terms of style and features, but if you pay for the Pro version, you get more customisation options, even more layouts, and integration with a lot of different third-party platforms, as well as support in setting up your site with this theme.

When you find a free template, WordPress will tell you if it is a Commercial Theme, and, therefore, has a paid version available. You might find that the free version suits you perfectly, but a good paid theme can work wonders on a website.

Parent versus child

Let's say you find a theme, and it's almost perfect, but there are just a couple of things that could be changed. Maybe you don't like how it displays images or you want to make the top menu smaller. It's great, but needs a few tweaks.

This is where Parent themes and Child themes come in. A Child theme builds on a Parent theme — keeping the main design but giving you enough freedom to change things without touching the original. You play with the code to edit layouts, change fonts or adjust how images display, without changing the Parent at all.

There are many Parent and Child themes available in the WordPress Themes directory. Some can be similar to their parent, like DigitalGrid and DigitalGrove, and some can be different, like Creative Minimalist and Bakery and Pastry.

Remember — if you choose a Child theme, you need to install the Parent theme too. You won't have to activate the Parent theme, but it will need to be saved in your WordPress installation for everything to work. And if you're feeling brave and want to make your own Child theme, WordPress has a detailed tutorial to get you started.

What if I want my own theme?

You can absolutely have a theme built just for you. There are plenty of talented WordPress developers who will happily design you a bespoke theme. If you feel up to the challenge, you could give it a go yourself, too — WordPress has an entire Theme handbook to help you understand how themes work.

How do I install a WordPress theme?

It's easy to install a WordPress theme into your site, and even easier to activate it.

Take a backup of your site

Before you do anything, take a backup. This is your safety net in case you want to undo the change. Krystal Managed WordPress gives you both automatic and manual backups, so you can be sure you have the latest version of your site before you change anything.

Try it on a staging version

If you're using Managed WordPress, you can create a staging version of your site. This is a private clone where you can experiment with things before you push them live. If you're unsure how a theme will look, a staging site is a great way to try before you commit.

Find your theme in the Theme directory

To install your theme, the easiest way is to search the Theme directory while in WordPress Admin. Click "Appearance", then "Add Theme".

You can browse the themes there, filter for certain features, or just search for the theme you want.

Once you find the theme you want, you can check out the details, preview how it would look, or install right away.

Or upload your theme in a zip file

Got a custom-built or premium theme? You can also upload the ZIP file directly into WordPress. Click on the "Upload Theme" button in Add Theme, then upload it from your computer.

A Note on safety: Avoid downloading themes from dodgy sites. "Cracked" or pirated WordPress themes are one of the biggest vectors for malware on WordPress sites. Stick to trusted providers!

Activate your theme

Once your theme is installed, activate it by going back to Themes and clicking the "Activate" button. You can also test it out by clicking the "Live Preview" button.

And just like that, your site has a brand-new look!

What if I hate the theme?

If your new theme isn't working for you, you can go back to your old one by just clicking "Activate" on it. But if you've also made significant changes to the layout, you might want to consider restoring from your backup instead.

(This is where the staging site comes in really handy – you can tinker with the layout and theme as much as you like, and only push it to the live site when you're absolutely happy with it.)

Give your website the refresh it deserves

You don't need to rebuild everything from scratch to make your site feel fresh.

With WordPress Themes, a new look and feel is just a few clicks away, and with Krystal's Managed WordPress hosting, you can make your changes confidently with all the support and safety nets you need.

So what are you waiting for? Make your website look as smart, as classy and as beautiful as you. Get that new WordPress theme today!