The online industry is booming day by day, there are many CMS in the market, and making websites, etc is not as tough as 20 years back, and when we talk about making a website or blog, WordPress is a common word that we hear everywhere because it’s effortless to use and leading the market as well.
However WordPress is an open-source platform that provides the foundation for creating and managing websites, it allows users to publish and manage the content and customize the appearance and functionality of the website. However, a WordPress theme is a collection of files (Pre design elements, templates, CSS files, etc) and pre-written codes by an individual or team of experts. Using a theme you can make visually rich websites and blogs without knowing the coding skills.
Overall WordPress is like a software (Popular Content management system) that powers your website, however, a WordPress theme is just a design template that controls the appearance and layout of your website within the WordPress framework.
Table of Contents
Introduction
When you know the difference between WordPress and a WordPress theme, then the next question coming to mind is – why do you need this article?
So there are many WordPress themes in the market (More than millions) and choosing one of them is a very tough task, You have various options as far as theme is concerned, whether you are buying from Themeforest, or through any other agency like Generetepress, wp astra, Divi, etc.
Asking questions before buying anything is an essential part just to make sure you spending money for the right theme and won’t regret post making a purchase, its highly important if you are new to WordPress because there are several issues in terms of compatibility of a theme with WordPress or with third-party plugins.
So here In this article, I am sharing a list of a few very common but important must-ask questions list, which you can copy directly from here and paste into a new email and send them to the developer before making a purchase.
Reason for Pre-sale
No theme has everything or offer all the features, all missing in some area like when you buy a fancy precoded theme from Themeforest or just buy from any sole agency like GP or Astra (Free theme with function extension plugin), all offer several hidden conditions and limited support which does not include modification or custom styling, etc.
So it’s necessary to enquire about each feature before buying any theme, each one must ask these pre-sale questions from the seller or developer, or agency because this can be helpful for a few reasons:
- Understanding Features: As mentioned earlier, there might be certain essential functions missing in a theme (while many visually appealing themes may have limitations). Therefore, by asking questions before making a purchase, you can get a clear understanding of the features and functionalities offered by the theme developer. These pre-sale questions help determine whether a theme meets your specific requirements or not.
- Compatibility and Integration: Each file has code in the background, so code clash is very common, So whether the theme works well on all modern browsers or not and causes any visual error on any specific one, and even WordPress has several plugins and extensions which belong to third parties so It’s important to know that the theme won’t cause any conflicts or issues with existing elements or with any third party plugin. If there are specific tools or services that need to be integrated, users can ask if the theme supports those integrations before making a purchase.
- Support and Documentation: Make sure no one provides support out of the box, they all support their own product only (whether its theme or plugin) so It’s a good idea to ask about the support provided with the theme. You must inquire about the available support team members, response times, and the level of assistance you can expect. Additionally, it’s important to know if there is detailed documentation or tutorials available to help with the setup and customization of the theme.
- Licensing and Updates: if you buy from theme forest then you have to follow the terms given by Themeforest however if buying from another agency or sole developer then you must ask about the licensing terms of the theme. It’s important to understand if there are recurring payments involved or if the theme provides yearly or lifetime updates, support, and access to new features.
- Refund Policy: Most of the theme developers offer 15 or 30 days refunds with few conditions however few developers strictly warned before making a purchase, if you can’t give a proper reason for asking for a refund, you won’t get a refund Hence Inquiring about the refund policy is essential. You should be aware of all the conditions and timeframe for requesting a refund if the theme doesn’t meet your expectations or if there are any technical issues or conflicts with third-party plugins etc. Knowing the refund policy helps you to feel more confident about your purchase.
So refer to the list of questions which you can copy directly from here or refer to them and write in your own language.
Pre-Sale Questions
Here are 25 pre-sale questions that you might consider asking before purchasing a WordPress theme:
- What is the license type; does this License support multiple domains?
- Are there any restrictions on the number of websites I can use the theme on?
- Is this theme compatible with the latest version of WordPress and with future updates of WordPress?
- Does this theme support or come with a child theme?
- How frequently is the theme updated to ensure compatibility with WordPress and other plugins?
- Will I have access to updates and support after purchase?
- Do you provide CSS for further customization of the theme or any guidance?
- What do you cover under support and how fast is the response time?
- How many demos and layout options are included with the theme (for specific industries or types of websites)?
- Is the theme compatible with popular page builders such as Elementor and Beaver Builder?
- Does this theme come with a page builder license or do I need to purchase one separately?
- Is the theme optimized for speed and performance and SEO?
- Is the theme optimized for mobile devices and responsive design (for different devices)?
- What is the overall weight of the theme and what is the total load time of the theme?
- Does the theme come with the required plugins included or do I need to purchase them separately?
- Does the theme include any premium plugins or add-ons that I will need to pay for separately?
- Is there a demo version of the theme that I can try out before purchasing or Can I see examples of live websites that are using this theme?
- Is the theme compatible with all popular browsers and mobile devices?
- Does the theme support multiple languages or is it only available in English?
- Is the theme compatible with popular email marketing services such as Mail chimp?
- Does the theme come with any built-in analytics or can I integrate it with Google Analytics?
- Does this support monetization functions like Google ad sense etc??
- How customizable is the theme, can I easily make changes to the layout and design without any coding knowledge?
- Does the theme come with any documentation or tutorials to help me get started?
- What about a refund policy in case I am not satisfied with the theme after purchase?
If you are planning to buy a WordPress Theme, please copy the above question and compose an email and send it to the concerned developer, and trust me you will get many hidden terms and conditions that no one reveals so easily.
FAQs
Find the answers for few most frequently asked questions :
What are Pre-Sale Questions?
Pre-sale questions are a list of the most commonly asked questions before purchasing the premium WordPress Theme, mostly used to know the advantages and disadvantages of a purchase.
Why are Pre-sale Questions Required?
Well, the Honest answer is if you don’t want to regret later the purchase then it’s mandatory to ask pre-sale questions before making any purchase, It reduces the risk of a wrong investment.
Conclusion
Almost all Premium WordPress themes are typically created by skilled coding experts, graphics designers, and developers who invest time and effort into making it visually appealing and user friendly designs. These themes often come with advanced customization options, additional features, and dedicated support from the theme developers, it’s like a ready-made design package that you can purchase and apply to your site without creating everything from scratch.
However, each developer or theme seller offers different conditions and limitations, By asking these pre-sale questions about theme features, compatibility, hidden terms, development plans, future support, advantages, and disadvantages of the theme reduce the risk of investing in the theme that doesn’t meet your expectations. Instead, you can choose a theme that not only fulfills your needs but also reduces the risk of wrong investment.
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