11 Reasons Why I Paid For A Premium WordPress Theme

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Are you considering whether to get a premium WordPress Theme for your blog?

Perhaps you are wondering why anyone would pay for a premium Theme from day 1 of their blog. After all, what benefits could a WordPress premium Theme really have? Over the option of getting one for free, right?

Well, keep reading to find out exactly why I paid for a premium WordPress Theme from day 1 for my blog. Even as a beginner blogger.

And most importantly how I feel about it now and whether it was worth it.

A Premium WordPress Theme Helped To Prevent Overwhelm

WordPress blogs are highly customizable with the right Theme or coding skills. A massive percentage of the web uses WordPress as their platform. But I bet you would be surprised at how different they all look.

One of the main reasons I opted for a premium WordPress Theme from Restored316. Specifically their Market Theme. Was because the amount of customization available in WordPress Themes are crazy.

There is so much you can change especially if you get into the realm of coding. But the thing was I didn’t want nor have the time to get into the nitty-gritty of editing the code of a WordPress Theme. Which is what I would have had to do if I went with a free Theme. Because of the lack of features and uniqueness.

By picking the Market Theme from Restored316. I saved myself so much overwhelm of trying to figure out a free Theme that I could customize to my needs. Because I was able to find a Theme that both looked good out of the box. But also contained all the features I could need and more.

If I had tried to go the free WordPress Theme route I would have spent much longer looking and researching. As well as then spending forever tweaking the settings. To get something that looked good but also felt unique.

So if you want to save yourself some overwhelming decisions. Then a premium Theme can help with that. As they are designed to look good and have plenty of features. So you don’t need to spend ages looking for a feature that just isn’t included in free Themes. Because they have no money invested behind them.

I Paid For A Premium WordPress Theme For Support

I’m not shy when it comes to fixing things myself. And I’ll happily dabble around with code if that’s what I need to do.

But sometimes there comes a time when you need help. Especially when you first start a blog. Everything is so new and scary. That the idea of having a professional expert such as Lauren from Restored316. It is a reassuring benefit that can help you get past your fear of starting a blog.

Whilst I wasn’t afraid of fixing things myself. I was afraid of failing horribly. And having an expert on hand to fix my blog was definitely a relief. And something I don’t regret having invested in.

Buying A Restored316 Theme Saved Massive Amounts Of Time

In addition to saving me from the overwhelm of trying to find something highly specific to my goals. Investing in a premium WordPress Theme. Also saved me a ton of time.

Which is so amazing when you are at the early stages of your blog. You are trying so hard to do everything. All at once. From writing posts, creating images, marketing on social media. To doing SEO researching, trying to build backlinks, grow an email list and more.

By investing in a premium WordPress Theme. I know I was able to spend significantly less time making my blog visually appealing. And more time doing all the other stuff we have to deal with as bloggers.

I could have spent an age trying to get a free WordPress Theme to look unique and appealing. (I suck at design and picking colors that go well together.)

But instead, by choosing the Restored316 Market Theme. My blog already looked amazing straight out of the box. So, I only had to customize a few things. Such as adding a logo, customizing links, adding widgets and changing one or two colours to be more on brand.

I Paid For A Premium Theme To Get More Functionality

When I was looking for a WordPress Theme for my blog. My scope included both free and premium WordPress Themes. Because back then I was a completely new blogger. I wasn’t quite convinced a premium WordPress Theme was really needed.

But over the course of my search. I quickly began to spot the differences. Between the number of features included in a free Theme and a premium one. With premium Themes having way more features and functionality.

Now, don’t get me wrong. More functionality can sometimes be a burden too. But I found it much easier and faster to find a premium WordPress Theme. With the exact features and functionality, I was looking for compared to a free Theme.

And so long as you are mindful about what functionality you are after. So that it doesn’t go over the top. A highly functional premium Theme can be a lifesaver.

Premium WordPress Themes Were Not As Expensive As They Seem

Some premium Themes can be expensive. And trying to compete with the idea of free is always difficult.

But here’s the thing. There is no such thing as a free lunch. At least when it comes to premium vs free WordPress Themes. A free Theme may not cost you anything in terms of actual $$$. But it will cost you more time, effort and resources in other ways. Such as customization and adding the features you want.

Plus, premium Themes aren’t all as expensive as you might think. In fact, the average Theme is around $57. Which isn’t that much of an investment when you consider it as a one-off fee for a professional look. That you should be planning to use for a long time.

This is even more true when you consider that hiring a designer to make changes. Even to a free WordPress Theme. Will likely cost a lot more.

You can even find Themes cheaper than this $57 average. But when I first started out, I really fell in love with the style of the Restored316 Themes. Which are elegant and feminine but not too girly. If you get the idea.

I also knew early on I wanted the massive benefits of using the Genesis Framework. Which included:

• High WordPress Gutenberg compatibility
• SEO optimized
• Regular updates
• Security
• Coding Quality
• Additional exclusive plugins. Of which the tk plugin has been a massive time and headache saver

And you know what? The additional cost has more than paid for itself. I’ve had zero issues with either my Theme or the Genesis Framework. Despite all the major changes with WordPress and the new WordPress Gutenberg editor. Which speaks for their quality alone.

A Premium WordPress Theme Was Less Likely To Need Additional Coding

Coding is tricky and likely you’ll want to avoid using it if you can. This is another reason I decided to choose a premium Theme with Restored316. Because of the beautiful style, ideal features and functionality. Along with the Genesis Framework. Meant that I didn’t have to worry about coding at all.

Whereas with a free WordPress Theme. It was looking more likely I would need some additional code to get the layout and style I wanted. Which I would have had to do myself, taking up my time and energy. Or pay for someone else to do it for me. Which would make the free WordPress Theme, not so free anymore.

So, overall if coding is something you’d like to avoid. I’d suggest going with a premium WordPress Theme. As you are much likely to get what you want. Without the need to add extra code.

It Was Easier To Customize Straight Out Of The Box A Premium WordPress Theme

When I finally decided on my Restored316 Theme and started to implement it on this blog. I found it easier to customize it straight out of the box. This is due to the fact that the premium WordPress Theme came with more customization and feature options.

You’d be surprised how much easier it is to customize a WordPress Theme quickly. Using simple options that require ticks, dropdown lists or inputting a color value. Compared to trying to do this without options. Which usually involves some sort of HTM or CSS code. Definitely not an easy option for any beginner blogger.

I Paid For A Premium WordPress Theme Because It Was More Unique

Did you know a premium WordPress Theme is much more unique than a free one?

Why? Because free WordPress Themes are, well, free! This means that anyone can download and use them on their blogs. And if you think about just how many blogs there are out there using WordPress. Well, this only further increases the chances. That many other bloggers will be using the same free Theme you decided to use for your blog. Doesn’t it?

Many free Themes are downloaded thousands of times and more. But what further escalates this. Is that those free Themes used thousands of times. Have the same limited customization features. So even if you customize a free WordPress Theme. It is very likely it still resembles someone else’s blog out there. Unless you start editing it’s code.

Which contradicts the fact, that as bloggers we want to stand out! So by getting a premium WordPress Theme. I was also helping myself stand out as a new blogger. More so than if I had chosen a free Theme. Again, without adding tons of extra coding. Or trying to be a design guru.

Investing In A Premium Theme Is Like Treating Your Blog Like A Business

You know why else, buying a premium Theme for my blog was beneficial to me?

Because I was treating my blog like an actual business instead of a hobby.

This is actually an important point people make when they tell you about making money with your blog. That I feel is totally true.

If you treat your blog like a business. You are much more likely to take it seriously enough. That you will take the appropriate actions to make it profitable.

Could I treat my blog like a business using a free WordPress Theme? It’s possible.

But by investing actual money into a premium WordPress Theme. It is almost that feeling where you know you’ve spent money on your blog. And you don’t want that money to be a waste. Which is a serious motivator if you ask me.

Premium WordPress Themes Are High Quality

Whilst premium and free Themes can vary in quality depending on where you get them from. Premium Themes do tend to be of better quality. Simply because they have funding behind them from their Theme sales.

In particular, I picked the Restored316 Market Theme. Because I could see for myself the quality of the Themes in terms of design and function. Using their amazing View Live Demo option. I also had heard many good reviews about the Theme creator Lauren.

She also has a course dedicated to teaching you how to style any part of a WordPress Theme. So it’s pretty clear she knows her stuff!

SEO Optimization Was A Huge Factor For Why I Paid For A Premium WordPress Theme

Another major factor that swayed me towards the premium Theme of Restored316. Is SEO optimization.

SEO is an important part of any blog in terms of growing your traffic. And yet many bloggers, especially at the beginner stages don’t take it seriously. Even though you should be considering SEO from day 1 of your blog.

By investing in the Restored316 market Theme, I knew I was also giving myself an SEO boost. Because all of her Themes are not only optimized for SEO. But also use the Genesis framework which has additional SEO benefits too.

These WordPress Themes are also responsive. Meaning they’ll work well on mobile without you having to make any changes yourself. This might not seem very important when you first start out. But just looking at my traffic stats today. Shows it is a game-changer. As nearly 50% of my traffic comes from either a mobile or tablet device.

Quiz makes it easy to choose

If there’s one thing that makes things especially easy when trying to decide a WordPress Theme. Is this short quiz you can complete. That will actually help you quickly find your perfect Restored316 Theme.

Just by spending a few minutes answering some questions. This quiz will propose the perfect Theme for you from their extensive range. Which made choosing a premium Theme even easier for myself. And undoubtedly helped save me a few hours of going over all the different options too.

Investing In a Premium Theme Was A Massive Help For Starting A Successful Blog

As I’ve covered above, investing in the Restored316 Market Theme for my blog. Helped to get my blog where it is today. In addition, to removing. And reducing some significant hurdles that new bloggers go through.

Whilst which premium WordPress Theme will benefit you, might not be the Restored316 Market Theme. In general, a premium Theme was more beneficial compared to a free Theme for:

• Preventing overwhelm
• Technical support
• Saved time on customization, setup and more
• More functionality and features
• Easier to customize and more unique out of the box
• Can aid in motivation and helping to view your blog as a business
• SEO optimization and responsive design
• More affordable than they might seem at $57 on average
• Less likely to need to deal with code or pay for someone to edit it for you

Was Investing In A Premium WordPress Theme From Day 1 Worth It?

Honestly, was it worth it? I can say wholeheartedly yes! Yes, it was!

All of these benefits above were made possible by investing in a premium WordPress Theme. Which made it seem like an obvious choice at the time. One that I totally recommend for others too. Even today.

As all of the features of the Restored316’s Market Theme. Not only saved me time, effort and many headaches. But it also helped to boost my traffic too. With improved SEO optimization and a responsive design suitable for mobile devices.

But, if I would change one thing about the premium WordPress Theme I picked. It would probably be to buy a WordPress Theme builder like Elementor or Divi instead.

I love my WordPress Theme from Restored316 and it has saved me so much time and many headaches. During my time of blogging.

Yet over time, my vision of the perfect blog layout has changed. This was more of a limitation of me being a beginner blogger. Rather than any issue with the premium Theme itself.

As over time, you gain experience and your opinions can change. So right now, there are a few things I’d like to change in this Theme, but can’t. At least, not without investing in another Theme or a significant amount of time. That would be time better spent creating content.

Overall, this is just the limitation of any free or premium Theme though. But if you think you might change your mind on your Theme. Then perhaps considering a flexible Theme builder would be a better option.

Will you be investing in a premium WordPress Theme? What’s your reasoning behind your choice? And what’s is the most important factor that you consider, when deciding on whether to invest in a premium WordPress Theme?

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