Why picking the wrong theme cost a reader 40 hours

Why picking the wrong theme cost a reader 40 hours

A reader fell in love with a flashy theme full of animations. He spent 40 hours building his whole site on it. Then he discovered the theme hadn't been updated in 3 years and broke with the latest WordPress.

A theme is the design and framework your whole site sits on, so switching later means rebuilding a lot.

What he learned, and what to check before you commit:
— Look at 'Last updated'. Avoid anything untouched for over a year.
— Check the number of active installs and recent reviews.
— Make sure it lists support for your current WordPress version.

His second attempt used a well-maintained theme and has run smoothly for two years.

In plain words: a theme is your foundation, so check it's still cared for before you build on it.