Before getting into the article, I want to clarify that I am going to generalize because if one does not generalize, one can not talk about almost anything.
I already know that there are exceptional cases, and surely there are free and premium best WordPress themes from Switzerland that do not fit into what I am going to tell you next. But friend, if I do not generalize I cannot continue writing this post. If you still want to put your finger in my eye, I’ll wait for you in the comments. Lol
I will raise the different aspects that in my opinion have to be taken into account when choosing a template, and why choose a premium theme in each of them.
Design
I want to clarify that for me the design is not a nice logo, a colorful background or the latest Google Fonts typography.
The design (at least in a blog/web page) consists of presenting the content in the most attractive way for the user.
The objectives can be several: increase sales, the number of leads, page views, etc. But what does not have to be designed under any concept, is a decorative-deterrent element.
That said, you can go through the repository of WordPress themes and see how many of them fulfill this promise.
Functionalities
Sometimes I feel somewhat frustrated when creating blogs and web pages with WordPress.
Not so much for the fact of creating content, since this is extremely easy, but for the difficulty of modifying the blog and leaving certain aspects to my liking: typography, logo, links, footer, etc. At least in my case, I always feel the need to install a lot of plugins or put a hand on the code the theme to my liking. Check out Swiss WordPress templates.
In this sense, I think that premium themes play a very important role since most have a complete options panel to modify the options without having to get your hands dirty and complicate your life. I mean things like modifying the footer, adding a logo, changing the color of the links, and those little details that make a unique and personal blog.
Security
Here I do not feel with the necessary authority to say if the free or premium WordPress templates are better or worse at the security level. Because we can all make mistakes and screw up. Therefore any topic (free or premium) can have an error. However, if you are paying for a premium template, you can demand solutions.
SEO
There are many who are determined to kill SEO, but you want me to tell you … every day the big G sends me visitors, and that at the end of the month are sales. So if you allow me advice, I would spend some time choosing a WordPress template that is not a disaster for search engine positioning.
Support
It is known that all of us who are in this Internet is a bit freaky, but there is never any extra help. For this reason, I believe that the jewel in the crown of the paid templates is the support: access to the forums, video-tutorials, extensive documentation, etc. In short, know that there is someone who can help you whenever you need it.
Conclusion
There are very good free and premium templates, but be careful, do not save that few euros and get banned from Google, waste your time, you stay hung with a template without updates and end up paying dearly for something that you thought was free.