Blog Theme review of Mai Theme by BizBudding. 6 reasons why it’s worth it to pay for a premium blog theme if you have an online business.
After nearly 4 years of using free blog themes, I decided to upgrade to a professional blog theme in late 2019. It ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Following a period of research, I came across the Mai Lifestyle Theme by BizBudding. Since I was looking for a professional, minimal theme that offered an ability to feature a static home page, the Mai Lifestyle theme seemed like the perfect fit.
So, I took the plunge and paid for the Mai Lifestyle Theme to see if it could help take my blog to the next level.
Was it worth it?
Indeed, it was.
Since then, my blog is performing better than ever. Page views have increased, e-mail subscriptions are up by more than 270%, Google Adsense income jumped more than 160%, and I was recently accepted by Monumetric.
In short, upgrading my website theme was totally worth it.
Let’s take a deeper look at why upgrading to a premium blog theme is a worthwhile expense for your blog or online business.
What is a Blog Theme?
WPbeginner describes a “theme” as follows:
“a theme is a collection of templates and stylesheets used to define the appearance and display of a WordPress powered website.”
So, a blog theme is the overall layout and style of a blog or website.
Each theme comes with its own design, layout, and features. However, most themes are highly customizable. They can be modified with plugins or by adding code to the functions.php file. Further, most themes can be customized under the WordPress Admin section under Appearance >> Themes.
But it is still important for a Blogger to select a theme with appropriate styling for their audience. The theme must be suitable for the website’s specific purpose. For example, a photography blog requires more space for photos and less space for written content.
As for theme options, there are free and paid themes available from WordPress and a number of website designers.
Why is a Blog Theme Important?
First impressions matter.
In the same way a ladder climber dresses to impress, a professional blog or website needs to stand out too.
Your website theme is important because visitors may only check out your website for a split second. If it’s not an attractive website with valuable content, why would they not search for another link?
Whether your blog is a hobby or an online business, a professional looking website theme is a way to get your content noticed.
It represents your style and makes your blog stand out in comparison to others. It’s as important as the content itself.
So, choosing a website theme is extremely important, especially if you are trying to grow your online business. If that’s the case, you need a powerful, attractive-looking theme to scale with your blog or online business as it grows.
My Current Blog Theme – Mai Lifestyle Theme by BizBudding
As mentioned in the introduction, I upgraded to the Mai Lifestyle Theme by BizBudding in late 2019.
All I can say about my experience with the Mai Lifestyle theme is that it has been phenomenal thus far.
I truly agree with BizBudding when they say:
“It’s the last theme you’ll ever need. Seriously.”
Because it’s truly stunning in appearance. But at the same time, it’s extremely functional.
The Mai Theme is clean, minimal, and professional-looking, and it delivers a top-of-the-line look and feel.
With a static front page and a portfolio/page feature, Mai Lifestyle Theme makes it easy to present your work in an organized manner.
If you are in the market for a new blog theme, I would highly recommend the Mai Lifestyle theme.
Alternatively, BizBudding has two additional blog theme styles: Pretty Darn Cute, and SEOThemes.
For now, let’s take a more detailed look at the Mai Theme.
Mai Theme Overview
The Mai Theme collection comes in 4 different styles: Mai Lifestyle, Mai Law, Mai Business, and Mai News. So there is an option to suit every style of blog. All blog theme styles have the same power and functionality.
In addition, the Mai Theme collection offers a number of built-in features which make it an easy blog theme to customize, and also easier to build a successful blog.
Whether you’re hobby-blogging or running an online business, if you want to take your blog to the next level, the Mai Theme is for you.
To purchase the Mai Theme, visit BizBudding here to get started. For only $74, you can purchase the Mai Theme (+ a free course on blogging).
Alternatively, if you can’t decide on which blog theme to choose, BizBudding offers the All Themes & Plugins package for only $199. It’s well worth the price in my opinion. If you are interested, purchase the All Themes & Plugins package here.
What are the Benefits of Upgrading to a Premium Blog Theme?
Other than providing a fresh new look, there are 6 main benefits I’ve noticed since upgrading to the Mai Theme.
Email subscriptions:
As mentioned in the introduction, my e-mail subscribers are up by more than 270% since upgrading my blog theme.
As most Bloggers know, e-mail subscriptions are the lifeblood of a Blog. The higher the list, the easier it is to make money and grow website traffic. Plus, it’s a source of traffic that a Google algorithm can not mess with.
Prior to upgrading my theme, I struggled to gain subscribers. I was at less than 100 for the first 3 years. But since then, I have been gaining more than 40+ new e-mail subscribers per month. In fact, it has been working so well I already hit my blogging goal for the entire year.
I have no doubt that a professional looking blog theme will lead to more e-mail subscribers.
More page views:
Not only does a premium theme look better, themes like the Mai Theme also offer built-in features such as search optimization and turbo-charged site speed.
In turn, your website will perform better and will be better optimized for Google search. This is especially important if you are new to SEO.
Since I switched over to Mai Lifestyle Theme, I have definitely noticed an uptick in page views and users. In fact, I have been hitting new records pretty much every month this year.
More Business:
Simply put, a premium blog theme will lead to more business because it will look like you know what you’re doing.
Once new visitors see your premium-looking site, they will want to do business with you.
I receive more inquiries now since upgrading to a more professional blog theme.
More Organized Content:
One of the main reasons I decided to upgrade was to set up a static front page.
I find that many blogs are hard to scroll through because of a lack of organization.
Frankly, I don’t want to scroll through every single blog post you’ve ever written to find an article to read. When I visit a new website, I want to know what the site is about right away, and I want to know where to find content that supports that.
Since my blog is about building income streams through blogging and investing, I set up a front (home) page that clearly describes what this blog is about upon arrival.
The ability to easily organize content is a huge advantage, just like it is in retail.
Mobile Responsive:
In the post pc era, the last thing you want is website that only works on a pc.
Surprisingly, even some large businesses still have poorly designed websites that are not properly optimized for mobile.
In case you didn’t realize, most people just use their smartphone to view your blog now. If it’s not optimized for mobile, they won’t read your blog.
A premium theme, like the Mai Theme, is mobile responsive. This means it is perfectly optimized for all platforms.
A Premium WordPress Theme Saves Money:
If you look back a few years ago, getting the features offered in a premium blog theme that costs $100 would’ve cost thousands today. But for less than you will spend out at 2 restaurants on the weekend, now you can own a professional website.
It sounds like a deal if you asked me.
Furthermore, starting with a premium blog theme avoids the cost of hiring a web designer. Down the road, if you need to make any tweaks, you can hire a web designer. This could ultimately save a lot of money.
So, the question is:
Should you pay for a Premium Blog Theme?
Emphatically, yes!
Based on my experience, it’s totally worth it to pay for a premium blog theme rather than choose a generic, free theme.
Not only does it differentiate your blog from the blogs that are not willing to pay, it’s also a great business decision.
In most cases, the benefits of a premium blog theme make it worth the price. And if you are a professional Blogger, you will most likely recoup your cost back quick.
Frankly, a premium theme is not even that large of an expense.
If you view your blog as a hobby, people spend money on hobbies they don’t earn income from all the time. At least a blog is a side hustle that can lead to additional income.
Therefore, for personal satisfaction, to appear professional, to differentiate your blog, and to advance your online business, it is undoubtedly worth it to upgrade to a premium blog theme.
Blog Theme Final Thoughts
Now I’ll turn it over to you:
Do you think it’s worth it to pay for a premium blog theme? Did you pay for your blog theme?
Based on my experience, yes, it is definitely worth it to pay for a premium blog theme. Ultimately, it will lead to more e-mail subscribers, more website traffic, and more business.
Moreover, upgrading to the Mai Lifestyle Theme has been a catalyst for building an income stream through blogging.
If you are looking for a high quality, modern, sleek-looking, premium blog, I would highly recommend themes by BizBudding. Visit BizBudding here to purchase.
Either way, let me know your thoughts by commenting below or by sharing on social media.
I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post may contain advertisements by Monumetric and Google Adsense. This post may also contains internal links, affiliate links to BizBudding, Amazon, Bluehost, and Questrade, links to trusted external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.
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