Agencies often ask: "Can we use Avada/The7/BeTheme to save budget?" My answer is always a polite but firm "No."
1. The "Kitchen Sink" Problem (Bloat)
Marketplace themes are sold to everyone: dentists, gyms, photographers. To do this, they include EVERY feature imaginable.
You load 5 sliders, 3 map scripts, and 50 font weights just to display a "Hello World" page. This hurts Google Web Vitals immediately.
2. Vendor Lock-in (The Trap)
Many of these themes use proprietary shortcodes or builders.
- If you deactivate the theme, your content becomes `[fusion_builder_column]Garbage Text[/fusion]`.
- You are married to that theme forever. Migrating away later costs 3x more than building custom from the start.
3. Security Nightmares
These themes often bundle premium plugins (Slider Revolution, WPBakery) that you cannot update directly. You have to wait for the theme author to release an update. If there is a Zero-Day vulnerability, your site sits exposed for weeks.
My Alternative: Lightweight Foundations
I build on lightweight, standard-compliant foundations (like GeneratePress, Kadence, or Bricks). We add only what we need. The result is a site that loads in 0.5s, is secure, and belongs to YOU, not the theme developer.