What do "New Site" and "Existing Site" mean?

A  New Site is a site that has no existing content (posts, pages, images, etc). On new sites, the demo content will be imported for you during theme installation.

An  Existing Site is an established website with existing content that you have published: posts, pages, images, etc. Sites with existing content require a lot of extra time and care during theme installation.

For existing sites

If you have an existing site, please do the following prior to installation:

1. Make a backup of your website
2. Update your website to the latest version of WordPress
3. Do a plugin audit
4. Upgrade to PHP 7.4

Clarification

Here are some common situations we get asked about:

1. You tried to install your 17th Avenue theme on your own and imported the demo content. Your site would still be considered a new site.
2. You installed a different theme from a different company (including demo content) but have not published your own content yet. Your site would still be considered a new site. The demo content from your previous theme would be deleted during the installation process.
3. You have a few blog posts in "Draft" mode (under 3), but your site is otherwise new. Your site may still be considered a new site, ONLY IF you are okay with the demo content being imported during installation.

To reiterate: your site is only considered "existing" if you have published your OWN content and do not want to lose that content.