If you are starting a self-hosted blog, the big question is what WordPress theme to choose. You may be tempted to choose a free WordPress theme over a premium Genesis WordPress theme.
Let me save you the headache of figuring out how to choose the best WordPress theme for your blog.
In this post, I’ll explain the difference between free and premium themes. I’ll also review StudioPress Genesis WordPress themes to show you why they are ideal even if you are a beginner.
What are WordPress Themes?
A WordPress Theme determines the design of your blog. There are thousands of themes available to choose from to change the look and feel of your blog.
Most WordPress themes include certain customizable elements. You can change many elements like headers, colors, arrangement of content and more without affecting the underlying software.
There are two types of WordPress themes: free themes and premium.
With free WordPress themes, you don’t get customer support. If you attempt to make a change to the design and make a mistake, there is no customer support.
Plus, if you choose a free theme for WordPress, chances are it won’t get updated to be compatible with any current version of WordPress.
The free themes for WordPress, while they may be tempting, will end up being more trouble than it’s worth because they are not easy to modify.
I’ve used the free themes before and it was a huge headache.
What are Genesis WordPress Themes?
Genesis framework by StudioPress is a collection of premium themes for WordPress. Like other premium themes, you pay for the theme, download it and install in on your blog.
The advantage of Genesis premium themes is that they are designed to be simple to customize and provide customer support.
Why Genesis Are the Best WordPress Themes for Beginners
Before I get into why I love the StudioPress themes, I’ll give you a little history.
Several years ago, I found these amazing themes created by Brian Gardner. They were easy to work with and had a professional design. The company was called Revolution Themes.
The company eventually evolved and grew into StudioPress themes, creator of the Genesis FrameWork for WordPress.
So …
I’ve been a user for a long time. However I have used other themes and nothing really compares.
In fact, the Genesis premium themes are so good, I purchased the Pro Plus All-Theme Package a few years ago.
The Pro Plus All Theme package includes every StudioPress theme they make now and in the future. It’s great!
But of course, you can also purchase single WordPress themes. Check out the selection of themes!
I have a few blogs and I update the themes whenever I want to without worrying about additional cost. Plus, StudioPress is always coming out with amazing new themes for WordPress.
Let’s dive into 5 reasons why I recommend Genesis.
1. Genesis by StudioPress is a Parent – Child Framework
The Genesis WordPress theme consists of a framework. This framework is the underlying “parent” theme that contains all the theme template functionality.
After years of using the WordPress Genesis framework, I can’t imagine going back to anything else.
The StudioPress Genesis WordPress child themes use the underlying framework functionality and add the custom design, features and the ability to easily customize your WordPress theme. You install the Parent Studiopress theme and the Genesis child theme, which contains the actual design.
2. Theme Customization is Simple
Out of all the themes I’ve ever used, Genesis by StudioPress are the easiest WordPress themes to customize.
I am NOT a coder and don’t want to be. I needed the WordPress themes for dummies!
For example, with their Simple Edits plugin, you can easily modify the post-info byline, post-meta and footer area on Genesis themes.
It’s really as simple as adding information into a text box without the pain of learning weird code. I love that Studio Press creates wordpress themes that are easily customizable.
You can also easily customize a number of other elements like the colors, header, front home page design, and much more!
3. StudioPress is Mobile Responsive
Having a mobile responsive site is crucial, especially nowadays. Google started focusing on mobile due to the large percentage of people who use mobile devices to access everything on the Internet.
Fortunately, StudioPress themes are created with mobile responsiveness built-in.
There you go, one thing you won’t have to be concerned about with these themes!
4. Customer and Community Support
StudioPress has a help desk and support forum. They also have a huge community of users where you post questions and get answers.
That’s not all!
For every Genesis child theme, there are complete tutorials on how to install and setup the theme.
Seriously!
It’s pretty amazing. I couldn’t fit the entire screen in this image but you get the idea. They provide video tutorials and tons of support.
It’s so worth every penny!
5. StudioPress keeps their Themes for WordPress Updated
Since WordPress.org updates their software on a regular basis, it’s important the themes you use stay updated to be compatible with those versions.
Again, many free themes do not update for compatibility. That’s where you’ll run into problems for sure!
Another big plus is that Studiopress premium WordPress themes are updated on a regular basis. One less headache to worry about.
Most Popular StudioPress WordPress Themes
Although StudioPress has an incredible selection or themes, here’s a list of the most popular ones from last month in order of popularity:
- Foodie Pro Theme
- Business Pro Theme
- Academy Pro Theme
- Authority Pro Theme (used on this site)
- Magazine Pro Theme
- Refined Pro Theme
- Author Pro Theme
- Monochrome Pro Theme
- Parallax Pro Theme
- Altitude Pro Theme
So hard to choose! They are all pretty amazing and stunning!
StudioPress Genesis Themes Resources
I know that it takes time to research and figure out how to choose a WordPress theme.
Here are some resources for Genesis to help you figure out if these premium themes are a good fit for you and your blog.
- Genesis Child Premium Themes : Choose from many Child themes. You can get information about any one of them as well as use the demo to see exactly how it works. They have a large selection across many categories like Food, Lifestyle, Business, Travel and more!
- Learn More Details about the Genesis Framework: Still need more info? Here you will find details about how the Genesis Framework works, it’s turnkey features, security and simple updates.
- StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package: I own the Pro Plus package and love it! With access to all current and future themes, you can’t go wrong. It’s well suited for any WordPress theme designer or, if you think you’ll want to change themes on a yearly basis. StudioPress pro-plus all theme package great investment.
- Genesis WordPress Plugins: There are many plugins available to make customization even easier and add features to your theme.
- StudioPress Affiliate Program: You can easily apply to the affiliate program. If you use a Genesis theme on your blog, put the affiliate link in your footer for visitors that want to learn more about the theme you are using. Use a “powered by Genesis” for the link text. Learn more about affiliate marketing.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article helped you learn more about choosing the best WordPress themes for your site and why Genesis by StudioPress may be a great fit for you.
Although free themes are tempting, they are more trouble than it’s worth in the long term. The advantages of going with a Premium theme far outweigh the potential problems with a free one. The best option is the StudioPress pro-plus all theme package. Imagine being able to get all the StudioPress themes from the past and new ones in the future?
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