There is so much to cover when it comes to Genesis theme customization, that I've mapped out an entire series of posts to throughly cover it. I'm hoping this series will help people get a basic understanding of what it takes to start customizing their own WordPress sites and have the confidence to get started. While my specific examples will be aimed at the Genesis theme framework, most of what I share will have general application as well and can be used on most WordPress websites. Here ... Read More
WordPress Articles and Posts
WordPress articles and blog posts related to design, plugins, and coding best practices.
Favorite Genesis Framework Plugins
Did you know there are over seventy-five Genesis framework plugins in the WordPress.org repository? Holy WordPress Batman! That’s a lot of plugins considering the framework alone is already chalked full of features and functions. While I’ve been using a few Genesis plugins for quite a while, I had no idea so many more have been developed. When we build a custom theme or create a stock Genesis child theme, we tend to stick with plugins that we’ve used already and we've labeled “solid”. Knowing ... Read More
Preparing for Genesis 2.0
If you’re active in the Genesis community or if you simply use a Genesis child theme, you probably know Genesis 2.0 is coming and right around the corner. We’re excited about the release and we know our customers are because we’re starting to get oodles of questions about the release of Genesis 2.0 and how HTML5 will alter things for existing Genesis users. Fear not my Genesis children, Brian Gardner and his team of uber smart WordPress coders have you covered. Genesis upgrades have always ... Read More
Using a Genesis Theme XML File to Jump Start Your Website
Over the last month I've realized there is a lot of confusion surrounding Genesis theme XML files, what they include, and how they work. I'm a bit surprised by this since the XML export and import process is handled by WordPress and not Genesis. The key to understanding the XML import process is understanding that WordPress controls the data export and import and in this case, Genesis is just coming along for the ride. Why Use XML Data? I've blogged before about my negative feelings towards ... Read More
Introducing Elbe Blake: WordPress Marketing Templates Designed for Real-World Marketers
We're happy to announce the release of Elbe Blake, the twenty-fourth template added to our premium WordPress theme store. We believe WordPress marketing templates should be designed for real-world marketers and this one certainly was. If you've been to our website before, this template might look familiar. It was used on Web Savvy Marketing's website. We recently updated the look and feel of our own website and we decided to convert our older theme into a WordPress template for marketers. It ... Read More
Celebrate WordPress’ 10th Anniversary With $10 Off Any Genesis Theme
In honor of WordPress's tenth anniversary this week, we are offering a limited time coupon for $10 off any of our premium WordPress themes. We love WordPress and the Genesis framework and we want to share our love with the world. There is no better way to spread the love than by giving our awesome customers some savings. Simply add any theme to your shopping cart and apply a coupon code of WordPress10 at checkout. Coupons are case sensitive, so make sure you don't forget the capital W and ... Read More
Introducing Augustus: A Cost Effective Option for Financial Advisor Website Design
We are happy to announce the release of Augustus, one of our newest Genesis child themes. Augustus is an ideal solution for financial advisors, planners, and firms who need a DIY option for WordPress website design. Augustus is a premium WordPress theme that overlays on the Genesis Framework so it is feature rich, functionally robust, and very secure. WordPress is a perfect solution for financial planners and advisors, because it allows tech savvy financial professionals to manage their own ... Read More
Introducing Megan: A Fun and Funky WordPress Theme Designed for Social Media Consultants, Freelancers, and Agencies
We are happy to announce the release of Megan, one of our newest Genesis child themes. Megan is a premium WordPress theme that overlays on the Genesis Framework. Megan is an ideal solution for social media freelance consultants and/or agencies who need a DIY option for WordPress website design. In reality, virtually any WordPress theme could be made into a social media website. Megan was created to make it easy on the social media consultants and let them focus on the things that really ... Read More
Introducing Bradley: A Great Option for DIY Insurance Website Design
We are happy to announce the release of Bradley, one of our newest Genesis child themes. Bradley is a premium WordPress theme that overlays on the Genesis Framework. Bradley is an ideal solution for insurance agents and/or agencies who need a DIY option for insurance website design. As with all of our themes, this one is named after a family member. This theme is named after my little cousin Bradley. My grandparents raised me, so I grew up babysitting Bradley when he was a toddler. Over ... Read More
Introducing Hunter: Hunting Website Design on a Budget
We are happy to announce the release of Hunter, one of our newest Genesis child themes. Hunter is a premium WordPress theme that overlays on the Genesis Framework. Hunter is an ideal solution for guides, outfitters, and taxidermists who need a low cost and budget friendly option for hunting website design. This theme is named after my son Hunter. He is in a long line of Gill hunters and is now just old enough to trot through the woods in search of deer and turkey with his father. His older ... Read More
Your Ducks and Our WordPress Design Equals Success
In the land of WordPress, top web design firms are busy. I mean really busy. WordPress usage has grown so rapidly that the really good WordPress designers are in high demand and so busy that many have full project schedules. For us designers, it’s a beautiful thing. For our potential clients, not so much. If you’re considering redesigning your website in WordPress, you’ll need a solid team to help execute the project. Because of the increasing demand, finding and retaining someone of quality ... Read More
WordPress: The Warp Core of the Internet
The college student in me was in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation. The professional in me is in love with WordPress. Because of this, whenever anyone talks about the WordPress “core”, my mind always jumps back to episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’m not at all a science geek, but I so loved this show. I know part of this love was due to the idealism illustrated by creator Gene Roddenberry. The show presented a future life where disease was limited, food effortlessly ... Read More
Selecting the Right WordPress Hosting Provider
With each new web design client I am asked the same question – what WordPress hosting provider should I use for my new website? As with most things in life, I have pretty strong opinions on this subject. Contrary to what many people may believe, WordPress hosting providers are not all the same. There are hidden gems waiting for discovery and hidden nightmares that should be avoided at all costs. Cheap Hosting Companies Deliver Cheap Performance When I founded the company years ago, I assumed ... Read More
WordPress Plugins – Be Smart About The Ones You Install
One of the great things about WordPress is the ability it gives us to extend the capabilities of the core software with plugins. The official WordPress Plugin Directory now has nearly 23,000 plugins. That's an amazing amount of extra features we can add to our websites. However the old adage is still true: with great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately there's a lot of junk in those 23,000 plugins. You can bog your site down to a crawl, expose your site to hackers or even worse if ... Read More
2012 Was the Year WordPress Grew Up
As I ponder this last year one thing stands out more than anything else. The year of 2012 will be know as the year WordPress grew up. WordPress didn’t just become a big kid, it became a major player in the world of website design. This realization makes me incredibly exited to see what the year of 2013 will bring for the entire WordPress community. If you’re not personally drinking the WordPress kool-aid already, you might be thinking I’m just pushing what I know and sell. Not true. There ... Read More
Medical Websites: Physician Heal Thyself
I remember landing my first real job and having my first insurance card. I was not only proud of my accomplishment; I was thrilled that I had health insurance. That may sound strange, but I did not have medical insurance for much of my childhood and for the years I was in college. Being able to go to any doctor I wanted was more than a treat. It was fantastic! I was equally excited the first time I realized the power of the internet and I could see it had the ability it had to change the ... Read More
Hans is Now Responsive!
Hans is now responsive! I repeat – our very popular real estate theme is now responsive! Yes it is worth repeating, because this has been a hot topic of conversation in the Web Savvy Marketing camp. For months we’ve received tons of emails and forum posts asking about the migration of our popular fixed width theme to the new responsive format. All of us are thrilled to say the day has finally arrived. The process took a bit longer than we expected, but it is finally done. Migrating an ... Read More
Do What Makes You Happy
The Little Theme Store That Grew Up Late in 2011 Chris Cree (you might know him from his rock star support in our forum) suggested we launch a theme store. Being the overly opinionated and bullheaded woman that I am, I quickly dismissed his idea. After all, inside my head I kept thinking “we build custom WordPress themes - we do not sell stock themes.” Chris, knowing me like he does, just waited and brought up the idea again at another time. When I ignored him a second time, he retreated but ... Read More
PressNomics: People Are the True WordPress Core
Last week Chris held down the Web Savvy fort, while Debbie and I headed off to Arizona for a WordPress conference called PressNomics. Since this was the first conference of it’s kind, we had no idea what to expect. We just knew we wanted to be part of this new WordPress event. We were not disappointed. The conference was announced months ago and I bought a ticket within an hour or so of the event launch. No speakers or agenda had been posted and I had no idea who from our community would be ... Read More
16 Tips to Review Before You Buy WordPress Themes
How many buyers perform thorough WordPress theme reviews prior to narrowing down their shortlist of template options? A lot less than one would think and buyer remorse is greater than it should be. What criteria should be considered by purchasers before they buy WordPress themes? Buying a theme should be an informative decision and not one based solely on emotion or esthetics. We theme developers, and our themes for that matter, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. From new theme creators ... Read More
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