If you’re looking to build WordPress website quickly and with a solid foundation, there’s one framework you should have on your radar: The Genesis Framework by StudioPress.

I’m a huge Fan of Genesis, and use it (almost) exclusively for all theme development, large and small. I consider Genesis a must-have tool that every WordPress developer should have in their back pocket. Genesis makes WordPress sites more extensible, more secure, easier to update, and it’s built on great SEO standards. It’s used on over 300,000 sites, and for bigger sites with lots of customization, it’s a helpful layer for building and maintaining excellent code for the lifespan of a site.

Genesis makes WordPress sites more extensible, more secure, easier to update, and it’s built on great SEO standards. It’s used on over 300,000 sites, and for bigger sites with lots of customization, it’s a helpful layer for building and maintaining excellent code for the lifespan of a site.

Why the Genesis Framework is Awesome

Genesis is created and maintained by an active group of developers over at StudioPress. It’s constantly being updated for best practices, ease of use, and compatibility with the latest version of WordPress, and many popular plugins.

I never have to worry about a WordPress or Genesis update breaking my site.

If I do have an issue, usually of my own creation, there’s a huge community of Genesis developers to reach out to. You can open a support ticket at StudioPress directly, or search the user forums for direct support. Being as popular a framework as it is, there’s also a wealth of user knowledge just a google search away.

It’s inexpensive

Whether you’re buying one-off child themes or an agency package, the framework is inexpensive compared to other options. At the time of this writing, you can get the pro-plus package for $399.96, or purchase just the framework for $59.95. Individual child themes from StudioPress cost anywhere from $29-$99 per theme, depending on the child theme. There are also many, many child themes available both for free and at a cost around the internet.

Unlike other packages, Genesis doesn’t charge a reoccurring fee…once you pay, you have access and updates forever. That’s it, a one time cost. While $399 might seem steep for a “theme”, you’re getting much more than just a theme. Genesis is a tool that can be leveraged for accelerated theme development that will pay for itself over, and over again.

Regardless of your license, it’s an unlimited license. You can install it on one, or 400 sites.

It’s simple

The WordPress ecosystem is littered with bloated themes that offer everything a user could possibly want, and 317 things nobody wants. They have built-in sliders, forms, portfolios, staff bios, font sets, sharing widgets, shortcodes, editor buttons, 3000 options nobody even knows how to use, and 224 prebuilt configurations.

It’s a nightmare.

Genesis doesn’t do that. It doesn’t try to be everything to everybody. It provides a solid foundation that you can add as many features easily, as you need them. Rather than packing in 3000 in-built layouts, they provide a solid selection of child themes and extra plugins. This keeps it lean and simple to use. All of the features you need to do rapid theme development, and (almost) nothing you don’t.

Once you learn the framework, you know it…

Regardless of which child theme you are using, they all work the same way. Genesis is built on WordPress’s action/filter hook API. Which means you can alter almost anything using simple actions and filters, without having to reinvent anything.

Let’s say you want to add a widget area on a child theme. So you create a sidebar and hook into the “genesis_after_content” action to place it. That same function can be moved to any child theme, and your widget area will appear in the same place, consistently. You don’t need to relearn the entire system to switch to new child themes.

I’d love to know what you think and whether you’ve ever given Genesis a try!