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  • WordPress 6.3 Development Kicks Off to Conclude Gutenberg Phase 2

    The WordPress 6.3 development cycle has begun and work is already underway on an ambitious list of features that will debut in the upcoming major release. It will cap off Phase 2 of the Gutenberg project, with an emphasis on polishing customization features and making them easier to use.

    WordPress 6.3 Editor Triage co-lead Anne McCarthy published a roadmap to 6.3 this week, which summarizes what users can expect:

    This release aims to make it easier for users to edit pages, manage navigation, and adjust styles all directly in the Site Editor. It also seeks to provide detailed, relevant information when exploring different parts of the site, such as showing the number of posts per page when viewing relevant blog templates.

    In addition to polishing and wrapping up phase 2, McCarthy’s post outlines the new features that are coming. Here are a few of the highlights:

    This is a tentative glimpse at some of the user-facing features that may be coming in WordPress 6.3, but the roadmap includes many more items, screenshots, and quick demos.

    “As always, what’s shared here is being actively pursued, but doesn’t necessarily mean each will make it into the final release of WordPress 6.3,” McCarthy said.

    Gutenberg Lead Architect Matías Ventura will be leading WordPress 6.3. Beta 1 is expected in a little more than a month on June 27, 2023, with RC 1 on July 18, and the general release scheduled for August 8.

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  • 3 Fastest WordPress Hosting Companies in 2023 (Tested)

    When choosing the fastest WordPress hosting provider for your website, speed is a crucial factor to consider. A slow website can negatively impact your website’s performance in several ways. Firstly, a slow-loading website could lead to losing potential customers, a risk no business owner wants to take. High bounce rates, as measured by website metrics, often indicate a slow-loading website.

    Additionally, a slow website can hurt your search engine rankings. Google uses core web vitals such as speed index, time to first byte (TTFL), and more to evaluate the quality of websites and determine their placement on search engine results pages (SERPs).

    Because of these factors, ensuring your website loads quickly is crucial to avoid these common problems. In this post, we’ll provide you with our top three fastest WordPress hosting providers so you can decide which company to choose. Let’s dive in.

    The Key Factors That Define the Fastest WordPress Hosting

    When it comes to WordPress hosting speed, several factors come into play. Firstly, the hardware running the hosting service must be top-notch. This usually includes ample amounts of RAM, high-end central processing units (CPUs), solid-state drives (SSD), or advanced technologies such as LiteSpeed, all of which work together to create a blazing-fast hosting experience.

    Additionally, it’s crucial to consider whether the host employs a content delivery network (CDN), which can speed up content delivery to your site’s visitors by storing multiple copies of your files in the cloud. Lastly, the fastest web hosts typically offer speed-enhancing features such as object caching, CSS, HTML, and javascript minification, and load balancing.

    The WordPress Hosting Providers We Tested

    Aside from the three fastest WordPress hosts featured in this post, we tested a dozen other providers. While they all performed relatively well in our tests, their results weren’t as impressive as our top three.

    Some of the other hosts we tested were:

    For this post, we focused on the top three rather than all, primarily because we wanted to showcase scores for the highest-rated, most popular web hosts. Plus, having too many choices can be overwhelming.

    The Tools We Used to Measure the Fastest WordPress Hosts

    WordPress Hosting Benchmark tool plugin

    To evaluate the speed of each host, we employed the WordPress Hosting Benchmark plugin. This tool, executed from within PHP, allowed us to determine the processing time of each host’s server by measuring CPU and memory speed, data retrieval time from the filesystem and database, and testing the object cache and network speed. However, we opted not to enable the object caching metric, as the author of the plugin has experienced mixed results. That said, we spoke directly with the plugin’s developer, who assured us that he’s aware of the issues with object caching and plans to address these issues in upcoming updates.

    WordPress hosting performance benchmarks

    Additionally, we relied on the WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmarks website, which conducts a comprehensive assessment of each host’s setup. This assessment includes load testing, uptime monitoring, K6 static testing to evaluate server caching by repeatedly testing the home page, a web page test to measure how long it takes to load the home page from 12 different global locations, and the WPPerformanceTester, which measures how many WordPress queries and PHP database operations a site can handle per second.

    3 Fastest WordPress Hosting Companies

    Aside from the two benchmarking tools we used, we also considered a couple of other factors, including the number of positive reviews and the number of features you get with their WordPress hosting plans. So, without delay, let’s dive into our top picks for the fastest WordPress hosting your hard-earned money can buy.

    1. SiteGround

    SiteGround WordPress hosting

    Coming into the top spot on our list of fastest WordPress hosts is SiteGround. Overall, the scores were quite impressive. This is primarily due to how SiteGround’s servers are configured.

    Some of the more notable performance features of SiteGround are:

    • Based on Google Cloud
    • Latest version of PHP, Brotli compression
    • Custom PHP that reduces TTFL (available on Grow Big and GoGeek plans only)
    • Utilizes the SG Optimizer plugin
    • Custom MySQL setup
    • Nginx server
    • Free CDN

    SiteGround offers a premium Google Cloud hosting setup customized to optimize website speed. This unique setup utilizes custom implementations of PHP and MySQL, resulting in an impressive average time to first byte (TTFL) that is 30% faster than its competitors. To further enhance site speed, every website hosted on SiteGround comes equipped with SG Optimizer, a robust site caching plugin that provides dynamic caching to store your content on the Nginx server’s memory, enabling faster access. SiteGround also offers file-based caching, which generates static HTML versions of your site that are displayed to users. Additionally, the Memcached object caching feature stores frequently executed database queries and reuse them to speed up your site.

    To top it all off, SiteGround offers minification of CSS, javascript, and HTML, customizable settings to fit your preferences, Brotli compression – a faster alternative to Gzip, and a free Cloudflare CDN.

    These features are evident in our testing, providing some impressive scores. Let’s dive into SiteGround’s test results so you can see for yourself.

    WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmark Results

    SiteGround loadstorm results

    SiteGround has impressive performance numbers, with a P95 response time of just 126ms and no HTTP failures, even when subjected to a high peak RPS of 303.75 requests per second based on 351,276 requests, good enough for the top spot on our list.

    SiteGround K6

    The K6 static test pushed SiteGround further with 442,044 requests. Yet, it still delivered a fantastic P95 response time of only 67ms and no HTTP failures.

    SiteGround’s uptime is close to perfect, hovering around 99.99%. However, its WebPageTest results were mixed. If you access a site hosted on SiteGround from the United States, London, or Germany, you’ll see a full page load in under one second. But SiteGround struggled in other locations, such as Cape Town, Singapore, and Tokyo, with an average load time of 1.5 seconds. While not terrible, this is slower than Pressable.

    Regarding the WPPerformanceTester, SiteGround scored a slightly better PHP Bench result than Pressable, with a score of 10.006. However, it didn’t perform as well as Pressable in the WordPress Bench test, with a score of 1295.3.

    WordPress Hosting Benchmark Plugin Results

    SiteGround benchmark plugin results

    For our testing with the plugin, we used a simple setup with the Twenty Twenty-Three theme and no active plugins. We created 20 blog posts and 5 pages using the FakerPress plugin to simulate a simple informational website.

    After conducting five tests with the benchmarking plugin, it’s evident that SiteGround is built on a speedy infrastructure. In fact, it outperformed all other hosting providers on our list when importing large quantities of data into the database and matched them evenly in all other categories. As a result, when we combined the scores from the benchmarking website and plugin, SiteGround emerged as the undisputed champion on our list of fastest WordPress hosts.

    ➡️ Read Our Complete SiteGround Hosting Review.

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    2. Pressable

    Pressable fastest WordPress hosting

    The second host on our list, Pressable, had the second-best overall score of our top three on the WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmarks website. This is no surprise considering the performance features available through them:

    While most web hosts offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, Pressable takes it up a notch by providing an impressive 100% uptime guarantee. It also utilizes an automatic failover process that switches to a backup server or network in case of any issues. Additionally, Pressable offers managed hosting that’s tailored specifically for WordPress. Since WordPress is built upon PHP, hosting requires a different setup than standard HTML hosting. Pressable’s cloud-based server, robust performance monitoring, and optimized WordPress hosting make it an excellent choice for hosting your WordPress site.

    Let’s break down the results from both of our testing platforms so you can gain insight into how fast Pressable really is.

    WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmark Results

    Pressable LoadStorm testing

    Pressable performed exceptionally well during a LoadStorm test, which simulated uncached users hitting the website, logging in, and browsing. The test generated 425,398 requests over just over thirty minutes, with peak requests per second of nearly 360, yet there were zero HTTP failures. Pressable also achieved an impressive P95 response time of just 321ms, demonstrating its ability to simultaneously handle a high volume of visitors.

    Pressable K6 testing

    Pressable aced the K6 static test, which involved repeatedly requesting the website’s home page for 15 minutes. It handled 447,740 requests without any HTTP failures, with a peak RPS of 986 and an incredible response time of only 19ms. Overall, Pressable performed impressively, showcasing its robustness and ability to handle any challenge.

    We conducted a performance test on Pressable to evaluate its ability to handle WordPress functions. The test included stress-testing PHP, MySQL, and WordPress databases to determine the queries per second. Pressable demonstrated an impressive PHP bench score of 10.0006 and a robust WordPress bench score of over 1349. This test showcased Pressable’s ability to handle tons of queries efficiently, making it a viable option.

    We also evaluated Pressable’s uptime and conducted a web page test, which fully loads the home page and measures the loading time from different global locations. Pressable received a perfect uptime score of 100 and loaded the home page in less than a second, regardless of the location.

    WordPress Hosting Benchmark Plugin Results

    To further examine Pressable’s performance, we conducted several tests. Firstly, we installed the benchmark plugin to assess its CPU and memory performance, filesystem response, and database. Additionally, we conducted a network download speed test.

    Pressable benchmark plugin results

    Overall, Pressable performed exceptionally well. Its network speed test showed an impressive 1.7-second response time. Simple queries on the database were speedy as well. However, importing extensive data took 4.2 seconds, which could be improved. Despite this, Pressable scored 8.2 out of 10, showcasing its strong performance.

    ➡️ Read Our Complete Pressable Hosting Review.

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    3. Cloudways

    Cloudways fastest WordPress hosting

    Cloudways rounds out our top three fastest hosting providers. While it scores highly in most categories, we did observe some struggles when over 300 virtual users accessed the site simultaneously. However, it’s worth noting that WPHostingBenchmarks conducted their tests on Cloudways’ lowest-tiered plan, which may explain this issue. Additionally, their test server had only 1GB of RAM, which is generally insufficient to support a WordPress website. To address this, we further tested the next highest-tiered plan to level the playing field.

    Let’s take a deeper dive into Cloudways and the performance attributes it offers:

    • Varnish cache onboard
    • Redis object caching
    • Build on cloud infrastructure
    • Dynamic caching through Memcached
    • PHP caching with PHP-FPM

    Cloudways stands out from other hosting providers by offering customizable features you can add as needed. With options like Varnish, Redis, and Memcached, your websites can perform at lightning-fast speeds. You can choose from five cloud-based web hosts – Google, AWS, DigitalOcean, Linode, and Vultr – to find the best fit for your business. And you can personalize your WordPress environment by setting the RAM, bandwidth, and storage to your unique specifications.

    Our tests used a Cloudways plan that included 1GB RAM, 25GB hard drive space, and 1TB bandwidth. This is equivalent to 75% of the other providers we tested. So, let’s delve into the results so you can see how Cloudways fared against other hosting providers on our list.

    WordPress Hosting Performance Benchmark Results

    Cloudways LoadStorm test

    As previously mentioned, these results are skewed due to the lowest-priced plan being used. However, it’s still a good indication of what you can expect with Cloudways, especially if you choose their bargain basement setup. During the LoadStorm test, Cloudways struggled a bit. Unfortunately, it recorded 229 HTTP failures throughout the test, with failures popping up once the server gained more than 300 virtual users. With the 160,790 requests made, the average P95 response time was 21,119 ms, which could be better.

    Cloudways K6

    However, Cloudways did much better on the K6 cached testing, with zero failures out of 368,873 requests, with a P95 response time of 467ms, which is much better than the uncached LoadStorm test conducted. This goes to show how beneficial good caching can be. For the uptime test, Cloudways fared quite well, with an overall score of 100% through Uptime Robot and 99.8342% on Hetrix, which is pretty darned good.

    Finally, the PHP bench results were slightly better than Pressable and SiteGround, with a score of 7.523, good enough for the top spot on our list. However, the WordPress bench scores were the worst, coming in at 1007.

    WordPress Hosting Benchmark Plugin Results

    Cloudways benchmark plugin test

    When testing with the benchmarking plugin, we opted for a slightly different setup than the lowest-priced plan. For this test, we chose the next highest (recommended) minimum plan for WordPress, which consists of 2 GB RAM, 50GB hard drive storage, and 5TB of bandwidth on a DigitalOcean cloud server. With these specs, Cloudways sailed through testing with an attitude. The only score under acceptable levels was the database import metric. Still, some of our other hosts also struggled with that. Of the top three hosting providers, Cloudways scored the best on the plugin benchmarking test.

    ➡️ Read Our Complete Cloudways Hosting Review.

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    Which is the Fastest WordPress Hosting Provider Overall?

    As a result of our testing, we can confidently say that SiteGround deserves the top spot on our fastest WordPress hosting list.

    🥇SiteGround🥈Pressable🥉Cloudways
    Starting Price$14.99/month$25/month$12/month
    Number of Requests442044447740368873
    HTTP Failures00229
    LoadStorm126ms321ms21 119ms
    K6 Static67ms18ms467ms
    Uptime99.9%100%99.8%
    PHP Bench9.757 10.006 7.523
    WordPress Bench1295.31349.51007
    Trustpilot Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Read SiteGround reviews    		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Read Pressable reviews    		⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Read Cloudways reviews
    VisitVisitVisit

    Our findings indicate that SiteGround outperformed the competition in multiple essential areas, including scoring the highest on the LoadStorm test, maintaining an impressive uptime record, and recording zero HTTP errors during our testing. While we acknowledge the impressive capabilities of Pressable and Cloudways, SiteGround’s exceptional performance establishes it as the clear winner in the fastest WordPress hosting category.

    Are you looking for more hosting reviews? Check out our picks for the 10 best WordPress hosting options for 2023.

    The post 3 Fastest WordPress Hosting Companies in 2023 (Tested) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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  • WordPress Is Developing a Command Center for Quick Search and Navigation Inside the Admin

    WordPress may soon be getting a Command Center, which would function as a quick search component for navigating to other areas of the admin, and would also be capable of running commands. The feature was introduced in Gutenberg 15.6 under the Experimental flag and currently has limited use in the Site Editor context while navigating and editing templates.

    The Command Center project is intended to be expanded to the whole of wp-admin in an extensible way so plugin developers can register their own commands. This would also allow for AI-powered extensions to expedite design, content, and layout creation.

    “One aspect worth highlighting is the proposed API to interact with the command center,” Gutenberg engineer Riad Benguella said in a post requesting feedback on the project. “The command center has been developed as an independent @wordpress/commands package. It offers APIs to render and register commands dynamically. These extension points allow plugins to inject any commands of their liking and opens the door for interactions with LLMs.”

    Benguella shared a video of the prototype navigating between templates and template parts in the Site Editor:

    Feedback so far had been generally positive, but contributors on the project will have the challenge of providing real examples of the Command Center’s benefits in order for some to fully realize the vision for this feature as more than just a fancy shortcut for power users.

    “Neat, but I’m unclear what practical problem this actually solves?” WordPress developer Jon Brown said.

    “Currently there is a clear easy to find and use drop down at the top center of the editor. Are people really having problems using that? This seems to complicate things where users have to know the names of the items to type them in. Does the average user know to type in ‘post meta’ to edit that?

    “There are couple plugins that have done this admin wide, which again while neat, seems better aimed at power users that already know what they’re looking for.”

    Benguella responded that the Command Center is being developed as “a complementary UI tailored specifically for average and power users,” and that users would not be required to remember technical terms in order to use it.

    Other participants in the conversation asked that contributors consider not releasing the Command Center in WordPress until it can serve contexts beyond just the Site Editor.

    “Initially we’ve added the command center to both post and site editors but I expect that we’ll be adding to all WP-Admin once we’ve proved its behavior and APIs,” Benguella responded. The API is currently still in the experimental stage in Gutenberg and it’s not yet known if expansion to wp-admin would be added before or after the Command Center lands in the next version of WordPress.

    “Love the concept, hate that it’s limited to the Editor,” WordPress developer Dovid Levine said.

    “This would ideally be implemented holistically – either as part of a push to modernize the long-neglected dashboard or API efforts to interact with GB data outside of the Editor. We’ve seen how slow developer adoption is when done the other way (GB first/only) – and worse, how painful it is for the early adopters/advocates if/when considerations beyond the Editor are finally taken into account.”

    The first milestone, powering quick search for content and templates in the editor, is outlined on GitHub where contributors can track the progress. The Command Center will also be tested in the future as part of the FSE Outreach Program. Benguella is requesting feedback on the feature and its API on the post published to the core dev blog, specifically regarding the user experience and whether the APIs detailed in the post are capable enough to address third-party use cases.

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  • What Are Filters in WordPress and How to Use WordPress add_filter 

    A WordPress filter is a hook that manipulates internal data before it is displayed on the browser. To create a filter, add the add_filter function in your website’s functions.php file. In WordPress development, users use this filter to modify a plugin, a theme, or specific website functionality. For example, you can change your website posts’ […]

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    The post What Are Filters in WordPress and How to Use WordPress add_filter  appeared first on Hostinger Tutorials.

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  • How to Create a WordPress Chat Room to Boost Website Engagement + Plugin Recommendations

    If you run a forum or membership site and want to improve visitor engagement, installing a chat room can be a great solution. Chat rooms are virtual spaces where visitors can communicate with the website owner and other participants in real time via text. For WordPress CMS users, many excellent chat room plugins let you […]

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    The post How to Create a WordPress Chat Room to Boost Website Engagement + Plugin Recommendations appeared first on Hostinger Tutorials.

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  • 10 Best SEO Optimized WordPress Themes in 2023 (Compared)

    Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of a website. Without it, your content will be harder for search engines to find, no matter how great the content is. Using an SEO-friendly WordPress theme can provide a critical foundation for building a site that will rank high in the SERPs. In this post, we’ll look at free and premium options for some of the best SEO WordPress themes available to download today.

    The Importance of an SEO-Friendly WordPress Theme

    An SEO-friendly WordPress theme is basically a theme that is built with SEO as a high priority. These themes usually have a code base that makes your site easily indexed by search engines. They are built with SEO best practices focusing on SEO headings, schema markup for getting featured snippets on Google, speed optimization, Google authorship, semantic HTML5 markup, mobile responsiveness, and more. They also provide easy-to-use SEO options on the backend to help you customize and improve your SEO even further. Having an SEO-friendly theme is important because it gives website owners a great foundation for growing traffic organically.

    What about SEO Plugins?

    For those serious about WordPress SEO, you should still consider using an SEO plugin with your theme to implement more advanced SEO techniques. This is especially true when it comes to deeper levels of on-page SEO and link building. SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and RankMath can provide the same SEO options native to your theme and much more. So it is also important that your theme integrates well with these plugins. Plus, there are many SEO tools that can boost your website’s ranking beyond the capabilities of SEO themes and plugins.

    However, a theme that is built to be SEO-friendly out of the box is still a great solution for many and will provide a great foundation for extending SEO efforts with other plugins or tools.

    The Best SEO WordPress Themes for 2023

    It can be difficult to tell how well a theme is optimized for SEO, as some features are sometimes hidden. After some research, we’ve found some of the top SEO WordPress themes you can use for your website. With both free and premiums options available, we have a theme for everyone on our list.

    1. Schema

    Schema, the best WordPress SEO theme

    Schema proclaims itself as the fastest SEO WordPress theme, period. And we definitely agree that it is one of the best SEO WordPress themes available right now. To begin, Schema comes with pre-configured rich snippet support. This helps your website’s content have more prominence on the SERP on search engines like Google. This can help your site to rank better. Additionally, much effort and thought go into the code used to create this theme. Its code is thoroughly optimized to be light with an emphasis on SEO best practices. Schema’s code is secure and rigorously tested so that your website will be safe and perform at its highest good.

    Speed comparison report for Scheme, the best WordPress theme for SEO

    Loading time is a major factor that Google uses to determine the position of websites on the SERP. Luckily, when using Schema, you can rest assured that your website will perform well in the speed department. Additionally, we have to mention that one of the most popular SEO plugins Rank Math was created by the same authors of Schema. This means that if you want the best SEO WordPress theme to work with Rank Math, you should consider using Schema. Plus, it is compatible with the Elementor Builder for more powerful design features.

    Features include:

    • Supports Rich snippets of all kinds (built-in)
    • Built-in Review System
    • Ad Manager to control and track ads on your site
    • SEO-friendly design and code
    • Translation ready schema
    • Clearly identifiable content and media
    • Async JavaScript for enhanced page speed
    • Mobile responsive

    Pricing: Free, $49/yr (unlimited sites)

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    2. GeneratePress

    GeneratePress best WordPress theme

    GeneratePress is a force to be reckoned with regarding WordPress themes. It is one of the first themes to have a competent block-enabled theme builder. With this theme, you can rest assured that search engines will properly crawl your website and will remain accessible to all types of internet and web users.

    Out of the box, GeneratePress emphasizes performance, accessibility, and SEO best practices, as seen in the performance score below!

    GeneratePress speed test results

    Accessibility is a key factor that Google considers when ranking a website. Many of the more popular themes – including some on our list – completely ignore this important part of web design. However, GeneratePress makes sure that they follow WCAG standards, ensuring those who may use the internet differently can still use and interact with your website.

    In addition to covering basics like mobile responsiveness, GeneratePress also uses the correct header tags throughout its theme. GeneratePress bears these aspects in mind and does an excellent job of giving you a reliable tool to make a robust SEO-friendly website.

    Features include:

    • 100% page speed scores
    • Follows WCAG 2.0 standards
    • Built-in Schema.org metadata
    • Has W3C markup

    Pricing: Paid plans start at $59 per year

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    3. Divi

    Divi, premium WordPress website builder plugin

    Divi is a theme from here at Elegant Themes with a modular drag-and-drop builder with dozens of modules to create any layout you need. You can also use the many premade layouts and modify them any way you want. The theme options panel includes an SEO tab to set up custom SEO for your homepage, single post pages, and index page.

    Divi's SEO settings

    You can set up custom titles, descriptions, keywords, canonical URLs, custom fields, and more. You can enable or disable any field you want, giving you complete control over how the theme can handle your SEO. It’s an excellent choice for building any website you can imagine. In addition to the base SEO settings, Divi plays very well with SEO giants Yoast SEO and RankMath. You can learn how to optimize your Divi website with Rank Math on our blog.

    Features include:

    • Built-in speed optimization features for fast loading times
    • Seamless integration with RankMath for creating SEO content
    • Custom titles and meta descriptions for posts and homepage
    • Enable canonical URLs
    • Set title autogeneration for blog posts
    • Enable meta keywords in the site header
    • Define a character to separate the blog name and page title

    Pricing: Paid plans start at $89

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    4. Genesis Pro

    Genesis Pro by StudioPress

    Genesis Pro by StudioPress is our list’s most expensive premium theme but for a good reason. It is based on the robust, state-of-the-art WordPress framework Genesis. The open-source framework was built from the ground up with SEO in mind, making it one of the best SEO WordPress themes available.

    Its clean code helps you avoid technical difficulties that could impede your ranking with search engines. Secondly, Genesis Pro boasts powerful security features, so not only is your SEO covered, but the safety of your website is also secure. Of course, it supports Gutenberg deeply, giving you a visual page-building experience supported by a library of StudioPress child themes and pre-built, custom content sections and full-page layouts.

    Features include:

    • Native on-page SEO settings
    • AMP optimized
    • Supports Schema.org code
    • Lightweight code for lightning-fast performance
    • Mobile responsive design

    Pricing: Free, $360 per year

    Get Genesis Pro

    5. Astra

    Astra responsive WordPress theme
    Astra is one of the WordPress Theme Repository’s most popular free themes. And with over one million downloads on the net, many would agree that it is one of WordPress’s top themes. With free and premium versions, you can expect deep SEO support and capabilities to help your website’s search engine optimization journey.

    The codebase structure of Astra follows SEO best practices which are great news when it comes to building an SEO-friendly website. Astra claims only to need less than 50kb of resources, making it one of the best-performing themes on our list. Built with speed in mind, Astra has great performance stats on GTMetrix, Pingdom, and YSlow compared to its competitors. It supports SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math, so you can rest assured that you’ll have your SEO in control when you use Astra for your site.

    Features include:

    • Self-hosted Google Fonts for more extraordinary site performance
    • Follows ideal coding standards for truly optimized code
    • Customizable header tags
    • Inbuilt schema markup
    • Integrates well with Yoast SEO and RankMath

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $59 per year

    Get Astra

    6. OceanWP

    OceanWP ecommerce WordPress theme

    OceanWP has a feature-rich free version that gives you a helping hand regarding your SEO. For starters, you have schema markup built into OceanWP, which helps with your rankings on search engines like Google. You have the option of disabling this markup if you choose to use an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math. Controlling heading tags is another SEO-specific feature OceanWP has natively that can assist you as you optimize your site for search engines.

    OceanWP also has deep integrations with many page builders, including Elementor. If budget is an issue and you’d still like to build a robust SEO website, OceanWP is one of the best SEO WordPress themes for you to try.

    Features include:

    • SERP page control
    • Custom 404-page design and support
    • Basic schema integration
    • Adjustable heading tags
    • Google Fonts stored locally

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $54 per year

    Get OceanWP

    7. Neve

    Neve Theme by Themeisle

    Neve is a lightweight and fast theme that boasts seamless integration with a long list of page builders. For SEO, Neve comes with an SEO-ready structure. Additionally, it has clean and optimized code. No matter what your builder of choice is, Neve will work effortlessly. Neve boasts of super-fast performance due to its reduced weight as a theme. Right out of the box, the theme has a total install size of only 28kb! Additionally, Neve works well with the most popular caching plugins.

    Features include:

    • Mobile-ready and AMP compatible
    • SEO-ready structure
    • Clean and optimized source code
    • Translations and RTL ready
    • Loads in less than 1 second

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $99 per year

    Get Neve

    8. Zakra

    Zakra responsive WordPress theme

    Zakra integrates with page builders like Brizy and Elementor. It also plays well with the popular SEO plugin Yoast SEO. The theme boasts of having a load time of less than one second, according to sites like Pingdom and GT Metrix. Search engines can easily recognize site content for Zakra. Zakra works hard at preventing security risks on your site, all while following WP coding standards tightly.

    Features include:

    • AMP ready
    • No jquery
    • Set appropriate HTML tags for post/page titles
    • Secure code according to WordPress standards
    • Validates, sanitizes and escapes user data for security purposes

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $69 per year

    Get Zakra

    9. SEOWP

    WP SEO Theme

    SEOWP is an SEO-focused theme that was created for SEO agencies and worked to be an example of their SEO efforts. It includes premium SEO plugins to help improve SEO and page loading. SEOWP has a built-in SEO tool called Rankie. It is a rank checker that will track site rankings in Google for you and generate powerful reports. SEOWP has robust integration with Yoast and is fully integrated with this stable SEO plugin.

    It includes sections for case studies, marketing free books and resources, a landing page template, forms, and more. SEOWP was named one of the best SEO WordPress themes at one point on ThemeForest. It’s one of the best SEO WordPress themes for SEO and marketing agencies.

    Features include:

    • Google Site Rank Checker
    • Google SERP checker
    • Fast loading
    • Translation ready
    • 10+ premium SEO-related plugins built-in

    Pricing: $138 per year

    Get SEOWP

    10. Public Opinion

    Public Opinion, one of the best Magazine WordPress Themes available today

    Public Opinion is a simple magazine with multiple homepage layouts that focus on SEO. This theme is integrated and works beautifully with Yoast SEO, the popular SEO plugin. Search engines love Public Opinion. The theme focuses on helping your site unlock the power of SEO for ranking on search engines. It includes multiple homepages and category layouts to create the pages you want. There are three different post types, including a rating post type where you can write detailed ratings for reviews. It’s a clean theme that loads fast and is ideal for any magazine or blog.

    Features include:

    • SEO optimized
    • Speed optimized
    • Mobile optimized design
    • Conditionally loaded assets (CSS, JS, etc.) for speed
    • Integrates well with Yoast SEO

    Pricing: Paid plans start at $49 per year

    Get Public Opinion

    What are the Best SEO WordPress Themes?

    As you can see, being SEO-friendly is more than just being compatible with the many SEO plugins available for WordPress. These themes include clean code that follows best practices for SEO to tell search engines about your content. Between these themes, you’re sure to find what you need to rank high in search engine results and get your content discovered.

    ThemesPriceFree Version
    🥇Schema$49/year✔️Visit
    🥈GeneratePress$59/year✔️Visit
    🥉Divi$89/year❌Visit
    4Genesis Pro$360/year❌Visit
    5Astra$59/year✔️Visit
    6OceanWP$54/year✔️Visit
    7Neve$99/year✔️Visit
    8Zakra$69/year✔️Visit
    9Public Opinion$49/year❌Visit
    10MH Magazine$49/year❌Visit
    11SEOWP$138/year❌Visit

    This is our list of the best SEO-friendly WordPress themes that make your content highly discoverable. Right out of the gate, Genesis Pro packs a punch for those who want to handle their SEO through their theme. Performance-focused people will be thrilled to use Genesis Pro for their site. Secondly, if you’re looking for an SEO-focused theme that works well with Gutenberg, GeneratePress is your theme. Last but never least, Divi is an excellent choice for balancing your SEO and design needs.

    What’s your favorite SEO-forward WordPress theme? Did we miss it from our list? Sound off in the comments section down below!

    Article thumbnail image by Sergey Korkin / shutterstock.com 

    The post 10 Best SEO Optimized WordPress Themes in 2023 (Compared) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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  • 10 Best WordPress Block Themes for 2023 (Reviewed)

    WordPress has been around for twenty years and has quickly become the world’s most popular content management system (CMS). One of the best aspects of WordPress is the ability to change the look of your site with themes. Among the different types, block themes are the most recent addition. Based on the block editor released in WordPress 5.9, block themes have evolved to become the future of WordPress. In this post, we’ll outline our picks for the best WordPress block themes available today. But first, let’s explore what a block theme is.

    What is a WordPress Block Theme?

    WordPress block themes

    Block themes offer a revolutionary approach to website design in WordPress. They utilize full site editing to allow you to design every aspect of your website, including posts, pages, and templates, without the need for coding. Using a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can create headers, footers, post templates, block patterns, and more. Furthermore, developers and designers no longer need to change core WordPress files like functions.php. Using one file – theme.json, you can easily create custom blocks, add or change fonts, or modify other site aspects in one place. Despite being a relatively new design approach, block themes are the future of WordPress.

    10 Best WordPress Block Themes

    We considered a few factors when we set out to build a list of the best WordPress block themes. Our first priority was to ensure that every theme on our list fully utilized site editing capabilities. In addition, we made sure that each theme was user-friendly and easy to customize. Of course, we also considered the valuable reviews submitted by the WordPress community. And last but not least, we relied heavily on our own experience with each theme. With those factors in mind, we’ve identified our picks for the 10 best WordPress block themes for 2023. Let’s dive in.

    1. GeneratePress

    best WordPress block theme

    First up is GeneratePress, a WordPress block theme that focuses on speed. Its small page size of just 7.5kb allows for creating a lightning-fast, fully personalized website with minimal effort. You have the option of building pages and templates using the built-in block editor or installing a page builder plugin for added flexibility. Although the free version of GeneratePress offers all the essential tools to build a site, upgrading to the premium license offers many benefits to enhance your web development experience.

    Key Features of GeneratePress:

    • Drag-and-drop page editor
    • Lightweight for fast page-loading
    • Front-end visual editor (pro)
    • Dozens of starter sites

    add fonts to GeneratePress

    The WordPress live customizer allows easy customization, enabling users to set global colors, WooCommerce options, layout options, and fonts. While some block themes require modifying the theme.json file to add fonts, GeneratePress provides a more streamlined approach with its font manager. This feature allows you to easily upload fonts and apply them to specific target elements across your website.

    GeneratePress also boasts an impressive site library with over 100 premade layouts available for use with a premium license. Whether you’re building a business, blog, or ecommerce site, you can get up and running quickly with these pre-built templates.

    But GeneratePress is more than just a user-friendly tool for website customization. It’s also a valuable asset for developers thanks to its advanced hook system, which allows for the creation of new functionalities with ease. Additionally, the block-based theme builder combines GeneratePress with the GenerateBlocks plugin, allowing newbies to design their websites without coding. With the ability to create templates featuring static and dynamic blocks, content can be displayed effortlessly.

    GeneratePress is Best For:

    The block-based theme builder, drag-and-drop interface, and expansive page-building options available through the GeneratePress Blocks plugin will be greatly appreciated by novices. In contrast, developers and WordPress experts will discover the hook system as an exceptional tool for integrating new features into their websites. Overall, GeneratePress is a top-tier WordPress block theme worth trying out.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium license starting at $59 per year.

    Get GeneratePress

    2. Divi

    Divi by Elegant Themes

    Next on our list of best WordPress block themes is Divi. It’s widely considered one of the most popular themes in the world, with over 1 million live Divi sites in the United States alone. Its popularity is due to the fantastic features it offers. Divi provides the most customization options of any FSE theme on our list. You can design posts and pages in real-time with a no-code front-end Visual Builder, create custom templates with the Theme Builder, and even create a global color palette thanks to Divi’s built-in color manager.

    Key Features of Divi:

    • Front-end Visual Builder
    • Create templates with the Theme Builder
    • Global color management system
    • 2300+ professional design layouts
    • Support for WooCommerce
    • Integration with popular plugins

    Divi WooCommerce modules

    Divi offers direct support for WooCommerce, providing users with over 20 Woo-specific design elements. With these features, users can easily create stunning and functional product, cart, and checkout pages, allowing them to customize ecommerce sites to fit their preferences perfectly.

    Furthermore, Divi seamlessly integrates with a wide range of popular plugins, including MemberPress for creating a membership site, Restrict Content Pro for building a learning management system (LMS), and offers custom field support through plugins such as Toolset. That makes Divi stand out from everyone else – its versatility enables you to create virtually any type of website you can imagine.

    Divi SaaS Layout

    Finally, Divi presents an impressive collection of more than 2300 professionally-designed layouts that can make your WordPress site a reality in just a few clicks. These layouts cater to over a dozen business types, ensuring something for everyone. Moreover, these layouts are furnished with royalty-free original photos, icons, and in some instances, Photoshop images that can be modified to achieve a more personalized look.

    Divi is Best For:

    Divi’s wide customization options make it the best WordPress block theme for WordPress beginners and experts. If you’re new to WordPress, you’ll appreciate how easy it is to load one of 2300 free design layouts and quickly change text and images. On the other hand, advanced users will love the flexibility of the Theme Builder, which makes template creation a breeze.

    Pricing: $89 per year

    Get Divi

    3. eStory

    eStory best WordPress block theme

    Our next theme, eStory by Themegrill, is a WordPress block theme that’s perfect for bloggers. With over 10 customizable templates, you can give your blog a unique look by changing colors, images, and fonts. Plus, you’ll have access to 25+ block patterns and 3 starter sites, so you’ll always have inspiration. eStory is all about performance, too. It boasts an impressive 1-second page load time, so you won’t have to worry about bounce rates caused by slow speeds. As with all FSE themes, you can use the editor to edit templates easily. But don’t worry, you’re not limited to what they provide. With full site editing, you can add or delete any blocks you want, giving you complete control over your site’s look and feel.

    Key Features of eStory:

    • Comes with 10+ page templates and 3 starter sites
    • Fast load times
    • Template site editor

    eStory template editor

    Unlike traditional WordPress themes, which typically require you to make customizations through the WordPress customizer, eStory allows you to modify every aspect of your site’s appearance directly through the site editor. This means that you can adjust everything from the images and fonts to the colors and layout at the template level. With the free version, users can access nearly limitless customization options. That said, upgrading gives you access to the eStory theme and over 20 other fully responsive themes, each with a unique focus.

    eStory is Best For:

    If you’re a blogger looking for a premade theme that’s easy to customize and tailored to your needs, eStory might be the perfect solution. However, check out Divi if you want more options and flexibility in your block theme.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium license for $69 per year.

    Get eStory

    4. Twenty Twenty-Three

    Twenty Twenty Three block theme

    Next up on our list of the best WordPress block themes is Twenty Twenty-Three, which just so happens to be WordPress’s flagship theme. Now, don’t expect anything too flashy from this one. In fact, depending on what you’re looking for, that could be either a pro or a con. But, the real magic of Twenty-Three lies in its simplicity. Though it might seem a bit vanilla at first glance, you can turn it into whatever you want, thanks to full site editing.

    Key Features of Twenty Twenty-Three:

    • Minimal theme
    • Global styling
    • More than 10 fully editable templates

    using block patterns

    Twenty Twenty-Three is a leaner version of its predecessor, Twenty Twenty-Two. However, it still offers a lot of features. Users can enjoy global style variations, block patterns, full site editing, and color and typography changes. However, if you want to add fonts, you may need to use a plugin or be skilled enough to modify the theme.json file. Fortunately, this is not as intimidating as it may seem. You can easily add unlimited fonts with just a few lines of basic CSS.

    One of the best things about Twenty Twenty-Three is its use of fluid typography. This means that fonts are responsive, just like the site width. The type size is relative to the browser window’s width, eliminating the need to set up media queries or painstakingly edit individual text boxes for each breakpoint.

    Twenty Twenty-Three is Best For:

    Twenty Twenty-Three can be an excellent WordPress block theme if you’re determined to create a theme from scratch. Its minimalist foundation allows developers to modify or build any website they desire. However, if you’re searching for a more straightforward route to achieving the website of your dreams, consider eStory. With its user-friendly interface and pre-built templates, eStory offers a hassle-free experience in creating your ideal website.

    Pricing: Free

    Get Twenty Twenty-Three

    5. BlockPress

    BlockPress WordPress block theme

    Our next WordPress block theme, BlockPress, offers extensive customization options. It stands out from the other free themes on our list because it includes animation effects, allowing you to easily create stunning parallax, transform, 3D, hover effects, and more. Additionally, BlockPress provides the functionality to generate mega menus, transparent and sticky headers, and over a dozen query loop templates to showcase your blog posts.

    Key Features of BlockPress:

    • Onboard theme animations
    • Create mega menus, transparent headers, and sticky sections
    • Multiple templates and template parts
    • Conditional asset loading

    BlockPress template parts

    BlockPress is highly customizable thanks to the pre-built template part options included with it. Several options include a transparent header, a cover image hero section, or a colored title and image hero section. Plus, it provides a cool page template with sticky columns, so you can highlight the information that matters most to you. Also included are multiple template parts for headers and footers to find the perfect look for those essential aspects of your website.

    But that’s not all. BlockPress is remarkably lightweight, thanks to its use of conditional asset loading. This means it generates all the necessary styles and scripts on the fly, resulting in some of the fastest page loading times of any theme on our list, with an average page size of just 2kb. With such impressive speed, you won’t even need a separate speed optimization plugin to ensure your website loads quickly.

    BlockPress is Best For:

    If you’re in the market for a multi-purpose theme that offers a wide range of customization options, look no further than BlockPress. This lightweight theme is the perfect choice for creating a visually stunning website without relying on additional plugins. With features like animations, sticky sections, and mega menus, you’ll have all the tools to make your site stand out.

    Pricing: Free

    Get BlockPress

    6. Wabi

    Wabi WordPress block theme

    Moving on to the next WordPress block theme on our list, we have Wabi. This particular theme uses a simple design that emphasizes the power of typography. It is specifically tailored to cater to text-heavy websites by incorporating ample white space, minimalistic styling, and accent colors. Although Wabi’s understated appearance may cause it to be disregarded, several hidden gems within the theme may catch your attention and prompt you to take a second look.

    Key Features of Wabi:

    • Minimalistic and global styling
    • Focuses heavily on the written word
    • Accent colors for post headers
    • Multiple block patterns

    Accent colors in Wabi

    Wabi boasts a simple yet striking feature that allows users to assign one of six accent colors to post title backgrounds. Although it may seem like a small detail, this feature is a powerful tool for drawing attention to individual blog posts and breaking up the monotony of a text-heavy website. Beyond this, Wabi offers other subtle design elements, such as the option to add decorative borders to images. These little nuances add a touch of visual interest to websites that primarily feature written content.

    In addition, Wabi allows you to incorporate even more visual elements by providing a collection of premade block patterns. These patterns include headers and footer options, hero layouts, subscribe forms, and query loops. Best of all, each design maintains the minimalistic styling that Wabi is known for, ensuring your website remains sleek and uncluttered.

    Wabi is Best For:

    Those looking for a minimalistic, clean WordPress block theme for blogging will love Wabi. While there are only a few bells and whistles here, plenty of design elements are included to help showcase your blog or news-heavy website.

    Pricing: Free

    Get Wabi

    7. Bricksy

    Bricksy WordPress block theme

    Introducing our next entry, Bricksy – a free, lightweight WordPress block theme perfect for bloggers. It’s packed with full site editing capabilities, an array of premade block patterns, and global styling options, making it a worthy addition to our list. While Bricksy includes default templates in all block themes, it also comes with unique templates, such as home, about, WooCommerce, team page, and more. The best part? Editing all of these templates is a breeze thanks to the user-friendly editor.

    Key Features of Bricksy:

    • Theme-specific templates
    • Tons of Bricksy block patterns
    • Lightweight for fast page load speeds
    • Intuitive setup wizard (pro)

    Bricksy pattern blocks

    One of the best features of Bricksy is the ease with which you can add or edit content. Like all full site editing themes, you can edit every aspect of your website, including Bricksy’s included templates. You have the liberty to leave things as they are or explore the diverse range of Bricksy’s pattern blocks – consisting of whole page layouts for travel, wedding, food, and fashion, as well as an array of headers, footers, and general blocks, such as hero sections and image galleries. Adding these blocks is a breeze, giving you the power to customize your website in a few clicks.

    Bricksy is Best For:

    If you’re searching for a theme that heavily features photos for your food, travel, or wedding blog, then Bricksy might just be what you need. Its user-friendly interface makes adding content a breeze through dozens of pattern blocks or by quickly swapping out text and images using their premade layouts.

    Pricing: Free, with a premium license for $59 per year.

    Get Bricksy

    8. Tove

    Tove block theme

    Moving on to our next best WordPress block theme, we have Tove. It provides over 40 block patterns, is lightweight, and is ideally suited for those who want to feature their café or restaurant. It embodies the color wheel gamut with various muted rainbow colors and provides a fun and whimsical design.

    Key Features of Tove:

    • 40+ block patterns
    • Lightweight at just over 200kb
    • Colorful design

    Tove menu block

    Tove is an exceptional tool for building restaurant sites, boasting full site editing capabilities and over 40 block patterns that streamline the process. Notably, Tove offers a collection of menu pattern blocks that simplify the otherwise tedious task of creating a restaurant menu on a webpage. With impressive responsive layouts tailored for smaller screens, Tove’s menu pattern blocks are a game-changer for anyone seeking an easy and efficient solution to this challenge.

    But wait, there’s more. Tove also offers a variety of other patterns to complete your site, including blog, call to action, and hero blocks, in addition to over a dozen patterns for headers and footers. With all of these layouts at your disposal, all you need to do is drag your desired block into a page or post and then customize the fonts, colors, and images to match your branding.

    Tove is Best For:

    If you’re a restaurant owner looking to build a responsive website, Tove is a good option. Thanks to the ample layout options, you won’t need any design experience. That said, if you want unlimited design freedom, check out Divi.

    Pricing: Free

    Get Tove

    9. Julia

    Julia WordPress block theme

    Our next theme, Julia by Pixelgrade, is designed to feature your most delicious recipes on a food blog. With an amazingly simple style manager, an onboard recipe indexing system, and predefined widget areas for ad placement, this full site editing theme is one of the best WordPress block themes on the market. Additionally, Julia comes multilingual-ready with WPML support, so you can cater to a broader audience.

    Key Features of Julia:

    • Intuitive style manager
    • Multilingual support for WMPL
    • Recipe indexing system
    • Widgets for ad placement

    Julia style manager

    Julia’s intuitive style manager is its best feature. This tool seamlessly integrates the WordPress customizer with Pixelgrade’s proprietary system, giving you the power to manage every aspect of your theme’s styling effortlessly. With Julia, you’ll have the flexibility to choose between light and dark modes, adjust color levels, explore a range of predefined font pairings, and experiment with various hover effects, among other options. Plus, the style manager includes settings to adjust color contrast, which ensures your website is accessible to those with visual impairments.

    But that’s not all. Julia also boasts predefined widget areas specifically dedicated to running advertisements, making it a breeze to monetize your blog. With this feature, you can quickly implement various advertising strategies and generate revenue from your website.

    Julia is Best For:

    Pixelgrade’s Julia theme is a perfect match for folks looking to build and monetize a food blog. With unlimited styling options and an easy drag-and-drop builder, WordPress users of any skill level can produce a stunning food blog that caters to a broad audience.

    Pricing: $75 per year

    Get Julia

    10. BlockBase

    Blockbase WordPress theme

    And finally, we have BlockBase – a block theme crafted by the folks at Automattic. Like Twenty Twenty-Three, BlockBase is a minimalist WordPress theme that allows you to unleash your creativity. While it comes with the usual Full Site Editing (FSE) theme features like setting up colors and fonts, choosing from a selection of headers and footers, and several pattern blocks, its real strength lies in its simplistic foundation. Because of this, Blockbase provides ample space for developers to work their magic.

    Key Features of BlockBase:

    • Minimalistic appearance
    • Developer-friendly
    • 8 dedicated pattern blocks

    editing Blockbase

    BlockBase’s bones are strong, leaving room to build something beautiful. There are no bells and whistles or dancing bears, but Blockbase is blazing fast because of this. Those with coding skills can use Blockbase’s foundation to create any website they want. You can create a block theme, add styling options through theme.json, and build custom blocks to create any website your little developer heart desires.

    BlockBase is Best For:

    Because of its simplicity, BlockBase is an excellent choice for developers that want to take a simple theme and make it their own. That said, through full site editing, anyone with an eye for design can create a beautiful, functional website.

    Pricing: Free

    Get BlockBase

    What is the Best Block Theme?

    Of all the themes featured here, GeneratePress and Divi stand out among the rest as the best WordPress block themes.

    ThemePriceFree Option
    🥇GeneratePress$59/year✔️Visit
    🥈Divi$89/year❌Visit
    🥉eStory$69/year✔️Visit
    4Twenty Twenty-ThreeFree✔️Visit
    5BlockPressFree✔️Visit
    6WabiFree✔️Visit
    7Bricksy$59/year✔️Visit
    8ToveFree✔️Visit
    9Julia$75/year❌Visit
    10BlockBaseFree✔️Visit

    GeneratePress and Divi both offer tons of customization options, a user-friendly interface, and professionally designed layouts. GeneratePress is the best overall, thanks to its lightweight, adaptable structure and ability to work with any page builder. That said, although we may seem biased, Divi is a close second. Divi’s front-end visual builder is simply unmatched. Being able to see design changes in real time is a game-changer. Plus, Divi has excellent customer support. Our support techs are skilled and knowledgeable to help with any Divi-related issues (should they arise) – and in a hurry. Plus, having options to integrate other necessary plugins is a huge bonus. Ultimately, your chosen theme depends on how you want to design your website and which tools you prefer.

    Are you looking for more theme reviews? Check out our post for the best WordPress themes in 2023, or if you’re a serious writer, check out our picks for the best themes for bloggers.

    The post 10 Best WordPress Block Themes for 2023 (Reviewed) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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  • WordPress 6.2.1 Released with Fixes for 5 Security Vulnerabilities

    WordPress 6.2.1 was released today. Those with automatic background updates enabled should see a notice in their email, as updates rolled out earlier today.

    This is a maintenance and security release that includes important fixes for five security vulnerabilities outlined by core contributor and release co-lead Jb Audras:

    • Block themes parsing shortcodes in user generated data
    • A CSRF issue updating attachment thumbnails
    • A flaw allowing XSS via open embed auto discovery
    • Bypassing of KSES sanitization in block attributes for low privileged users
    • A path traversal issue via translation files

    The patches were backported to WordPress 4.1. Now that these vulnerabilities are public, it’s recommended that users update immediately.

    WordPress 6.2.1 also includes 20 core bug fixes and 10 fixes for the block editor, all detailed with ticket numbers in the release candidate post.

    Go to source

  • 10 Best WooCommerce WordPress Themes in 2023 (Reviewed)

    WooCommerce is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world. When using WooCommerce in WordPress, the block editor makes it easy to design your store using native WooCommerce Blocks. Because they work so well together, there are hundreds of WooCommerce-compatible WordPress themes to choose from when building your online store. Faced with so many choices, it can be challenging to find the solution that’s right for you.

    In this post, we’ll help you cut down on your search, so you can spend more time building your e-commerce store. Here’s our handpicked list of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes currently.

    Let’s jump right in!

    The Best WooCommerce WordPress Themes

    We are confident that our list of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes will point you in the right direction. We added both free and premium WordPress themes so that you can get a feel for what’s available. Let’s get on the list!

    1. Divi

    Our powerful WordPress theme, Divi, offers deep integration with WooCommerce out of the box, making it easy to build a WooCommerce store with thousands of design settings at your fingertips. Our Divi Builder replaces the standard WordPress post editor with a visual drag-and-drop editor that helps you design custom pages for your shop, products, and more. Divi also features dedicated 25+ WooCommerce modules, including the versatile WooCommerce Products module that can display products in various layouts and designs. You can use these modules to add, remove, and style the various WooCommerce elements to create stunning and dynamic product pages.

    The Divi Theme Builder gives you full control over the design of WooCommerce pages (cart, checkout, etc.). Use WooCommerce modules combined with 200+ design modules to create stunning pages for your WooCommerce store.

    Divi WooCommerce Pages

    You can also take advantage of thousands of premade layouts available for free in the Divi Builder (like the Online Store Layout Pack) to design your online store. Plus, there are plenty of premade product page templates you can download for free on our blog.

    Additionally, Divi Marketplace gives you third-party child themes, modules, and layouts that you can use to build a solid WooCommerce website with Divi. You can get 125 premium layouts with Divi Layouts for WooCommerce. Or you can get Divi eCommerce, a Divi child theme that adds additional sidebars, homepages, product pages and more to your WooCommerce website.

    Features

    • 24+ native WooCommerce modules
    • 20+ online shop-focused layout packs
    • Visually build custom product pages with the Theme Builder
    • Create custom checkout, shop and cart pages
    • 100+ third-party child themes and modules on the Divi Marketplace

    Divi is for you if…

    You want to customize every part of your e-commerce store without using code. This makes Divi one of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes for anyone looking to launch their shop quickly. It’s also a good fit for smaller businesses with limited resources or anyone who wants to create a professional-looking, customized e-commerce store with minimal effort.

    Pricing: Paid plans start at $89 per year

    Get Divi

    2. OceanWP

    OceanWP WordPress Theme

    OceanWP claims to be the WordPress theme that gives you more, and we have to agree, especially for WooCommerce. Available in both a free and pro version, OceanWP’s feature offering for its free version will help you build a powerful WooCommerce site on a budget. It comes with four different WooCommerce shop page styles, which is unheard of in a free theme. It works really well with both Elementor and Gutenberg, so you can design your site with a visual drag-and-drop builder.

    When you upgrade to the pro version, OceanWP really shines. Not only do you have full website templates, but you all have access to royalty-free imagery, making it easier for you to build your site with the perfect photos. With their eComm Treasure Box add-on, you can take your WooCommerce website to a whole new level. The add-on will give you more control, features, and design options to build your store without limitations. You will be able to design WooCommerce templates, conduct A/B testing, access 50+ WooCommerce Elementor widgets, and more.

    For an overall good WooCommerce theme, OceanWP is at the top of the list.

    Key Features:

    • Four shop and product category styles
    • Three product tab styles
    • Seven adjustable product page elements (ex. price, add to cart button, description, etc.)
    • Distraction-free and multi-step checkout
    • Woo Popup and Wow Elementor widgets

    OceanWP is for you if…

    You’re looking to build a feature-rich WooCommerce website on a budget. OceanWP has got you covered in places where other free – and some premium – themes leave you hanging. Powerful templating, multiple shop and product page options, and more are just the tip of the iceberg when building your next online store on WooCommerce. If you want to build a solid Woo store and save money, OceanWP is the best WooCommerce WordPress theme for you.

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start from $54 per year

    Get OceanWP

    3. Botiga

    Botiga WooCommerce WordPress Theme

    Botiga is a beautiful, minimal, and modern WooCommerce WordPress theme. Like some themes on our list, it is available in both a free and premium version. It has eight one-click demos to help you build your online store aesthetically and quickly. This theme is pretty to the eyes, has good loading times, and performs well on search engines with its clean, SEO-friendly code. Botiga allows you to customize your category layouts fully and comes with many pro additions that don’t require additional plugins. You can add a wishlist, one-step checkout, product swatches, and more to your WooCommerce website through the pro version of Botiga.

    Key Features:

    • Create custom product card designs
    • Multiple checkout and cart styles and layouts
    • Three product page image gallery layouts
    • Product filters and live search
    • Works well with Gutenberg and Elementor

    Botiga is for you if…

    When function meets beauty in a WooCommerce theme, you’ll find Botiga. It is an elegant WooCommerce theme for the modern-day online store. Its free version does well, but the pro version makes it a good choice for businesses and personalities who want a clean online store that balances practicality, performance, and polish.

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $69 per year

    Get Botiga

    4. Astra

    Astra responsive WordPress theme

    Next on our list of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes, Astra is a lightweight, highly-customizable solution. Its performance-optimized code is designed to help drive conversions by reducing your store’s loading times. Astra can load your products dynamically as a customer scrolls down the page. This provides a further performance boost. In addition, the Astra theme offers a traditional grid layout and product page options. However, it also extends to helping you design other areas of your eCommerce store.

    In particular, Astra features off-canvas sidebars and widgets. It also provides various alternatives to the standard WooCommerce checkout pages. This includes a two-step checkout process and a distraction-free checkout option. By experimenting with these various elements, you can ensure that every part of your eCommerce store delivers a positive customer experience.

    Key Features:

    • 40+ WooCommerce-ready pre-built starter templates
    • Customizable, conversion-ready checkout
    • Dedicated and off-canvas sidebars
    • Optimized for mobile sales

    Astra is for you if…

    If you want to quickly create a professionally-designed WooCommerce store or have limited resources, choose Astra. Astra features a wide range of starter templates that you can use in your projects. This reduces the time and effort required to launch a new e-commerce store. Astra also integrates with popular page builders, including the Divi Builder. This makes it a great choice if you’re already using (or planning to use) a page builder.

    Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $59 per year

    Get Astra

    5. Storefront

    Storefront Free WooCommerce theme

    Storefront is the official WordPress theme of WooCommerce. It is built and maintained by the WooCommerce team. This means you can expect seamless integration between WooCommerce core and your website’s theme. When it comes to WooCommerce themes, we can wholeheartedly say that it is the best WooCommerce WordPress theme, especially if you are looking for a low-cost and free option. Storefront is designed to be lightweight and accessible. It also has all the customization options you’ll need to change the look, feel, and functionality of your eCommerce store. If you require more features, there’s also a range of Storefront extensions and child themes.

    Key Features:

    • Six widget sections
    • Seamless integration with WooCommerce and premium WooCommerce extensions
    • Clean and simple design based on a flexible and nestable grid system
    • Follows standard coding practices to enhance your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance
    • Edit and style your website through the Customizer

    Storefront is for you if…

    You’re building a WooCommerce store! Storefront is a popular theme with widespread appeal, making this a solid choice for any WooCommerce user. The wide range of official extensions and child themes also means plenty of scope to expand your store in the future.

    Pricing: Free

    Get Storefront

    6. Bridge

    Bridge Premium WordPress Theme

    Bridge is a multipurpose WordPress theme that has excellent support for WooCommerce. Firstly, the theme has a vast library of pre-made website demos that you can use as the basis for your WooCommerce store. Secondly, with Elementor or Gutenberg, you can build shop, product, and category pages for your store with an easy drag-and-drop builder. Bridge integrates nicely with popular plugins like Contact Form 7, WPML, Yith plugins, and WooCommerce. It also has modules for those who want to quickly build travel, magazine, education (LMS), or magazine-based shops without extra plugins.

    Key Features:

    • Six product category list layouts
    • Eight single product page layouts
    • Create custom templates based on product variation (ex. grouped, variable, external, etc.)
    • Woo Product widgets through the Qi Addons for Elementor plugin
    • Integrated search functionality

    Bridge is for you if…

    If you want to build a beautiful site and limit the number of plugins used on your WordPress installation, Bridge is a good choice for you. Bridge has a good handle on building stylish WooCommerce websites while adding advanced website functions in an easy-to-use manner for the developer and layman alike.

    Pricing: $138 per year

    Get Bridge

    7. Neto

    Neto WooCommerce WordPress Theme

    Neto is a WooComerce theme with a grid homepage layout. Built for speed, this multipurpose eCommerce is fast-loading and feature-rich, making it simple to build any store you require. With tight integration with WooCommerce, Neto was built to connect with popular plugins. It is simple to add additional WooCommerce features to your site with Neto.

    If you want to sell in different languages, you’re in luck. Neto works with Weglot, WPML, and Polylang. It is also translation-ready, so localization is handled well for sellers doing commerce in multiple markets.

    Key Features:

    • Pairs well with Gutenberg and Elementor
    • Compatible with popular WooCommerce plugins
    • Customizable shop and product page layout
    • Toggle shop filters and widgets
    • Multiple color and Google Font options via the Customizer

    Neto is for you if…

    For a classic WooCommerce online store, Neto will get you over the finish line. While it is not the most aesthetically modern theme on our list, it has excellent features at a reasonable price, making it a good premium theme for anyone looking to sell online with WooCommerce.

    Pricing: starting at $49 per year

    Get Neto

    8. Løge

    Loge WordPress WooCommerce Theme

    Built with mobile customers in mind, Løge is a minimal WooCommerce theme that focuses on clean design and performance. It offers a smooth, fast browsing experience that makes it easy for customers to use their mobile devices to shop on your site. It is built with WooCommerce in mind, so if you’re looking for an eCommerce-specific theme, Løge is the theme for you.

    Løge has deep compatibility with the Block Editor, so building your eCommerce store without learning any code is easy. Løge has its own theme framework, Ignition, that empowers you to customize any aspect of your store. Additionally, it works well with popular WordPress plugins like Toolset, ACF, Yoast SEO, WPForms, and Mailchimp for WordPress, to name a few.

    Key Features:

    • Elegant, modern, mobile-optimized design
    • Block editor and Elementor support
    • Eye-catching and easy checkout process
    • Complete color and typography control
    • Multilingual support for better localization

    Løge is for you if…

    If you’re looking for a WooCommerce-specific, minimal theme, Løge is a good choice. Made with a focus on modern design and mobile shopping, Løge is a premium theme that beautifully marries styling with mobile responsiveness.

    Pricing: Paid plans start at $49 per year

    Get Løge

    9. Flatsome

    Flatsome Premium WordPress theme

    First and foremost, Flatsome comes bundled with the UX Builder. This fast, front-end page builder includes 30 content elements, nine shop elements, and five layout elements. It also has hundreds of presets and options for each of them. That content can help you create a unique design for your WooCommerce store. You can use Flatsome to create different layouts for desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. You can even create and customize banners and sliders without requiring additional plugins.

    Flatsome also includes a custom theme options panel with many settings for tweaking how your store and its pages look. All of these options mean that Flatsome is a highly-versatile theme suitable for practically any kind of online shop or product presentation.

    Key Features:

    • 300+ pre-defined layouts and sections
    • Built-in slider and banner system
    • Native live search without using a plugin
    • Unlimited product page layouts via UX Builder
    • Built-in affiliate option without using a plugin

    Flatsome is for you if…

    You have a particular design in mind for your e-commerce site. Flatsome’s customization options mean it’s a good choice for any store that promotes niche products or services. Flatsome is also one of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes if you use sliders, banners, or galleries across your store. Since these elements come bundled with the theme, you won’t have to invest in separate plugins.

    Pricing: $118 per year

    Get Flatsome

    10. Shopkeeper

    Shopkeeper WooCommerce WordPress Theme

    Finally, Shopkeeper is a fully-responsive e-commerce theme that’s perfect for beginners. It features a quick and easy setup process and automatically imports a wide library of demo content. This means you can start working on your WooCommerce store right away.

    In addition, you can deactivate your site’s e-commerce functionality at will. The built-in Catalog Mode hides your store’s Cart and Add to Cart buttons. This can be useful if you temporarily suspend orders, such as when awaiting delivery. It can also be a valuable marketing tactic. For example, you might give customers a sneak peek at your upcoming collections.

    Key Features:

    • 80+ pre-built page templates
    • 15 WooCommerce-specific block elements
    • Four product page templates
    • Catalog mode
    • Multilingual and multi-currency support

    Shopkeeper is for you if…

    You want to create a WooCommerce store with minimum effort. Shopkeeper auto-installs and auto-imports everything you need to build your shop, including an easy-to-follow user guide and video walkthrough. This makes it ideal if you want to fast-track the setup process and start selling your products and services ASAP.

    Price: $118 per year

    Get Shopkeeper

    Who are the Best WooCommerce WordPress Themes?

    ThemesPriceFree Option
    🥇Divi$89/year❌Visit
    🥈OceanWP$54/year✔️Visit
    🥉Botiga$69/year✔️Visit
    4Astra$59/year✔️Visit
    5Storefront$0✔️Visit
    6Bridge$138/year❌Visit
    7Neto$49/year❌Visit
    8Løge$49/year❌Visit
    9Flatsome$118/year❌Visit
    10Shopkeeper$118/year❌Visit

    The best WooCommerce WordPress theme for you will vary, depending on the kind of e-commerce store you’re creating. However, most users will want to look for highly customizable options and feature built-in page editors.

    To start your search, here are our top three recommendations for your next WooCommerce site. Firstly, we recommend our very own Divi. From its powerful Theme Builder to its grand library of 200+ full website layout packs, Divi’s WooCommerce modules make building your next custom WooCommerce store a breeze.

    Do you have questions about any of our list’s best WooCommerce WordPress themes? Let us know in the comments section below!

    Article thumbnail image by La1n / shutterstock.com

    The post 10 Best WooCommerce WordPress Themes in 2023 (Reviewed) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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  • Hostinger Is Coming to WordCamp Europe

    It feels like we just got back from the festivities of WordCamp Asia 2023 in Thailand, and now WordCamp Europe 2023 is already upon us! It will take place in Athens, Greece, from 8 to 10 June.

    If you’re new to WordPress, WordCamps are offline conferences with various activities related to this open-source website publishing software. Attendees participate in presentations, workshops, networking events, booth exhibitions, contributing sessions, and more.

    This year marks the second European flagship WordCamp since the pandemic. The first was in Porto, Portugal, last year, and over 2,500 WordPress enthusiasts came by, making it the biggest WordCamp to date.

    Hostinger Is Contributing to WordCamp Europe

    Just like last year, Hostinger is proud to take part in WordCamp Europe 2023 as a Super Admin sponsor.

    WordCamps are invaluable: they allow us to engage with the WordPress community, learn more about the platform, and represent our clients. After all, 71% of websites hosted with us are based on WordPress.

    Hostinger team at the booth in WordCamp Europe 2022

    Only by understanding the users better can we improve the customer experience and provide solutions that matter. For example, we’ve prioritized the inclusion of LiteSpeed Object Cache in our hosting plans because our clients kept asking for it and stressing its importance.

    In WordCamp Europe 2023, connecting with our users and other WordPress enthusiasts remains our top priority – we’ll seek candid feedback about our products and answer any questions.

    a Hostinger team member having a conversation with customers at the booth during WordCamp Europe 2022

    We also want to identify how we could further contribute to developing the WordPress ecosystem.

    Hostinger is already involved in the Five for the Future initiative, where individuals and companies contribute resources to support WordPress’ growth. So far, Hostinger has been sponsoring contributors across nine teams, including Core, Community, and Documentation.

    What’s awesome is that every WordCamp has a Contributors’ Day. It allows the attending contributors across various teams to work together. We’re excited to finally meet the people we collaborate with virtually! We’re very keen to brainstorm and learn from one another.

    Hostinger team members contributing to WodPress in WordCamp Europe 2022's Contributors Day

    Why You Should Come to WordCamp Europe

    WordCamps are events that bring together local WordPress communities. Usually, they are held for around one to two days.

    But WordCamp Europe is a flagship WordCamp – a big gathering that spans three days and covers a broad geographical area. This larger scale means there are more activities you can join and more opportunities to socialize with fellow WordPress enthusiasts. Currently, there are three flagship WordCamps – Europe, Asia, and the US.

    Arnas Stuopelis, Hostinger's CEO, joining Contributors Day in WordCamp Europe 2022

    In general, flagship WordCamps are the best places to learn more about WordPress technology and community. They’re where you can better understand the platform’s ins and outs, including current trends, use cases, and how to make the most of WordPress.

    Hostinger's CMO, Daugirdas Jankus, having a onversation with Jonathan Wold

    WordCamps are also perfect for connecting with people you share interests with. Despite what some may believe, you don’t have to have solid coding knowledge to get the best of WordCamps. Everyone’s welcome – hobbyists, casual enthusiasts, and those whose work revolves around website development, digital publication, and marketing.

    Love photography? You can meet fellow moment-hunters who contribute photos to the WordPress Photo Directory. Excited to learn more about themes? You can chat with theme creators or find ways to contribute to WordPress theme development yourself. If you want to expand your business network, you can also meet other tech professionals and agencies here.

    WordPress's co-founder, Matt Mullenweg, delivering a talk on stage in WordCamp Europe 2022 together with WordPress's Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy

    Consequently, WordCamps feature sessions on all aspects of WordPress. For example, WordCamp Europe 2022 included the Accessibility for Dyslexia talk by Maja Benke and the Growing in WordPress Through Partnerships session by Jonathan Wold.

    Usually, the sessions are held at three different tracks simultaneously. You might want to attend talks booked at the same time – you’ll have to choose!

    Just remember to take a break and take advantage of other WordCamp experiences, like meeting new people and jumping into spontaneous discussions. They make WordCamps unique, so enjoy them while you can!

    Where You Can Find Us

    Coming to WordCamp Europe 2023? We’re excited to meet you and talk about all things WordPress and beyond.

    Check out the map below to find our violet booth! We’ll be situated right next to the Atrium, beside Jetpack. See you there!

    map of Hostinger's booth location in WordCamp Europe 2023

    The post Hostinger Is Coming to WordCamp Europe appeared first on Hostinger Blog.

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