Starting Your Blog
I am updating my Blog Resource Page, all the outdated information previously written
moved here.
So much has changed and is now so radically different that this post has to be completely re-written.
If you are new to blogging, sort through the following advice for timesavers and tips.
Free Themes
I still recommend the default WordPress themes to start out with, unless you are sure you know what you want. The format that the present form of WordPress uses utilizes blocks. Use this and familiarize yourself with it since it will save you lots of hassle.
I am still not used to it, and have a “classic” plugin to help me write posts with the editor I am most familiar with- but if you get used to the block system that is much better.
The Themes that come Automatically
Choices all have the name “Twenty[
something]” (series starting with twenty, you should be able to find a theme that suits your blogging needs.
History of the default themes I used all sorts of themes until settling onto the Divi from Elegant themes.
I had fits and starts with many of the themes- I would recommend finding the one you like and sticking with it. I did a test-drive of the default free themes on this site before deciding to use Divi. It is a very powerful theme and probably more than most people need for their sites. I also used Genesis. It is not updated as often.
Paid Themes
Most paid themes have a base engine theme with childthemes to give the look and elements you desire.
Elegant Themes has reduced its efforts to two main themes, but Divi is the main one, and its newest form Divi 5 is very different than the older forms.
Pros
Divi is highly customizable and can do about anything you want it to.
Easy to work with.
Cons
The main thing I don’t like is one of the things I also do like: the pagebuilder.
The pagebuilder moved away from shortcode components. It now uses a block system as far as I can explain it, and you really need to learn how to navigate around all the customizations.
Because it is so popular there are many resources to help you with this theme. There is a very helpful blog to train in all the features as well as give some freebies.
You are still locked into this theme if you use it.
Looking For A Theme
- Find features you need.
- Pleasing layout and typography for readability.
- Speed now tops the list of needed features.
- Support might be important for you, and regular updating certainly will be.
What About Plugins?
- These provide features for simpler themes,
- They can be ways to speed up the site but condensing your images and other optimizations.
- Don’t overload with plugins, try to find just the ones you need.
Plugins I Need
- I like Yoast’s plugin for SEO and readability analysis.
- Elegant themes has Monarch, I like those within the Yoast plugin. Simple Social Plugins is good.
- Akismet to deal with Spam. Protections included in the Jetpack plugin. Yes, I sometimes use it. It has a lot of bloat. I no longer use it on this site, only the Akismet.
There is controversy about the Jetpack, but I used enough of its features to make it worthwhile. It disturbs me to know that it can greatly increase loadtime for the site.
I used YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) but it is not longer used in WP sites. That’s okay, there are built-in related posts in the theme now.
I wrote about some of my favorite
plugins, here.
Hosting Your Site
This is a hard decision, much more difficult than it should be. I will write more in this space. but for now… I have chosen
Siteground for probably the past ten years. Ever since I left Netfirms, however long ago that was!
Disclosure: I use affiliate links for some of the resources. This in no way influences the opinions I post. Everything written is transparent and based on my experience.
