The Genesis framework is much loved by WordPress developers and marketers alike.
It’s safe, fast and extremely SEO friendly.
I’ve worked on hundreds of wordpress websites over the years and always enjoy coming across a Genesis one.
Genesis websites are characterized by fast, clean code that renders perfectly on mobile devices and the flexibility that the framework offers
A good Genesis developer can build whatever you like.
Want a custom built website?
Here are some of the reasons why I’m so fond of Genesis.
But firstly….
What is the Genesis Framework?
The Genesis Framework was invented by Brian Gardner’s Studiopress team in 2010. Making it one of the oldest WordPress themes around.
It was recently bought by WP Engine
The Genesis platform is widely used and much loved in the wordpress community.
It’s currently powering over 600,000 sites and has over the years become the platform of choice for some of the biggest and best-known
Including
Even Google’s former head of webspam Matt Cutts chose Genesis for his blog
https://www.mattcutts.com/blog/
Mashable called the framework the “best of the best.”
How does it work?
A Genesis site has three layers: WordPress, the Genesis platform and then a child theme.
A common analogy is WordPress is the engine of the car, Genesis is all the parts and the child theme is the body work.
And herein lies its simplicity.
Nothing touches the child theme. The outer layer.
As any Genesis or wordpress updates take place at different ‘levels’ they leave the child theme alone.
No longer do plugin or theme updates completely destroy your site.
Performance wise you couldn’t hope for a better platform.
Here are some of the things I love most about genesis sites.
The Benefits of Genesis
Fast, clean code
All Genesis sites are coded in HTML5 ensuring browser compatibility, mobile responsiveness, and improved performance overall.
The code is clean and minimal ensuring that Genesis sites are fast and light.
My site is custom built Genesis one. With minimal tweaks you get impressive load speeds
Genesis sites are fast and stable.
Any child theme that is sold through StudioPress is optimised in-house to ensure they are ideal for SEO.
Gutenberg ready
Gutenberg has radically changed Wordpress as we know it. And will continue to do so.
With WordPress 5 we now have Gutenberg built into the core.
The Studiopress team and the genesis community have been working hard with Gutenberg developers to ensure complete compatibility.
WP engine also bought Array themes – the leading Gutenberg block designer. Between the StudioPress team, Array and the WP engine engineers – we’re set to see some exciting developments from them.
Security
With clean and stable semantic code, minimal plugin necessity and straightforward updates ensure the Genesis platform is one of the most secure platforms there is.
All coding has been reviewed by WordPress security expert Mark Jaquith.
Flexibility and scope
Wordpress themes are often the
Genesis is more flexible once you know how. You can move and play with anything.
A good developer can design whatever you want using genesis.
The end result is that you can get what you want from the site without compromise.
Straight forward updates
wordpress users aren’t strangers to updates playing havoc with their site’s customisation.
The way Genesis sites are built in three layers ensures stability.
The framework sits on top of wordpress and the child theme sits on top of the framework. It’s in the child theme that all styling and customisation takes place.
Nearly all updates take place at the wordpress or genesis level. The child theme remains untouched.
This means that when updates happen to the framework below, they don’t mess up your work above. Updates can happen seamlessly without causing you extra work.
Fewer plugins
Plugins create
They’re often heavy, slowing sites down and need constant updates – opening the door to incompatibility issues. Not to mention the security issues that many plugins present.
Genesis approaches this problem by having many of the common features of plugins built into the framework itself. As the code is clean and easy to manipulate. You don’t need as many plugins. Saving all kinds of headaches.
Multiple sites
For businesses which run multiple domains with customised looks, Genesis is ideal.
Multiple sites can each use their own customised child theme, but sit on the same Genesis framework.
This means you can update the code underneath and this feeds through to all of the sites simultaneously.
Design
The unique nature of the child themes means you can edit the design to your branding and business personality.
To get the most out of a child theme, you’ll need a Genesis developer to fully customise them. But, they do look great ‘off the shelf’ too.
With some great child themes available.
Conclusion
As a developer there is a steep learning curve when you first start with Genesis. But the payoffs are worth it.
Realistically, it is the only way to fully ensure you can build genuinely custom websites. You’ll need some CSS, PHP knowledge and to know your way around Genesis’s Hooks….but all very worth it.
As a user, once you’ve tried and worked with genesis it’s very hard to go back.
