When you start a new website or blog, it can be overwhelming to know where to start, and who to trust. Below are a few resources we use and love:
WordPress Hosting:
- Siteground
The BEST option for hosting if you’re just starting out! They are budget friendly, easy to use and set up and offer a FREE domain when you purchase a hosting plan. - WP Engine
This is a dedicated WordPress hosting company and their servers are optimized to run WordPress. Screaming fast load times, continual website monitoring – a little on the higher end of hosting, but well worth the cost.
Newsletters:
- Mailchimp
A great free (for up to 2000 subscribers) newsletter service! I use them for my newsletter and most of my clients use them as well. - Convert Kit
ConvertKit integrates with many existing apps and business systems to convert your website visitors and is one of the best email marketing and automation solution for professional bloggers, authors, and creators.
Themes:
- Genesis Framework
The foundation for almost all of our themes, the Genesis framework provides the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.
Learning:
- WordPress.tv
If your preferred method of learning new stuff is to watch a video, hit up WordPress.tv. It’s packed with video tutorials from experienced WordPress users, covering practically every subject you might wish learn about. - WPBeginner
WPBeginner is a brilliant resource for anyone who’s interested in WordPress but isn’t quite sure where to start. They provide quality tips, tricks, hacks and other WordPress resources that enable WordPress beginners to improve their sites.
Stock Photography and Color Inspiration:
- Unsplash
By far, the best FREE photography site for bloggers and businesses. Commercial and personal usage are okay. We even have a few images from Unsplash on our site. - Twigy Posts
Gorgeous natural light photography – feminine themes, and even a few free images - Design-Seeds
Highly addictive color scheme site. Great for getting inspiration or color combos for your design or website project.
E-Commerce:
- WooCommerce
All of our E-commerce sites use WooCommerce. It is a great add on and can be customized to match any shop with a little .css knowledge.
- Shopify
Shopify is a complete ecommerce solution that allows you to set up an online store to sell your goods. It is self-hosted and set up separately from your WordPress installation. However, it can be linked and styled to match your existing website.
Forms:
- Gravity Forms
Without a doubt, the best contact form for WordPress that there is. With over 25 free add-ons to extend functionality, there is almost nothing Gravity Forms can’t handle.
