I started blogging almost eight years ago, in 2010, on the Blogger (formerly Blogspot) platform. I loved Blogger: It was so easy, pain-free, and user-friendly, that anyone could do it.
Overtime I started seeing more professional-looking blogs that weren’t on Blogger and even then I’d say to myself, “I don’t need WordPress!” So I’d instead learn to adapt some of their features to my Blogger site.
I liked doing this a lot! Overtime, I got really good at using code to customize my blog and making it my own with some really neat features.
For instance, I’m a big fan of sticky navigation menus (the kind that stay with you as you scroll down a site). I found a way to add that to my Blogger site and on a client’s Blogger site, and all was well!
But then I kept running into more limitations, the biggest of which became content ownership. And that one worried me the most.
Because Google owns Blogger, any content I’d contribute to it would also be owned by the platform–not me. This didn’t appeal to me.
Another factor that impacted my decision to move on from Blogger was customization. WordPress is practically limitless when it comes to personalization! You name it, there’s either code or a plugin for that functionality. It’s awesome.
Although every sign kept pointing me to “Leave Blogger!” I was scared, I’ll admit.
It was daunting to have to think about moving everything and start anew on a different platform I knew very little about. But I also knew that the sooner I did it, the better it’d be for me and my readers.
So one day I finally took the plunge!
And honestly, the learning curve was STEEP.
(But at least now I owned my content.)
STEEP, I tell ya! I could see how to add a post and a page, but how could I make my blog nice, like all those other sites?
I didn’t overcome that in a few hours.. It probably took a few days-weeks because there was always room for improvement.
Fast-forward a few years, many mistakes made, and numerous lessons learned, and now launching a site takes me mere hours. And they’re always THE most fun hours of my day. I love launching sites for my clients!
And it’s all thanks to one company and one tool in particular that I found when I first got started that’s helped make web development and learning WordPress in general SO easy and enjoyable.
But first let me share with you a bit more of where I came from.
As you remember, I was on Blogger, afraid and scared of WordPress. I thought WordPress was oh-so-difficult, that I kept telling myself I didn’t need it. “That’s not for me.”
Like your typical human, I’d justify my fear by saying that it was more than what I needed.
Then once I was on WordPress, I started looking for more. I wasn’t content with the free themes. To me, “free” meant that something wasn’t good enough, it could be buggy, it could make my site fail or break it somehow.
Until one day I came across something called the Genesis Framework by a company named StudioPress and I was intrigued.
Growing up I always knew that one must pay for quality, and the more research I would do, the more I could see the value in an investment such as Genesis.
Why I got Genesis
What attracted me the most about Genesis at the time was its ability to handle SEO so well. I care about SEO, so it was nice to have a platform so invested in helping users with it.
Genesis also offers clean, optimized code and smart design architecture. This is KEY because search engine bots love crawling through simple sites, and ultimately this helps those sites achieve the best rankings.
Schema.org code
In addition, Genesis now supports Schema.org code, which allows you to output microdata in your site’s code. This enhances your site’s search engine optimization even further.
Intuitive, responsive designs
Moreover, Genesis designs, which I help develop on clients’ sites, are built on HTML5, the new code standard. This will make your site compatible with future changes to the web. Simple as that.
It’ll also ensure cross-browser compatibility. HTML5 makes your site mobile-friendly by being responsive, and it will improve your site’s ability to deliver audio and video. Simply put, HTML5 is your site’s ticket to a truly state-of-the-art design.
Incredible support
What if you go the DIY route like me and want Support? Nowadays it’s almost impossible to get good support from many companies. Fortunately, StudioPress isn’t run like that: When I chose to work with/install Genesis, I had a LOT of questions, and was so fortunate to come across such a patient, knowledgeable, and thorough Support team.
Genesis customers (not just those who BUY the framework, but also those who’ve had it installed on their sites by a developer or designer!) get unlimited support and unlimited updates.
And if you buy it once, you CAN install it on as many sites as you want.
So many companies out there find sneaky ways to penalize developers who are trying to make an honest living. By charging them more for having more clients, they’re essentially stifling developers’ growth.
Not StudioPress. One low price = unlimited support, updates, and domains. The truth is that if you have got multiple websites (or client projects), Genesis offers unparalleled value!
And when you want answers to questions about your site, you want them now, right? Buying Genesis also gives you lifetime access to its support team and community forum–both of which were incredibly helpful when I began this journey AND which still continue to assist me to this day on different matters.
Security & Updates
Genesis makes updating to the current version of WordPress and Genesis a snap, too: Everything is integrated, so you don’t have to call your developer. Plus, StudioPress tests all updates thoroughly so you have nothing to fear.
Easy customizations
Genesis helps you personalize your site and easily make it yours. But unlike other frameworks, you don’t have to sacrifice performance for options.
Nothing slows down a site like bloated code, but Genesis keeps getting cleaner and more lightweight by the day. Web page load times are usually discussed in seconds, but page load times for sites built on Genesis can often be measured and discussed in milliseconds!
I could go on
I could keep going and say how awesome it is that Genesis has its own simple widgets for you to add sidebars, social media sharing buttons, opt-in forms, etc.; how it enhances the way comments on WordPress work; how its themes include the ability to resize thumbnails and how they easily let you change whatever you want with just a dropdown; and how its tutorials help you do more with WordPress in general.
But I won’t get into more details! You should see for yourself what makes the Genesis Framework right for you. Trust me: if you’re on Blogger or some other wannabe website platform, you’ll want to make the switch. And if you’re on WordPress, you’ll wonder WHY you didn’t get Genesis sooner!
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What platform is your site on? What do you like about it and what are some things you’d like to change? What do you think about Genesis?