Moving On from Genesis to Kadence

It’s been a good run. I’ve been building websites using the Genesis Framework since 2014. The base framework is performant, SEO friendly, and well supported by its developer.

However, Genesis was acquired by WP Engine in June 2018 and since then, the development and update cycle has decreased more and more. The last update to the theme framework was in September 2022, just about a year ago.

The last half dozen or so sites I’ve built have been based on the Kadence theme. While it isn’t a block theme per se (it is not a FSE theme), it is block compatible. It comes with an ever-growing library of custom blocks that expand those currently in WordPress core, and an assortment of beautiful block patterns that permit me to create amazing page layouts.

Over the past year or so, I have found that a number of commercially available Genesis child themes are not compatible with newer versions of PHP. PHP is the server software that WordPress uses to display your website. WordPress recommends PHP 7.4 as the minimum level of PHP, but that version stopped receiving security updates at the end of 2022. PHP 8.1, or even 8.0, is generally regarded as the better option for a secure web host to offer. The older Genesis child themes do not support these versions of PHP.

KadenceWP is filling the void with beautifully appointed starter templates, built-in block patterns, and a full array of page layouts. They are completely customizable inside the WordPress block editor, and up to the challenge of being tweaked at the code level by skilled theme developers.

In my use of the Kadence theme, I’ve found a number of areas where it excels.

It’s fast. Much faster than themes I’ve used previously.

It works so smoothly with the Gutenberg block editor. It also integrates nicely with page builders, like Elementor and Beaver Builder.

It support WooCommerce out of the box. We specialize in ecommerce sites. This is key.

The number of starter templates is amazing. You’ll take hours to go through all of them to see what each has to offer.

It makes it easy to edit every page, including your home page. Try doing that with Genesis. It can be done, but it’s not so intuitive.

You can edit the header and the footer, or change your fonts, right inside the dashboard.

The theme is free.

So much more. See all the features here.

Use the form below to get in touch with Cap Web Solutions for more information about Kadence and how we can update your online presence to use some of the best tech that WordPress can offer.

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