10 Top Benefits of the Genesis Framework

One of the great advantages that comes from using WordPress for content management is the system’s access to a vast number of plugins, themes, and frameworks that enrich the content both for the site’s administrators as well as for average readers.

Update 2014 – 2015

I wrote this post before I switched from Genesis to The Cerebro Framework

I will leave what I liked about Genesis back then but I will also explain why I made the switched.

Otherwise I wouldn’t be being honest. There’s many reasons as to why I switched to Smartduu.

The Genesis Framework is great, but, times change and so do the necessities of website owners.

I used to use Genesis (you can use the WayBack machine and see proof of it) until I noticed a lack of customization features. I wanted more responsiveness and more SEO friendliness.

This is why I switched to The Cerebro Framework by Smartduu

Cerebro makes the Genesis Framework look cute…

Cerebro is the evolution of WordPress themes. It mimics the best strategies used by Google and Amazon to provide customized content to website visitors.

It is extra SEO firendly and extra responsive, because it doesn’t just adapts your theme and site to different devices… it allows you to display completely different content to users of different devices if you want to.

And Google LOVES it.

Have you noticed how when you go to Amazon.com it displays a customized version just for you? based on the products you have watched or websites you have visited.

Google and Twitter do the same thing.

Now imagine being able to do the same thing on your WordPress website.

That’s what The Cerebro Framework will do for you.

And now to the post I wrote back before i switched to Cerebro….

…One good source of themes and plugins currently available for WordPress comes in the form of the Genesis Framework. It was designed as a highly customizable, user-friendly theming system able to adapt to virtually any unique website need or browser.

To that end, the Genesis Framework has a bevy of responsive themes, and offers a customized control panel for the WordPress Dashboard that enables intuitive control of theme appearance without knowledge of XHTML, CSS, or PHP.

These benefits are only some of the great perks that come from Genesis, however. With years of experience under their belts, the developers of the framework have created something with real value that can really change the way people run their websites, create unique user experiences, and enrich their content so that audiences stick around and become loyal readers. In fact, there are at least ten great ways that the Genesis Framework is making it easier and better to run a WordPress website.

1. Built-In Search Engine Optimization

Unlike a large number of other theme options available to WordPress site owners, those developed for the Genesis Framework are designed to take advantage of meta tags and things like Google Authorship tags. The developers behind the software proudly note that they hired the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Bluegrass Interactive to help them with perfect search engine optimization tactics. What that means for website owners: By simply installing a theme based on the Genesis Framework, a website can move upward in Google’s rankings and attract increasingly large audiences based on official authorship, targeted keywords, meta tags, and page structure.

2. Great Security Features

There are few things more important to your website’s operation than its continued security, preventing hackers and other malicious groups from disrupting the flow of traffic and content to the site’s main pages. WordPress already does a really great job at making security a priority, but the Genesis Framework goes a few steps further. The system’s security was actually analyzed and improved by senior WordPress developer Mark Jaquith. When he finished the job, he noted that the framework “made security a priority” and ranked “at the top of its class” among competing WordPress themes and frameworks.

That’s not only high praise for any WordPress extension, but a virtual endorsement from one of the developers currently responsible for shoring up WordPress’ own security when new feature and hooks are added into the software with each release.

3. Standards-Compliant XHTML and CSS Coding

One of the things that can really drag down a website is non-standard XHTML and CSS code that ends up being rendered improperly by the user’s browser. This happens all too often, and it can lead to interface quirks that send users away from the website. Why? Well, non-standard websites are rendered in a mode known in the design community as “quirks mode.” This forces the browser to try and compensate for non-standard code, attempting to create a cohesive website where the XHTML and CSS elements just aren’t succeeding. Each browser does this differently, resulting in websites that look far from uniform across platforms.

Genesis-based themes do not force browsers to do the heavy lifting on their own, thanks in large part to their strict use and enforcement of W3C-approved standards and coding principals. Every theme based on the Genesis Framework and delivered to WordPress site owners uses clean, simple, compressed code that validates every single time it’s loaded. That means your site will perform predictably across desktop and mobile platforms, keeping users satisfied by offering a superior browsing and reading experience.

4. Pre-Packaged Designs that are Ready to Go

Sometimes, you just don’t have the time and resources needed to extensively customize a pre-made WordPress theme. After all, isn’t the point of a pre-made theme that it requires little to no effort in order to be fully deployed? That promise is left unfulfilled by many options that compete with Genesis. Themes based on the framework, however, are decided turnkey. Essentially, you can download the theme in several seconds and have it fully launched for daily use by website visitors in several minutes.

The developers at StudioPress, the company behind the Genesis Framework, have made this a requirement for every child theme that uses their technology. If the theme can be used with their framework, then it has to be able to launch in mere moments after being uploaded to the WordPress themes directory. For those with little time and low tolerance for coding, this is an absolutely ideal option.

5. Excellent Customer Support

StudioPress offers robust support options for those who have purchased a Genesis Framework license. In fact, they proudly state that every license comes with unlimited support from every one of the company’s official channels. That includes a dedicated support team specifically for users of the Genesis Framework, but it goes well beyond that team. Framework users also have access to a thriving community forum that brings together developers, framework users, and average website content creators.

They discuss common issues, new features, and feature requests together, building upon a treasure trove of self-support information that can solve virtually any problem. With more than 78,000 users, the forum is also a great place to present a new issue to the community for proactive problem solving.

6. Consistent Updates to Coincide with WordPress Changes

Themes based on the Genesis Framework are actively maintained by StudioPress developers and they’re updated on a regular basis in order to conform to WordPress’ new features and other behind-the-scenes updates that take place throughout the year. You can even select an option that allows for automatic updating of themes as soon as one becomes available.

When this feature is combined with WordPress’ one-click update installation process for both the WordPress software and all of the installed plugins, it’s one of the most effective ways to not only ensure compatibility and use new features, but also to boost the site’s security. It’s one way that the company’s features work together for the greater good of all licensed users.

7. Programming-Free Theme Modifications

If you’re like most WordPress users, you probably embraced WordPress simply because it was so easy to use. If that’s the case, why bother with extensive code modifications just to change a link color, a header image, or some other characteristic of a pre-made WordPress theme? Developers at StudioPress felt that their themes should be fully customizable without any programming knowledge required, and that’s why they developed a backend control panel that can be used to adjust images, colors, layouts, and a whole host of other interface-related concerns within the theme.

Without a doubt, their work has led to the most extensive theme control panel currently on the market. Perhaps the best feature of this control panel is that it is unique to each theme, offering theme-specific adjustments and controls that will adapt to the unique layouts, colors, and features bundled for everyday use.

8. Fully Widgetized Layouts and Display Options

Want entries on the left instead of the right? What about a sidebar box that would be better placed in the footer? Thanks to the work done on the Genesis Framework at StudioPress, this is actually pretty easy to accomplish. Instead of extensively coding some behind-the-scenes feature of the theme, you can simply drag and drop widget-like boxes all over the theme and create the content configuration that makes the most sense of the website’s design and users.

This feature is most similar to WordPress’ own “widgets” feature, but offers far more intricate control over things like comment boxes, footer content, and other features that are beyond the scope of the traditional WordPress widget or sidebar area of a theme.

9. Themes for Personal, Small Business, and Corporate Uses

The Genesis Framework doesn’t limit itself to use by just businesses or just individuals. Instead, theme developers and designers have worked to produce themes that work on a corporate level, as well as for small businesses and personal bloggers. The selection of available themes is impressive, and each one can be further modified and controlled to mesh perfectly with the pre-existing mission of the site where it’s installed.

10. Many Blogs, One License

Far too many theme websites serving the WordPress community charge for their work on a per-theme basis. If you’re not sure that about a given theme, or it doesn’t meet expectations after being installed, that can be really expensive. Genesis doesn’t believe in doing business that way, and it’s a major benefit for license holders. Instead of charging per theme, the developers charge on a per-license basis. That means all existing or future Genesis child themes are included in the price and there’s simply no risk trying them all on for size. It’s a commitment to affordability and flexibility that you deserve as a WordPress administrator.

All Basis Covered: Switching to Cerebro by Smartduu was the best choice I could have done. I used to use Genesis but I have upgraded now.

When content matters, search engine optimization is central, and theme choice is a virtual requirement, your best choice is not the Genesis Framework its Cerebro. It’s ready to go out of the box, with SEO-optimized themes that respond to desktop and mobile resolutions. Security is elevated, efficiency is prioritized, and updates are regular. There is simply no easier way to download and apply a theme in today’s WordPress ecosystem.

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Sources for images: Flickr & google