The Blog

How to Start a WordPress Blog for Beginners

09th Apr

Have you always wanted to start your own WordPress blog but aren’t sure where to begin? The idea can be daunting, but it’s easier than you think!

Whether it be a food blog, portfolio, or fansite, websites are an incredible way to share your passions with the world and engage with others who share your interests. You can also monetize your site and make serious money! It’s a win-win!

Using the free, open-source WordPress.org platform and the fan-favorite Bluehost webhosting provider, we’ll help you launch your first site in just a matter of minutes. No coding or experience required! Ready? Let’s go!

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Customer Spotlight | Balance the Grind

19th Jan
balance the grind

Is it truly possible to find that perfect balance of work and life? The team behind Balance the Grind certainly thinks so! Through honest and intriguing interviews with startup founders, artists, CEOs, marketing managers, and more, Balance the Grind explores the concept of finding that healthy equilibrium between career and everything else.

Featured Blog: Balance the Grind
Solo Pine Theme: Sitka

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Fun & Free Icons for Bloggers

01st Jan
fun and free icons

What could be better than free icons??

Icons are small, simplified images that pack a big visual punch. Icons can break up text-heavy content to make it easier on readers or act as an eye-catching button to tempt visitors to click. Whatever their use, icons have a place on any blog!

Here are a number of our favorite resources for free icons that are just waiting to amp up your site’s appearance.

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Essential WordPress Setup Steps After You Install WordPress

17th Dec
Essential WP Setup Steps

Just launched your WordPress site? Congratulations! After taking a few moments to bask in the glow of your shiny new website, we recommend a number of important WordPress setup steps which will prime your site for success and save you some headaches down the line.

From protecting your website’s security to stopping spambots in their tracks, we’ve compiled a list of essential setup tasks below for anyone beginning with WordPress.

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The Difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com

12th Dec
wordpress logos

You may hear about “WordPress” a lot these days. Currently, over 30% of all websites are built using the WordPress CMS and the number continues to grow every minute! To make things even more interesting, there are actually 2 versions of WordPress thrown around– WordPress.ORG and WordPress.COM. If you’re confused, don’t worry! It can be a head-scratcher.

The main differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com essentially boils down to pricing and customization options. Both have their merits and limitations.

We’ll break down the main differences between the two WordPress versions below so that you can determine which option is the best fit for you.

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Customer Spotlight | My Goodness Kitchen

08th Nov
my-goodness-kitchen-blog

My Goodness Kitchen’s mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous foodie photos are sure to snatch attention, regardless if you’re a staunch carnivore or a dedicated vegan. The talented blogger/chef/photographer/author/mom (what’d we miss??) behind it all is Amanda Logan. We spoke with Amanda about her My Goodness Kitchen journey, blogging tools she’s found helpful, and her future plans.

Featured Blog: My Goodness Kitchen
Solo Pine Theme: Sitka

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Sitka WordPress Theme

03rd Nov

Meet Sitka!
Our most powerful WordPress theme yet.


Chock-full of customization options yet effortlessly intuitive, Sitka is the perfect tool for WordPress beginners and seasoned bloggers alike. Wielding a wealth of interchangeable layouts, complete color & font options, numerous striking featured area designs, and much more, Sitka’s style possibilities are virtually endless.

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Solo Pine Mods GIVEAWAY

20th Oct

To celebrate the launch of our Solo Pine Mods customization service (and to try out this sweet new giveaway plugin), we want to spread a little happiness!

With numerous ways to earn entries, you can better your odds of
winning ONE SOLO PINE THEME (your choice!) + A $60 SOLO PINE MODS CREDIT to customize it.

And, to show a little love to our newsletter subscribers, we gave them a heads-up on the giveaway a few days early to start earning those extra entries. Want to get first notice on sales and promotions? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter! (Don’t worry, we hate spam, too)

Good luck!

Theme updates galore!

24th Jul
theme-updates-galore

We’ve been hustling lately to release updates for all of our themes! From minor bug fixes to GDPR consent form stylings to extra features, be sure to check out your theme’s changelog for full details of what the update includes.

We’re perhaps most excited to announce that Hemlock, Florence, Rosemary, AND Redwood now offer WooCommerce support! Effortlessly add a webshop to your site with WooCommerce’s powerful (and free!) plugin.

Related tutorials:

Guide: How to update your theme

Guide: How to setup your webshop

How to Add Google Analytics to Your WordPress Site

07th Jul
Google Analytics Thumbnail

Google Analytics is an incredible tool for website owners who want to know how their audience interacts with their site.

Where are your website’s visitors based?
How do they find their way to you?
How do they interact with your site?
When are they visiting?
How long are they hanging around?

Understanding your website traffic statistics is crucial for growing your visitor base and knowing how to best optimize your site for further growth down the road. Google’s powerful (and free!) analytical tool has fast become a must-have for anyone invested in their little slice of the web.

In this article, we’ll go over how to set Google Analytics up on your WordPress site.

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Spring Fling Sale!

08th May

IT’S HERE!   IT’S HERE!

.   .   .

We don’t know about you, but we are so excited for spring to have finally sprung in the Pacific Northwest. To celebrate winter getting the boot, we’re marking down select themes more than 25% for a limited time!

 

S H O P   T H E   S A L E

 

 

Meet Hawthorn!

05th Feb

Photography, Fashion, Lifestyle, Food—whatever your passion, Hawthorn’s sleek design, suite of layouts, and hefty customization options are sure to delight even the most discerning blogger.

Outfitted with a striking Featured Area, numerous post & page templates, a category index shortcode, a robust footer area, and more, construct the effortlessly functional and aesthetically exciting blog you’ve been dreaming of.

Selling your products online or hope to someday open an online store? Hawthorn boasts compatibility with the popular WooCommerce e-commerce plugin, enabling you to open up an attractive shop in a matter of minutes.

WordPress beginners and the most seasoned bloggers alike are sure to find that Hawthorn’s dynamic design and intuitive options make the perfect companion to creating a striking site your visitors aren’t soon to forget.

For complete details and to view Hawthorn’s demo site, check out Hawthorn on ThemeForest.

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! SNAG HAWTHORN AT THE DISCOUNTED RATE OF JUST $29

sale-banner

Introducing Alder! A Blog & Shop Theme

16th May

Clean, bright, and classy, Alder is an airy WordPress blog & shop theme designed to stage your content in structured elegance.

Alder shines for blogs wishing to create a visually-arresting photographic feast for the eyes. And for those blogs that are more text-centered, Alder’s uncluttered and airy layouts lend a sophisticated polish all on their own.

Take advantage of Alder’s wealth of customization options to change the theme’s colors, choose from 5 different blog layout options, master all content with 4 post formats, employ Alder’s 5 custom widgets (plus others!) to build your ideal sidebar experience, and much more.

Selling your products online or hope to someday open an online store? Alder boasts compatibility with the popular WooCommerce e-commerce plugin, enabling you to open up an attractive shop in a matter of minutes.

For complete details and to view Alder’s demo site, check out Alder on ThemeForest

Meet Laurel! A Blog & Shop Theme

31st Oct

Introducing Laurel, our latest Blog & Shop theme! Laurel comes loaded with heaps of customization options to present your quality content in crisp, modern elegance.

Have your posts pack a visual punch with the adjustable full-width Featured Image or stack customizable promo widgets to create a vibrant, eye-catching sidebar display. Better yet, showcase posts on any page in a polished grid layout using Laurel’s Category Index Shortcode.

Want to mix your posts up a bit more? Laurel boasts a bundle of different layout options to choose from on a post-by-post basis.

Whether you’re currently a proud web-shop owner or dream of someday taking the leap, we’ve got you covered! Laurel is fully compatible with the popular WooCommerce e-commerce plugin!

For complete details and to view the demo site, check out: Laurel on ThemeForest.

Top 10 WordPress Plugins

16th Jul

One of the highlights of using WordPress is the ability to install WordPress plugins to add extra features & functionality to your theme. From spam protection to newsletter forms to SEO, WordPress plugins offer a wealth of helpful ways to customize your theme and blogging experience!

Below, we’ve documented 10 of our favorite free WordPress plugins (in no particular order) and how to install them.

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