I love trying new tools to figure out ways to make my job easier and better, so I try almost everything I can get my hands on. Here is some of my top recommendations for running your website.
WordPress Themes
StudioPress – The creators of the Genesis framework, they have a range of very professional looking themes. Especially great if you are not looking to make a lot of customizations or you are familiar with coding. This website is using a StudioPress theme.
Astra – Great for beginners or anyone looking for a comprehensive theme with a lot of customization possible without any code.
WordPress Plugins
Beaver Builder – A page builder that has been a favorite for a long time. A page builder allows you to completely change each page of your website, without any code. With an emphasis on stability, you can trust that it won’t constantly break things. Works great with Genesis and Astra.
WPForms – A newer form plugin with a focus on being very easy to use. Allows you to quickly get all kinds of forms up and collecting information. But it also comes packed with advanced features like templates, conditional logic, user registration, payments, email list integration, and much more.
WP Rocket – Its all about speed. Make your website faster and Google will love you. This plugin does all the heavy lifting with just a few clicks.
Monster Insights or ExactMetrics – A great way to setup and view your Google Analytics data right from your WordPress Dashboard. Advanced features like ecommerce and link tracking, but also easy to use.
See all the rest of our WordPress plugin recommendations.
Website Hosting
Kinsta – Is a great managed WordPress hosting company. Meaning they handle everything and they provide great support.
SpinupWP or ServerPilot – If you want to try your hand at hosting your own website, these are great solutions that make it much easier to host your own website. You will need a DigitalOcean or Google Cloud server as well.
Siteground – If you are looking for a lower cost option, this is about the only shared hosting I would recommend.
Search Engine Optimization
Ahrefs – Comprehensive SEO tool that helps you check your backlinks, research keywords, track rankings, and run audits.
SerpStat – Cheaper all-in-one SEO tool.
ScreamingFrog – A website crawler that can help you find issues with your website.
Email List
ConvertKit – Email marketing that is both easy to use and powerful.
Images
Unsplash – Free high quality stock photos.
RelayThat – Edit images for social media.
Depositphotos – Paid stock photos.