News

We just released the latest version of our popular Genesis Portfolio Pro plugin, bringing lots of improvements including a much-requested new widget!

• You can now sort Portfolio archive items by menu order. Edit the menu order of each Portfolio item directly, or use a page ordering plugin.
• Image markup on the Portfolio archive has been improved,┬áwith┬áalt┬áand┬áitemprop attributes now included.

Great as those are, as mentioned above, probably the most demanded improvement is the addition of the new widget.

Portfolio Widget

This widget will allow you to more easily show off your portfolio items in your blog sidebars, and with themes that have front page widgets, on your website homepage.

Get the full details over at the WordPress.org plugin page.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Genesis Connect for WooCommerce has just been updated to version 1.0.0!

This is our plugin that replaces the WooCommerce built-in templates with Genesis-ready versions, and also makes Genesis Simple Sidebars and Genesis Simple Menus compatible with WooCommerce too.

Lots of changes were made since the previous version, including:

• WooCommerce version-check support.
• Reinstate Genesis Featured Products widget.
• Fixed ÔÇÿID was called incorrectlyÔÇÖ error if Genesis Featured Products widget is in use.
• Removed product Microdata to prevent conflict with JSON-LD from WooCommerce 3.
• Prevent deprecation notice if Genesis Simple Sidebars is in use.
• The Genesis Featured Products widget now hides products with a price or sale price of ÔÇÿ0ÔÇÖ if ÔÇÿhide free productsÔÇÖ is ticked.
• Prevent blank pages if WooCommerce Shop page is not set. (Thanks, Tim Jensen!)
• Prevent fatal error on WooCommerce pages if non-Genesis theme or mobile plugin such as WPtouch is active.
• Add support for Genesis Scripts to products. (Thanks, Graham Washbrook!)
• The shop page now uses the default site layout if ÔÇ£Default Layout set in Theme SettingsÔÇØ is selected.
• Show a notice instead of dying if WooCommerce is not active.
• Show a notice instead of failing silently if a Genesis child theme is not active.
• Use the default template for product oembeds.
• Show the Genesis archive headline and intro text on product taxonomy archives if set. Fall back to the archive name and description.
• Allow network activation on WordPress multisite networks.

Genesis Connect for WooCommerce v1 is available to check out and download, now!

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Genesis Connect for WooCommerce has just been updated to version 1.0.0!

This is our plugin that replaces the WooCommerce built-in templates with Genesis-ready versions, and also makes Genesis Simple Sidebars and Genesis Simple Menus compatible with WooCommerce too.

Lots of changes were made since the previous version, including:

• WooCommerce version-check support.
• Reinstate Genesis Featured Products widget.
• Fixed ÔÇÿID was called incorrectlyÔÇÖ error if Genesis Featured Products widget is in use.
• Removed product Microdata to prevent conflict with JSON-LD from WooCommerce 3.
• Prevent deprecation notice if Genesis Simple Sidebars is in use.
• The Genesis Featured Products widget now hides products with a price or sale price of ÔÇÿ0ÔÇÖ if ÔÇÿhide free productsÔÇÖ is ticked.
• Prevent blank pages if WooCommerce Shop page is not set. (Thanks, Tim Jensen!)
• Prevent fatal error on WooCommerce pages if non-Genesis theme or mobile plugin such as WPtouch is active.
• Add support for Genesis Scripts to products. (Thanks, Graham Washbrook!)
• The shop page now uses the default site layout if ÔÇ£Default Layout set in Theme SettingsÔÇØ is selected.
• Show a notice instead of dying if WooCommerce is not active.
• Show a notice instead of failing silently if a Genesis child theme is not active.
• Use the default template for product oembeds.
• Show the Genesis archive headline and intro text on product taxonomy archives if set. Fall back to the archive name and description.
• Allow network activation on WordPress multisite networks.

Genesis Connect for WooCommerce v1 is available to check out and download, now!

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Niche Pro is a Genesis-powered WordPress Theme for bloggers that wanna go pro. Designed by Kelsey Grauke of Design By Bloom, Niche Pro allows you to build a lifestyle blog that will showcase beautiful content and is optimized to draw your audience in.

Some key features include:

• Easy to customize
• Widgetized homepage for a flexible, engaging layout
• Choose colors to match your branding
• Upload your own logo or simply type in your website name to match the default branding
• WooCommerce ready
• Responsive, mobile-friendly design
• Integrate with email subscriptions
• Optional floating Instagram feed to increase subscribers
• Crafted buttons and forms
• HTML5 Markup
• Built-in Read more button
• Styled share buttons, recent posts widget, subscribe widget, contact form, and Instagram
• Landing page, full-width template
• Designed to grow your business
• Built-in Instagram Landing page

View the demo and refresh your site with Niche Pro today.

Niche Theme Details & Pricing

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Niche Pro is a Genesis-powered WordPress Theme for bloggers that wanna go pro. Designed by Kelsey Grauke of Design By Bloom, Niche Pro allows you to build a lifestyle blog that will showcase beautiful content and is optimized to draw your audience in.

Some key features include:

• Easy to customize
• Widgetized homepage for a flexible, engaging layout
• Choose colors to match your branding
• Upload your own logo or simply type in your website name to match the default branding
• WooCommerce ready
• Responsive, mobile-friendly design
• Integrate with email subscriptions
• Optional floating Instagram feed to increase subscribers
• Crafted buttons and forms
• HTML5 Markup
• Built-in Read more button
• Styled share buttons, recent posts widget, subscribe widget, contact form, and Instagram
• Landing page, full-width template
• Designed to grow your business
• Built-in Instagram Landing page

View the demo and refresh your site with Niche Pro today.

Niche Theme Details & Pricing

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Eleven years ago, I left my job as a project manager at an architectural firm to pursue a career in freelance web design and internet shenanigans.

I call it that, because truth be told, I really had no idea what I was getting into. All I know was that at the time, my theme business was doing six figures a month in sales, andÔÇöas I told my wifeÔÇöit was financially irresponsible for me to stay ÔÇ£working for the man.ÔÇØ

I wanted to be ÔÇ£the manÔÇØ and knew there was no better time to take the leap of faith.

Fast forward a few years, and I made another pivotal move which resulted in the formation of Copyblogger Media. As part of that decision, StudioPress was merged into our new company, and along with that came a partner circle of five.

This September we will celebrate eight years together, and they have been the most formative in my entrepreneurial journey. I have learned so much from those who I work alongside, and the business knowledge I have gained over the years has been incredible.

Not a day goes by that I regret any of these decisions. I continue to wake up each morning with a joy for what I do, and more importantly, who I do it for.

Which brings me to you. The customer. The designer. The developer. The reader. The writer. The entrepreneur. The small business owner.

Last month, WordPress celebrated its 15th birthday, and I feel fortunate, after all these years, to be a part of this community. But the good thing is that I havenÔÇÖt done it alone. IÔÇÖve done it with you.

I am firm believer in the power of communityÔÇöthat life is done ÔÇ£better togetherÔÇØÔÇöand my canyon-deep passion for networking and connecting is as unbridled today as it was when I first got started.

StudioPress, the brand that I started and have poured every ounce of my creative soul into, has been our common groundÔÇöand for that IÔÇÖm eternally grateful.

When we launched the Genesis Framework, with it came the opportunity for many of you to pursue the same dream that IÔÇÖve been fortunate to live.

The community that has formed around our products is unmatched in the WordPress space, and IÔÇÖve witnessed firsthand just how powerful it can be. IÔÇÖve had the pleasure of watching businesses flourish and grow, and have seen some of the most beautiful websites in the world created by you.

As we enter into a new era of publishing with the release of Gutenberg, we are also entering into a new era at StudioPress. ItÔÇÖs an era that I cannot be any more excited about, and one that will bring some change for the better.

With that said…

It is my pleasure to announce WP Engine has acquired StudioPress.

Our future has never been brighter than it is today, and the road ahead of us is so much longer than the road behind. ItÔÇÖs a new journey that I cannot wait to continue with you.

Over the last eleven years, we have changed the WordPress landscapeÔÇöfrom creating a commercial market to building the most popular theme framework. While we were able to do that as a bootstrapped company, the vision I have for StudioPress requires more.

WP Engine brings the ÔÇ£moreÔÇØ that we need and will provide the investment and leadership necessary to evolve and grow the StudioPress suite of products.

Honoring our open source and community driven legacy, they will expand support for contributors and the community by providing meaningful opportunities for people to contribute to Genesis and build their own solutions which leverage the Framework.

I will continue to serve on the StudioPress leadership team at WP Engine, with emphasis on product development and as community evangelist. These are areas which I feel exceptionally qualified for, and more importantly, where I want to be. In addition, Nathan and the Genesis support team will be coming over, and he will continue to serve as lead developer of Genesis.

As founder, this is a bittersweet day for me, I will admit. But, as my new colleague, Jason Cohen, the founder of WP Engine often says, ÔÇ£There are many founding moments in the history of a company.ÔÇØ This is one of those moments and I know itÔÇÖs time for StudioPress to take the next stepÔÇöand WP Engine is the right partner to take it with.

I invite you to join me in welcoming our futureÔÇöthe next revolution, if you will.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Eleven years ago, I left my job as a project manager at an architectural firm to pursue a career in freelance web design and internet shenanigans.

I call it that, because truth be told, I really had no idea what I was getting into. All I know was that at the time, my theme business was doing six figures a month in sales, andÔÇöas I told my wifeÔÇöit was financially irresponsible for me to stay ÔÇ£working for the man.ÔÇØ

I wanted to be ÔÇ£the manÔÇØ and knew there was no better time to take the leap of faith.

Fast forward a few years, and I made another pivotal move which resulted in the formation of Copyblogger Media. As part of that decision, StudioPress was merged into our new company, and along with that came a partner circle of five.

This September we will celebrate eight years together, and they have been the most formative in my entrepreneurial journey. I have learned so much from those who I work alongside, and the business knowledge I have gained over the years has been incredible.

Not a day goes by that I regret any of these decisions. I continue to wake up each morning with a joy for what I do, and more importantly, who I do it for.

Which brings me to you. The customer. The designer. The developer. The reader. The writer. The entrepreneur. The small business owner.

Last month, WordPress celebrated its 15th birthday, and I feel fortunate, after all these years, to be a part of this community. But the good thing is that I havenÔÇÖt done it alone. IÔÇÖve done it with you.

I am firm believer in the power of communityÔÇöthat life is done ÔÇ£better togetherÔÇØÔÇöand my canyon-deep passion for networking and connecting is as unbridled today as it was when I first got started.

StudioPress, the brand that I started and have poured every ounce of my creative soul into, has been our common groundÔÇöand for that IÔÇÖm eternally grateful.

When we launched the Genesis Framework, with it came the opportunity for many of you to pursue the same dream that IÔÇÖve been fortunate to live.

The community that has formed around our products is unmatched in the WordPress space, and IÔÇÖve witnessed firsthand just how powerful it can be. IÔÇÖve had the pleasure of watching businesses flourish and grow, and have seen some of the most beautiful websites in the world created by you.

As we enter into a new era of publishing with the release of Gutenberg, we are also entering into a new era at StudioPress. ItÔÇÖs an era that I cannot be any more excited about, and one that will bring some change for the better.

With that said…

It is my pleasure to announce WP Engine has acquired StudioPress.

Our future has never been brighter than it is today, and the road ahead of us is so much longer than the road behind. ItÔÇÖs a new journey that I cannot wait to continue with you.

Over the last eleven years, we have changed the WordPress landscapeÔÇöfrom creating a commercial market to building the most popular theme framework. While we were able to do that as a bootstrapped company, the vision I have for StudioPress requires more.

WP Engine brings the ÔÇ£moreÔÇØ that we need and will provide the investment and leadership necessary to evolve and grow the StudioPress suite of products.

Honoring our open source and community driven legacy, they will expand support for contributors and the community by providing meaningful opportunities for people to contribute to Genesis and build their own solutions which leverage the Framework.

I will continue to serve on the StudioPress leadership team at WP Engine, with emphasis on product development and as community evangelist. These are areas which I feel exceptionally qualified for, and more importantly, where I want to be. In addition, Nathan and the Genesis support team will be coming over, and he will continue to serve as lead developer of Genesis.

As founder, this is a bittersweet day for me, I will admit. But, as my new colleague, Jason Cohen, the founder of WP Engine often says, ÔÇ£There are many founding moments in the history of a company.ÔÇØ This is one of those moments and I know itÔÇÖs time for StudioPress to take the next stepÔÇöand WP Engine is the right partner to take it with.

I invite you to join me in welcoming our futureÔÇöthe next revolution, if you will.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

• Content. 11 places to find royalty-free background music for marketing videos
• Design. What designers say vs. what they really mean
• Technology. The three pillars of SEO: authority, relevance, and trust
• Strategy. 6 easy ways to optimize your LinkedIn company page
• Bonus. Why youÔÇÖre missing crucial opportunities if you think youÔÇÖre “not creative”

But first …

Last week on Sites

Once you have your website up and running, and youÔÇÖre consistently publishing good content and connecting with your audience, itÔÇÖs time to ponder whether creating an online course would be a smart next move.

There are many different ways ÔÇö both big and small ÔÇö to incorporate an online course into your content and product mix. In this episode, we run down a few of them and then explore three questions that will help you plan your online course in a smart way from the beginning so you avoid major missteps later on.

Listen: [62] 3Q for Planning Your Next Online Course

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 11 places to find royalty-free background music for marketing videos

One of the most underrated elements of good video content is the audio that accompanies it. Uninteresting or, worse, bad audio can distract from the video content it is meant to complement. But it’s not always easy to find music that you can actually use in your video content.

This post from WordStream highlights a bunch of places you can go to find royalty-free background music for your videos.

Read at WordStream

Design: What designers say vs. what they really mean

Who better to give you the inside scoop on what designers actually mean than designers themselves? This post endeavors to do that.

Learn what designers mean when they say: “We may not be suitable for your requirements,” “We can fix that,” and more.

Read at Creative Bloq

---

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

---

Technology: The three pillars of SEO: authority, relevance, and trust

This is a long-form post on SEO from one of the masters of the form and the topic: Mark Traphagen.

You will learn about authority, relevance, and trust, and how to improve each on your website to help you build better SEO rankings.

Read at Search Engine Journal

Strategy: 6 easy ways to optimize your LinkedIn company page

If you’re conducting business online, then you need a LinkedIn presence. Otherwise, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

This post provides a handful of steps you can take today to optimize your business page and improve your presence, authority, and recruitment prospects on LinkedIn.

Read at Hootsuite

Bonus: Why youÔÇÖre missing crucial opportunities if you think youÔÇÖre “not creative”

Loryn Thompson can’t stand hearing people say they are “not creative.” I agree with her.

In fact, this is a conversation I’ve had with my wife on numerous occasions. She says she isn’t creative, but I say she is. And you know what? I know I’m right!

It just comes down to her having a very narrow view of creativity, and me having a much more open view of creativity.

And as Loryn says:

“If you believe creativity is something youÔÇÖre born with, and that some kinds of tasks are creative while others are not, youÔÇÖll miss thousands of opportunities to improve.”

Learn more about the opportunities you’re missing if you believe you’re not creative.

Read at Copyblogger

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

• Content. 11 places to find royalty-free background music for marketing videos
• Design. What designers say vs. what they really mean
• Technology. The three pillars of SEO: authority, relevance, and trust
• Strategy. 6 easy ways to optimize your LinkedIn company page
• Bonus. Why youÔÇÖre missing crucial opportunities if you think youÔÇÖre “not creative”

But first …

Last week on Sites

Once you have your website up and running, and youÔÇÖre consistently publishing good content and connecting with your audience, itÔÇÖs time to ponder whether creating an online course would be a smart next move.

There are many different ways ÔÇö both big and small ÔÇö to incorporate an online course into your content and product mix. In this episode, we run down a few of them and then explore three questions that will help you plan your online course in a smart way from the beginning so you avoid major missteps later on.

Listen: [62] 3Q for Planning Your Next Online Course

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: 11 places to find royalty-free background music for marketing videos

One of the most underrated elements of good video content is the audio that accompanies it. Uninteresting or, worse, bad audio can distract from the video content it is meant to complement. But it’s not always easy to find music that you can actually use in your video content.

This post from WordStream highlights a bunch of places you can go to find royalty-free background music for your videos.

Read at WordStream

Design: What designers say vs. what they really mean

Who better to give you the inside scoop on what designers actually mean than designers themselves? This post endeavors to do that.

Learn what designers mean when they say: “We may not be suitable for your requirements,” “We can fix that,” and more.

Read at Creative Bloq

---

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

---

Technology: The three pillars of SEO: authority, relevance, and trust

This is a long-form post on SEO from one of the masters of the form and the topic: Mark Traphagen.

You will learn about authority, relevance, and trust, and how to improve each on your website to help you build better SEO rankings.

Read at Search Engine Journal

Strategy: 6 easy ways to optimize your LinkedIn company page

If you’re conducting business online, then you need a LinkedIn presence. Otherwise, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

This post provides a handful of steps you can take today to optimize your business page and improve your presence, authority, and recruitment prospects on LinkedIn.

Read at Hootsuite

Bonus: Why youÔÇÖre missing crucial opportunities if you think youÔÇÖre “not creative”

Loryn Thompson can’t stand hearing people say they are “not creative.” I agree with her.

In fact, this is a conversation I’ve had with my wife on numerous occasions. She says she isn’t creative, but I say she is. And you know what? I know I’m right!

It just comes down to her having a very narrow view of creativity, and me having a much more open view of creativity.

And as Loryn says:

“If you believe creativity is something youÔÇÖre born with, and that some kinds of tasks are creative while others are not, youÔÇÖll miss thousands of opportunities to improve.”

Learn more about the opportunities you’re missing if you believe you’re not creative.

Read at Copyblogger

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Once you’ve made the big decisions about who your course is serving and what transformation your course will deliver (our topic last week), it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty of determining how you will actually execute your lessons.

In this episode, we discuss three important questions you need to ask yourself to be sure that you are moving forward in the direction that serves your big picture goals for your course.

Click to subscribe to Site Success on Apple Podcasts

Other links of note:

• Try StudioPress Sites
• Sites Weekly Newsletter
• Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
• Contact Jerod: jerod@copyblogger.com

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.