WordPress Toolkit: Resources For Users & Developers
Whether you just discovered WordPress or you’ve been using the platform for eons, the resources we’re about to unveil in this post will make great additions to your WordPress toolkit. To make the post easy to digest, we’ve broken it into seven sections namely:
- WordPress Blogs
- WordPress Tutorial Websites
- WordPress Books
- WordPress Plugins
- WordPress Theme Resources
- WordPress Hosting
- Extra WordPress Resources
Without further ado, let us put a few words to each section. Enjoy and don’t forget to share your opinion in the comment section below!
WordPress Blogs
The internet is an ocean of WordPress blogs that discuss topics befitting both beginners and advanced WordPress users. The following blogs are some of the best WordPress blogs out there:
WPExplorer
Well you had to have guessed that we’re a great WordPress resource. Here at WPExplorer we do our best to provide you with fresh, high-quality content each day. Whether you’re looking for coding tips, recommended plugins or if you’re shopping around for a new WordPress theme we’ve got you covered.
WordPress Smashing Magazine
Ask just about any WordPress developer (or web designer) and they will have something good to say about Smashing Magazine. The magazine has a separate WordPress category that features tons of useful WordPress content. It is a great resource for anyone looking to learn the basics of WordPress development.
Code Poet
If you’ve known WordPress for long enough, you must have come across the phrase (or quote) “Code is Poetry”. No? Well, it doesn’t matter that much in this regard anyway. Code Poet is a huge and awesome resource for every WordPress developer and user. A contraption of Automattic, Code Poet offers a lot of WordPress-related topics including WordPress SEO, security, plugins, theme development, writing et cetera.
Torque (WP Daily)
WP Daily (also known as Torque Mag) is a collection of the latest happenings in the world of WordPress. Ran by the guys behind 8Bit and Standard Theme, WP Daily is your source of WordPress news and inspiration. You will get all manner of WordPress news from community experts and an extensive archive section.
WPEngine Blog
WPEngine, the guys behind the famous WPEngine Managed WordPress Hosting, run a resourceful blog that’s managed by Austin Gunter. The blog provides informative articles on optimizing WordPress amongst other things.
WordPress Tutorial Websites
While WordPress blogs provide tips, articles and sometimes tutorials on WordPress, there are other WordPress websites that specialize (or somewhat specialize) in WordPress tutorials. The following websites have tutorial sections dedicated to WordPress:
WPRecipes
Are you looking to improve the functionality of your WordPress site? If so, WP Recipes is the WordPress tutorial site you want to visit. WP Recipes offers easy and quick WordPress tips and tutorials to improve the functionality of your WordPress platform.
WPTuts+
WPTuts+ is the WordPress extension of the massive Tuts+ network. Tutsplus is one of the many projects brought to us by Envato, Inc. Managed by Japh Thompson – a renowned WordPress enthusiast – WPTuts+ provides top-of-the-class WordPress tutorials, guides, screen-casts, articles etc.
WPMU
WPMU is the home of WordPress developers and authors who share a lot about WordPress. The blog, which is run by James Farmer shares a lot of useful WordPress tips and guides. Also their site is home to some of the most amazing WordPress themes and plugins which you can get full access to via their premium membership.
WPBeginner
WPBeginner is owned and managed by a Syed Balkhi, and offers a wide range of WordPress tutorials. Other than that, feel free to check out WPBeginner if you are looking for WordPress videos and deals.
SiteGround
Most known for their amazing hosting service they provide managed WordPress hosting at a very affordable price but also SiteGround has a dedicated tutorial section covering WordPress. Some of the things you can learn at SiteGround including customizing WordPress themes, improving WordPress security and more in addition to free WordPress video tutorials.
Websitesetup.org
Robert Mening built WebsiteSetup.org to help anyone – from bloggers to business owners – make their own website without having to learn code. The guide is very detailed, yet very easy to follow – even if you’re not very technical. Check out some of his guides on how to build a website using WordPress, Drupal and Joomla (Yes, they’re free!).
WordPress Books
Since the birth of WordPress some ten (10) years ago, many a author/developer have released books covering everything concerning WordPress. Topics range from WordPress basic knowledge to advanced topics on WordPress development. The following WordPress books made it to our list for one obvious reason. All of them are quality WordPress resources from respectable authors 🙂
WordPress To Go: How To Build A WordPress Website On Your Own Domain, From Scratch, Even If You Are A Complete Beginner
With two hundred (200) positive reviews (at the time of writing) and a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, WordPress To Go by Sarah McHarry is the simplest yet practical WordPress book on the web right now. The book stays clear of “…jargon and gobbledygook of other internet guides.” This is probably why it’s a #1 Amazon Best Seller on Kindle.
Smashing WordPress: Beyond The Blog
Smashing WordPress: Beyond The Blog by Thord Daniel Hedengren is the book you want if you are looking “…to build just about anything in WordPress.” The book will help you to create WordPress projects for SEO, integrate your WordPress platform with social media, create ecommerce sites, galleries, forms, custom themes, login forms and more. Smashing WordPress: Beyond The Blog is the book you need to get the most out of your WordPress website.
Professional WordPress Plugin Development
Are you looking to write your own WordPress plugins? Are you a plugin author looking to hone your skills? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Professional WordPress Plugin Development demonstrates how to extend WordPress using plugins, and then shows you how to develop your own WordPress plugins. The book, authored by Brad Williams, Ozh Richard and Justin Tadlock, offers readers a practical approach to creating WordPress plugins. It makes building plugins easy by providing code samples and detailed illustrations.
“I would recommend this book to everyone that is thinking of creating their first [WordPress] plugin.” – Andre J. Bales
The book has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars and sells at $28 bucks only.
WordPress For Dummies
WordPress For Dummies by Lisa Sabina Wilson and Matt Mullenweg (yes, he of WordPress) is an awesome guide for anyone whether you’re just starting your first blog or moving from another blogging platform to WordPress. The book is easy to understand and will let you take full advantage of WordPress’ flexibility and usability. It is the guide you need to tap into the potential that WordPress offers.
Professional WordPress: Design and Development
With a 4.4-out-of-5-stars rating, this book by Brad Williams, David Damstra and Hal Stern is a highly praised resource for anyone looking to develop WordPress websites. The book covers topics such as: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Custom post types, Custom taxonomies, Multisite etc. The book further provides code samples, which you can download from the book’s site.
For more, make sure to checkout our post on all the best WordPress resources when starting out.
WordPress Plugins
We’ve covered quite a number of both premium and free plugins in the past. I would like to our WordPress Plugins page to find all of the best plugins for just about everything.
WordPress Theme Resources
It can be quite an uphill task choosing a quality theme since there are so many theme shops on the internet. In the past we’ve written about the best WordPress theme memberships, and all the following theme shops are well established ones, some of which we’ve talked about before.
Elegant Themes
Elegant Themes is home to some of the most beautiful premium WordPress themes on the web. Elegant Themes is best known for the stellar design of their themes, advanced features and dedicated support. Their latest theme Divi is a great choice for just about any website, and they’re currently working on a big update to add even more features to this comprehensive theme. They have eighty-seven (87) premium themes for the all-inclusive price of $69.
Themify
According to Themify, their goal is “…to help non-coders hit the ground running.” Themify’s standard drag & drop framework allows “…for quick customizations to themes without having to touch code: simply adjust theme settings and styles through the options panel.” The Themify framework is beautiful, expertly coded and includes features such as custom widgets, Drag & Drop Builder and shortcodes amongst others. Additionally, it’s easy to customize and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. What’s more? Themify offers a collection of beautiful, modern and well-priced themes to help you to set up shop quickly. Plus we have a 20% off Themify coupon on our site that makes this an even better buy.
Genesis WordPress Theme Framework – StudioPress
On top of providing Genesis – one of the best WordPress theme frameworks on the web – StudioPress provides a huge collection of themes including 3rd party themes. The guys at StudioPress have made a name for themselves in the premium WordPress theme niches, as their offerings are nothing short of top quality. While their pricing is a bit higher than some of the other theme options out there, you get a lot for your money and a quality framework that you can build on. Genesis is a great place to start when creating a new site.
ThemeForest
Part of of Envato, ThemeForest offers over thirteen thousand (13,000) WordPress themes and templates with prices starting from $3 bucks. Yeah, you read that right. $3 bucks. Don’t get it twisted, the website provides some of the best WordPress themes on the web. ThemeForest is home to a huge number of WordPress developers, including WPExplorer. It’s a great resource for the WordPress user looking for professional themes as well as developers looking to make money recommending/selling themes.
WPExplorer Themes
We have an extensive collection of premium themes (that we’re very proud of) right here. Don’t take our word for it, feel free to check out our handmade WordPress themes. We create themes built on quality code, with features you want, at prices you can afford and with top notch support from a Themeforest Elite author. Our top selling Total WordPress theme is a great example of our work. This highly flexible theme is a perfect fit for businesses, freelancers, photographers, bloggers and all. Check it out!
WordPress Hosting
As a WordPress user, you need a good host for your website. A good web host will give you the peace of mind you need to create a successful WordPress project (we use WP Engine at Explorer and we love our host since they keep our sites running fast for all of you). The following are some of the best resources on how to choose the best WordPress host:
- WordPress Hosting: How To Choose The Best
- What You Need to Know About Managed WordPress Hosting
- WPExplorer Recommended: WordPress Hosting
- Are you a hosting provider? See these Hosting WordPress Themes!
Additional WordPress Resources
This section summaries other WordPress resources not covered in this post.
WordPress Information and Development Resources
WordPress Services
- Sucuri – premium WordPress security service
- ManageWP – ManageWP helps you to manage multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard
- VaultPress – WordPress protection and backup solution from Automattic
- StackPath CDN – Top of the class Content Delivery Network
Armed with the above resources, you are ready to take the world of WordPress by storm. Nothing should stand in your way, so go ahead and be the best WordPresser out there. See you around!
Definitely should add to the list EasyWPGuide.com which is free! I tell all my clients about it.
Looks very nice, thanks for sharing!