What is GeneratePress WordPress Theme? And How You Can Use It to Improve Your Website
For beginners in tech who still think “CSS” might be a personality type.
Welcome to the Land of WordPress, Where Themes Rule the Kingdom
If you’ve ever tried building a website on WordPress, you’ve probably experienced the emotional rollercoaster of selecting a theme. It starts with optimism, takes a detour through confusion, stops briefly at regret, and ends somewhere between “this is fine” and “WHY IS MY MENU FLOATING IN SPACE?”
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Enter GeneratePress—the theme that promises to not ruin your life.
Now, before you start wondering whether “GeneratePress” is a spaceship or a military operation, let me explain. GeneratePress is a WordPress theme but not just any theme. It’s sleek, lightweight, lightning-fast, and customizable enough to make a control freak weep tears of joy.
Let’s unpack this magical theme, explore how it works, and figure out how even total tech beginners (yes, even you, the one who Googled “how do I WordPress?”) can use it to build better, faster, cleaner websites.
First Things First—What the Heck is GeneratePress?
GeneratePress is a freemium WordPress theme, meaning there’s a free version (woo!) and a premium upgrade (still woo, but with a price tag).
It’s created by Tom Usborne, a developer who apparently looked at every bloated, slow, unresponsive WordPress theme out there and said, “Yeah, no. I’m doing better.”
GeneratePress focuses on:
- Speed
- Performance
- Accessibility
- Clean Code
- Full customization without code headaches
Basically, it’s like the Swiss Army knife of WordPress themes—except it won’t slice your hand open when you try to make a small design change.
Why Is Everyone and Their Digital Dog Using GeneratePress?
It’s Ridiculously Fast
Let’s start with speed, because nobody likes a slow website. Especially not your visitors. Or Google.
GeneratePress is so lightweight, it makes other themes look like they’re wearing cement boots. The base theme is only about 10KB (yes, kilobytes, not megabytes), which is like giving your website a personal trainer.
Personal insight:
I once used a “fancy” theme that looked beautiful but loaded like it was on dial-up. Switched to GeneratePress, and suddenly my website felt like it had chugged three espressos.
How this helps you:
- Your site loads faster
- Your SEO improves
- Visitors don’t bounce before your homepage finishes drawing
- Google gives you a high-five (metaphorically)
It’s Crazy Customizable (Without Coding)
Think of GeneratePress like LEGO for websites. You get a strong foundation, and then you build whatever you want—without writing a single line of code (unless you want to).
With the premium version, you unlock the Elements Module, which is like a cheat code for advanced layouts and headers.
Personal insight:
I once tried customizing a theme where changing the font size required three plugins and a blood sacrifice. With GeneratePress, it’s literally just a dropdown.
What you can tweak:
- Colors
- Typography
- Layouts (including padding, margins, headers, footers)
- Backgrounds
- Navigation styles
- And yes, even sidebars (or remove them like the minimalist you are)
Compatible With Page Builders (But Doesn’t Need Them)
If you use page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Bricks, GeneratePress plays nicely. But it doesn’t force you to rely on them. In fact, it works beautifully with Gutenberg—WordPress’s own block editor.
So if you hate bloated drag-and-drop messes, you’re in luck.
Personal insight:
I built an entire blog with just Gutenberg + GeneratePress, and my load times stayed under 1 second. No sweaty plugins, no digital drama.
Why this matters:
- You’re in control
- Fewer plugins = fewer things that break
- You get to build smart, not just “build pretty”
Includes GenerateBlocks (Like Page Builder’s Cooler Cousin)
GeneratePress’s kinsman, GenerateBlocks, is a free plugin designed t
GeneratePress’s kinsman, GenerateBlocks, is a free plugin designed to work hand- in- hand with the theme. It gives you powerful, lightweight blocks to build custom layouts using Gutenberg.
So instead of using 50 plugins to do one thing, you can use four elegant blocks:
- Container
- Grid
- Headline
- Buttons
Personal insight:
GenerateBlocks made me look like a front-end designer without actually becoming one. (I still call CSS “the scary part.”)
Bonus: GenerateBlocks Pro exists too if you want even more design candy.
Built with SEO and Accessibility in Mind
GeneratePress is clean, semantic, and uses valid HTML. Translation for beginners: Google likes it, and it works well for people using screen readers or assistive technologies.
And let’s be honest—if you’re trying to rank on Google, having clean code is more important than how cute your logo looks.
How it helps:
- Better visibility on search engines
- Faster crawl times
- Lower bounce rates
- Your site isn’t a nightmare for visually impaired users
Security You Don’t Have to Worry About
GeneratePress doesn’t cut corners on security. The code is reviewed regularly, and it follows WordPress’s best coding practices. You won’t find any spaghetti code here.
Personal insight:
After dealing with a theme that injected random scripts into my pages like a hacker on vacation, switching to GeneratePress was like stepping into a digital spa.
Translation for beginners:
You don’t have to worry about waking up one day to find your blog replaced with spammy pop-ups and sketchy ads for sunglasses.
The Premium Version Is Worth Every Penny
Let’s talk about the premium add-on. For a one-time fee (or annual renewal if you want ongoing updates), you unlock the true power of GeneratePress.
Here’s what you get:
- Site Library (pre-built templates)
- Custom Elements
- Advanced Hook System
- Secondary Navigation
- Off-Canvas Panel
- WooCommerce Compatibility
- Sticky Navigation
- Mobile Header Options
- And more…
Personal insight:
I paid once for GeneratePress Premium and used it on dozens of sites. It’s like buying one hammer and building an entire neighborhood.
How to use this power:
- Choose a pre-built template from the Site Library
- Customize to your heart’s content
- Publish and feel like a web wizard
Simplicity Without Sacrifice
If you’re a beginner, GeneratePress won’t make you cry. The learning curve is gentle. And if you’re an advanced user? It gives you tools without nonsense.
Personal insight:
I used GeneratePress when I didn’t know what the heck a child theme was. And I still use it now that I can hand-code a layout in my sleep. It just… scales with you.
Why this matters:
- You don’t have to change themes every year
- It grows with your skills
- You can start simple, then unlock complexity when you’re ready
Alright, let’s get practical. Here’s your step-by-step guide to building a better website using GeneratePress:
Step 1: Install the Free Version
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Navigate to Appearance → Themes → Add New
- Search for GeneratePress
- Click Install then Activate
Boom. You now own the digital version of a Ferrari that doesn’t crash.
Step 2: Upgrade to GeneratePress Premium (Optional But Highly Recommended)
- Visit generatepress.com
- Purchase the Premium add-on
- Install the plugin in your WordPress dashboard
- Activate your license
- Rejoice
It’s like turning your bicycle into a rocket ship—with training wheels, if you need them.
Step 3: Install GenerateBlocks (Optional But Game-Changing)
- Go to Plugins → Add New
- Search for GenerateBlocks
- Install and activate
- Build like you’re a front-end ninja
Step 4: Customize Your Site
- Navigate to Appearance → Customize
- Change your site’s layout, fonts, colors, and header/footer options
- If you have Premium, explore Elements and Site Library
- Make your site look exactly how you want
No developer tears required.
Step 5: Optimize Your Settings
- Turn off unused modules in GeneratePress settings
- Minimize plugin bloat
- Install a caching plugin (like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache)
- Use responsive images
- Test your speed with PageSpeed Insights
You’ll score better than most government websites. (True story.)
Step 6: Launch and Celebrate
Publish your site. Sit back. Sip coffee. Bask in the glow of not needing therapy after building a WordPress site.
Final Thoughts: GeneratePress Is Basically the Best Friend You Didn’t Know You Needed
Let’s be real. There’s no deficit of WordPress themes out there. Some look amazing but run like they were coded during a thunderstorm. Others promise customization but leave you elbow-deep in CSS.
GeneratePress, on the other hand, just works. It’s lightweight, powerful, beginner-friendly, and dev-approved. Whether you’re running a blog, business site, portfolio, or online store, it’s got your back.
So, you’re just getting started with tech? Using GeneratePress is like taking your website to the gym—and giving it a protein shake. Lean, clean, and ready to impress.
TL;DR (Too Long; Definitely Worth It)
- GeneratePress is a fast, clean, and customizable WordPress theme
- It’s beginner-friendly and developer-ready
- Works great with page builders and Gutenberg
- The Premium version is packed with powerful features
- You’ll love it more than you love free Wi-Fi
Need help picking the right blocks? Stuck on which layout screams “I have my life together”? Just remember: with GeneratePress, you’re not building a website… you’re building a smarter future version of yourself who totally knows what they’re doing (or looks like they do).
Now go forth and build.
