WordPress & Website Resources

We use and recommend these WordPress- and website-related resources. Many of the links are affiliate links, so if you click one and buy, we receive a small commission. But, you don’t pay any extra! We recommend these because of their quality, not because of the referral fees. Please see our affiliate disclosure.


WordPress Hosting

Flywheel

Our favorite WordPress managed host! We use it for client sites whenever we can. Flywheel focuses on making hosting simple; the control panel and tools are easy to use. The hosting is fast, secure, and reliable.

Flywheel managed WordPress hosting logo

WP Engine

Another managed WordPress host, with an emphasis on security, speed, and scale. It’s great for sites that get a lot of traffic and need rock-solid stability.

SiteGround

An excellent WordPress-optimized shared host. It's faster, more secure, and more reliable than all-purpose shared hosts. It's also less expensive than managed WordPress hosts (because SiteGround doesn’t offer the same level of service). See our post SiteGround: fast, secure WordPress hosting.

See our post How to Choose a WordPress Host and Plan.


WordPress Themes

StudioPress

Excellent theme shop. Well-designed, functional, fast, and secure themes for the Genesis Framework.

Astra

We like that the Astra theme works well with the Elementor page builder. It allows you to customize the look of your site visually, without editing code. It also includes several nicely-designed "starter websites" or templates. Astra also works with other page builders, including Beaver Builder, Divi, and WPBakery.

Astra theme icon

WordPress Plugins

Gravity Forms

User-friendly, drag-and-drop forms for WordPress. There are plenty of powerful add-ons for integrating with Mailchimp, Dropbox, Stripe, PayPal, and many other systems.

Beaver Builder

Structure pages and edit content with drag-and-drop modules and front-end editing. Simple and lightweight, unlike many other page builders. Works well with many themes.

Get Beaver Builder Now!

Elementor

Structure pages and edit content with drag-and-drop modules and front-end editing. Works well with many themes.

WooCommerce

Sell products, services, or subscriptions through your WordPress website with this flexible ecommerce system.

WooCommerce

WPML (WordPress MultiLingual)

Make your site available in multiple languages. Edit and display content in more than one language. Works with WooCommerce to make ecommerce sites multilingual!

Multilingual WordPress

LearnDash

Create (and sell) online courses with this feature-rich Learning Management System (LMS).

CodeCanyon (by Envato)

The WordPress Plugin Directory has thousands of free plugins, but sometimes you can’t find what you need there. At those times, check out the paid plugins at CodeCanyon. Look for quality plugins by reputable authors.


WordPress Tutorials

LinkedIn Learning

High-quality video tutorials about WordPress administration, maintenance, design, development, SEO, and more.

WP101

Simple video tutorials that show you how to use WordPress and popular plugins such as WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, and Beaver Builder.

Easy WordPress tutorial videos for beginners.

Here are more sources of WordPress tutorials.


WordPress Books

You can also see our book review posts.


SEO Guides

You can also see our SEO posts.


Online Services & Tools

Hover

Domain registration in a simple, uncluttered interface, with WHOIS privacy included (they don't list your name and contact info publicly).

hover logo

Mailchimp

Email marketing that's simple yet provides the features you need to get started, including integration with WordPress and other platforms. The free plan is a great way to start email marketing.

Mailchimp logo

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)

A reliable collection of Google services, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, and more.

FreshBooks

Easily track time, send invoices, and take online payments via credit card, debit card, or bank transfer (ACH). We especially like the ability to set up recurring invoices that clients can set to pay automatically.

Ready to Blast Off?

Let's talk.

Contact OptimWise
crossmenuarrow-right