When you visit a website, you’re probably searching for specific information, like what a company charges for their product or ways to contact someone. The first place you’ll look is in the website’s top menu, also known as its navigation, menu bar, header, or nav bar. 

Without navigation, you wouldn’t be able to easily notice and click those pricing and contact pages or other important pages on the website. You may even have trouble finding the website in the first place! 

Website navigation is an essential asset on every website, including yours. It improves the user experience and even your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. 

But not all navigation is created equal. It can be hard to get it right. After all, what exactly is website navigation? How should it look? What pages should be included? 

In this article, we dive into these answers and more. Let’s take a closer look at website navigation, best practices, and examples. 

What is website navigation, and why does it matter? 

Websites are a hub for information about you or your company. They usually have multiple pages, sections, and links so visitors can find what they are looking for quickly. Website navigation makes this possible. 

Your navigation is simply a list of links or menu of options that website visitors can select and go to. Plus, website navigation refers to the elements of menus, including the buttons and links, overall design, and copy. It can also refer to sub-navigation menus (or submenus), which provide even more options under main navigation menus. 

Website navigation is one of the key aspects of website design and showcases your most important web pages. 

Good website navigation helps guide users towards certain actions, like browsing your product pages or contacting you. Navigation also allows you to highlight the information and pages you want to emphasize.

Understanding and optimizing your website’s navigation has a lot of benefits. Here are some of the top advantages: 

• Improve user experience. When people go to your website, they’re probably searching for specific information, like what your pricing is or what services you offer. Your website navigation will probably have a main menu with “Pricing” and “Services” as clear options, leading users to easily find that information. 
• Higher engagement and retention. When visitors are easily able to locate information, they’ll probably stay on your site much longer. Websites with poor navigation drive users away since they can’t figure out how to get around the website. 
• Boost SEO. Website navigation helps more than just your users; it allows search engines to understand your website better. Navigation paints a clearer picture of how your site is structured and laid out. So, search engines will learn which pages are important and what your site is about. It won’t take much for them to start indexing your website! 

These benefits are great for increasing your site’s new users, engagement, and search rankings. 

But it’s important to remember that good website navigation ultimately increases your conversion rate. Website users will be more satisfied with the site, stay on it longer, and go through a seamless conversion process. 

Types of website navigation 

You know what website navigation is and why it’s important, but did you know that there are different types of navigation? That’s right–your site will most likely house multiple menus. 

Some of these menus may be part of or act as your website’s primary navigation menu. Your main menu refers to the primary list or menu. It’s usually located at the very top of your website as part of your website header. 

Your header may also feature your logo. Take ours, for example: 

Now, let’s check out the types of website navigation. 

Horizontal navigation bar 

A horizontal navigation bar is typically a thin bar or block that runs the entire width of your website. It lives on the top level of your website, above any images, graphics, or other web elements. 

A horizontal bar can either be a solid color, like black or white, or transparent (it will have no color and use the header image as the background, like the website pictured above). 

We recommend always including a horizontal navigation bar on your website. It’s the best way to show users (and search engines) what’s important. Plus, it’s easy to make and edit your navigation with Kadence Blocks! 

Dropdown menu 

A dropdown menu is pretty similar to other menus in terms of looks, but where it differs is by interaction. To see the menu, users must hover over it or click it.  

Dropdown menus come in all different sizes. Most often, they are used to change options on a website that doesn’t need a full, large menu. For example, if your ecommerce website features different languages or currencies, you can include a small dropdown menu so users can change those options if needed. 

Dropdowns are also a great solution for when you want to maximize screen space and minimize clicks. For instance, if you have a lot of pages and navigation items, you shouldn’t display all of them in your horizontal navigation bar. 

Instead, group options together or create a hierarchy. Doing so with a dropdown menu will help visitors find things more easily. Check out this example: 

We can see that this website is prioritizing Home Health as a menu option, but there are more pages that users might want to access from the main nav menu. However, these don’t need to be prominently displayed like the other more important pages. 

Hamburger menu 

Who would’ve thought we would start talking about hamburgers? Well, in this case, we’re talking about the hamburger that goes on your website, not on your plate. 

The hamburger menu is a lot like the dropdown menu, and it’s actually the most minimalistic menu on this list. 

This type of website navigation menu hides all navigation options behind three small horizontal lines (hence the name). After clicking the hamburger icon, users will see the navigation options. This type is most common for the mobile view of websites where space is limited. 

Vertical menu (sidebars)

Sidebar menus, also known as vertical menus, are navigation menus that live on the left or right side of a website. Like other types of menus, vertical navigation menus usually feature a logo and clickable links. 

These types of menus are usually more colorful to catch your eye. They may also be collapsible with a simple click. 

Sidebar menus are great for websites with more than a few navigation options. This type of menu also pairs well with the hamburger and dropdown menus. Check out this vertical main menu from A24: 

Footer navigation menu 

Unlike all of the other navigation menus we’ve touched on, footers are a little different. 

Your footer navigation menu is more hidden since users must scroll to the bottom of the page in order to see it. 

These menus also house more links and information than their counterparts. For example, you probably don’t want to put your social links in your horizontal main menu – that could distract users from your main pages or call-to-action buttons. But the footer is a great place to put those social links on display. Salesforce does this well: 

Think of your footer as a kitchen cabinet. You can put a lot of your kitchen items in there since they don’t need to be on the counter, but you still want to be able to access them. The same goes for your website. You want people to be able to see other pages, but they probably don’t need to be front and center in your main menu. 

The footer is also a good place to include legal information and privacy policy. 

12 Website navigation best practices 

So far, we’ve covered all of the essential information you should know about website navigation. Now, we’ll explore best practices so your navigation menus are as effective as possible – all while looking awesome! 

1. Set your logo to a modest size 

Navigation menus are meant to guide and show users what the main pages are. Besides those options, logos are present. 

Logos typically act as a link to your website’s home page or as a reminder of what website the user is on. They are not meant to be the focus of your navigation menu, and logos that are too large may even distract the user from taking a certain action. 

However, we often see site logos that are too large for the menu. 

As a best practice, be sure to set your logo to a modest size. It should not overpower your website or nav menus. 

It’s also important to note that your logo should always be readable. Don’t make it too small, and make sure it’s visible in front of your background or header color. We recommend sticking to a vector graphic (SVG format) for the most clarity. 

Example: Apple 

A great example of this best practice comes from Apple:

As pictured, the Apple logo is there, but it’s not the main focus on the menu. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Logos that are too small or large 
• Blurry logos 

2. Simplified and intuitive menus 

Besides a logo, your navigation menu will have some sort of list of options to choose from. If you’re including too many options, it can get overwhelming for your website users, especially if you do it for your top or main menu. 

We recommend including enough options to provide an intuitive, smooth user experience. 

You should also simplify the menu where possible. For example, if you have a physical location, you don’t need two menu options like “Contact Us” and “Find Us.” Instead, choose one or the other. 

You can also eliminate the “Home” tab in your nav menu. Your logo can act as a link back to your home page. 

Not only does a simplified menu avoid clutter, but it also can help increase your conversions. As mentioned, too many links and options may confuse users and cause them to not find what they’re looking for or bounce off of your website. 

Offering fewer options makes the conversion process much easier. 

Another aspect to consider is the layout of your navigation menu. An intuitive and user-friendly layout usually follows a simple formula: Your logo stays on the left side and your navigation options go on the right side or middle with a call to action, like this: 

We recommend following the same layout for your horizontal navigation menu. Many websites do the same, so your users already know how to navigate it. 

Example: Start Blogging 101

This great example comes from Start Blogging 101. As you can see, the site’s menu is condensed into just three options. They also use dropdown menus to organize the menu. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Cluttered and overwhelming menus 
• Repetitive pages and options 
• Odd menu layouts 

3. Use clear and descriptive labels 

We’ve covered how your menu should be simplified and intuitive in its design, but how you label menu options also matters. 

In her book Dare to Lead, Brene Brown says: 

This principle applies in your website’s navigation too. As a best practice, you should be as clear and descriptive as possible. Avoid using terms with vague interpretations. For instance, for your blog, don’t call it “Journal,” just name it “Blog.”

When possible, use common terms for pages and links. For example, when showcasing your work on your photography website, name that page “Portfolio” in your navigation menu. It’s a common name that your website visitors will recognize and resonate with. 

Using clear and descriptive labels isn’t just great for user experience. It’s also an important part of SEO and how you let search engines know what your website is all about. 

Example: Polly Jane Photography 

This photography website uses this best practice with a clear and concise menu. When you go to the site, you can see what each page is about just from the label. 

Pitfalls to avoid

• Ambiguous or confusing link labels 
• Using unique terms or phrases in your navigation menu 

4. Prioritize important pages 

When you make a list, you probably put the most important things first. And as we’ve said, your website navigation menu is like a list. The most important pages should be prioritized. 

If you’re doing a dropdown or vertical navigation menu, this is pretty straightforward. Simply put pages in a normal list order from top to bottom. 

If you’re using a horizontal navigation bar, the most important pages should be either on the left (starting) side or at the very end on the right side. When creating your list, remember that people read left to right.

Example: Beth Whitney Studio 

In this example, we can see that the most important goal of this website is to sell paintings and prints. Based on their position in the menu, gift cards and reviews are not as important for conversion in this case. 

Pitfalls to avoid

• Prioritizing pages that don’t lead to conversions or actions 
• Including pages in your nav menu that aren’t important to your users 

5. Include relevant calls to action (CTAs)

Here’s a question for you: What is the one action you want someone to take when they’re visiting your website for the first time? 

Website navigation is meant to help your website visitors find what they’re looking for. But that doesn’t mean you can’t encourage a certain action or lead them to a page. The best way to do this is through a call to action (CTA). 

A CTA in your nav menu is a best practice for a few reasons. On average, people spend about six seconds viewing a website menu. A good CTA offers a clear next step to keep them on the site longer and engage. 

Here are some ways to create a great CTA: 

• Adding a badge, like “new,” next to a menu item. 
• Making a unique button for your CTA. Use a different color from the rest of your menu to make the CTA button stand out. 
• Linking to an important page and using clear text. Add strong, descriptive text for your CTA, like “Contact Me,” “Book a Demo,” or “Get a Quote.”

You should include a CTA in your main menu and header. People typically scan pages in a Z pattern, so the top-right corner is prime real estate in your header navigation. Adding a CTA in that area is a great way to generate more conversions on your site.

Example: Dr. Donna Lamar 

As shown in this example, Dr. Donna LaMar wants folks to contact her, so that’s what her CTA drives users towards. Her website is using this best practice to its full potential! 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Not including a CTA in your nav menu 
• Making the CTA blend in with your menu 
• Using the CTA for irrelevant pages 

6. Make your header visible 

This best practice may seem like a given, but sometimes we see websites with missing, hard to read, or disappearing navigation menus. 

As a rule of thumb, your nav menu should be visible on most pages and as users scroll through. The exception here would be conversion-focused landing pages. Those don’t need a full nav menu since you’re driving the user towards the page’s CTA. 

We recommend making your website header sticky. This means that the header never goes away and “sticks” to the top of the page. Enabling a sticky top nav menu will keep it visible at all times when users are browsing in desktop view. 

You can further customize and improve visibility of your header by using conditional headers. For example, you can have a fuller menu for new or logged out users and a more targeted, concise menu for logged in users if you have a membership website. 

Example: Liquid Web 

This website features a slider and collage as its header, but it keeps the menu centered with bright text so it’s easy to read. Plus, it’s visible on every page! 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Not using a sticky header
• Not including a menu on most pages besides landing pages 
• Making the menu hard to read or see 

7. Implement search functionality 

We all want users to come to our websites with intention and then find what they’re looking for. What better way to help them than with a search function? 

Adding search functionality to your nav menu has several benefits, including: 

• A better user experience. People won’t go clicking and scrolling around aimlessly. They can simply use the search box to find exactly what they need. 
• Quicker searches and conversions. A search bar in your navigation keeps it visible and accessible at all times, allowing users to easily search when needed. This process gets them to pages quicker and reduces friction to increase conversions. We highly recommend a search bar for ecommerce websites for this reason! 

Search functionality doesn’t have to be a long or large search bar as we see on some websites. Instead, you could simply add a button with a magnifying glass or a link that says “Search.”

Example: DIY Dream Site 

This beautiful website doesn’t just have a great menu, but it also uses search functionality in the top right corner. This clear search bar with a magnifying glass indicates that users can search for what they need quickly. 

Pitfalls to avoid

• Not using a search bar on a large website 
• Making a distracting or large search bar 

8. Avoid displaying social media icons in your header 

Social icons are great additions to your website. It can help people stay in touch with you and grow your following. But, there is a best practice to keep in mind when it comes to website navigation and social icons: Avoid putting them in your header. 

Social media icons can be distracting. After all, it leads users away from your website and your ultimate goal of converting them into a subscriber or customer. This leads to higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and less engagement. 

And trust us; getting someone back on your website after taking them to social media is a tall order! 

If you want to include social media links on your website, try putting them on your contact page or even in your website footer. 

Example: Ruben Venturo 

This website uses a large footer to display additional information not found in the main menu, including social media links. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Putting social media icons in your top navigation menu
• Making your social media icons too prominent 

9. Optimize for mobile 

Did you know over 93% of people access the internet through their mobile devices? That’s a lot of people! 

Nowadays, it’s essential to have a mobile-friendly website. In fact, Google even takes a mobile-first approach to indexing and ranking:

“Google predominantly uses the mobile version of a site’s content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking. This is called mobile-first indexing. While it’s not required to have a mobile version of your pages to have your content included in Google’s Search results, it is very strongly recommended.”

This best practice may be the most important one on this list. If your site and its navigation isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re excluding a lot of potential customers and hindering your SEO. 

Here are some tips for making a mobile-first site when it comes to navigation: 

• Make sure your menu is accessible. Sometimes, mobile menus may be too small and hard for users to click or navigate, or they may be too big and cut off words. Ensure your menu is visible and has enough space around it for options to be clicked easily. 
• Use a hamburger menu. As we’ve previously discussed, the hamburger menu is your best bet for mobile-friendly navigation. It’s a clear way to indicate where your menu is. 
• Simplify your nav menu. This point was one of the first best practices we’ve covered in this list, but it plays a huge role in optimizing your header for mobile devices. You’re working with a much smaller screen so make your menus clear and concise. 

Optimizing for mobile also goes hand-in-hand with other best practices, like using clear and descriptive labels, setting your logo to a modest size, and some more we’ll discuss soon. 

Example: Milestone Mom

The mobile version of this website uses a clear hamburger menu that’s easy to get to. Once you click it, it pops out and gives you all of the menu options you need, with plenty of space in between each one. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Not using a condensed hamburger menu 
• Having no mobile menu (yes, we’ve seen this before!)
• Giving too many options in your mobile menu 

10. Consistency across the website 

When it comes to web design, a lot of things need to be consistent. Your buttons, typography, color palette… we could go on, but one element that also needs consistency is your navigation. 

People like repetition. We’ve already mentioned that using common words and phrases in your nav menu will help users recognize what that page is. The design and the overall look are no different. 

No matter what menu style you’re using, you need to make sure it looks the same or similar on every page. If you’re using a vertical menu, keep it vertical. If you have a horizontal nav bar, provide the same menu options on every page. 

Here are some more tips for promoting consistency in navigation: 

• Use the same colors 
• Keep the same font size 
• Don’t change the label wording or order
• Set the menu to a certain size and keep it the same across the website 
• Keep the menu in the same place
• Use a template 

Consistency will not only help support a consistent look and feel across your website, but it’ll also give users a better experience. 

Example: Speak Up Conference 

In this example, we can see just how the menu is a seamless part of the website. It uses the same text and button colors and provides the same options on every single page. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Using inconsistent style elements 
• Changing the position of the menu 
• Changing up the size, style, or location 

11. Save less important pages for your footer 

We haven’t talked too much about footers yet, but this best practice is all about this type of menu. 

The footer menu is a lot more flexible in terms of website navigation. It can and should contain more information and links than other types of menus. 

As stated by the CEO of StoryBrand and New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller, your footer is like your junk drawer.  

That sounds a bit strange, but it works! To help make your footer an organized junk drawer, we recommend making your footer mega menu-style. 

This just means that all options in your footer should fall under a category and heading for more organization. Without these, your footer may be too overwhelming. 

Your footer is also the best place for those social media icons we mentioned. If you have a signup form or CTA for your email newsletter, this is also a great place for it to go. 

Example: The Stinky Pet Co. 

This ecommerce website has a great footer. The menu options are organized neatly on the left side, contrasting the main menu, which only has four options. 

By using this best practice, this website can help users find additional information without drawing attention to those pages in the main nav menu. 

Pitfalls to avoid 

• Not putting enough links in your footer 
• Not using a mega menu in your footer 

Bonus: Use data to inform your website navigation structure

If you’re ready to take your website header and navigation to the next level, this best practice is for you. 

You probably created your website’s navigation menu based on what pages you wanted to highlight. But it doesn’t need to be a guessing game. Whether you just want to see how it’s performing or enhance your website’s metrics, you should use data to inform your navigation structure. 

There are multiple ways to start collecting and analyzing this type of data: 

• Website metrics: Leverage Google Analytics (it’s free!) to see important metrics like engagement time, most popular pages, and conversions. You may find a good opportunity to prioritize a high-performing page in your nav menu, change up your CTA text, or move some links to the footer. 
• Heatmaps: Heatmaps are used for seeing just how your users interact with your website. They visually show where someone might click, how far they scroll, and how they move their mouse around the page. Heatmaps can provide valuable insight on how people use your nav menus and what could be improved. 
• A/B testing: You don’t have to change things constantly to test them. Instead, use a tool for A/B testing. These tools set up a control (which can be your current top menu, for example) with an experimental menu. This could include a whole new menu, different CTA, or various labels. You can then see what performs best and implement those changes. 

Data is a great resource for optimizing your website and its navigation, and some tools like Google Analytics are even free. 

Build your website’s navigation with Kadence Blocks 

As we’ve learned, one of the most important aspects of your WordPress website (and any website) is its navigation. It helps people find what they need, gets you the conversions you need, and gives a boost to your SEO efforts. 

With all of that said, this feels like the perfect time to tell you that we recently launched the Kadence Advanced Header/ Navigation Blocks, the only set of Gutenberg blocks that lets you build fully customizable headers directly in the native WordPress block editor. This release contains 5 brand new blocks, each one carefully crafted to empower you to create a fully customizable header and navigation.

You might be wondering how to go about implementing all of these great best practices. We have you covered.

The Kadence Advanced Header/ Navigation Blocks gives you everything you need to build beautiful headers exactly the way you want them. Check out the documentation below to get started with these powerful new blocks:

-Header (Adv) Block Documentation
-Navigation (Adv) Block Documentation
-Navigation Link Block Documentation
-Search (Adv) Block Documentation
-Site Identity Block Documentation

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, implementing best practices for website navigation is crucial to ensuring an intuitive and seamless user experience. Whether you’re designing for desktop or mobile, remember to prioritize clarity, simplicity, and accessibility. By optimizing your site’s navigation, you not only improve usability but also boost engagement and conversions.

Ready to revamp your navigation? Try out Kadence’s powerful Advanced Navigation Block and bring your design to life. Explore the full potential of Kadence Blocks today and create a site that truly stands out!

Both are extremely respected in the WordPress community, offering a variety of features that can significantly improve your website. You might be close to making a decision, but with two great choices, it’s understandable if you’re feeling a bit stuck. 

In this article, we’ll compare Kadence and Astra thoroughly, exploring their unique features, performance, customization options, and more. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of what each theme offers, so you can start creating a WordPress site you’re proud to call your own! 

Kadence and Astra: Which WordPress theme is right for you?

Both Kadence and Astra have earned their reputation as market leaders by offering features that cater to a wide range of website needs. At first glance, they seem to offer very similar feature sets, including:

• No-code solutions for WordPress site design.
• Superfast performance.
• A wide range of customization options.
• A variety of customizable templates to jumpstart your project.
• Integration with popular page builders and plugins.

But despite these similarities, each theme has its own strengths, and these USPs can really shape how you work on your site and what your final product looks like.

In the following sections, we’ll dive into a side-by-side comparison of Kadence and Astra. We’ll break down everything from how easy they are to use to how much design freedom they offer and even how they perform under pressure. 

Customization showdown: Who’s more flexible?

A good theme should be endlessly customizable and allow you to create a website that genuinely reflects your brand or personal style. 

Kadence and Astra both use the native WordPress Customizer, which lets you tweak various aspects of your site’s design, including colors, backgrounds, typography, and more. But when we take a closer look, how do they really compare?

Kadence

Kadence is packed with powerful customization features that give you complete control over your site’s look and feel: 

• Drag-and-drop header and footer builder: Creating unique designs for your site’s top and bottom sections couldn’t be easier. Want to add a logo, menu, or search bar? Just drag it where you want it. It’s really that simple!
• Typography and color options: Choose from a wide range of fonts and set up a global color palette that matches your brand. Plus, there’s a handy button style manager to ensure your call-to-action buttons look just right.
• Custom layout options: You can design your pages down to the pixel, and even create different layouts for desktop, tablet, and mobile views. This level of control means your site will look great on any device.
• Easy to use: Kadence’s no-code customization options mean you don’t need to be a tech whiz to create a stunning site. And if you’re looking for inspiration, there are many pre-built design elements and templates to choose from.
• Comprehensive free version: You might expect the free version of a WordPress theme to be pretty limited, but Kadence flips that idea on its head. Its free version is packed with advanced elements like a table of contents, advanced gallery, accordion, testimonials, and more. It’s our way of making sure that anyone can kickstart their dreams and launch their next big idea on a site that really wows. 

Astra

Astra holds its own in the customization department, matching Kadence in many areas:

• Drag-and-drop header and footer builder: Like Kadence, Astra offers a user-friendly tool for creating custom designs without touching code. You can easily add and arrange elements in your site’s header and footer. 
• Typography and color options: Astra provides global options for fonts and colors. You can change your site’s look with just a few clicks — a handy feature for maintaining brand identity across your entire website.
• Layout options: You have access to numerous layouts to choose from and customize, especially in Astra’s Pro version. However, it’s worth noting that the free version of Astra offers fewer layout options than Kadence’s free version.
• User-friendly interface: Astra is known for its straightforward yet powerful interface. It comes with a variety of starter templates to help users get their sites up and running quickly, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced designers.

Performance metrics: Which theme is faster?

When it comes to WordPress themes, speed matters. A lot. A fast-loading website boosts your conversion rates, helps your SEO, and has the added benefit of making your visitors happy. 

But comparing theme speeds isn’t as straightforward as you might think. You’d need to set up two identical sites with the exact same content and plugins to get a true apples-to-apples comparison. Plus, those “base WordPress installation” speed tests you see online? They don’t really tell you how a theme will perform on a real, content-rich site.

Instead, let’s look at how each theme is built to keep your site zippy:

Kadence

Kadence addresses the common frustration of bloated websites and difficult-to-improve page speed scores in several different ways: 

• Instead of using heavy JavaScript files that can slow things down, Kadence opts for a modular code structure and only loads its resources when necessary. This approach helps Kadence achieve an impressive 100% speed grade in performance tests.
• The theme uses inline SVG icons, which load faster than regular images. 
• Kadence employs lazy loading for CSS styles, loading only the specific styles each page requires, rather than loading all styles at once. 
• It’s optimized for popular plugins like WooCommerce and LearnDash, so even if you’re running an online store or an eLearning website, your site demonstrates strong performance without sacrificing functionality.

In fact, users find they can achieve almost the exact same design with the Kadence theme as they could with heavier themes, but with a significant boost in speed. As Reddit user u/shoaibk45 noted, “Kadence Theme is surprisingly fast if we consider the amount of customization it offers. Its header builder is the best I’ve used so far.”

Another user said they’ve never regretted making the switch to Kadence: “Kadence WP is a beautiful theme, really fast, even on large pages, and has a ton of features. Updates are coming on auto-pilot, so no worrying about stuff falling apart.”

Astra

Astra uses Vanilla JavaScript instead of jQuery, which reduces the amount of code that needs to be loaded, resulting in faster page load times.

One of Astra’s strengths is its lightweight nature. The theme requires less than 50 KB of resources to run, contributing to its impressive load time of under half a second with default WordPress content. While actual results may vary depending on your site’s content and plugins, this is a good indicator of Astra’s efficiency. And, like Kadence, Astra achieves a 100% speed grade on performance testing tools such as Pingdom. 

That said, not everyone’s experience with Astra has been perfect. One Trustpilot user shared frustrations with slow site speeds and running into design issues after updates. They also said the support team wasn’t as helpful as they’d hoped, and that Astra’s updates seemed to cause more problems than they solved.

Additionally, several reviews on the WordPress Forum have reported issues with Astra’s mobile performance. One user said, “The Astra theme for WordPress fails Google’s mobile-friendliness test … This has compromised my blog posting and is decreasing my blog’s ranking gradually.” 

Starter sites and demos: Kickstarting your project

Building a new website from scratch can feel as overwhelming as facing a blank canvas — where do you even begin? That’s why many users prefer to start with a template or demo site. It gives you a foundation to build on, saving time and reducing stress.

Both Kadence and Astra offer a variety of starter sites and templates. Let’s take a closer look at what each theme provides. 

Kadence

Whether you’re creating a blog, an online store, a portfolio, or anything under the sun, we promise Kadence has a template to fit your needs.

With Kadence’s AI starter templates, you can create a website that’s ready to publish in a matter of minutes. These templates provide instant inspiration, help you generate text based on your prompts, and offer hundreds of unique design patterns. But you don’t have to feel limited to these options, either. Every element is fully editable, so you can swap images and tweak content until it’s just right.

For those who prefer a more traditional approach and don’t want to use AI, Kadence also provides Classic Starter Templates. These can be added to your site with just a few clicks. 

All of Kadence’s starter templates are compatible with popular page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder. However, Kadence truly excels when used with its own site-building solution. The combination of the Kadence Theme, Kadence Blocks, and starter templates works perfectly in the default Gutenberg editor, offering a smooth and integrated experience.

Astra

Astra offers over 250 pre-built websites you can install and customize. These templates cover a wide range of industries and niches, so you’re likely to find something that suits your project. 

Astra has also embraced AI technology in its offerings. The Starter Templates plugin, integrated with ZipWP, provides AI-powered templates, which adds another layer of convenience to the website creation process.

Plus, like Kadence, Astra’s templates are built to work with different popular page builders. You can easily filter options by Elementor or Beaver Builder, depending on your preferred tool.

Integrations: Enhancing the builder’s experience

A theme that’s compatible with your favorite plugins can make building your dream website a whole lot easier. Both Kadence and Astra bring some great features to the table, so let’s see what they offer.

Kadence

While Kadence Theme is perfectly compatible with popular page builders, it takes a unique approach to website creation. Instead of relying solely on third-party tools, Kadence offers its own innovative solution: Kadence Blocks.

This built-in website builder works within the WordPress block editor, giving you a powerful set of tools right at your fingertips. Kadence Blocks offers some impressive benefits:

• It doesn’t slow down your site like some other page builders.
• It’s easy to learn because it uses the native Gutenberg editor you’re already familiar with.
• The free version gives you lots of options to customize your site without needing to code.

If you’re building an online store, the Kadence Shop Kit offers even more features for WooCommerce, including custom labels, variation swatches, and advanced reviews to name a few. For inspiration, just take a look at Pinnacle Foods, a WooCommerce site built with Kadence: 

Pinnacle Foods’ website includes many of Kadence Shop Kit features, such as:

• Conditional cart banners to offer exclusive discounts to shoppers. 

• Advanced gallery styles to highlight what Pinnacle Foods’ freeze-dried foods look like straight out of the package and when they’re prepared. 

• Custom global tabs to display the nutritional information of their products.  

Astra

Astra is also known for its wide compatibility with various page builders, including Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, and WPBakery. This broad support makes Astra an excellent choice if you have a particular page builder in mind. 

Additionally, Astra is built to integrate with many of the most popular WordPress plugins across different use cases, including e-commerce solutions like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, as well as LMS plugins like LearnDash and LifterLMS. 

However, to tap into the full potential of these integrations, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version of the theme. 

Astra also has a sister product called Spectra, which serves as their version of Kadence Blocks. This product provides similar functionalities, allowing users to build custom layouts within the Gutenberg editor.

Pricing and value: Evaluating the investment in your theme

When choosing a WordPress theme, you need to get good value for your money. After all, your theme is the foundation of your entire website. It’s not just about how it looks today, but how well it can support your site’s growth and changes over time. 

Here’s what Kadence and Astra offer, both in their free and premium versions: 

Kadence

Kadence offers a generous free bundle. You get the Kadence Theme, Kadence Blocks, access to starter templates, and 250 AI credits. For many users, this free package provides all the essentials for building a fast, customizable website.

Plus, as you might already be able to tell, the free version of Kadence Theme is incredibly feature-rich. It comes with extensive customization options that many site owners find more than sufficient for their needs.

For those wanting more advanced features, the Pro version adds many extras that are great for users with specific design requirements. These include: 

• Hooked elements: Strategically place content blocks or page builder elements anywhere on your site, conditionally and within a specific timeframe. For example, you can use Hooked Elements to add an affiliate disclosure notice to the top of your blog posts, but only on posts you’ve tagged as containing affiliate links. 
• Header add-ons: Impress visitors with mega sub-menus, highlight tags, icons, and more. 
• Fixed elements: Extend the power of hooked elements by adding content that remains fixed to the page as users scroll.
• Custom fonts: Bring your brand’s personality to life by uploading and using any font you want. 

Kadence Pro costs $79 per year for unlimited websites. For even more value, consider these bundles:

• The Essential Bundle: $149/year. Includes premium versions of Kadence Theme, Blocks, starter templates, and custom fonts.
• The Full Bundle: $219/year. Includes everything in the Essential Bundle plus all of Kadence’s add-on plugins and access to future products.

The value for money, coupled with its solid features and excellent support, has earned the Kadence Theme a loyal following. As one of our users, @michaeltrotz, put it, “We have been using Kadence for about 2.5 years, and it’s hands down the best theme so far. The technical support team seems to always have answers for even the most ambitious goals put to them (where customization is concerned) and make the annual cost of the license seem trivial compared to the value they bring.”

Astra

There’s a bigger difference between Astra’s free and pro versions compared to Kadence. The free version gives you basic layouts, design features, and template access. But for advanced design options, you’ll need to upgrade to one of Astra’s pro plans: 

• Astra Pro: Starts at $49/year and includes additional layout, customization, and integration options.
• Essential Toolkit: Starts at $79/year. Includes Astra Pro, an Elementor add-on, premium starter templates, and the Spectra Pro page builder.
• Business Toolkit: Starts at $149/year. Includes everything in the Essential Toolkit, plus annual subscriptions to the SureFeedback and SureWriter plugins. As a bonus, you’ll also get six months’ access to the SureTriggers Pro and CartFlows Starter plans, three months’ access to ZipWP Pro, and a SkillJet Academy membership.

While Astra offers a range of features across its plans, it’s worth noting that user experiences can vary, particularly when it comes to customer support. And let’s face it, when you’re knee-deep in website building, good and timely support can be a lifesaver. 

Some users have reported issues with Astra’s support services. One user said, “I had Priority support for a year. The response time was still very slow. Usually, the fixes still didn’t work. If Priority support worked, I would be glad to pay for it, but it’s a waste of money.” 

This feedback suggests that even with paid plans, the level of support might not always meet expectations — an important factor to consider when choosing a theme for your WordPress site.

The verdict: Kadence vs. Astra

It’s clear that Kadence and Astra are two excellent WordPress themes. They’re both designed for creating fast, powerful, and flexible websites. But when we weigh all the factors, Kadence comes out on top. Here’s why:

Next steps: Making the right choice for your WordPress site

We know picking a WordPress theme can feel like a big decision. But it’s the basis of your whole online presence, so it’s worth taking the time to make the right choice. 

What makes Kadence stand out? It’s got extensive customization options, impressive speed, and stunning AI starter templates. Plus, it offers great value right from the start, even with its free version. And when you pair the Kadence Theme with Kadence Blocks, you’re getting a solid site-building package.

Ready to take your WordPress site to the next level? Why not give Kadence a try? It’s free to start, and you might be surprised at how much you can accomplish with just the basic version. Get started with the Kadence Theme today!

Choosing between these popular page builders can be difficult, as they share many common features: user-friendly interfaces, the ability to create stunning designs without coding, and a focus on flexibility and customization. However, each builder has its own strengths, and depending on your specific needs, one may be a better match than the other. Additionally, there may be an alternative that suits you even better!

In this guide, we’ll compare Divi and Elementor in detail, looking at their features, ease of use, design options, and pricing. We’ll also introduce you to Kadence Blocks, a speedy and flexible alternative to traditional WordPress page builders. 

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, we’ll help you find the right tool to bring your website vision to life! 

Elementor vs. Divi: Key Features Comparison

What they have in common

Elementor and Divi share several cool features in common, including:  

• Powerful drag-and-drop visual editors: These intuitive interfaces let you build pages without touching any code, so you can easily bring your vision to life.

• Pre-designed templates and layouts: Having an extensive library of templates and layouts to choose from is a huge time saver when starting a new project. 

• Third-party add-ons and widgets: Need some extra functionality? No problem. Both Elementor and Divi offer access to a wide range of third-party add-ons, giving you the flexibility to extend your site’s capabilities beyond the built-in features. 

• Full responsiveness: People consume content on a variety of devices, so your website needs to look great and function smoothly across all of them. With Elementor or Divi, you can easily preview and adjust your site’s appearance on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

• Global styling options: Want to change a design element sitewide? You can customize headers, footers, posts, pages, and more with just a few clicks. 

• WooCommerce integration: If you plan to sell products online, you’ll love the WooCommerce integration in both Elementor and Divi.

Where they differ

We’ll go into more detail soon but here’s a quick breakdown of the main differences between Elementor and Divi: 

While you’re considering Elementor and Divi, it’s also worth taking a quick look at Kadence Blocks! It’s not a traditional page builder like the other two but rather a block-based builder that works inside the WordPress editor you’re already familiar with: 

User experience: Which builder is easier to use?

As previously mentioned, both Elementor and Divi simplify the process of building and customizing your WordPress site. However, their interfaces differ in style, which can impact their overall ease of use. Let’s take a closer look at both.

Elementor

Elementor’s design interface is very similar to the default WordPress Customizer. It features a fixed left sidebar for adding elements and adjusting settings and a live preview of what your page will look like. This familiar layout makes it easier for new users to jump right in and start using Elementor. 

To start, simply drag and drop the widget you want onto the page from the sidebar. 

Once the element is placed on the page, a pink outline will appear around it, and the sidebar updates to show you all the available editing options for that specific element. Here’s what you can do: 

• Content tab: Edit the core aspects of the element, such as text, links, and HTML tags.  
• Style tab: Adjust colors, typography, borders, and spacing to get the visual appearance just right. 
• Advanced tab: Manage settings such as margins, padding, z-index (which controls the stacking order of elements), custom CSS, and responsive design options.

Elementor’s “what you see is what you get” or WYSIWYG editor lets you see changes in real time, so you’re always in control of your page design.

If you need some inspiration for your content or design, simply click on the Edit with AI icon within the editor to get a complete first draft in seconds. 

Many users on the WordPress Forum have praised Elementor’s AI updates, as well as its ease of use. One user called it the “epitome of user-friendly web design,” while another said, “I’ve been using Elementor for around 5 years now after switching from Divi. I find Elementor is so easy to use and it speeds up my workflow every day.” 

These reviews show why Elementor is so popular in the WordPress world. It’s consistently ranked as one of the most user-friendly page builders, offering plenty of features while still being easy to understand and work with.

Divi

Divi also offers a WYSIWYG visual drag-and-drop editor, but its interface is a bit different. 

Instead of a fixed sidebar, Divi uses a floating popup interface for each element. This design choice provides more customization options but has a trade-off: a steeper learning curve, especially for those used to the standard WordPress layout or other page builders. 

To insert a new module, simply click the + icon and select the module you want to add. This action opens a settings window where you can customize various aspects of the module. Here, you’ll find options to modify the content, adjust the design, and access advanced editing features.

Divi also offers an AI content generation feature under the content tab of image and text modules. If the initial AI-generated draft doesn’t meet your needs, you can refine and adjust the content by clicking on Retry or Paraphrase until it aligns perfectly with your vision.

However, the learning curve associated with Divi’s unique interface can be challenging for new users. 

One Reddit user noted that beginners might struggle with basic tasks like maintaining consistent image sizes across rows or getting CTA buttons to appear correctly. Divi has also been criticized for poor accessibility. A recent report by Accessibility Craft highlighted major issues like a lack of proper heading structure and navigation tags, ranking Divi as one of the worst page builders for accessibility.

Design capabilities and flexibility

Let’s see how the two page builders stack up in terms of templates, design elements, customization options, and integrations. Spoiler: They’re both pretty impressive! 

Elementor

• Elementor has over 100 complete website kits and 300+ pre-designed templates across various industries and use cases.
• It provides solid design controls for layout, typography, colors, and more, globally and on a per-element basis.
• One of its unique features is a dedicated popup builder, which allows you to create custom popups, opt-in forms, and other interactive elements directly within the page builder.
• Elementor works well with many WordPress plugins and themes, as well as external services like email marketing platforms.
• It is incredibly responsive and offers tools to preview and customize your pages for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Divi

• Divi features 350+ layout packs and over 2,500 individual page templates, one of the largest template libraries available.
• It offers advanced styling controls for colors, fonts, backgrounds, hover effects, animations, and even Photoshop-style content transformation. 
• A standout feature is its built-in A/B testing functionality to help optimize your site’s performance.
• Divi works well with its own theme, offering greater control over your website design, or can be used as a standalone plugin with your choice of WordPress theme.
• It ensures responsive design by default, with detailed control over how your pages look on different devices.

TL;DR: Here’s a look at Elementor and Divi’s design features at a glance: 

Performance metrics: Speed and efficiency

We’ll get real with you: Speed testing can be tricky and sometimes misleading. Various factors, including hosting quality, caching setup, and the specific content on a page, can significantly influence results. Plus, internal tests conducted by companies tend to showcase their products in the most favorable light possible.

With that in mind, let’s look at some performance data for Elementor and Divi: 

• Elementor claims that internal tests of their v3.5 using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool achieved a score of 95, up from 84 in the previous version.
• Divi reports achieving a perfect score of 100 in their internal tests using the same tool.

While these numbers are impressive, remember that real-world performance can vary depending on how you use these builders and the specifics of your site. 

Now, let’s see how Divi and Elementor optimize their builders for speed. 

Elementor

Elementor focuses on delivering fast-loading pages and reducing overall website bloat through several features:

• Conditional loading: Elementor only loads what each page needs, using smaller CSS and JavaScript files and conditional loading logic to avoid unnecessary resources.
• Native browser support: By sticking to what browsers do best, Elementor sidesteps the need for clunky external libraries that can slow things down.
• Lazy loading: Pictures, videos, and other multimedia elements only load when needed, speeding up initial page load times. 
• Caching: Dynamic content is stored for quick access, resulting in a more responsive user experience.
• Optimized output: By reducing unnecessary HTML wrappers, Elementor keeps your page structure lean and efficient.
• Image and font optimization: Elementor supports modern image formats like SVG and WebP, and optimizes custom fonts to reduce file sizes.

Divi

Divi takes a smart approach to performance, focusing on efficiency and speed. Here’s how they optimize your site:

• Dynamic framework: Divi only processes what’s needed for each page, cutting out unnecessary bulk.
• Custom CSS: Divi creates a unique stylesheet for each page with only the styles it needs instead of loading everything.
• Modularized JavaScript: Divi loads JavaScript libraries on-demand, only when needed by specific modules, and separates certain features like animations to reduce the overall JavaScript footprint.
• Critical CSS: Divi figures out which styles are crucial for the first view and loads those first, pushing less critical stuff to the back of the line to reduce render blocking. 
• Google Font caching: Google Fonts are cached and loaded inline, reducing the number of separate requests your browser needs to make.
• Asynchronous loading: Divi loads some scripts in the background so your page can start displaying while less critical elements are still loading.
• Resource removal: Unnecessary features like WordPress emojis are removed, and some resources are only loaded when they’re actually needed.

Pricing and value

Elementor

Elementor takes a freemium approach, which means you can access the base features of their page builder for free. This is a great way to get a feel for the tool and see if it’s the right fit for you. 

However, to unlock Elementor’s full potential, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. Luckily, their pricing is pretty reasonable, with plans starting at $59 per year for one website and going up to $399 for up to 1,000 websites. 

With the paid plans, you’ll get access to all the pro widgets and features, like dynamic content, advanced design options, and PayPal and Stripe button widgets. So, if you’re looking to build a more complex site, the paid version of Elementor is definitely worth the investment.

Divi

Unlike Elementor, Divi doesn’t offer a free version of its theme and builder combo. Its paid plan starts at $89 per year and provides unlimited access to Divi on as many sites as you need. If you prefer a one-time payment, the lifetime license is only $249.

When you purchase Divi, you also get access to all the other Elegant Themes products, including the Extra theme, Monarch social sharing plugin, and Bloom email opt-in plugin. And if you’re looking for even more features, a Pro plan is available for $665/year. This includes Divi’s AI builder tool, unlimited cloud storage, VIP support, and access for up to four team members.

TL;DR: Here’s a quick summary of the categories we’ve covered: 

Overall, Elementor provides a balanced combination of user-friendliness, design capabilities, and affordability. This makes it a versatile option that’s great for users of all skill levels and budget ranges and our pick in the Divi vs. Elementor showdown.

But, as flexible as Elementor is, is it the best solution on the market?

Have you considered Kadence Blocks? 

Remember how we hinted at a high-performance alternative to Divi and Elementor earlier? Well, that would be Kadence Blocks! 

Unlike Divi or Elementor, Kadence Blocks doesn’t ask you to learn a new page builder from scratch. Instead, it enhances what you already know — the native Gutenberg editor. This means you still get advanced layouts, design options, and pre-built templates without the hassle of a separate system.

The result? You can create custom sites more efficiently while maintaining your site’s core performance and functionality. It’s like upgrading Gutenberg rather than replacing it entirely. Let’s explore some features of Kadence Blocks that make it a solid alternative to Divi and Elementor: 

• Optimized for performance: Kadence Blocks only loads the CSS and JavaScript needed for the specific blocks you use on a given page. This helps your site load quickly without any unnecessary bloat. Users on our Web Creator Community frequently praise Kadence Blocks for its lightweight nature and speed. Many appreciate its integration with the native Gutenberg editor, which allows for the creation of visually appealing pages without the excess code often associated with other page builders like Elementor and Divi. 
• Layout controls: With Kadence Blocks, you can build and control custom layouts like a pro. The row/layout block gives you control over your site’s structure, while the advanced settings let you tweak padding, margins, and more in whatever units you prefer. This focus on user-friendly design hasn’t gone unnoticed by the WordPress community. As one Reddit user said, “The impression I get is that Kadence is one of the few vendors that understands how to build blocks that non-coders can use for actual page layout.” 
• Flexible customization: Who doesn’t love having options? Kadence Blocks comes packed with hundreds of font, icon, and color choices, so you can make your website look and feel like a true reflection of your brand. The best part is you can set up default settings for blocks to speed up your workflow. 
• Responsive design: Kadence Blocks makes optimizing your designs for any device easy. From the Gutenberg editor, you can tweak your desktop, mobile, and tablet layouts with just a few clicks. 
• Extensive starter templates: Getting started with Kadence Blocks genuinely couldn’t be easier, thanks to the plugin’s large library of drop-in design templates and 700+ design patterns. And if you’re feeling extra creative, Kadence’s AI-powered starter templates make it easy to build custom sites from scratch.
• Powerful integrations: Kadence Blocks is part of the Kadence WP suite of website design solutions, including the Kadence Theme and a variety of starter templates. The plugin also plays nicely with all your favorite WordPress plugins and themes, including The Events Calendar, GiveWP, LearnDash, and more. 

Pricing

Kadence WP offers a comprehensive free version of Kadence Blocks, making it an excellent choice for bloggers, affiliate marketers, and new publishers. 

The free version provides all the essential block editor add-ons to make your pages and blog posts look great while maintaining a fast loading speed. You can even create awesome landing pages and funnels with Kadence Blocks if you have experience with basic HTML and CSS.

For even more advanced features, you can upgrade to Kadence Blocks Pro. This premium version offers powerful tools like: 

• Dynamic content: Tailor your site’s content to respond to user interactions and specific conditions.
• Custom fonts and icons: Add custom fonts and icons to your designs for a unique look.
• On-scroll animation: Engage visitors with eye-catching animations triggered by scrolling.
• Premium template access: Explore Kadence’s extensive library of pre-designed layouts and elements.
• Advanced toolkit: Enjoy additional features like advanced form building, custom query loops, and more.

Take the next step with the best WordPress website builder

By now, you should have a clear picture of what Divi and Elementor bring to the table. Elementor stands out as a top choice for many users, offering an impressive balance of features, ease of use, and affordability.

When making your decision, consider factors like your budget, project complexity, design requirements, and comfort level with different interfaces. For many, Elementor will tick all these boxes, providing a user-friendly experience with powerful design capabilities and flexible pricing options.

That said, traditional page builders aren’t the only path to creating stunning websites.  If speed, simplicity, and WordPress integration are your priorities, Kadence Blocks might be your ideal solution. It works within the familiar Gutenberg editor, offering advanced design capabilities without the extra complexity. This means you can create fast, flexible sites without having to learn a whole new system.

If you’re already comfortable with Elementor but want to explore Kadence’s offerings, you’ll be happy to know that Kadence provides starter templates that work directly with Elementor! This integration allows you to tap into the strengths of both tools, giving you even more flexibility in your website design process.

Ready to experience the Kadence difference? Try it out today and start designing fast, powerful WordPress sites!

Katy Boykin, Marketing Manager at KadenceWP and long-time user, demos the basics of getting started with element hooks and showcases real-world examples. Because this training was recorded live, you’ll also catch a dynamic Q&A segment where Katy addresses common questions and provides additional insights based on audience feedback.

Working with Kadence Hooked Elements

Kadence Element Hooks offer a flexible way to insert custom content, code, or design elements into specific areas of your site without needing to edit theme files. This overview introduces you to the concept, laying the groundwork for how these hooks can transform your website.

Getting Started

Before diving into Element Hooks, it’s a good idea to have a demo site ready. In order to have some basic content to work with, we’ve installed a Kadence Starter Template. To get the most out of Kadence Element Hooks, you’ll need a few essential plugins. You will need Kadence Theme Pro and Kadence Blocks Pro plugins installed and activated. Then you will want to toggle on Hooked Elements under Appearance > Kadence from your WP Dashboard.

1. Creating and Configuring Element Hooks

You will first want to create a brand new element and select your element type. Choose between Content Section, Fixed Section, Template and HTML editor. Learn more about each Element type in our docs. In this example, we’ll be using the Content Section type.

One of the most critical aspects of using Element Hooks is controlling where and when they appear on your site. With the placement and display settings you can target specific pages, posts, or areas of your site with precision. That way your element is getting placed exactly where you want it.

If you’re running an affiliate site, you’ll appreciate the ease with which Element Hooks can be used to insert disclaimers automatically. In the video above Katy provides a practical example, showing you how to ensure compliance without manual effort. For a helpful visual guide, check out the Visual Hook Guide for Kadence plugin.

2. Creating a Modal Pop-Up

Pop-ups can be a powerful tool for capturing attention or gathering information. Kadence Elements Hooks can help with this too! Using a Kadence Modal Block and the Kadence Form Block within an Element Item you can add a modal pop-up to your navigation. This is a perfect way to promote announcements, promotions or sign-up forms! Check out 18:26 in the video above to learn how to create this powerful feature.

3. Opt-In Box with Lead Magnet

Lead generation is crucial for growing your audience. Learn how to use Element Hooks to create an opt-in box that offers a lead magnet, encouraging visitors to subscribe to your mailing list. To create this feature you can use the Row Layout Block with two sections in an Element Item. Then simply grab the items shortcode and paste it into your desired post or page.

*One thing you always want to ensure when using Element Hooks is you assign the the element items placement and display settings, as discussed about above.

4. Single Post Templates

Single post templates can be tailored to match your brand or meet specific content needs. This is done using the Template Element Type. For those of you using custom post types, Kadence Element Hooks provide the flexibility to fully customize these types without touching code. It allows you to easily implement dynamic content and personalized design elements like sticky sidebars and affiliate disclaimers. 

For the Template element type, you will want to ensure your theme settings within the customizer align across all posts. This will allow you to fully customize the blog post layout so your custom designs will not be overridden by the theme settings.

5. Creating Custom Sidebars

Sidebars are a great way to add additional content, navigation, or ads. Learn how to create and customize sidebars for different pages or post types using Kadence Element Hooks. To create a custom sidebar you will want to create a Template Element Type. For the placement you can set this to “Replace Sidebar”, then choose the which pages and/or posts you want this to show on.

6. Designing Custom Archive Cards

Archive pages can be more than just a list of posts. Kadence Elements makes it easy! To create a single loop item, create another Template Element Type and and create and style your archive cards. Then set the placement to Replace Archive Loop Item Content and choose where you would like it to show. That’s it! You now have beautiful, fully customized archive cards.

7. Building a Custom 404 Page

A custom 404 page can turn a potential dead-end into an opportunity to engage users. Custom 404 is an amazing opportunity to point people back to your content or to an offer or promotion. To create this, you’ll add a new Template Element and add whatever custom content you want. Set the Placement settings to “Replace 404 page content” and for the Display settings set it to show on the “Not Found (404)” page.

8. Customizing the Footer

Footers are often overlooked, but they’re a crucial part of your site’s design. Kadence has a footer builder built into the Customizer that allows you to drag and drop content into place. Though if you’re wanting total control over your footer, you can add an element! Again, you will create a Template Element type and create your footer design. Set the Placement Settings to Replace Footer and then set this to display on the entire site.

Wrapping Up

Whether you’re looking to add simple elements or build complex layouts, Kadence offers the flexibility and control needed to create a professional, customized WordPress site. Not using Kadence Pro? Get started today!

Both are equally important parts of doing business online and help create optimal user experiences that can drive success. 

Let’s explore what makes a landing page effective. From design and content to conversion goals, this article is a beginner’s guide to creating the ideal landing page.

What is a website?

A website is the digital “front door” to a business, with pages and elements to inform and interact with an audience. It’s meant to help users find the information they want: company history, contact information, or product offerings.  

Websites typically include multiple pages. These pages will vary in format and style since each serves a different purpose. At its core, websites will include pages such as Home, Contact, About, Pricing/Shop, and Products/Services:

• The home page is the main entry point, providing an overview of the business and website. This page is typically the first one a potential customer sees searching for your business. It usually includes multiple sections with links to relevant pages. 
• The Contact and About pages provide insight into the business’s history and mission and a means to contact the business. You’ll usually find a contact form on these pages. You may also see leadership or team members, company history, mission, and career opportunities.   
• The Pricing or Shop pages outline costs or introduce an online store. 
• The Products/Services pages showcase offerings. You may also find extensions of these pages that outline key features, case studies, and more. 

Together, these pages form the foundation of a website, facilitating effective communication and interaction with visitors.

Here is an example of a home page (built with Kadence WP!) from The Hawaii Vacation Guide. You can see its navigation menu with all other core pages that make up its website. On the home page, there are multiple outgoing links that go to these pages. 

What is a landing page?

A landing page is a page on a website designed with one purpose in mind: conversion. Landing pages are meant to drive users to take a certain action, such as signing up for an email newsletter or purchasing a product. 

Single landing pages are often not in the website’s navigation menu; instead, they are used for specific marketing purposes. Landing pages play a key role in marketing campaigns since they’re usually one of the first pages users see or “land” on after clicking an ad, email link, or other activation.

High-converting landing pages focus on a single user interaction or call to action to drive a specific, measurable result. These pages usually focus on one particular metric to determine the page’s success, like signups. 

Here is an example of a landing page from The Hawaii Vacation Guide. This page differs from other pages on their site in key ways, including conversion copy, a single call to action, and a signup form. 

Differences between a website and a landing page

The key differences between a website and a landing page are their purpose, structure, and content. 

A website includes a brand’s full online presence with multiple pages and content types, including landing pages, whereas a landing page is a singular page within the greater website structure. Here are five crucial elements to keep in mind when creating landing pages to help you distinguish them from your main website.

1. Purpose 

While a website maintains a constant online presence, a landing page is designed for specific, short-term objectives within marketing campaigns. The page may be temporary and created to support a particular promotion, sale, advertising campaign, event registration, or product launch. It should have a focused design with a clear call to action.

While websites provide ongoing support for a business’s online presence and communication efforts, landing pages offer a targeted approach to capitalize on opportunities and maximize campaign effectiveness within a specific timeframe. 

Both play integral roles in your company’s digital marketing strategy and are designed for different customer journey stages.

2. Design 

While a landing page should still reflect your company’s brand identity, it may not look exactly like the rest of the website. 

Landing pages often adopt a more streamlined design approach, focusing on a singular objective. These pages often include fewer elements and minimizing distractions; ultimately they should encourage visitors to take action on your offer!. Emphasizing a single action is a vital element of a landing page. 

Your overall website design will likely not be as minimal as landing pages. It will incorporate a variety of layouts, blocks, and graphic elements, ensuring consistency and reinforcing brand identity across various pages and sections. Many main website pages may include multiple calls to action to inform visitors and guide them to their desired destinations. For example, the About page may link to your main products or services and include links to your team bios. 

On the other hand, a landing page’s minimalist design philosophy helps eliminate friction and streamline the user journey, guiding visitors toward the desired action more efficiently.

In addition to a minimal overall design, landing pages often contain a few common elements that help drive conversions, including: 

• Social proof: Effective landing pages incorporate testimonials, reviews, case studies, or logos of well-known clients to build trust and credibility.
• One clear offer: To avoid confusion, ensure your landing page focuses on a single, compelling offer. Examples include a free trial, discount, downloadable resources, add to cart,etc.
• Forms: Simplify forms by asking for the minimum information necessary. Reducing the number of fields can significantly increase the likelihood of form completion.
• Traffic: Drive targeted traffic to your landing page using paid ads, social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO)—the more relevant the traffic, the higher the conversion rate.
• Popups: Implement exit-intent popups to capture visitors about to leave your page without converting. Offer them an incentive to stay. You can easily add a popup banner to your site using Kadence Conversions, a lightweight no-code tool that will showcase your offers. 
• A/B testing: Continuously test different elements of your landing page (headlines, images, CTAs, forms) to determine what works best. Testing helps you make data-driven decisions to improve performance. To do an A/B test, you can use a tool such as VWO.

3. Traffic sources 

If you look at website analytics, you’ll notice that overall website traffic looks much different than landing page traffic. 

Your full website will likely earn traffic from both organic and paid sources. You’ll also generate traffic from search engines and referral visits from other websites. There is the potential for quite a bit of diversity in where visitors come from. 

Landing page traffic is another story because you’ll direct most, if not all, of the traffic to the page from paid advertising sources, email blasts, or social media posts. Landing pages are also typically hidden from the website’s main navigation menu and set to no-index (meaning search engines won’t find it), so it’s unlikely that a visitor will stumble across this page by accident.

Overall traffic can be vastly different as well. Since landing pages are often a portion of overall website traffic, numbers are generally smaller. The exception to this comes when you factor in paid campaigns, which can drive potentially high numbers of visitors to a landing page. 

4. Navigation (Header/ Footer)

With distinctly different intents, page navigation elements might look different on a regular web page than on a landing page as well. 

Here’s a screenshot that shows what a typical website navigation menu would look like from our Kadence website:

Since the goal of a landing page is to convert the user into a subscriber or customer, most landing pages do not include the traditional site-wide header and footer because it can distract the user from the primary conversion objective.

While the traditional header and footer aren’t necessary on conversion-focused landing pages, we still recommend including the following: 

1. Your logo at the top of the landing page so users can easily identify which company the offer is associated with, like this example from DigitalMarketer.com

2. A slim footer with any legal information, like your Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Disclaimer, and Contact, similar to this example from HomeschoolGiveaways.com

If you’re building your landing page on WordPress with Kadence WP, you can easily hide the header or footer on any blog post or page with the click of a few buttons. 

If you have multiple landing pages, you can use the Kadence Element Hook feature (available in the Essential or Full Bundle) to automatically place a slimmed-down version of your navigation menu or footer on any landing page you specify. This can help with design consistency and save you from having to recreate the same header or footer on multiple pages.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you plan to run paid ad traffic to your landing page, make sure your landing page complies with the ad company’s guidelines. 

When to use a nav menu with anchor links

One exception to the rule is when the landing page is long. If the page has multiple sections and you want the user to easily navigate those sections, you may want to add a custom navigation menu with anchor links to the landing page. 

How it works: When a user clicks on the link, instead of going to another page, it will use anchor links to drop the user down to a specific section on the page.

This style of menu is really easy to create with a tool like Kadence! You can even make the nav menu sticky, so the user can always access the links and/ or call to action button in view, no matter what part of the page they’re on.  

5. Content 

Because landing pages are designed to convert, the content will differ from other website pages. 

A website likely includes various types of content, such as detailed information about the business, its products and services, blog or news updates, and other relevant information. 

A landing page, on the other hand, has concise, targeted content that aligns with the campaign’s goal. It often includes a headline, brief description, benefits or features, social proof (e.g., testimonials), and a clear CTA. The content is designed to persuade visitors to take a specific action.

Whether downloading an ebook, signing up for a webinar, or requesting a demo, every element on a landing page is crafted to reinforce the primary goal of conversion. 

When you plan the content well, everything on the landing page will point to a single action that is obvious and almost irresistible to the user. If the user doesn’t want to sign up, their only option is to leave the page altogether.

Create Your Website and Landing Pages With Kadence Today

A high-performing landing page starts with you … and a tool that makes building it easy.

Whether you need to build your entire website or a few landing pages, Kadence WP offers no-code solutions with the Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks plugin. These solutions allow you to create a professional website without writing a single line of code, so you can truly design what you want without compromising on looks or performance. 

Get started with Kadence today!

These platforms offer a variety of widgets and modules for adding different types of content, such as text, images, sliders, and buttons. Plus, many page builders offer pre-designed templates to help you get started quickly. With these powerful tools, you can create a visually impressive and mobile-friendly website that perfectly reflects your brand’s personality and message.

But here’s the thing: with so many page builders out there, each promising to be the best solution for your needs, how do you choose the right one? It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to website creation. And what if a traditional page builder isn’t the perfect fit for your vision?

To help you make the right decision, we’ll introduce you to the best page builder solutions available, as well as our own recommended alternative to traditional page builders. Let’s get into it! 

Kadence Blocks: A leader in WordPress website builders

Kadence Blocks is a powerful and popular solution that lets users design fast, responsive websites without the need for any coding expertise. 

Unlike many traditional page builders that have their own separate interface, Kadence Blocks works right within the native WordPress Gutenberg editor, so you get the best of both worlds — the simplicity of the editor and the advanced design capabilities of Kadence.

But that’s not all. As part of the Kadence WP suite, Kadence Blocks is complemented by the Kadence Theme and starter templates, which include Artificial Intelligence (AI) template functionality. These tools can be used individually or in combination with each other, giving you the flexibility to bring your website to life, regardless of your skill level. 

Take a look at what sets Kadence Blocks apart from traditional page builders: 

Key features

• Native WordPress compatibility: Thanks to Kadence Blocks’ compatibility with WordPress’ Gutenberg block editor, you can create unique, meaningful content without the steep learning curve that comes with adopting a new tool.
• Powerful design library: Forget staring at a blank screen and wondering how this website will design itself. With the Kadence Design Library, you can browse through our extensive library of design patterns and templates that can be imported onto your site with just a single click. Once your pattern has been imported, simply customize it using our code-free blocks to match your vision!
• Optimized for speed: Kadence Blocks is optimized for speed, loading CSS or JavaScript only when needed and only for the blocks being used on a specific page. This approach ensures your website is lightning-fast and responsive. 
• Endless customization: With thousands of custom fonts, icons, and color controls, you can tailor your design to your preferences. The flexible row/layout block also allows you to build and control custom layouts.
• Responsive design: You can adjust your design for each screen size individually, overcoming the limitations of the native Gutenberg editor. This means you can edit tablet and mobile settings while previewing in the WordPress editor.

Kadence in action

With Kadence Blocks, you have the flexibility and creative freedom to bring your ideas to life, no matter what type of website you’re building. But instead of just telling you about it, we’re going to show you exactly what we mean. Take a look: 

1. Dash of Sanity — Recipe/Food Blog 

Dash of Sanity is an excellent example of a recipe/food blog that uses Kadence Blocks to create a functional, user-friendly website. The site features a grid layout for recipes and a hover effect on images.

2. Moving to Spain — Small Business

Moving to Spain offers a guide for hopeful expats who want to — you guessed it — move to Spain. It uses Kadence Blocks to create a responsive, engaging design that helps users navigate the relocation process easily. 

3. Katy Boykin — Personal Brand

As the Product Marketing Manager at Kadence WP, Katy Boykin is the number one fan of Kadence Blocks. So, it should come as no surprise that she uses it for her own website! Katy’s site utilizes a simple, easy-to-navigate layout that lets visitors quickly find information about her services, portfolio, and background.

“Before finding Kadence, I used another popular page-builder plugin, but I had such a hard time optimizing sites for speed, so I naturally looked for another solution. When I tried Kadence, it took a little bit to get used to, but I quickly fell in love with it. Compared to the other page-builder tool I was using, I enjoyed editing my website directly using the Gutenberg editor. I also liked having a more performant website. With just a few additional optimization plugins, my team and I at DIY Dream Site were able to get A+ speed scores on our website builds!”

Katy Boykin

Pricing

One of the major advantages of Kadence Blocks is the sheer variety of features available in the free version. The free Kadence bundle includes the Kadence Theme, Kadence Blocks plugin, AI starter templates plugin, access to the design library with over 700+ ready-to-import patterns, and 250 AI credits to use with the AI starter templates. 

With all these tools, you can create professional-looking websites without spending a penny. It’s a fantastic way to start building your online presence, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

If you want more advanced features and tools to create more premium-looking designs, you can upgrade to the Essentials or Full bundles. These bundles offer additional features and blocks, premium design elements, and priority customer support from the Kadence team. 

Comparing Kadence Blocks with top WordPress page builders

1. Elementor

Elementor is one of the leading WordPress page builders that lets users create professional websites without needing much coding knowledge. With an intuitive interface and a vast library of customizable widgets, Elementor makes designing visually stunning pages easy.

Key features: 

• Pre-designed templates: Choose from hundreds of pre-designed templates and elements to get started with your website.
• Advanced design controls: Take advantage of Flexbox and CSS Grid Containers to create complex yet lightweight design layouts. 
• 40+ free widgets: Create unique websites with over 40 free widgets, such as nested tabs to display content vertically or horizontally and toggles to hide or display content like Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 
• Wide range of customization options: Bring your vision to life by choosing from over 100 essential and advanced widgets. They cover many design needs, from basic elements like headings and buttons to more complex features like forms, sliders, and animated headlines.
• Highly versatile: Elementor works effortlessly with any WordPress theme, so you can build custom designs without being limited by your theme’s capabilities. This makes it a versatile choice, suitable for a wide range of website types, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce sites.

How easy is it to use? 

Even non-coders can build professional-looking websites using Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface – that’s how easy it is! However, some of Elementor’s more advanced features, such as custom CSS and JavaScript integration, may require a steeper learning curve.

Our rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• Highly versatile and suitable for a wide range of website types, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce sites. 
• The intuitive user interface makes it easy for users of all skill levels to create professional-looking websites. 

Cons: 

• Advanced features, like the form builder, popup builder, and e-commerce features, are only available in the premium version. 
• Some users have complained that the builder tends to slow down or freeze when too many add-ons are used. 
• Websites built with Elementor don’t deliver the best performance, especially compared to Kadence, as some Reddit users have noted.  
• Rather than using the default WordPress editor, Elementor loads its own editor on top.

Pricing: 

A free version of Elementor is available, which offers access to the base features of the page builder. To get access to the full feature set, you can upgrade to one of Elementor’s four pricing plans, starting with the Essential plan at $59 per year. This plan is best for those with a single website and includes 50 Pro widgets, a theme builder, and a form builder.

Pricing can go all the way up to $399 per year for the Agency plan, which includes advanced features like marketing and payment gateway integrations and is suitable for users with up to 1,000 sites.

Ideal for: 

Beginner to intermediate WordPress users who care about design and customization capabilities and want to save time and money by making changes to their website themselves.

2. Divi

Divi by Elegant Themes is a complete design framework that lets you design and customize every part of your website from the ground up. 

Key features: 

• Varied module options: Divi is packed with a wide range of modules to help you create a website that looks and functions just the way you want it to. From contact forms to image galleries and pricing tables, you’ll have all the essentials to make your site stand out.
• Efficient website building: With handy design functions like copy-paste styles, search settings, and auto-save features, you’ll be able to create your dream site in no time.
• AI integration with the Pro plan: If you opt for the Pro plan, you’ll get access to Divi AI, a text and image generator built inside Divi that offers features such as automated text generation and intelligent image recommendations.
• Design control: Divi’s advanced design settings give you granular control over every aspect of your site, from typography and color schemes to animations and hover effects. The Divi Builder’s visual interface makes it simple to experiment with different design elements and see the changes in real time. You can also save your favorite design settings as global styles for a consistent look and feel across your entire website.
• Extensive library of pre-made layouts: Take your pick from over 2,000 pre-made layouts and templates, which can be customized to fit your needs. The layout library is regularly updated, so you can always access the latest design trends and practices. 
• Built-in split testing: Divi includes an A/B testing feature that allows you to experiment and test multiple variations of your website or webpage to determine which performs better. The test results are displayed in a dashboard highlighting critical insights like click-through and engagement rates. 

How easy is it to use? 

Divi’s ease of use is a mixed bag. It offers a powerful visual builder with a drag-and-drop interface that makes adding and customizing page elements simple. However, the interface can be overwhelming for new users. The numerous options and settings can be confusing, and switching between the backend “Wireframe View” and the frontend “Visual Builder” can be unintuitive.

Our rating: 3/5

Pros: 

• Divi offers a great library of pre-made layouts and designs, which can be easily imported and customized. 
• Divi’s responsive design ensures that websites built with it look great on different devices and screen sizes. 

Cons: 

• Divi updates can sometimes cause issues with the builder, leaving users to troubleshoot and resolve the problems. 
• Divi uses shortcodes, which are small snippets of code that reference and display various elements within a website. If you decide to change your theme, the new theme may not be compatible with Divi’s shortcodes, which could cause display issues or require extensive manual adjustments. 
• Divi is one of the worst page builders for accessibility, with major issues including lack of proper heading structure and navigation tags, according to a new report by Accessibility Craft. 
• Several Reddit users have complained that Divi’s builder is incredibly slow. Kadence Blocks, on the other hand, uses intelligent loading to avoid this exact issue. 
• Divi uses its own visual editor rather than the default WordPress editor. 

Pricing: 

Divi offers two main pricing options. The standard plan starts at $89 per year and includes all essential Divi features, 300+ website packs, and unlimited website usage. You can also opt for lifetime access, which costs a one-time fee of $249 for the regular Divi plan and $297 plus $212 each following year for Divi’s pro services. 

Ideal for: 

Experienced web designers would really benefit from Divi’s time-saving features, such as reusable layouts, quick cloning, and A/B testing. 

3. Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder is another popular WordPress page builder that offers a range of styling options and customization possibilities to help users create unique and personalized designs.

Key features: 

• Endless design possibilities: Beaver Builder’s styling options let users add, remove, and rearrange elements as needed.
• Use on unlimited sites: Beaver Builder is suitable for personal and professional use and has no restrictions on the number of sites you can use it on.
• Customizable interface: You can add, remove, and rearrange elements, as well as adjust the layout and spacing of various components as you like. 
• Large community of users: Beaver Builder has a large and active community of users and developers, providing a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party add-ons. The community forum, documentation, and extensive library of online resources make it easy for users to learn, troubleshoot, and extend the plugin’s functionality.
• WordPress theme compatibility: Beaver Builder is compatible with most WordPress themes, so you can use it with your existing website design. 
• Web accessibility: Beaver Builder’s modules are designed with basic web accessibility in mind, including keyboard navigation support and appropriate HTML attributes for screen readers.
• Custom code integrations: Developers can add custom CSS and JavaScript to individual pages or across the entire site, providing a high degree of flexibility to implement custom functionality, animations, and third-party integrations.

How easy is it to use? 

According to reviews, Beaver Builder is “very user-friendly” and has “many features available within the tool, giving you plenty of creative options on your website.” 

While Beaver Builder is generally very easy to use, some users have found that the development of new features can be a bit slow compared to other page builders, and the premium templates offered by Beaver Builder may not be as impressive as those from some competitors. 

Our rating: 4/5 

Pros: 

• Beaver Builder is designed to be intuitive, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
• The page builder is known for its stability, ensuring that your website remains secure and functional.

Cons: 

• Compared to Kadence Blocks and other page builders, Beaver Builder lacks advanced features and customization options, such as animations and motion effects. 
• Beaver Builder does not offer AI-powered features, which may be a drawback for some users.
• While Beaver Builder has made some improvements, it still has significant accessibility issues, including improper use of ARIA attributes, reliance on custom CSS for headings, and difficulties with keyboard navigation and dropdown menus on mobile or when zoomed in. 
• Beaver Builder uses its own editor, which is separate from the default WordPress editor. 

Pricing: 

Beaver Builder offers four pricing plans, all of which come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Standard plan, priced at $99 per year, includes the core page builder plugin, unlimited site usage, annual support, and access to premium modules and templates. At the top tier, the Ultimate plan costs $546 per year and provides priority support, the Beaver Theme add-on plugin, and six months of the Assistant Pro service for free. 

Ideal for: 

Web designers and agencies. Features like custom modules, custom code, and white labeling make it a powerful tool for agencies. It also integrates smoothly with WooCommerce, allowing you to create custom online stores.

4. Visual Composer

Visual Composer is a free WordPress page builder that offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor powered by React, advanced design features, and responsive fonts. 

Key features: 

• Visual Composer Hub: The Visual Composer Hub is a cloud-based marketplace that provides access to over 300 ready-to-use elements, templates, and extensions. You can easily import and customize these elements to suit your specific needs, saving time and effort in the website-building process.
• Developer Application Programming Interface (API): With Visual Composer API, developers can create custom content elements for their clients. 
• Diverse design options: With a single click, you can adjust any element of your design. Add parallax effects, background videos, shapes, gradients, and more. 
• WooCommerce support: The builder includes special WooCommerce elements, such as product grids, shopping carts, and checkout pages. You can easily integrate these elements into your website and customize them to match your branding and design preferences. 
• Instant content update: Visual Composer offers a live editing experience, where you can see the changes you make to your page in real time. This instant content update feature allows you to experiment with different designs and content without having to refresh the page or preview your changes separately. Talk about convenience! 

How easy is it to use? 

While Visual Composer’s built-in features, like the contrast checker, custom data attributes, font sizes, and responsive design, make it accessible for beginners, more advanced users may need to occasionally write manual CSS to achieve specific design goals.

Our rating: 4/5

Pros: 

• Visual Composer’s drag-and-drop interface makes it simple for anyone to create and customize their website.
• Visual Composer offers a free version that includes 30 content elements, 10 templates, and SEO insights. 

Cons: 

• While the basic interface is easy to use, the advanced features of Visual Composer may require more time and effort to master.
• Several users have reported performance issues with the blocks, noting that they take a long time to load and sometimes require a page refresh to function properly.
• Visual Composer’s front-end editor is “impractical, clunky, and awkward to use,” according to one Reddit user. 
• It has significant limitations compared to manual coding, and when you hit those limitations, you need to resort to coding anyway. 
• Although Visual Composer integrates with WordPress, it does not use the default WordPress editor. 

Pricing: 

Visual Composer offers four pricing options, starting with the Single plan at $49 per year. This plan includes essential features like 300+ content elements, 200+ templates, a font manager, free stock images, premium support, and more. The features are consistent across all plans; the only difference is the number of supported sites.

Ideal for: 

Designers who want to create pixel-perfect, professional pages. Visual Composer also provides powerful tools for marketers, including high-converting landing pages, popups, SEO, and integrations with social platforms to help reach a wider audience. 

5. Themify Builder

Themify Builder is a user-friendly WordPress page builder that offers a smooth experience for creating and customizing websites. 

Key features: 

• Fully translatable: Themify Builder is compatible with popular translation plugins like the WordPress Multilingual Plugin (WPML), making it ideal for multilingual websites. 
• Multisite support: You can create and manage a network of websites, each with its own unique design and content, all from one location. This feature is especially useful for businesses, organizations, or individuals who need to run multiple websites with similar functionality or branding.
• Auto-theme updates: With just a single click, you can update your theme directly from the WordPress admin panel, saving you time and effort compared to the traditional method of manually downloading and uploading files via FTP.
• Edit modes: The Themify Builder offers two edit modes. In the backend edit mode, you can drag and drop modules like rows, buttons, and page dividers onto the canvas to design a custom layout. The frontend edit mode allows you to make additional changes to the font, background, and border of the page elements and preview the changes live.
• Reusable layout parts: This handy feature lets you save page elements like your logo or contact information as a layout part and insert it anywhere on your site using a shortcode or the Layout Part module.
• Add-ons and integrations: The Themify Builder can be extended with various add-ons like Mosaic, Maps Pro, Contact, and Pricing Table to add more functionality. It also integrates with the Themify Post Type Builder plugin to create custom post types. 

How easy is it to use? 

As mentioned, Themify Builder provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and backend and frontend editing modes. However, the builder’s extensive feature set can be overwhelming and users may find it less intuitive compared to other page builders like Elementor. 

Our rating: 3/5 

Pros: 

• Themify Builder’s Styling Panel offers a high level of customization, allowing you to adjust every little detail to your liking. 
• Themify was designed with SEO best practices in mind to ensure your content is easily discoverable on search engines. 

Cons: 

• While the standalone plugin for the Themify Builder is free, it offers limited features. For example, you cannot edit the header or footer content on the free version. 
• Themify doesn’t offer live chat or phone support options, which can be frustrating if you need immediate assistance. 
• Some users have experienced issues with the Themify Builder not loading properly when trying to use it on certain pages. 
• Themify Builder does not use the default WordPress editor. 

Pricing: 

Themify Builder offers a free plan that includes 30 default modules for building pages, provides front-end and back-end support, and features ready-made modules, rows, and columns. Its paid plan costs $69 per year and includes advanced features, like 24+ additional builder add-ons, the ability to create unique layouts for mobile and desktop, and display conditions to set rules for where templates will display.

Ideal for: 

Users on a budget who need a free yet feature-rich page builder. 

6. SiteOrigin

SiteOrigin is a free and popular WordPress page builder plugin that has been around for many years. It offers a simple drag-and-drop interface for building responsive, grid-based page content that adapts well to mobile devices.

Key features: 

• Intuitive toolbar: SiteOrigin features a familiar and easy-to-use toolbar, allowing users to navigate and access the various page-building tools quickly.
• Flexible widgets: The plugin offers the flexibility to incorporate any WordPress widgets into your page designs, providing a range of customization options. 
• Theme compatibility: The page builder integrates with any WordPress theme, so you can change your design without losing any content.
• History browser: This tool lets you roll forward and back through your changes. It allows you to experiment with different layouts without the fear of breaking your content.
• Developer tools: SiteOrigin Page Builder is actively developed with new features and exciting enhancements every month, and documentation is available for developers who want to extend its functionality.

How easy is it to use? 

While the sidebar-based layout may take some getting used to for those more familiar with other page builders, SiteOrigin’s overall user experience is streamlined and well-suited for WordPress users of all skill levels.

Our rating: 4.5/5

Pros: 

• Easy to use and navigate. 
• Flexible integration with any WordPress theme. 
• Optimized for performance and fast page load times. 

Cons: 

• Limited selection of widgets and templates compared to more advanced page builders. 
• Real-time editing experience may not be as quick as other page builder plugins. 
• SiteOrigin has some significant accessibility issues, particularly with navigation. It doesn’t properly label the nav tag, which prevents users from setting up ARIA labels and can make the site challenging for those using assistive technologies.
• The SiteOrigin page builder does not use the default WordPress editor and instead loads its custom page-building interface on top. 

Pricing: 

SiteOrigin Page Builder is completely free to use, making it a good option for WordPress users on a budget. 

Ideal for: 

Small business owners or anyone working with a limited budget.

7. Brizy

Brizy is a WordPress page builder that lets users craft visually stunning and customizable websites by combining a vast library of pre-designed elements with a powerful, user-friendly interface.

Key features: 

• Inline editing: Rather than relying on sidebars and popups, Brizy lets you control most design elements directly on the page, providing a more efficient workflow.
• Responsive design: Brizy’s designs are responsive by default, and the platform offers granular control over how your content appears on different devices.
• Flexible builder elements: The free version of Brizy includes 24 customizable elements, while the Pro version expands this to 48, giving you ample options to build unique and engaging pages.
• Global styling: With a single click, you can quickly apply consistent styling, such as colors and typography, across an entire website, saving time on repetitive design tasks.
• Animations module: Brizy includes a library of pre-built animations that can be applied to page elements to add visual interest and interactivity.
• White-label capabilities: With Brizy’s white-label options, agencies and businesses can rebrand the website builder with their own logo and branding.

How easy is it to use? 

Brizy’s drag-and-drop interface and pre-made templates make creating and customizing websites incredibly easy. You can add and arrange elements like text, images, and icons without writing any code.

That said, while Brizy is super user-friendly, it might not be as flexible as some advanced page builders. For example, it doesn’t have a dedicated gallery element, so you’ll need to manually add multiple columns and images to create a gallery.

Our rating: 4/5

Pros: 

• Aside from the page builder, Brizy offers a theme builder, popup builder, and dynamic content support, making it a versatile tool for creating complex websites.
• Brizy’s free version is feature-rich, and the paid plans offer great value. It even includes a lifetime license option.

Cons: 

• While Brizy is generally fast and responsive, some users have reported occasional performance issues, especially when working with larger or more complex designs.
• Compared to other page builders, Brizy’s ecosystem of third-party integrations and add-ons is relatively limited. 
• Some Reddit users have complained that the code Brizy generates is messy and bloated, leading to slower page load times. This contrasts with Kadence Blocks’ intelligent load feature, which helps improve page speed by only loading the necessary assets and blocks on a page. 
• Customizing and modifying the design can be a pain, as Brizy’s builder has limited exporting/importing styles and dynamic field options. 
• Brizy does not use the default WordPress editor. 

Pricing: 

Aside from its free plugin, Brizy offers five pricing plans, starting with the Personal plan, which costs $59 per year and is ideal for one site. 

Ideal for: 

Beginners and freelancers who need an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface and quick website creation capabilities without requiring extensive technical expertise. 

8. Oxygen

Unlike traditional page builders that operate at the page level, Oxygen is a true site builder, allowing you to design and customize every aspect of your WordPress website, including headers, footers, and even WooCommerce integrations.

Key features: 

• Performance-focused: By generating optimized HTML and CSS, Oxygen pages load quickly and efficiently, without the bloat often associated with other page builders.
• Intuitive visual editor: Oxygen’s user-friendly interface provides precise control over every element on the page and has a modular approach that makes it easy to create complex, responsive layouts.
• Conditional logic: Display or hide Oxygen elements based on user roles, login status, or other custom conditions.
• Developer friendly: While providing a visual interface, Oxygen also allows you to write live PHP, CSS, and JavaScript code directly within the builder.
• Integration with Advanced Custom Fields: Oxygen deeply integrates with Advanced Custom Fields, allowing you to easily pull in custom data fields and create dynamic content layouts. 

How easy is it to use? 

Oxygen offers impressive control and customization, but it demands more technical know-how and patience compared to other page builders we’ve discussed. Its complex interface and workflow are geared towards developers and advanced users. While it does have drag-and-drop functionality, the overall experience is less intuitive for non-technical users.

Our rating: 2.5/5

Pros: 

• Oxygen generates clean code that ensures fast site performance, easy indexation, and a simple, effective website.
• The organized sidebar and advanced editing options make Oxygen intuitive for developers.

Cons: 

• Oxygen may not be compatible with all third-party plugins.
• Some Reddit users have complained that simple things like mobile-responsive modals don’t work properly out of the box.
• Users also said they had to purchase various add-ons just to get access to basic functionality. 
• Oxygen Builder uses its own visual editor and does not rely on the default WordPress Gutenberg editor.  

Pricing: 

Oxygen offers a one-time, lifetime license starting at $129 for the basic package, which includes unlimited site usage and lifetime updates. The $179 Ultimate package adds additional features, such as the ability to create custom user interfaces for clients.

Ideal for: 

Developers and experienced WordPress users who want maximum control, flexibility, and performance for their websites. 

Start creating your website today

Thanks to drag-and-drop page builders, building a website on WordPress has never been easier. Users of all skill levels can create stunning, responsive websites without writing a single line of code.

If you’re unsure which website builder to choose, there are many reasons to consider Kadence Blocks. Our powerful website builder is designed to help you build lightning-fast, professional websites with ease. 

With features like custom block designs, responsive columns, and integration with the Gutenberg editor, Kadence Blocks provides the tools you need to create the website of your dreams. And the best part? Much of its functionality is available for free. 

So, what are you waiting for? Get started with Kadence today and get a website that perfectly represents your brand!

With thousands of ready-made plugins and themes available, creating stunning website designs has never been easier. In this article, we’ll go beyond the basics of WordPress design and share some of the most impressive websites that push the boundaries of what’s possible with this versatile CMS.

From sleek corporate portfolios to immersive online stores, these sites are all great examples of design done right. 

By the end of this article, you might even be inspired to give your WordPress website a makeover! And, to help you get started, we’ll cover all the tools and resources you need to build a beautiful, responsive, and user-friendly website using WordPress and Kadence Theme. 

Notable WordPress sites: Inspiring design excellence

Let’s take a look at some of the top-tier WordPress website designs that highlight its potential: 

1. The TED Blog

The TED Blog, the official blog of the famous Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Talks platform, offers thought-provoking content and engaging discussions on a wide range of topics, such as global issues, science, technology, and more. The TED Blog uses a custom WordPress theme designed specifically for the site. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Clean and modern design that gives the content the attention it deserves. 
• Bold typography and minimalist color palette.

2. The New York Times

From bestselling books to groundbreaking journalism, The New York Times is the world’s go-to newspaper for current information. But did you know its website is built with WordPress? It uses a custom WordPress theme that perfectly captures the newspaper’s branding – from its signature typography to the classic masthead. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Responsive design that ensures the theme looks great on all devices.
• Strategic use of multimedia elements, like videos and multimedia graphics. 

3. Music Mayhem Magazine

Music Mayhem Magazine is a digital publication dedicated to covering the latest news, interviews, and features in the Country music world. Its website, which features a modern aesthetic, uses Kadence Theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The organization of content blocks above the fold effectively highlights the musicians and their photographs. 
• Regardless of length, all headlines fit within the grid layout, which helps maintain a clean and organized appearance. 

4. AD Dal Pozzo

AD Dal Pozzo is a premier Italian furniture retailer known for its exquisite collection of luxury home furnishings. Its custom theme embodies sophistication and elegance and shows off just how versatile WordPress design elements are. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Sleek and modern design that captures the brand’s commitment to luxury and style.
• Interactive content blocks, such as product carousels with hover effects and visually striking horizontal scrolling sections. 

5. Momofuku

Momofuku, a renowned restaurant group, has a website that embodies the brand’s bold and innovative approach to cuisine. The site uses a custom theme and features a visually striking layout, intuitive navigation, and a great user experience.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Striking use of imagery captures the essence of Momofuku’s dishes. 
• A minimalist layout that allows the food imagery to take center stage. 

6. NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website serves as a gateway to the wonders of space exploration. Its website uses a custom, enterprise-level WordPress theme builder. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Intuitive navigation with clear categories and search functionalities allows visitors to find what they want easily. 
• Incorporates various multimedia elements to balance information, including stunning high-resolution images and videos that showcase the breathtaking beauty of the universe.

7. Hartzler Family Dairy

Hartzler Family Dairy is an Ohio-based dairy farm that offers a range of hormone-free dairy products, including milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter. Its website uses the Beaver Builder theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The large visuals are a treat to the eyes and don’t leave visitors guessing what products Hartzler offers. 
• The clean white background with pops of green and cyan is warm and inviting. 

8. Garden Betty

Garden Betty is a blog dedicated to gardening, homesteading, and sustainable living. The website design, built using Kadence Theme, is clean and user-friendly. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The design is an updated take on the traditional F-layout, which offers a fresh user experience.  
• As visitors scroll through the site, they discover more and more content, but each section is unique and uses visually appealing imagery throughout. 

9. Fabienne Chapot

Fabienne Chapot is a Dutch fashion brand known for its bold, colorful designs and playful aesthetic. Its website reflects this vibrant personality using a custom theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Playful, animated watercolor imagery that captures the brand’s signature prints. 
• Dynamic typography that changes colors depending on the background. 

10. The Jane Goodall Institute

The Jane Goodall Institute website is a hub for conservation efforts and environmental education inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees. The site uses Swift Ideas’ Joyn theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Compelling use of multimedia elements to tell the story of Dr. Goodall’s conservation work. 
• The color palette fittingly uses colors inspired by nature, like green, blue, and muted coral. 

11. Landia

Landia is an award-winning production company. The website, built using a custom WordPress theme, highlights their expertise in crafting compelling content for brands worldwide.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Full-screen videos that showcase Landia’s projects and load quickly as you scroll. 
• The simple black background with minimal text on the home page effectively lets Landia’s work speak for itself. 

12. Rafael Nadal

Dedicated to the tennis champion, Rafael Nadal’s official website offers fans a glimpse into his career, achievements, and personal life. The site is built using a custom version of the Verve theme by Pirenko. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The website is available in Spanish and English, catering to Nadal’s global fanbase. 
• Minimalistic black-and-white color scheme that spotlights the high-quality photos of Nadal. 

13. Marcela Pulido 

Marcela Pulido is a Portland-based wedding photographer. Her website, which uses Kadence Theme, is filled with photos that capture the magical moments of love. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• It’s not easy to make a wedding portfolio website stand out, but this one does so by using distinctive typography choices and colorful sections. 
• The copy clearly states what to expect from Pulido’s work so clients know what they’re getting. 

14. Miga Studio

Miga Studio is an eyewear brand that combines Italy’s rich cultural heritage with Japan’s minimalist, futuristic aesthetics. The eye-catching (no pun intended) website, which uses a custom WordPress theme, showcases the brand’s unique collection of eyewear designs.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Large, attention-grabbing typography immediately draws the visitor in and sets the tone for the brand’s confident spirit. 
• High-quality, full-width images of Miga Studio’s eyewear products are the focal point of the design. 

15. Timberyard

Timberyard is a family-run restaurant located in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. Its website uses Lay Theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Clever use of negative space helps the images stand out. 
• Simple typography and uncluttered design mirror the restaurant’s ethos of showcasing natural, locally sourced ingredients. 

16. Sanders Design

Sanders Design is a web and print design agency that uses Kadence Theme to power its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Placing a testimonial prominently on the home page allows potential clients to quickly see the positive results Sanders Design delivers, building trust right away.
• The animations throughout the page give a clear idea of the engaging visual experiences the agency can create for clients. 

“Design agencies have a lot to live up to. Sanders does a great job distinguishing the various services they offer with clearly demarcated sections while giving the user a dynamic experience as they scroll.”

Katy Boykin, Product Marketing Manager, Kadence WP

17. Bateaumon Paris

If you’re feeling tempted to book a flight ticket to Paris so you can experience a serene boat ride along the Seine, we’re right there with you. Bateaumon Paris offers boat rentals for professional or private events in Paris and uses the Hello Elementor theme for its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Creative design, with a mixture of real photos and hand-drawn illustrations. 
• The blue, white, and salmon color scheme adds a touch of whimsy. 

18. Angry Birds

The Angry Birds website invites visitors into the colorful and chaotic world of these iconic characters. The site, which uses a custom WordPress theme, offers fans a hub for games, merchandise, and updates about their hot-tempered avian heroes.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The slider on the home page, featuring full-screen interactive graphics, brings the Angry Birds universe to life. 
• The navigation page has a playful design with ample white space and the original Angry Bird character in the corner.

19. Exploring Vegan

Exploring Vegan is dedicated to promoting a plant-based lifestyle in an approachable and non-judgmental way. The site uses the Underscores starter theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Choice of bold colors, swirly patterns, and animations add an element of surprise. 
• The recipes come with a tag describing them as “easy” or “comfort.” 

20. Grisly’s Cosmic

Grisly’s Cosmic is a bourbon and cola cocktail company that uses a custom WordPress theme for its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The home page is trippy but in all the best ways. It features vibrant colors, funky characters, and interactive graphics throughout. 
• The “cosmic space yeti,” the brand’s mascot, adds a fun touch of personality. 

Reinventing WordPress design with Kadence

Feeling Inspired to create your own stunning website? Kadence WP provides the perfect toolkit! Our flagship products – Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks – are designed to help you build fast, responsive, and fully customizable websites with minimal effort. Take a look at their key features. 

Kadence Theme: Your perfect starting point

Kadence Theme is the ideal foundation for building an effective website design, and here’s why: 

• Extensive library of starter templates: Find the template of your dreams by choosing from a wide range of ready-to-use options. Or better yet, use Kadence’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) templates to create customized content specifically for your website.
• Fully customizable: Easily customize the look and feel of your website using pre-loaded color palettes, font combinations, drag-and-drop header and footer editors, and comprehensive layout settings. 
• Fast and responsive: Thanks to built-in features like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) pre-loading, your site will be lightning-fast, while responsive design options ensure your website looks great on any device. 

Kadence Blocks: Elevating your design game

Whether you’re building on the foundation of Kadence Theme or revamping your existing website, Kadence Blocks is the perfect tool for creating unique and engaging content: 

• Minimal learning curve: Kadence Blocks works directly within the native WordPress block editor, allowing you to design unique and meaningful content without needing to learn a new interface. 
• Optimized for speed: Kadence Blocks only loads the necessary CSS or JavaScript, so your site remains fast and efficient.
• Full design control: Build custom layouts with ease, choose from 900+ Google Fonts and 1,500+ SVG icons, and take complete control over your colors using extensive design settings within the block editor. To save even more time, you can configure default settings for specific blocks, which is especially useful for larger websites.

The best part is that Kadence Theme, Kadence Blocks, and Starter Templates are all available for free and also comes with 250 AI credits. This makes designing beautiful, responsive websites easier than ever without breaking the bank. 

And, for those who want to take their design to the next level, pro versions of the Theme and Blocks are available, offering features like dynamic content, custom design elements, and a dedicated WooCommerce add-on and tools designed to enhance WooCommerce stores.

Your next steps: Transforming your WordPress site with Kadence

WordPress has long been recognized as one of the most powerful and flexible platforms for website design. However, with so many themes and plugins available, it can be tough to decide your site’s direction. 

To help you get started, we’ve covered some inspiring examples of great WordPress site designs and introduced you to some of the best tools for the job – Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks. And now that you’ve seen some of what’s possible with Kadence WP, it’s time to take the next step.

Start your journey with Kadence WP by exploring our free plan. Soon, you’ll experience the difference that a well-designed, high-performing website can have on your online presence!

What is a child theme?

A WordPress child theme is a theme that inherits all the styles, features, and functions of another theme, known as the parent theme. This allows users to modify and customize their site without altering the parent theme’s files, ensuring that updates to the parent theme won’t overwrite custom changes. 

A child theme can also provide a nice place for custom CSS, and you can use a child theme to add/edit PHP functions with a functions.php file.

Using a child theme can provide a safe and efficient way to extend and personalize a website while maintaining the ability to update the underlying theme.

Do I need to use a child theme with Kadence?

Honestly, it depends! 

If modifying theme files or functions

If you plan to modify the theme directly through a template file or function, then yes – we recommend a child theme. If you make changes to your theme without using a child theme, you risk losing all your added content when you update the parent theme. 

Alternatively, you could use a code snippet plugin to add a function or custom filter without a child theme.

If planning to make CSS changes only

A child theme is not technically necessary if you only plan to make CSS changes. Any CSS changes can be made through the Custom CSS Box in the theme customizer settings (or through a plugin if you use a theme other than the Kadence theme that does not come packaged with a custom CSS box). Also, options selected in the theme customizer are saved in your database, not a file, so you don’t need a child theme to keep those sections when you update.

For a deeper look at when and why you might want to consider child themes instead of the WordPress Customizer, read this post: Custom CSS: Should you use a WordPress Child Theme or the Customizer?

For aesthetic/ time-saving reasons

Even if you don’t plan to make any code changes, some users may want to use child themes to help them shortcut the design process and save time and money.  

Many Kadence Child Themes come with beautifully designed page layouts, pre-configured theme settings, and additional features that save time and effort. These professionally crafted themes provide a polished, ready-to-use website that looks great out of the box. They allow users to achieve a high-quality, customized appearance without adding custom code or building the website design themselves.

Where to find Kadence child themes

At Kadence, we don’t provide traditional child themes; instead, we offer… 

The Kadence AI Starter Templates plugin (FREE)

The Kadence AI Starter Templates plugin is designed to help you quickly and easily create a beautiful, professional website using AI-powered templates. Here’s a quick demo of how it works: 

Importing an entire starter kit will override all the settings inside your theme customizer without an option to undo the change, so proceed cautiously! We recommend only importing the starter template on a fresh WordPress install or a staging site.

Check out our help docs for more info: What is Kadence AI and Kadence AI Powered Starter Templates

The Kadence Marketplace

Alternatively, if you want a traditional child theme, browse the Kadence Marketplace to find themes developed by professional web designers. 

NOTE: most third-party themes have been created by independent professionals and may require an additional investment. Kadence is not affiliated with and does not endorse any independent child theme. Please do your own research before deciding to use a third-party child theme.

How to create your own Kadence child theme

Would you like to build your own Kadence child theme for your own website project or to sell as an independent Kadence child theme creator? 

Our easy-to-use Child Theme Builder plugin (available in the Full Bundle) allows you to create child themes with just a few clicks of a button! 

To learn more about this process, read this help doc for more info: How to Generate a Custom Child Theme

If you need more guidance on creating and selling child themes, you may want to check out Michelle Nunan’s course called Child Theme Workflow for Kadence. It covers essential tools, techniques, and best practices, providing step-by-step instructions to streamline the process and ensure efficient and effective theme development with Kadence.

In Summary

Child themes are an essential tool for anyone looking to customize their WordPress site safely and efficiently. They allow you to make extensive changes without losing your modifications during theme updates or simply help you save some time and money in the design process. 

Whether using the Kadence Starter Templates or exploring third-party options, child themes can streamline your design process and enhance your website’s functionality. 

With resources like the Kadence AI Starter Templates plugin and the Child Theme Builder, we’re confident you’ll have everything you need to create a professional, personalized website with Kadence. 

Looking for more info about child themes? Read Kadence Theme knowledge base regarding child themes

Are conversions or interactions lagging on that landing page you created for your website? After your landing page has been live for a little while, you need to step back and review how it’s doing. 

While results and conversions can vary by industry, there are some common optimizations that almost every landing page design can benefit from. 

Use this list of nine ways to optimize your landing page to gauge how you are doing and what additional steps you can take to make your pages even more effective. 

1. Have a single offer (and make it clear)

A landing page should have a single purpose: to convert users with a single offer. Every element on a landing page should help drive users toward the same goal, whether that’s filling out a form, making a purchase, or something else altogether. 

The visual cues, copy, and direction should be clear and intentional. Don’t try to offer multiple options here. Having more than one offer could confuse users, while just one will help optimize the entire page. 

Once all of your elements are in place, evaluate your offer. Is it a good one? Would you sign up for, purchase, or do what the page is asking?

2. Check your design 

It’s important to consider design when optimizing a landing page. Ensure that it loads quickly, works great on mobile devices, and is on-brand with your business. 

A page that loads quickly will prevent user frustration, giving them access to what they are looking for with ease. Plus, it’s good for search engine optimization (SEO). 

All elements on the page should work on mobile devices, including easy-to-fill-out forms and quick mobile checkout options. 

Finally, users should not feel lost when they get to your landing page. Elements should look like your brand, using colors, fonts, and styles that are commonly a part of your visual identity. 

3. Simplify or try new copy 

One element that you may tweak or examine more closely is the copy. All the words on the page—especially calls to action—should be concise and clear. 

Here are some ways you can optimize your landing page through copy:

• Use short sentences and paragraphs – they are the easiest to read. 
• Format your copy appropriately. Use headlines and subheads to help make the words easy to scan and read at a glance. 
• Create a sense of urgency with the offer to help encourage users to act while they are on the page. Countdown timers, limited availability, and other elements of scarcity can help. 
• Use the copy to sell the benefits of your offer. Frame the copy in terms of what the user is getting out of the offer rather than a list of features. 

4. Add social proof 

Show landing page visitors that other people trust and like your product or service with an element of social proof. Social proof can include customer reviews, testimonials, or how many people have already used or liked your product. 

When visitors see that others have had a positive experience with your business, they’re more likely to trust and engage with your landing page. This builds trust and credibility, encouraging visitors to act. So, add some form of social proof on your landing page to optimize for conversions and action. 

5. Adjust your form 

Conversions are greatly impacted by your forms. A form that asks too many questions can be cumbersome and limit responses; a form that doesn’t have enough fields forces you to follow up multiple times to get the response you need. 

Take some time to figure out exactly what you need from the form on a landing page. Then, simplify the form to ask for only essential information. 

Field labels need to be clear and easy to understand, and test your form to make sure it works. (Surprisingly, this is a common problem!)

Form placement matters greatly as well. A form above the scroll is more likely to generate conversions than one further down the page. Consider a design structure that allows you to place your form in a prime location, such as the top right sidebar. 

6. Set up tracking 

To help you make data-driven decisions, you need to set up tracking on your landing page. Landing page tracking data can help you understand what could be going right or wrong and how the page can be optimized. 

Start by installing the MonsterInsights plugin so you can see website data with ease. Then, embed tracking code on landing pages. (The most common is Google Analytics, but you may use other software.) 

This way, you can get a solid understanding of who is visiting the landing page and what they are doing. You might find, for example, that users who come to the page from an email are more likely to convert than users who enter from social media. This can help you more effectively plan campaigns around your landing page. 

7. Watch your traffic source 

You’ll want to pay close attention to landing page traffic sources. How are people getting to your landing page? If they’re landing on the page by accident, this could negatively impact your engagement and conversions. 

Users should be coming from campaigns and links that are descriptive and clearly indicate where people are going when they click. A common flaw is that campaigns link to the wrong pages or your homepage instead of a landing page. 

Another common mistake is a misleading offer. Don’t bait and switch. If your offer isn’t free, don’t create promotions for a free offer. Be upfront and honest in campaigns that lead to your landing page. 

8. Implement a popup 

The other potential traffic source to a landing page is another page within your website. Consider adding a popup from your home page, blog, or other popular pages encouraging visitors to click on specific landing pages. 

You may also consider an exit popup on the landing page itself. An exit popup offers a special deal or final opportunity to interact as the user tries to click off of the landing page. 

9. Run an A/B test 

A/B testing allows you to compare two versions of a landing page to see which performs better.

Here’s how it works: You create two versions of your landing page, with only one key difference, such as a different headline, button color, or layout. Then, randomly show each version to visitors and track which one leads to more conversions, like sign-ups or purchases. By analyzing the data from both versions, you can determine which elements are more effective.

A/B testing helps you make data-driven decisions to better optimize your landing page. The easiest way to A/B test is with a tool such as VWO or Nelio AB Testing that is specifically made to help you test and measure elements on your website. 

Landing pages made easy with Kadence 

Landing pages can be a great tool when it comes to creating campaigns that lead to specific conversions on your website. Plus, there are lots of ways to optimize landing pages, from simplifying copy to adding social proof. 

When thinking about your website design, it is important to have a foundation that makes it easy for you to create landing pages. Kadence Blocks for WordPress is user-friendly and doesn’t require coding knowledge. You can design how you want your page to look and publish it quickly.

Try the live demo or download Kadence Blocks today! 

A strong landing page is one of the unsung heroes of digital marketing. It helps you convert users quickly on your website. 

When a link or ad sends a user to a landing page designed for conversion, everything on that page leads to a single call to action. It’s designed for direct and quick response. 

However, not all landing pages are created equal. A more targeted approach – one that involves crafting landing pages with a laser-like focus – is the best path to designing something that’s usable and effective. 

Here, we’ll take a look at 11 landing page examples that are made with a distinct goal in mind to help you find inspiration for your projects. 

1. Constant Contact

Constant Contact, an email marketing tool, created a landing page to help draw in new customers. The entire page design is centered around the call to action to “Get Started.”

What’s nice here is the page’s structure and flow. If you are ready to start, the form is front and center. If you need a little more convincing, there are plenty of value props below the scroll to help you better understand the product. 

What we love: The simple form above the scroll is the first thing you see. Combine that with concise copy, a strong testimonial, and a clean design for a winning combination!

2. Capital Numbers 

Capital Numbers has a lead generation page that helps users get started with their website development service. To help visitors understand the value of their service, they use reviews and testimonials. 

Then, they make it easy to engage with a form right on the page, plus a popup if you missed out.

What we love: With frequent call-to-action elements and compelling copy focusing on benefits, Capital Numbers helps reinforce why you should engage with them. 

3. Search Engine Journal 

Search Engine Journal wants to make no mistake with its landing page for a webinar registration. With no menu, the form is the focus of the page. 

Every element of the copy focuses on the benefits of the webinar, and there’s nothing extra to get in the way or distract from the goal of the page.

What we love: The short, focused page that gets right to the point with a clean design that doesn’t distract from the landing page’s goal. 

4. Klaviyo

While not for a webinar, Klaviyo takes a similar approach with its landing page for marketing software prospecting and signups.

With a dark aesthetic, this landing page is immediately different from others you may land on. With a form at the top of the page and plenty of social proof – from companies using the tool to awards – filling out the CTA request is a no-brainer. 

What we love: The clean design focuses on the form, which is simple and easy to understand. 

5. WebFX

WebFX is a digital marketing agency with a strong lead-generation landing page. It has multiple opportunities to get a free proposal with a button and website entry.

There’s also a video to learn more, and the short page is quick and easy to understand so that users know exactly why they are there. 

What we love: An element of social proof with popular companies who use the tool, including listing results and the benefits of working with them. 

6. Kittl 

Kittl, a graphic design platform, makes its landing page clear so you know exactly what they do. 

The call to action — Try Kittl for Free — follows users throughout the design to help encourage product signups. Elements of social proof, reviews, and a FAQ section make it easy for potential customers to feel good about the product before clicking through. 

What we love: The super-easy popup form appears at just the right time on the scroll to help you finish converting. 

7. Respondology 

In this landing page example, Respondology wants you to download their ebook to learn more about mastering comment moderation online. This element helps the company generate leads while giving users something valuable. 

Including the table of contents for the book next to the form to get it is a strong combination of value prop and CTA to encourage action. 

What we love: Compelling copy focuses on the company’s ebook so you know exactly what to do. 

8. Hungryroot 

Hungryroot proves that a good landing page is also on-brand. Its landing page helps users understand the grocery/food service and take the quiz for their food selections or get started right away. 

The clean design is engaging, encourages scrolling, and helps users find additional information, such as reviews and FAQs, if they need them to make a decision to act. 

What we love: A planned lack of navigation puts all the focus on the call to action with easy-to-digest information. 

9. Twilio 

Twilio is trying to generate leads with a landing page for their email marketing service. Without a menu or navigation, the page has a direct and singular focus with easy buttons to “Talk to an Expert.”

Using social proof, frequent CTAs, and listings of benefits versus the competition, Twilio makes a strong case that ends in a form to sign up to talk with someone. 

What we love: Not only is the page and design simple, but the page is concise and leads you right to the contact form.  

10. Wrike 

Wrike, a project management tool, is trying to generate signups and new users with a simply designed landing page with a single conversion path. 

Every element of the page is designed for email registration/signup. It helps you get there with a quick overview of features and benefits wrapped in a clean design. 

What we love: Social proof through testimonials can help ensure users make a choice to interact with the call to action.  

11. The Daily Upside 

The Daily Upside is an email newsletter with financial stories and information. The goal of the landing page is to get people to sign up for the email. 

Getting users to sign up for a daily email can be a big ask, which is why the landing page is simple, short, and includes reviews that prove its worth. The design is also on-brand with what you’ll get in the daily email!

What we love: This landing page’s simplicity and conciseness are lovely and give you an idea of what to expect if you sign up. 

Start on Your Next Landing Page with Kadence

As you can see from the examples above, every landing page can be a little different. When you go to create your own landing page, your design choices depend on your industry, specific campaign, and conversion goals. 

If you are looking for a better solution for designing stellar landing pages on your own, Kadence has plenty of tools. With fast, effective, and beautiful design options, there’s something for everyone. 

Plus, you can use Kadence in the way that works for you, from the full Kadence Theme to Blocks or Conversions with options to add lightweight pop-ups, slide-ins, or banners like some of the examples above. 

View all Kadence WP products or get started for free today!