WP Engine Launches Genesis 3.0, First WordPress Theme Framework To Incorporate AMP Support in Its Core

AUSTIN, Texas – June 19, 2019 – WP Engine, the WordPress Digital Experience Platform (DXP), today announced the launch of Genesis 3.0, and with it bringing in capabilities to build sites using Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) directly into the Genesis framework. Genesis is the first WordPress theme framework to incorporate AMP capabilities into its core. This will give developers an easy way to quickly and securely build AMP-ready sites on the most used WordPress theme framework: Genesis. Additionally, WP Engine is releasing an AMP-ready Genesis Sample Theme, an AMP-ready Essence Pro Theme and announcing that Atomic Blocks is now AMP-ready. Genesis 3.0 and the themes are available free for WP Engine customers.

Accelerating Your Mobile Pages

Today’s web is accessed more and more on mobile. So it’s imperative to design websites with mobile users in mind. Speed, or lack thereof, is a critical determinant of what makes a good mobile experience. Data from Google shows that “53% of people will abandon a mobile web page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.” According to Google, the AMP plugin reduced load time between 15% and 85% in initial tests. Pages that are AMP-optimized rank better, load faster and convert more mobile page visitors into customers.

In fact, 85% of enterprise IT and marketing decision makers believe all forward-thinking organizations will implement AMP within the next year, according to a recent global study by WP Engine. Of those who integrate AMP with WordPress, study respondents cited strong integration, ease of use, site performance improvements and SEO impact as the main reasons why AMP works best on WordPress sites.

New AMP-ready Genesis Themes

In addition to incorporating AMP capabilities into the Genesis framework core, Genesis users can also get a head start building AMP-compatible sites with the new AMP-ready Genesis themes. AMP functionality is built into the Genesis Sample Theme (free with all Genesis downloads) and the Essence Pro Theme. Finally, Atomic Blocks, a plugin powering a beautiful collection of page-building blocks designed for the new WordPress post editor, is also now AMP-ready.

“Speed is a make-or-break digital advantage. Whether it’s your time-to-market or the load time on your website, faster is better,” said David Vogelpohl, StudioPress Brand Lead & Vice President of Web Strategy at WP Engine. ”With Genesis 3.0, developers can now build fast, beautiful and highly functional AMP-compatible themes and sites in a fraction of the time, giving their digital experiences a decided competitive edge with faster load times and search engine visibility benefits on mobile devices.”

Bringing AMP Capabilities Into Genesis Core

Genesis 3.0 brings the option to build AMP compatible themes directly into the Genesis core, making it easier for developers to build AMP-compatible themes and sites with Genesis. When using AMP compatible themes, sites often report faster load times including the speed boost that comes from AMP caches used by Google. Previously, AMP could only be used in Genesis via third-party apps and plugins. By merging AMP functionality into Genesis 3.0, Genesis users can now use the powerful theme framework as a one-stop-shop for incorporating AMP in their sites.

The Genesis Framework

The Genesis Framework is the world’s most popular theme framework for the millions of WordPress sites that comprise over 34% of the web. More than 600,000 sites use the Genesis Framework as the foundation of their digital experiences. Genesis, and its accompanying suite of themes, helps enterprises, startups, and agencies to accelerate the building of amazing digital experiences. For WordPress developers looking to speed development time, the Genesis Framework provides the most trusted technical foundation to build well-designed, secure, fast loading and SEO-optimized WordPress sites.

Key benefits:

• Workflow-friendly site development by building with the powerful Genesis Framework code foundation now including when building AMP compatible themes
• Near-instant page load times with AMP caching for visitors from search engines like Google
• Better search engine visibility
• One-click AMP-ready theme activation

“I’m excited for the AMP integration in Genesis 3.0,” said Bill Erickson, WordPress developer. “We’ve been building native AMP websites for clients to improve SEO and performance, and Genesis will now make it even easier.”

Learn more about the new Genesis Framework and download it here.