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What Do I Use When I Build a Site?

One of the most common questions I get from clients and agencies is:
“What do you actually use when you build a website?”

The honest answer is: it depends.

Every website has different goals, content needs, and budgets. A nonprofit site has very different requirements than an eCommerce store or a professional services business. That said, there are a few tools I rely on consistently, along with a flexible set of plugins I choose from depending on the situation.

Below, I’m breaking down the themes, frameworks, and plugins I regularly use when building WordPress websites — and why I use them.

Themes & Frameworks

Genesis Framework

For many years, Genesis was my go-to framework for nearly every custom WordPress site I built. Because of that, a large portion of the sites I still maintain today are built on Genesis.

Genesis is:

  • Lightweight
  • Secure
  • Performance-focused
  • Developer-friendly

While I don’t use Genesis on every new build anymore, it’s still a solid framework — especially for highly custom, performance-critical projects. There are still situations where Genesis makes sense, and it continues to be a reliable foundation for long-term site stability.

Kadence Theme + Kadence Pro

Since WordPress fully embraced the block editor, my workflow has shifted significantly — and Kadence has become my primary theme and block solution.

The Kadence Theme paired with Kadence Pro and the Kadence Blocks plugin gives me:

  • Full design flexibility without bloated code
  • Clean, accessible markup
  • Excellent performance
  • Easy client editing experience

Kadence allows me to build sites that are:

  • Custom without being fragile
  • Easy for clients to maintain
  • Aligned with modern WordPress best practices

For most business websites today, Kadence hits the sweet spot between developer control and client usability.

Beaver Builder (Situational Use)

There are still cases where I need to launch a website quickly or where the client specifically wants a more visual, drag-and-drop editing experience.

In those cases, I use Beaver Builder.

Beaver Builder:

  • Is stable and predictable
  • Has a smaller performance impact than many page builders
  • Is easy for non-technical users to understand

I don’t use it for every project, but it’s a solid option when speed, simplicity, and client editing are the top priorities.

Core Plugins I Use Regularly

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF Pro)

ACF Pro has been a cornerstone of my development workflow for years — especially alongside Genesis.

Even though I now rely heavily on blocks, ACF still plays an important role when:

  • Structured content is needed
  • Clients need repeatable, controlled fields
  • Custom post types require consistent layouts

ACF allows me to:

  • Create powerful editing experiences
  • Prevent clients from accidentally breaking layouts
  • Build scalable content structures

It’s not always necessary, but when it’s the right tool, nothing else does the job quite as well.

Gravity Forms

If there’s one plugin you’ll find on almost every site I build, it’s Gravity Forms.

Gravity Forms allows me to:

  • Create simple or complex forms
  • Use conditional logic
  • Accept payments
  • Integrate with CRMs and email platforms
  • Collect structured data reliably

It’s flexible, secure, and consistently well-supported — which is why it’s my default form solution.

Simple Page Ordering

This is one of those plugins that does one thing — and does it extremely well.

Simple Page Ordering allows me (or my clients) to:

  • Reorder pages and posts via drag-and-drop
  • Control front-end display order easily
  • Manage custom post types like testimonials, staff, or portfolios

It’s lightweight, intuitive, and saves time on nearly every build.

Yoast SEO

SEO conversations are inevitable when building websites.

While no plugin can “fix” SEO on its own, Yoast helps:

  • Guide content optimization
  • Manage title tags and meta descriptions
  • Generate XML sitemaps
  • Provide guardrails for clients writing content

There are things I don’t love about Yoast, but it remains a solid and familiar tool — especially for clients managing their own content.

WP Rocket

Performance matters more than ever.

Google increasingly prioritizes:

  • Page speed
  • Core Web Vitals
  • Technical performance

WP Rocket is a premium caching and performance plugin that consistently delivers results without overly complex configuration.

For me, it’s worth the cost because:

  • It improves performance quickly
  • It’s reliable across hosting environments
  • It reduces the need for manual optimizations

WP101

If there’s one plugin that saves me hours of support time, it’s WP101.

WP101 provides:

  • Built-in WordPress training videos
  • Tutorials for common plugins like Yoast, WooCommerce, and Beaver Builder
  • On-demand learning for clients

Instead of walking every client through the basics, I can point them to clear, professional tutorials — which makes them more confident and independent.

Why This Stack Works

The tools I use aren’t about trends — they’re about:

  • Longevity
  • Performance
  • Client experience
  • Maintainability

This stack allows me to:

  • Build fast, stable websites
  • Scale projects efficiently
  • Offer ongoing care and support
  • Reduce technical debt over time

And just as importantly, it allows clients to actually use their websites without fear of breaking things.

Final Thoughts

There are always new plugins, themes, and tools entering the WordPress ecosystem. While I do test new options regularly, the tools listed above are the ones I trust — because they’ve proven themselves over time.

If you’re building WordPress sites for clients, your stack should support:

  • Growth
  • Security
  • Performance
  • Ease of use

Everything I use is chosen with those goals in mind.

Need Help Choosing the Right Tools for Your Site?

If you’re unsure which theme, plugin, or setup is best for your website — or you want a site built using this exact stack — I’d be happy to help.

Reach out here and let’s talk about what will work best for your goals.