WordPress has become the most well-known name on the internet with more than 40% of websites in the world using the Content Management system. For the developer and the website owner, WordPress has a vast number of plugins and themes at their disposal allowing for many ways to add functionality to websites, as well as customization. However, in some cases, a custom theme is required to build out the functionality needed, without the bloat that many themes come with. Creating a custom theme from scratch is a daunting task... that's where starter themes come in. Starter themes make it easier for the developer to get up and going quicker, and take away the need to recreate the foundation of each project, each time a new one comes in. There are plenty of starter themes out there, however, there is one that sticks out among the rest, Sage 10 by Roots.io. Read along as we explain why Sage 10 is our favorite WordPress Starter theme to work with.
Modern Architecture
Web developers have become accustomed to using modern tooling to get the job done. This can require a lot of work to get up and going if building from scratch. However, Sage 10 comes with many of these technologies built right in, such as Bud.js ( a build tool with support for Babel, React, PostCSS, Sass, Typescript, and many more), the Blade Templating Engine, and Composer. This allows the developer to use modern tools and techniques to build high-quality WordPress Themes. For example, Bud.js is a build tool developed by Roots.io used for compiling assets and improving the performance of the site. While Blade Templating is used to make development easier by providing a powerful and intuitive syntax for creating reusable components and layouts, reducing code duplication and increasing maintainability.
Modular Design
Sage 10 does not handcuff the developer into doing something a certain way. The starter theme allows the developer to make the decision on how to build the site. This helps the developer cut out code that may not be needed for the project, allowing for a reduction in the theme's overall size and an increase in maintainability. Sage 10 comes with a set of reusable components such as navigation menus, widgets, and templates that developers can use to create custom WordPress themes quickly. The modular design also allows for easy customization of the theme's appearance and functionality, making it a great choice for developers who want full control over their WordPress websites.
Improved Performance
The Page Speed score of sites has been all the rage the past few years with good reason. This score impacts how Google and other search engines determine your site's rank compared to others. Sage 10 comes with many features that increase the speed of the site and reduce the size of the CSS and JS that are sent to the browser. On top of that, it also comes with optimized assets making the theme faster to load and improving user experience.
Customizable CSS Framework
Sage 10 comes with Tailwind CSS, a customizable CSS framework, allowing for developers to create custom styles that fit their needs while maintaining consistency across the theme. Tailwind CSS is a CSS framework that provides utility classes for the developer to use, making it quicker to get styling. On top of that Tailwind also provides a way to customize and extend the framework to give the developer full control over the CSS styles.
Extensive Documentation
As any developer knows, documentation is key. The maintainers of the Sage 10 starter theme have put a lot of effort into making sure the documentation is clean and concise. This makes it easier for developers of all skill levels to get started and learn about its features and capabilities. If you want a modern developer experience, with the ability to create a fantastic product for your clients, Sage 10 is the way to go.
