How to Install the Genesis Framework and Child Theme 2020

With plenty of Genesis child themes available, Genesis Framework makes it possible to create professional WordPress websites with ease.

Genesis Framework is the best WordPress framework in the world, and while other frameworks make the website creation process complex, especially for beginners and non-coder, Genesis Framework makes it simple.

Genesis Framework is flexible, easy to use, and fully optimized to provide better website loading speeds and performance.

If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to help you install the Genesis Framework and child theme, you have come to the right place.

In this post, we’ll walk through the step by step guide to install the Genesis Framework and child theme on the WordPress website with ease.

Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate user with little to no technical background, with the help of this step-by-step walkthrough, you can easily install the Genesis Framework and child theme and start building your website.

So let’s dive in.

How to Install Genesis Framework and Child Theme (Step by Step)

Installing the Genesis Framework and child theme is the same process as installing any WordPress theme. However, you will not be installing a single theme, as here you will be installing the Genesis Framework and a child theme.

We have listed two easy ways to install the Genesis Framework and Child Theme.

Installing automatically through the upload features inside the WordPress dashboard.
Installing manually with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol), from one location to another

The first method is to install from inside WordPress dashboard, and the second method is by using FTP.

So let’s get started here.

Method #1: Installing Genesis Framework and Child Theme (Using WordPress Dashboard)

install genesis framework child theme by wordpress dashboard

WordPress enables you to install the Genesis Framework through the upload feature within the WordPress dashboard.

We’re going to install the Genesis Framework using the upload feature. You can follow these exact steps to upload the child theme as well.

Note: The process of installing the Genesis Framework and the child theme is the same. After you’ve mastered these steps while installing the Genesis Framework, you can follow the same steps to install the child theme easily.

The Initial Step

Before getting started, you need to visit the StudioPress site, and there you need to sign up and download the installation packages.

Once you log in to your account, check the dashboard for the Genesis Framework and the child themes. All you need to do is download these files to install them manually on WordPress.

Step 1: Log in to WordPress Dashboard

The very first step is to log in to the WordPress dashboard. Now you need to go to Appearance >> Themes.

Step 2: Add the Theme File

In this step, you need to click on the Add New button, which is at the top of the page.

Step #3: Upload the Theme

Once you click on the Add New option, an interface will open where you need to choose the ‘Genesis Framework‘ .zip file from your pc or mac.

The file will be named with the name of the theme, which has .zip format at the end of the file.

In this case, the Genesis Framework will be named as genesis.zip or genesis-sample.zip

Note: If you haven’t downloaded the .zip file of the Genesis Framework, visit the StudioPress official website and download the Genesis Framework from there.

Step #4: Install Now

Once you select the file, you need to click on the ‘Install Now’ button. Wait for a few minutes, and once the Genesis Framework is installed, you’ll see a message: ‘Theme installed successfully.’

From there, click on the ‘Activate’ option to enable the theme on your WordPress site.

Note: Keep one thing in mind: you don’t need to activate Genesis Framework after installing it. Instead, once you upload the child theme, you need to enable it right away.

Step #5: Return to Theme Page

After installing the Genesis Framework, you need to click on ‘Return To Themes Page’ to install and activate a child theme.

Once you install the Genesis Framework, you can follow the same steps listed above to upload the child theme.

Method #2: Installing Genesis Framework & Child Theme Using FTP

installing genesis framework and child theme using ftp

There is an option that enables you to install the Genesis Framework and child themes manually using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) programs. Here is the list of reliable FTP platforms, which you can use for installing the Genesis Framework and child theme.

Before getting started, you need to unzip the theme packages, such as the Genesis and child theme on your pc or mac.

Now you’re all set to connect your website via FTP.

Step #1: Connect Your Site via FTP

The initial step is to connect your website via FTP; you can use any FTP platform mentioned above.

Step #2: Find Directory Folder

Once you connect your website via FTP, just navigate to the wp-content > themes directory folder.

In simple words, open the wp-content directory or the folder and then open the themes directory of the folder.

Now you’re inside the theme directory folder; you need to upload the entire unzipped ‘Genesis Framework‘ folder from your pc or mac.

The folder of the Genesis Framework file should be named ‘genesis‘ or something like this, but it should not be like ‘Genesis 2.0’ or some other variation, including the number or symbol.

It would be best if you make sure that the Genesis Folder is not nested in another folder.

Note: You can follow the same steps to upload the child theme as well.

What to Do After Installing Genesis Framework & Child Theme

genesis custom widgets and layout options

As of now, you have installed both the Genesis Framework and the child theme; it’s time to activate your theme.

There’s no need to activate the Genesis Framework; it will run automatically in the background. Here we need to activate the Child Theme, which you have installed on your WordPress website.

If you have installed the child theme from inside the WordPress dashboard, you can ‘Activate‘ the theme right away once the theme is installed.

How to Customize a StudioPress Child Theme

After installing the StudioPress child theme, you need to customize it further. Let’s have a look at some of the basic customization options for a StudioPress theme.

Customize the Widget Options

The premium Genesis child theme comes with a header widget area. To enable it, navigate to Appearance >> Widgets and select the one you want to enable and showcase on your WordPress website.

The default sidebar of your WordPress website after installing the child theme is kind of shuffled and distorted. However, you can follow the above steps to enable and customize the header options.

Check the Genesis Theme Settings

With the Theme Settings option, you can easily customize your website’s look and feel to get up and running with your WordPress websites.

The theme customizer allows you to tweak the theme’s settings, such as color scheme, background image, and content. The best part is that you can also check the preview of those changes in real-time.

Navigate to the WordPress dashboard, and you’ll see a menu added as ‘Genesis‘. Just hover your mouse on that menu and choose the theme settings to look at the basic Genesis theme setting options.

Configure the Genesis SEO Setting

If you’re using another SEO plugin, such as Yoast SEO, this step isn’t for you. However, if not, you can follow the step by step walkthrough for configuring the SEO settings of your child theme.

You need to navigate to your WordPress dashboard, then Genesis >> SEO Settings. From there, you need to enable/choose a home meta description and home meta keywords for your website. Enabling this option helps search engines to provide better accessibility to your WordPress website.

These are some of the basic configurations that you can make after installing your child theme.

Conclusion: How to Install the Genesis Framework and Child Theme

This is our complete step by step walkthrough for how to install Genesis Framework and child theme.

As of now, you have an idea of how easy it is to install Genesis Framework and child theme on your WordPress website.

After installing the child theme, you can start configuring the child theme to design your WordPress website with ease. Also, if you find difficulty when trying to configure your Genesis child theme, you can check the customization guide available for each child theme on StudioPress.

You can check the Theme Setup button, which is right next to your child theme’s name, to get the detailed setup and configuration instructions.

We hope this post helped you easily install the Genesis Framework and child theme.

Do let us know in the comments if you are stuck somewhere or need some help.

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Other Genesis Framework Articles:

How to Install the Genesis Framework and Child Theme in 2020 (Step by Step)

How to Install Genesis Framework and Child Theme (Step by Step)