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How to Create a Blog Website Using WordPress | GeneratePress Free Theme (Design 9)

In this video tutorial, I will show you, how to create a simple Blog Website using WordPress using free version of GeneratePress theme. You can download the latest version of GeneratePress free theme from WordPress repository or from the GeneratePress website directly.

It’s a quick and short video, so please watch the video without skipping.

Table of Contents

Recommended Hosting

Required Theme

Required Plugins

Color Palette

CSS Variable NameHexa CodeActual Color
contrast#222222
contrast-2#575760
contrast-3#b2b2be
base#f0f0f0
base-2#f7f8f9
base-3#ffffff
accent#1e73be

Home Page Gutenberg Blocks (GenerateBlocks)

1. First Post Block (Featured or Lead Post)

<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"dd19c67d","backgroundColor":"var(\u002d\u002dbase-2)","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"b490e8e0","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"useGlobalMaxWidth":true,"spacing":{"marginRight":"auto","marginLeft":"auto","paddingTop":"20px","paddingBottom":"20px","paddingLeft":"20px","paddingRight":"20px"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/query-loop {"uniqueId":"5bd5bcba","query":{"post_type":"post","per_page":"1"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/grid {"uniqueId":"61d5c022","columns":1,"horizontalGap":20,"verticalGap":20,"isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":3,"isQueryLoop":true,"lock":{"remove":true}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"5fdc7b0e","isGrid":true,"isQueryLoopItem":true,"gridId":"61d5c022","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"sizing":{"width":"100%","widthMobile":"100%"},"spacing":{"paddingTop":"20px","paddingRight":"20px","paddingBottom":"20px","paddingLeft":"20px","paddingTopMobile":"0px","paddingLeftMobile":"0px","paddingRightMobile":"0px","paddingBottomMobile":"0px"},"lock":{"remove":true,"move":true}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/grid {"uniqueId":"ac29fcb9","columns":2,"horizontalGap":40,"verticalGap":20,"verticalAlignment":"center","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":3} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"13be8e5d","isGrid":true,"gridId":"ac29fcb9","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"sizing":{"width":"50%","widthMobile":"100%"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/image {"uniqueId":"b022bc32","sizeSlug":"large","blockVersion":2,"spacing":{"marginBottom":"30px"},"borders":{"borderTopLeftRadius":"5px","borderTopRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomLeftRadius":"5px"},"useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"featured-image","dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} /-->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"7c59d206","isGrid":true,"gridId":"ac29fcb9","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"sizing":{"width":"50%","widthMobile":"100%"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"6f1f795f","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":"13px","lineHeight":"","fontWeight":"bold","textTransform":"uppercase","letterSpacing":"0.06em"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"5px"},"linkColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","linkColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"terms","dynamicLinkType":"term-archives","termTaxonomy":"category"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-6f1f795f gb-headline-text"></div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"ac83b54b","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":"38px","fontWeight":"bold","fontSizeTablet":"30px","fontSizeMobile":"24px"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"5px"},"linkColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast)","linkColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"post-title","dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} -->
<h2 class="gb-headline gb-headline-ac83b54b gb-headline-text"></h2>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"2ca6507d","element":"p","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":""},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"15px","marginTop":"15px"},"useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"post-excerpt","useDefaultMoreLink":false,"excerptLength":26} -->
<p class="gb-headline gb-headline-2ca6507d gb-headline-text"></p>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"08337bd5","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"display":"inline-flex","typography":{"fontSize":"15px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-08337bd5 gb-headline-text">Written by: </div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"2cd1cd3a","element":"p","blockVersion":3,"display":"inline-flex","alignItems":"flex-end","typography":{"fontSize":"15px","fontWeight":"bold"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"0px","paddingRight":"","paddingTop":""},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"author-name"} -->
<p class="gb-headline gb-headline-2cd1cd3a gb-headline-text"></p>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"d1eb1020","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"display":"flex","alignItems":"flex-end","typography":{"fontSize":"14px"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"0px","marginRight":""},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"post-date"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-d1eb1020 gb-headline-text"></div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/button {"uniqueId":"480830f9","blockVersion":4,"display":"inline-flex","alignItems":"center","columnGap":"0.5em","spacing":{"paddingTop":"10px","paddingRight":"20px","paddingBottom":"10px","paddingLeft":"20px","marginTop":"25px"},"borders":{"borderTopWidth":"2px","borderTopStyle":"solid","borderRightWidth":"2px","borderRightStyle":"solid","borderBottomWidth":"2px","borderBottomStyle":"solid","borderLeftWidth":"2px","borderLeftStyle":"solid","borderTopColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderTopColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","borderRightColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderBottomColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderLeftColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderLeftColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","borderRightColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","borderBottomColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","borderTopLeftRadius":"5px","borderBottomRightRadius":"5px","borderTopRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomLeftRadius":"5px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","textColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","gradientDirection":90,"gradientColorOne":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","gradientColorTwo":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.30)","iconLocation":"right","iconPaddingRight":"","iconPaddingLeft":"0.5","iconStyles":{"height":"1.8em","width":"1.8em"},"useDynamicData":true,"dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} -->
<span class="gb-button gb-button-480830f9 gb-button-text">Read Article</span>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/button -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/grid -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/grid -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/query-loop -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->

2. Latest Post Block in Grid Format

<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"9366a1a5","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"dcb56b32","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"useGlobalMaxWidth":true,"spacing":{"marginRight":"auto","marginLeft":"auto","paddingTop":"40px","paddingBottom":"40px","paddingLeft":"20px","paddingRight":"20px"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/query-loop {"uniqueId":"3058bb33","query":{"post_type":"post","per_page":"9","offset":"1"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/grid {"uniqueId":"ae47745b","columns":1,"horizontalGap":20,"verticalGap":20,"isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":3,"isQueryLoop":true,"lock":{"remove":true}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"e7d1bb09","isGrid":true,"isQueryLoopItem":true,"gridId":"ae47745b","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"sizing":{"width":"33.33%","widthMobile":"100%","widthTablet":"50%"},"spacing":{"paddingTop":"20px","paddingRight":"20px","paddingBottom":"20px","paddingLeft":"20px","paddingTopMobile":"0px","paddingLeftMobile":"0px","paddingRightMobile":"0px","paddingBottomMobile":"0px"},"lock":{"remove":true,"move":true}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/image {"uniqueId":"bc4f91ad","sizeSlug":"large","blockVersion":2,"spacing":{"marginBottom":"30px"},"borders":{"borderTopLeftRadius":"5px","borderTopRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomLeftRadius":"5px"},"useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"featured-image","dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} /-->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"8f8c6158","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":"13px","lineHeight":"","fontWeight":"bold","textTransform":"uppercase","letterSpacing":"0.06em"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"5px"},"linkColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","linkColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"terms","dynamicLinkType":"term-archives","termTaxonomy":"category"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-8f8c6158 gb-headline-text"></div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"c7a6a5fe","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":"23px","lineHeight":"1.5em","fontWeight":"bold","fontSizeTablet":"20px","fontSizeMobile":"18px"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"5px"},"linkColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast)","linkColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"post-title","dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} -->
<h2 class="gb-headline gb-headline-c7a6a5fe gb-headline-text"></h2>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"8bb8d87b","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"display":"inline-flex","typography":{"fontSize":"15px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-8bb8d87b gb-headline-text">Written by: </div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"f29f2c81","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"display":"inline-flex","alignItems":"flex-end","typography":{"fontSize":"15px","fontWeight":"bold"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"0px","paddingRight":"10px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"author-name"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-f29f2c81 gb-headline-text"></div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/headline {"uniqueId":"13ca27e8","element":"div","blockVersion":3,"typography":{"fontSize":"14px"},"spacing":{"marginBottom":"0px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-2)","useDynamicData":true,"dynamicContentType":"post-date"} -->
<div class="gb-headline gb-headline-13ca27e8 gb-headline-text"></div>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/headline -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/grid -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/query-loop -->

<!-- wp:generateblocks/container {"uniqueId":"34ff37b7","isDynamic":true,"blockVersion":4,"typography":{"textAlign":"center"}} -->
<!-- wp:generateblocks/button {"uniqueId":"43c91a80","hasUrl":true,"blockVersion":4,"display":"inline-flex","alignItems":"center","columnGap":"0.5em","spacing":{"paddingTop":"10px","paddingRight":"20px","paddingBottom":"10px","paddingLeft":"20px","marginTop":"15px"},"borders":{"borderTopWidth":"2px","borderTopStyle":"solid","borderRightWidth":"2px","borderRightStyle":"solid","borderBottomWidth":"2px","borderBottomStyle":"solid","borderLeftWidth":"2px","borderLeftStyle":"solid","borderTopColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderTopColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-3)","borderRightColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderBottomColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderLeftColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","borderLeftColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-3)","borderRightColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-3)","borderBottomColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-3)","borderTopLeftRadius":"5px","borderBottomRightRadius":"5px","borderTopRightRadius":"5px","borderBottomLeftRadius":"5px"},"textColor":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","textColorHover":"var(\u002d\u002dcontrast-3)","gradientDirection":90,"gradientColorOne":"var(\u002d\u002daccent)","gradientColorTwo":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.30)","iconLocation":"right","iconPaddingRight":"","iconPaddingLeft":"0.5","iconStyles":{"height":"1.8em","width":"1.8em"},"dynamicLinkType":"single-post"} -->
<a class="gb-button gb-button-43c91a80 gb-button-text" href="http://localhost/webdev/blog/">Read All Article</a>
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/button -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->
<!-- /wp:generateblocks/container -->

Custom CSS Code

.main-navigation .main-nav ul li a {
  line-height: 45px;
}
.gp-custom-category-section {
	margin-bottom: 10px;
  font-size: 14px;
  letter-spacing: 0.5px;
}
.read-more-section {
	text-align: center;
}
.read-more-section .custom-readmore-button {
	border: 1px solid var(--accent);
  padding: 12px;
}
.read-more-section .custom-readmore-button:hover {
	background: var(--accent);
	color: var(--base-3);
}
.entry-meta {
	margin-bottom: 25px;
}
.tags-links {
	margin-bottom: 15px;
}

PHP Code Snippets

Site Customization Code

add_action( 'generate_after_entry_header','wpf_gp_custom_thumbnail_image' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_thumbnail_image')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_thumbnail_image() {  
		if(is_single()) {
			$feat_image = wp_get_attachment_url( get_post_thumbnail_id(get_the_ID()) );
			echo '<img class="single-featured-image" src="'.$feat_image.'"></img>';	
		}
	}
}
add_action( 'generate_before_entry_title','wpf_gp_custom_before_title' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_before_title')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_before_title() {  
		$post_categories = wp_get_post_categories(get_the_ID(), [ 'fields' => 'all' ]);
		$category_content = '<div class="gp-custom-category-section">';
		if( $post_categories ) { 
			foreach($post_categories as $c) {
				$category_link = get_category_link( $c->term_id );
				$category_content = $category_content . '<a href="'. $category_link .'">' . $c->name . '</a>' . ' / ';
			}
			$category_content = rtrim($category_content, ' / ');
		}
		$category_content = $category_content . '</div>';
		echo $category_content;
	}
}

add_filter( 'generate_post_date_output','wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_date' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_date')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_date( $output ) {
		return '<div class="gp-post-date-author">' . $output;
	}
}
add_filter( 'generate_post_author_output','wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_author' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_author')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_add_to_post_author( $output ) {
		return $output . '</div>';
	}
}
add_filter( 'generate_leave_comment','wpf_gp_custom_remove_comment_link' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_remove_comment_link')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_remove_comment_link() {
		return false;
	}
}

add_filter( 'generate_show_comments', '__return_false' ); 
add_filter( 'generate_show_categories', '__return_false' );

add_filter( 'generate_excerpt_more_output', 'wpf_gp_custom_read_more' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_custom_read_more')) {
	function wpf_gp_custom_read_more() { 
		return '<div class="read-more-section"><a class="custom-readmore-button" href="'.get_permalink(get_the_ID()).'">Continue Reading &rarr;</a></div>';
	}
}
add_action( 'after_setup_theme','wpf_gp_remove_featured_image' );
if( !function_exists('wpf_gp_remove_featured_image')) {
	function wpf_gp_remove_featured_image() { 
		remove_action( 'generate_before_content', 'generate_featured_page_header_inside_single', 10 );
	}
}

GeneratePress Custom Copyright Text

add_filter( 'generate_copyright','wpframer_gp_custom_copyright' );
if (!function_exists('wpframer_gp_custom_copyright')) {
	function wpframer_gp_custom_copyright() {
		$year = date("Y");
		?>
		© <?php echo $year ?> WordPress Site Development• All Rights Reserved!
		<?php
	}
}
I regularly post videos about building WordPress Websites from scratch using free and premium themes. If you like to watch more similar contents, please subscribe to my YouTube channel!