Beer with Kyle: Theme Selection + A Possible Shift Away From Beer?
Hey Everyone,
Today’s discussion is two-fold.
- The default theme selection for websites at Wealthy Affiliate.
- A possible transition from Beer with Kyle → Coffee with Kyle.
And of course, this week’s beer (sort of).
This Week’s Beer (or Nonnie)...
It’s 10:30 in the morning while I’m recording, so I went with a Corona Cero (non-alcoholic). Honestly, it’s one of the best NA beers I’ve had. Crisp, refreshing, and works great when you don’t really want alcohol that early in the day.
Some people call these “nonnies,” and I think they’re underrated. You don’t always need alcohol in the glass to enjoy the ritual.
Theme Selection: Time for a Change?
Currently, the default theme that every new WA site gets is GeneratePress. It’s… okay. But here’s the problem:
- The free version has stagnated.
- Most of the improvements are now hidden in the paid upgrade.
- Designs look “fine” but not as modern as they could.
That’s why I’ve been experimenting with alternatives.
My Pick So Far: Blocksy!
- Clean, modern, and customizable.
- Free version offers a lot of flexibility.
- Friendly to beginners and advanced users alike.
I’m testing Blocksy on my Affiliate Bootcamp site, and I’ve been impressed. Compared to GeneratePress, it feels fresher, more current, and more adaptable.
Other solid options: Astra (popular, but I don’t love it as much), plus plenty of free “block themes” in the WP repository.
But here’s where you come in:
Question: Which free themes do you like? Which ones do you recommend we consider as the new default starter theme?
Beer with Kyle… or Coffee with Kyle?
Here’s the other thing on my mind.
The idea of Beer with Kyle has always been fun....it’s Friday, heading into the weekend, and a casual vibe. But with my schedule, I’m often recording these earlier in the morning (closer to 9–10am). And frankly, a beer at that time isn’t ideal. Most of the time, I end up pouring out half the can...as it goes flat in my fridge
So, I’m thinking of shifting to Coffee with Kyle:
- Still casual, still a Friday check-in.
- Lets me feature WA mugs (we have a ton of cool ones).
- Probably more authentic, since I actually drink coffee at that hour.
Would this change the vibe too much for you? I could still do the occasional Beer with Kyle episode for tradition’s sake, but I think coffee might be a better fit moving forward.
Over to You!
- Theme selection: Do you use Blocksy, Astra, or another theme you love? Should WA move away from GeneratePress as the default?
- Beer vs. Coffee: Would you support a shift to Coffee with Kyle, or do you want me to keep Beer with Kyle alive?
Drop your feedback in the comments, I would really value your input on both fronts. Thanks as always!
Join FREE & Launch Your Business!
Exclusive Bonus - Offer Ends at Midnight Today
00
Hours
:
00
Minutes
:
00
Seconds
2,000 AI Credits Worth $10 USD
Build a Logo + Website That Attracts Customers
400 Credits
Discover Hot Niches with AI Market Research
100 Credits
Create SEO Content That Ranks & Converts
800 Credits
Find Affiliate Offers Up to $500/Sale
10 Credits
Access a Community of 2.9M+ Members
Recent Comments
214
Hi Kyle:
It makes no difference to me whether it's Beer with Kyle or Coffee with Kyle. The fact is I don't do beer or coffee, so I'll have cranberry juice or juice from my Nutribullet. Instead of coffee, I'll do some kind of herbal tea. Most importantly, these sessions with you are a treasure trove. Thank you or sharing so generously!
Veron
Does the free version affect Google indexing? I often hear that free sites get skipped by Google. And dear Kyle, drink whatever you like — coffee’s brilliant. I need one or two cups myself in the morning. The alcohol-free beer just reminded me of the time I actually bought the wrong thing — grabbed alcohol-free Heineken, thinking bloody Heineken had put out some kind of special edition or something. My friends laughed their heads off, and I can still hear them laughing (for many years) 😑
No it doesn't, that is not theme related.
.siterubix.com websites don't get indexed, they will start getting indexed when put your website on your own domain name.
And that is a funny story, the crazy thing is that people are buying alcohol free beer at the same price, and sometimes even more expensive. I am not sure how long this will last or if it is trend, but as time goes on it appears people are less and less inclined to drink.
What?! .siterubix.com sites don’t even get indexed? I didn’t know that 😭 Guess I have to get another domain then...
And alcohol-free beer is a trend now?! 😳 , there are already so many non-alcoholic drinks out there 😑😑😑 What’s next, decaf Red Bull?
No, they don't. Not the free .siterubix.com ones. You don't want to try to build a website without a domain, when you move it over to your own .com domain, that is when they become indexable (as it is a sub-domain as well).
And yes, they have decaf redbull...which is crazy! lol
Love coffee ☕️😊, so coffee it is! But I think, if there are members in different time zones, any drinks will do, I guess. As for themes, I just started working on Kadence -learning and still playing around with it. I will however, look into Blocksy as well. I think we can switch themes, right?
Awesome, I love coffee as well and it is a big part of my day...every day! And there are lots of great themes out there, and Kadence is definitely one of the more popular ones. Glad you are liking that. :)
Heyo! I think the idea of "Drinks with Kyle" would be best. You could drink whatever is best suited for you. Early in the morning, then go for a fruu fruu special coffee drink or tea or a regular cup of joe. Then if you happen to record later in the day, then you could still have that beer or even a glass of wine or a mixed drink.
As far as theme, I always change it up. It has been a learning curve with how the different layout work on my website, but that's alright. Keeps the brain muscle flexed.
An option could be to ask the user what type of online business they are starting as part of the setup process and have different themes that are more suited for that. As always, they can always change it if they want something different.
Angela M :)
Ah, I like that. Full flexibility...sometimes it might be coffee or tea, could be water, or a margarita! lol
Great to hear you are getting well versed in your theme use, there are a lot of really excellent themes out there that you can leverage and a lot of it comes down to personal taste (after of course you have selected a functional theme). :)
Thanks for your feedback as always, appreciate it! :)
See more comments
Join FREE & Launch Your Business!
Exclusive Bonus - Offer Ends at Midnight Today
00
Hours
:
00
Minutes
:
00
Seconds
2,000 AI Credits Worth $10 USD
Build a Logo + Website That Attracts Customers
400 Credits
Discover Hot Niches with AI Market Research
100 Credits
Create SEO Content That Ranks & Converts
800 Credits
Find Affiliate Offers Up to $500/Sale
10 Credits
Access a Community of 2.9M+ Members
Hey, Kyle. I totally get the change from Beer to Coffee. I love both but certainly, if recording in the morning, coffee makes so much more sense.
It will not diminish from the content of your discussion anyway, so in my opinion....Go for it!
Regarding themes, I have a website built on GeneratePress and 2 on Astra.
The GeneratePress theme was the first theme I used, influenced purely because that is the theme you used to teach on. I was learning parrot fashion. However, I feel now that my layout and UX is particularly poor on it, and although I have a ton of content on there, it needs a complete overhaul.
I have built a simple WooCommerce site and a normal site on Astra. I found it easy to do both and it worked paricularly well with the "Elementor" site builder. So, anyone wondering about Astra, I give it a good thumbs up.
I am intrigued by Blocksy. Maybe I will migrate my original site over to Blocksy and work on the UX from there. I'm not sure yet. Decision to be made.
Anyway, thanks again for a great "Beer with Kyle," and I look forward to the forthcoming "Coffee with Kyle" episodes.
Thanks for your feedback, try Blocksy out Richard and let us know what you think. Coffee With Kyle coming to you every Friday with a bunch of new stuff! :)
Sounds great.
I am trying to get back to my site as quickly as I can. I am still thinking of trying Blocksy. If I do, I will definietly give some feedback.
One question, the site I will be migrating from GeneratePress to Blocksy has about 90 posts on it. Do you envisage any problems with the migration, and if so what precautions should I take?