How to set up a news or tech site on WordPress with a block theme
In short: To set up a news site on WordPress with a block theme, install WordPress and set its language, time zone and permalinks, upload and activate the theme as a zip, then arrange categories, the menu and the front page in the Site Editor or in the theme's own panel. Leave SEO, forms, caching and backups to plugins. Work in this order and you won't have to change your URL structure or layout after the first story goes live.
What you need before you start
You need a domain, hosting with an HTTPS certificate and a WordPress install. Wiozen Theme needs WordPress 6.6 and PHP 7.4 or newer; check the PHP version in your hosting panel.
Before installing the theme, set three WordPress options, because changing them once you're publishing is a hassle:
- Settings › General: site language and time zone. On a news site, publish times are shown in this time zone.
- Settings › Permalinks: "Post name". The address then carries the title instead of a date or number.
- Settings › Reading: the box that discourages search engines from indexing the site should be unchecked once you're ready to go live.
Upload and activate the theme
Download Wiozen Theme, then in WordPress go to Appearance › Themes › Add New › Upload Theme, choose the zip, install and activate it. With a block theme active, the Appearance menu shows "Editor". The header, footer, templates, colors and fonts change there; this screen does the job of the Customize and Widgets screens in classic themes.
The theme's own screen is under Appearance › Wiozen Theme. Click "Connect Wiozen" and approve the site with your Wiozen account, and the panel opens. The panel and automatic updates need at least $5 in total top-ups on the account; the balance stays yours and is spent in Wiozen apps. Without connecting, the site, the Site Editor and your posts still work, and the theme runs in its default News design.
News or technology: pick a design
The panel's Designs tab has five designs. Two of them suit news and tech sites:
- News: a dense newspaper front page with a breaking news ticker, a numbered headline slider and category sections. For sites that post many stories a day.
- Technology: featured posts, review and guide lists, and a timed news feed. For sites that also publish reviews and how-to articles.
If you cover business news, look at the Finance design too: it has a timed headline feed, a lead story with analysis, and market and company columns. When you switch designs, templates you changed in the Site Editor are kept; reset them on the Customize tab if you want the new design's version.
To see the layout filled in, add the demo posts from the Demo content tab. Demo content is tagged when it's added and removed with one click from the same tab; your own posts are left alone.
Set up categories and the menu
On a news site, categories are the main way readers get around. Start with 5–8 categories (politics, business, sports, tech and so on) and put each story in one main category. Wiozen Theme gives every category a color from the design's palette automatically; it shows on badges and on the category page heading.
You edit the menu through the Navigation block in the header part of the Site Editor. Add your categories to the menu and put company pages (masthead, contact, privacy) in the footer.
Arrange the front page and settings
On the Customize tab you build the front page from modules. You can add up to 20, reorder them and hide them. Each module has several looks and takes its posts from the latest posts, the recently updated ones, a category, a tag or the most commented. The list is saved separately for each design.
On the Settings tab you choose between three header and three footer layouts. The breaking news ticker, category stories, the dark mode button and the back to top button are switched on and off here. The cookie notice is off by default; turn it on if you'll run ads.
The Ad slots tab has ready places: a leaderboard, a mobile banner, a rectangle, a skyscraper, an in-article slot and side rails on wide screens. A slot with ad code reserves its space so the page doesn't jump; an empty slot takes no space.
Add plugins
The theme doesn't handle SEO settings, forms, caching, security, backups or translation itself; those stay in plugins, so you keep your settings if you change themes. A news site needs at least:
- An SEO plugin, for meta descriptions, structured data and the sitemap. The theme shows the plugin's breadcrumbs in its own spot.
- A caching plugin, or your host's own cache.
- A backup plugin.
- A form plugin for the contact page.
During setup the theme suggests Wiozen Content Bot, an SEO plugin and a form plugin. None of them is required, and you can dismiss the notice.
Final check before going live
- Open the front page, a story and a category page on a phone.
- Write alt text for featured images.
- Fill in each author's name and bio under Users › Profile. The author box on posts shows them; with no bio, the box doesn't appear.
- Submit your SEO plugin's sitemap to the search engines' webmaster tools.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a page builder plugin with a block theme?
Yes. Wiozen Theme has "Full width" and "Blank canvas" templates for use with page builders. Pick one from the template setting in the post or page editor.
Will my site go down if I don't connect an account?
No. The site visitors see, the Site Editor and your posts always work. Without a connected account, only the theme panel and automatic updates stay locked.
How many sites can I use the theme on?
There's no limit. Each site connects to your Wiozen account on its own, and you can see your connected sites on the My sites page at themes.wiozen.com.
What happens if I edit the theme files?
Make changes in a child theme or in the Site Editor. If the theme's own files are changed, the panel and updates lock; reinstalling the theme fixes it.
For your news or tech site, download Wiozen Theme for free and try the designs on your own site.