BuddyX
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What Kind of Site Are You Building?

Free theme

You've installed BuddyX and finished the Quick Start first-time setup - logo, brand color, fonts, menu, footer, and your first pages are in place. Now pick your goal below. Each path names the exact in-house plugin(s) to install (free and Pro) and the BuddyX settings to touch, so you always know your next click.

Haven't done the Quick Start yet? Start there first. Every path below assumes the basics are already set.

First, one plugin every path uses

Right after the theme, install the free companion plugin Wbcom Essential. It adds Gutenberg blocks, Elementor widgets, and ready-made block patterns that inherit your BuddyX colors automatically, so your homepage and inner pages look on-brand with zero extra styling. It's free, and it helps on every path below.

Where do plugin names link? Every product mentioned here lives in one place: the BuddyX plugin family. That page has the full free-vs-Pro breakdown and download links. This page just tells you which one to grab for your goal.

Pick your goal

Your goal Jump to Install (in-house)
Publish articles - blog or magazine Blog / magazine Wbcom Essential
Show your work - portfolio or one-pager Portfolio / one-page Wbcom Essential
Explain a business or agency Business / agency Wbcom Essential
Build a member community Community / social BuddyNext or BuddyPress
Sell physical or digital products Online store WooCommerce + BuddyX Pro
Teach online courses Online courses Learnomy
Run events with tickets Events Eventonomy
Post jobs and take applications Job board WP Career Board
Run a freelance services marketplace Services marketplace WP Sell Services
List businesses, places, or members Directory Listora

My site is a mix of these. That's normal, and BuddyX handles it. Read the My site is a mix note at the end - pick your main goal now, add a second path later.

Blog / magazine

Outcome: A site whose front page is your latest articles. Readers come for the writing.

Install these:

  • Wbcom Essential (free) - block patterns for a magazine-style homepage and post layouts.
  • That's it. Blogging is built into WordPress and BuddyX - you don't need a paid plugin to start.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Blog - pick a blog layout (Default, List, Grid, or Masonry) and choose excerpts vs full posts. See Blog layout.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - a right sidebar is the common blog choice. See Sidebars.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Typography - set your heading and body fonts for comfortable reading. See Typography.

Want a paid-newsletter or membership angle later? You can add a community layer on top - see Community / social.

Portfolio / one-page

Outcome: A site that showcases your work. Big images, minimal chrome. Often a single scrolling page.

Install these:

  • Wbcom Essential (free) - hero, gallery, and call-to-action patterns to assemble a one-page layout without code.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Blog -> Layout - use Grid or Masonry so each piece leads with its image. See Blog layout.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - set No sidebar so work fills the width. See Sidebars.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - keep the palette to 1-2 colors so the work, not the theme, stands out. See Color scheme.

Want per-page control (one layout for the homepage, another for project pages)? Per-page settings are a BuddyX Pro feature. Free works fine for a consistent one-pager.

Business / agency

Outcome: A focused site that explains what you offer, builds trust, and sends visitors to contact you.

Install these:

  • Wbcom Essential (free) - hero, features grid, pricing, testimonial, and CTA patterns to build service pages fast.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Homepage / Static Front Page - point your homepage at a designed page, not the blog feed. See Match the demo.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Header - a clean header with your logo and a clear menu. See Header.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar -> No sidebar - landing pages read better full-width. See Sidebars.

Need header layouts, a top bar, or a sign-in popup for a client login? Those are BuddyX Pro additions. The free header is enough for a standard brochure site.

Community / social

Outcome: A site where the value is the members - profiles, feeds, groups, messaging.

Install these - pick one community engine:

  • BuddyNext (free, with a Pro upgrade) - our modern, faster community engine: profiles, feeds, Spaces, and messaging. Choose this for a fresh build - it's what BuddyX is tuned for going forward.
  • BuddyPress (free, from WordPress.org) - the long-established community plugin with a huge add-on ecosystem. Choose this if you're migrating an existing BuddyPress site or already rely on a specific BuddyPress add-on.

Which one? New community, no legacy data - go BuddyNext. Existing BuddyPress site or a must-have BuddyPress add-on - stay on BuddyPress. BuddyX supports both. See BuddyNext with BuddyX for the full comparison.

Then add depth (optional, each free + Pro):

  • Jetonomy - forums, Q&A, and an ideas roadmap.
  • MediaVerse - photo and video albums for members.
  • WB Gamification - points, badges, and leaderboards to keep members active.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Community - avatar style and community display options (this panel appears once your community engine is active). See Community integration.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - set sidebars for the member directory, groups, and activity feed. See Sidebars.

BuddyX free covers the essentials; BuddyX Pro adds full directory, header, and navigation layouts, activity share and reactions, a side panel, and a sign-in popup. Start free - upgrade when you want the polish.

Online store

Outcome: A shop that takes orders for physical or digital products.

Install these:

  • WooCommerce (free, from WordPress.org) - the store engine (products, cart, checkout, payments). This one is not an in-house plugin; it's the WordPress standard, and BuddyX supports it.
  • BuddyX Pro (optional) - adds WooCommerce shop styling so your product grid, cart, and checkout match your theme. BuddyX free displays WooCommerce correctly; Pro makes it look designed.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - set your brand colors; the shop inherits them. See Color scheme.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - many stores use No sidebar on product pages for a cleaner buy flow. See Sidebars.

Selling your own time or freelance work rather than products? Look at Services marketplace instead.

Online courses

Outcome: A learning site with courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates, and paid enrollment.

Install these:

  • Learnomy (free, with a Pro upgrade) - our in-house LMS: courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates, and paid enrollments.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - set No sidebar on lessons so learners focus on the content. See Sidebars.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Typography - readable body type matters for long lessons. See Typography.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - your brand colors carry into course pages and buttons. See Color scheme.

Running a course community too (student discussions, cohorts)? Pair Learnomy with a Community / social engine.

Events

Outcome: A site that lists events, takes RSVPs, sells tickets, and checks people in.

Install these:

  • Eventonomy (free, with a Pro upgrade) - RSVPs, paid ticketing, venues, and QR check-in.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Blog / Archive layout - a Grid layout suits an events listing. See Blog layout.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - brand colors flow into event cards and ticket buttons. See Color scheme.

Events inside a members community? Run Eventonomy alongside a Community / social engine so members RSVP with their profile.

Job board

Outcome: A site where employers post jobs and candidates apply with resumes.

Install these:

  • WP Career Board (free, with a Pro upgrade) - job listings, company profiles, resumes, and applications.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - a sidebar with job filters helps candidates browse. See Sidebars.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Header - keep a clear "Post a Job" call-to-action in the menu. See Header.

Want employers and candidates to have full member profiles? Add a Community / social engine so a job board becomes a career network.

Services marketplace

Outcome: A marketplace where freelancers sell services, take orders, and get paid out.

Install these:

  • WP Sell Services (free, with a Pro upgrade) - vendor storefronts, orders, and payouts.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - vendor storefronts and buttons inherit your palette. See Color scheme.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - category and price filters help buyers search. See Sidebars.

Vendors need public profiles and messaging? Pair WP Sell Services with a Community / social engine so each vendor gets a member profile.

Directory

Outcome: A searchable directory of businesses, places, or members - with claims, reviews, and paid listings.

Install these:

  • Listora (free, with a Pro upgrade) - member listings, listing claims, reviews, and monetization.

Then set:

  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Sidebar - a filter sidebar is essential for a browsable directory. See Sidebars.
  • Appearance -> Customize -> Site Skin - listing cards inherit your brand colors. See Color scheme.

Want listing owners to have accounts and profiles? Add a Community / social engine so each listing links to a member.

My site is a mix

Most real sites blend two or three of the paths above, and BuddyX is built to stack them. A few common combinations:

  • Blog + community - articles plus member discussions. Set your blog layout, then add BuddyNext or BuddyPress.
  • Business + store - a brochure site that also sells. Business path for the pages, WooCommerce for checkout.
  • Community + courses + events - a full membership site. BuddyNext for the social layer, Learnomy for courses, Eventonomy for meetups.
  • Directory + services marketplace - listings that also transact. Listora plus WP Sell Services.

Every one of these is an in-house plugin from Wbcom Designs, each with a free tier and an optional Pro upgrade, and each inherits your BuddyX colors and fonts automatically. See the full lineup on the plugin family page.

How to approach a mix: set up your main goal completely first, launch it, then add the second path when you're ready. You don't have to build everything on day one.

Related

Next: Found your path? Open the plugin family page, install the plugin named in your path (start with the free version), then come back and apply the "Then set" settings for your goal.