Divi is, of course, a hugely popular theme! Part of this popularity needs to be attributed to the fact that Elegant Themes — the creator of Divi — is the most popular independent WordPress themes store on the market today. So, it makes sense that its flagship product is quite popular as well. But apart from that, I need to be honest here and admit that Divi truly is an impressive theme that packs a ton of features and delivers them in a package that’s easy to grasp (even for someone new to website building).
This beginner-friendly nature is perhaps Divi’s biggest selling point. But we’ll get to all that in a minute.
What Is Divi?
As cited, Divi is the flagship introduction of Elegant Themes. It’s what’s generally known as a mega topic. In different words, it’s just like a fashionable WordPress topic, however higher, and bigger… loads bigger.
Divi’s can serve a couple of functions and match any sort of internet site. Basically, irrespective of what sort of web website online you need to construct (and irrespective of the layout as well), Divi guarantees it could cope with the job.
Moreover, Divi is constructed with the amateur in mind. Everything from set-as much as the interface, and the way you could contend with updates in a while, has been constructed in a manner that even a entire amateur can get the grasp of very quickly.
In a nutshell:
- Divi is a totally practical WordPress topic that works immediately out of the field. It doesn’t want any specific set up technique past what you’d want to do with another WordPress topic.
- It doesn’t require you to have any WordPress coding revel in or internet site constructing skills. For the maximum part, each customization is to be had thru a on hand person interface.
- You can do maximum of your customizing proper at the the front give up. Meaning that rather of getting to surprise what your changes are going to appear to be at the stay web website online, you get a actual-time preview as you’re doing all of your customizations.
- It helps you to construct simply any sort of layout or format imaginable, even as nonetheless the usage of the equal topic.
Let’s stay with that ultimate element for a minute: Being capable of create any layout is essentially the principle trait of the mega topic genre, with the intention to speak. In different words, Divi doesn’t include a committed layout in line with se; it doesn’t pressure any layouts or patterns on you, however rather helps you to track matters for your liking thru its many alternatives panels.
This is precisely what makes Divi actually multipurpose.
Another element really well worth discussing is how Divi pertains to the alternative web page builder answers at the market — specifically, the ones inclusive of Elementor or Beaver Builder.
At the give up of the day, Divi topic is an answer that’s a piece extra entire than Elementor or Beaver Builder. This is only right all the way down to the truth that it’s an all-in-one answer.
For instance, to make both Elementor or Beaver Builder work, you want a separate WordPress topic to move along them. So, withinside the give up, what you become with is maximum possibly a completely fundamental topic that serves because the shell that homes your Elementor or Beaver-constructed pages.
In that light, Divi is simply extra convenient. It now no longer most effective comes with its superior web page builder capability out of the field, however it’s additionally a topic in itself, so that you don’t want any extra shell topic to make matters work.
Looking inside Divi — How to Use It
Since Divi is a top rate topic (extra at the pricing in a minute), you could’t locate it thru WordPress.org’s default topic directory. Instead, you need to visit Elegant Themes, be part of the club, and get your very own ZIP record containing the topic.
Once you’ve got got the ZIP record, it installs like another topic — thru the panel located in Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme.
When you’re executed with the set up and feature the topic lively, you could continue to the topic’s primary settings. Divi has its very own menu withinside the primary sidebar in which you could locate the hyperlink to that settings panel:
There’s virtually a whole lot of stuff you could alter there, however if you could’t be troubled to undergo all which you don’t certainly ought to. Or, at least, adjusting these types of settings one at a time doesn’t ought to be the primary element you do with Divi.
The great manner to certainly get to understand Divi is to create a brand new homepage to your internet site. That’s precisely what I’m going to do on this Divi review.
It all works simply as you’d expect. First, you want to create a clean web page and assign it because the the front web page in Settings → Reading. Next, you could continue to edit the web page with the Divi Builder.
The manner the web page builder part of Divi works could be very much like the alternative builder answers at the market, inclusive of Beaver Builder or Elementor.
Here’s a brief rundown of Divi’s web page organisation structure:
Your web page’s content material incorporates sections… that could incorporate one or extra rows… which in flip can incorporate one or extra columns… which sooner or later incorporate character content material blocks.
Sounds complicated, perhaps, however it’s certainly quite smooth to realise after you begin running with Divi. Here’s an instance web page structure (you could see all the vital factors — sections, rows, and content material blocks inner columns):
Divi web page structure
Juggling all of these rows, columns, and content material blocks is the way you assemble a web page with Divi.
To get commenced, continue to edit your homepage, and click on at the massive button that announces Use The Divi Builder.
Launch Divi Builder
This will release the principle Divi visible builder. At this stage, there isn’t lots there, however this could all extrade in a second.
To make getting commenced easier, you could select out some thing from the to be had layouts that come withinside the field with Divi. You can load them via way of means of clicking at the ‘…’ and ‘+’ icons at the lowest of the screen:
Upload a format with Divi
There are a whole lot of thrilling layouts to pick out from, and they’re all only a seek away, with a few examples indexed as well.
Divi layouts to pick out from
The one drawback is that you could’t truly see what a selected format seems like earlier than loading it onto your web page. However, this isn’t a big pain, given that selecting a template format is some thing you’ll probable most effective do at the start degrees while running on a given web page, so that you won’t danger dropping any real content material.
The method of uploading the format works very smoothly, I ought to admit. All you want to do is click on at the format you need, and it’ll be imported in a be counted of seconds.
Another cool characteristic watching for you at the lowest of the web page is the tool preview toolbar.
Tool transfer toolbar
With it, you could transfer the preview window among desktop, pill and contact views. Also, you could zoom inside and outside to look the entire web page from a bird’s eye view.
If you need to, you could additionally use the equal toolbar to exchange to the wireframe view, which focuses extra at the collection of the content material blocks to your web page and their settings, in preference to on their character appearances. This may be beneficial while running on a bigger web page.
Wireframe view
When it involves the usage of the principle builder interface, I actually have to mention it’s as an alternative intuitive and doesn’t go away many questions unanswered. You can essentially hover your mouse cursor over any element, and the to be had alternatives will seem automatically.
Divi enhancing on mouse hover
Apart from that, you could click on on quite lots any piece of textual content you notice at the web page and edit it directly. You get to apply all of the usual textual content-processing gear you’d expect (bold, italic, quotes, font length and sort adjustments, and so on).
Divi textual content enhancing
As for the character rows and sections, you could realign them freely simply via way of means of grabbing certainly considered one among them and dragging it into place.
But, of course, Divi isn’t most effective approximately enhancing an present format and bending it for your will — there’s loads extra watching for you.
When it comes to using the main builder interface, I have to say it’s rather intuitive and doesn’t leave many questions unanswered. You can basically hover your mouse cursor over any element, and the available options will appear automatically.
Interesting Features in Divi
As I cited earlier, the most important promoting factor of Divi is it’s an all-in-one answer for constructing the precise web site design you want — and it additionally gives a pleasant package deal of capability to move along.
I already indexed a number of this above, however I need to present you a extra complete listing here, simply so that you can understand what number of capabilities Divi truly packs:
It permits you to layout/construct your web website online in actual time. There’s a stay preview of the whole lot you’re doing. There’s no want to fill out a shape on a few settings web page, click on ‘Save’ after which refresh the web page to look if the impact is okay. Divi does away with all that.
Everything you notice at the web page is customizable.
Text enhancing is executed in a click on-to-kind manner — essentially, it really works similar to an MS Word document.
The layouts are all cellular responsive.
You get to apply a couple of rows, columns and content material factors.
Divi comes with extra than 20 pre-made layouts out of the field.
You can store your layouts and export/import them to apply on different sites.
You can store your very own international factors, that’s on hand when you have some thing you’d like to apply a couple of instances during the web website online.
Nearly the whole lot works thru drag and drop.
Last, however now no longer least, the library of content material factors to be had is truly impressive:
Divi content material factors
These by myself are extra than sufficient to construct quite lots any sort of internet site, however, surprisingly, whilst you begin sniffing round searching out what else is there, you’ll locate matters inclusive of Divi’s Module Customizer (in which you could regulate how every of the usual content material modules looks), or Divi’s awesome break up-trying out module.
Divi break up trying out
For instance, in case you’re at the fence approximately which precise block of textual content you have to use to your homepage, you could use them each and notice which plays higher.
Divi additionally comes translated into 32 languages — with proper-to-left languages included, too.
languages to be had in Divi
How Easy Is It to Use?
The primary questions are: What’s the mastering curve with Divi? Can everybody use it and with distinctly little hassle?
Well, in a word, yes.
However, given that Divi is truly characteristic rich, getting commenced from scratch and with a clean canvas may be intimidating. That’s why it’s higher to import one of the ready-made layouts and attempt to alter that first.
Then, after you get the grasp of the way matters work, you have to be capable of use Divi as an alternative successfully quickly after.
That being said, Divi is a big software program product in itself — now no longer simply ‘any ol’ WordPress topic’. And, as such, there are loads of factors to find out earlier than you could name your self a real Divi pro.
So, in summary, I’d say the mastering curve is nonexistent in case you simply need to construct a pleasant-searching web website online, however then it receives as an alternative steep in case you need to take gain of the whole scope of Divi’s capabilities.
Note: If you ever want any help, the documentation of Divi is pretty on hand, and is written with the informal person in mind.
Pricing and Verdict
The Divi topic is a top rate product, however the pricing version is an unique one withinside the WordPress space. Basically, in place of purchasing the topic itself, you purchase get admission to to Elegant Themes’ entire catalog of subject matters and plugins.
Luckily, this doesn’t come to be that pricey. Currently, the club is available in flavors:
Divi pricing
For that price, you get get admission to now no longer most effective to Divi, however additionally to all the different subject matters and plugins of Elegant Themes.
So, which to pick out? And is it even really well worth it?
Well, this essentially comes right all the way down to your needs, and your expectancies of a WordPress topic.
One of the important thing matters Divi has going for it’s miles that it’s distinctly adjustable and may serve any motive you could imagine.
This manner that even in case you extrade the path of your web website online withinside the future, you’ll nonetheless be capable of use the equal topic. For that, Divi is a superb investment.
Also, Divi helps you to construct your internet site to your very own from begin to finish, while not having to understand code or rent a fashion dressmaker that will help you out with the task.
Lastly, each of the license sorts allow you to use Divi on limitless websites, so although you make a decision to release any other web website online in a while you won’t want to pay whatever extra.
As to which plan to pick out, I’d begin with the less expensive every year option. But, in case you locate your self truly playing the topic after a yr or so, switching to the only-time-charge version goes to be a higher deal over the lengthy haul.
Pointing out any good sized cons of Divi doesn’t come that smooth to me, if I’m honest.
On the only hand, Divi could be very shortcode-structured with regards to constructing the ones cool web page layouts, this means that you’ll lose them in case you ever determine to extrade to any other topic. But, on the alternative, it’s extra than anticipated to lose your cutting-edge layout in case you extrade your topic, so it’s difficult to preserve that in opposition to Divi.
Perhaps the most effective drawback is you’ll most effective acquire updates for so long as you’ve got got an lively subscription. For many different top rate subject matters, updates come freed from charge, given that they regularly consist of protection patches and different key components.
Overall, I’d say Divi is a awesome preference for the DIY person. If you’re now no longer a coder, however you’d like that allows you to customise the whole lot to your very own — and thru a clean person interface — then Divi is really well worth checking out.