Kicker | Multipurpose Blog Magazine WordPress Theme + Gutenberg 2.2.0

Kicker is a popular multipurpose WordPress theme specifically designed for blogs and online magazines. Its key selling point, as indicated by its name, is its strong emphasis on being Gutenberg-ready while also maintaining compatibility with Elementor, offering users flexibility in their content creation and page building.

Developed by ThemeREX (a Power Elite Author on ThemeForest) or sometimes listed under AxiomThemes, Kicker aims to be a fast, visually appealing, and feature-rich solution for a wide array of content-driven websites.

Here's a breakdown of its characteristics:

Core Purpose and Strengths:

• Multipurpose Blog & Magazine: Kicker is highly adaptable and suitable for various niches, including:
  • Personal blogs
  • News portals
  • Online magazines (fashion, tech, lifestyle, sports, travel, food, etc.)
  • Affiliate marketing websites
  • Review sites
  • Business blogs
  • Content-heavy corporate sites
• Gutenberg Ready & Enhanced: This is a major highlight. Kicker is built to fully embrace the native WordPress block editor (Gutenberg), allowing users to leverage its block-based editing experience for posts and pages. It often includes its own set of custom Gutenberg blocks or works well with block plugins like Kadence Blocks to further extend Gutenberg's capabilities.
• Elementor Page Builder Compatibility: Despite its strong Gutenberg focus, Kicker also integrates seamlessly with Elementor. This provides users with the option to use Elementor for complex page layouts and design, giving maximum flexibility.
• Speed and Performance: Kicker is marketed as a fast-loading theme, optimized for Google Core Web Vitals. It often incorporates features like AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) support and custom lazy loading scripts to ensure quick loading times, which is crucial for user experience and SEO.

Key Features and Highlights:

1. Diverse Demos & Skins: Kicker comes with a large number of pre-built demos (often referred to as "skins," with some sources mentioning 60+ variations) tailored for different niches. These can be imported with a single click, providing a quick start.
2. Flexible Layouts & Design:
   • Numerous blog layouts and post styles (e.g., standard, classic, band, portfolio, with various sidebar options or no sidebar).
   • Support for various post formats (video, audio, gallery, review, sponsored).
   • Multiple header and footer layouts that can be customized or built from scratch.
   • Mega Menu support for complex navigation.
   • Sticky sidebars and columns to keep important content visible.
3. Customization Options:
   • Unlimited color options and a comprehensive color scheme editor.
   • Google Fonts integration and custom font uploader for extensive typography control.
   • WordPress Customizer integration for live visual editing.
4. Monetization & Ads:
   • Strategic ad placement areas to maximize AdSense or other ad network revenue.
   • Support for sponsored posts and banner spots.
   • WooCommerce compatibility for setting up an online shop to sell products or merchandise.
5. Enhanced User Experience:
   • AJAX "Load More" functionality for posts and infinite scroll options.
   • "Next Post Auto-Load" to keep users engaged.
   • Built-in pop-ups and newsletter forms for lead generation.
   • Social media integration for easy sharing.
6. SEO & Compatibility:
   • SEO optimized from the ground up to help content rank.
   • Translation-ready and RTL (Right-to-Left) support for global audiences.
   • Compatible with popular plugins like Contact Form 7, WP GDPR Compliance, Powerkit, and more.
   • Integration with premium plugins like Revolution Slider (for dynamic content sliders).
7. Review System: Includes features for creating product review articles with ratings, pros, and cons sections, which is highly beneficial for review-focused blogs.

Potential Downsides (based on some past reviews):

• Learning Curve: While offering flexibility, the sheer number of options and integrations (Elementor, Gutenberg, custom blocks) might present a learning curve for complete beginners.
• Bloat (depending on usage): Like many feature-rich multipurpose themes, if you only need a very simple blog, some of the bundled features and plugins might be more than necessary.

Pricing:

Kicker is a premium WordPress theme primarily sold on ThemeForest. A regular license for Kicker typically costs around $59 - $69 USD. This one-time purchase usually includes:

• The Kicker theme files.
• Future theme updates.
• 6 months of technical support from the developer (ThemeREX/AxiomThemes), with the option to extend support for an additional fee.

In conclusion, Kicker is a robust and highly versatile WordPress theme for anyone serious about creating a professional blog or online magazine. Its dual compatibility with both Gutenberg and Elementor provides immense flexibility, while its focus on speed, diverse layouts, and monetization features make it a strong contender in the blog/magazine niche.