Xoxo Core

A style blog lives off the second article that gets read

Publishing a good fashion, beauty or healthy living post is not enough if the reader finishes it and closes the tab. On this kind of blog the visit is won or lost at the next step: another article shows up, readers can react, and they find something similar without having to search for it. Xoxo Core is the plugin that activates those pieces inside the Xoxo theme.

It is designed for personal blogs and magazines about lifestyle, fashion, beauty, design or healthy living, with an options panel to adjust the site without touching code.

Five blog layouts and seven post formats with their own look

You can pick one of the five blog layouts or combine them across different pages. Each post format has its own design, both in the list and on the single page:

• Standard, image and gallery
• Video and audio, with external sources such as YouTube, SoundCloud or Spotify
• Quote and link

This helps if you mix photo shoots, a trends video and a music list without everything looking like the same post repeated. There are also five different home pages, and you can work in full width or in the standard layout.

Continuous reading, reactions and votes to keep readers around

These are the features that do the most to push readers to keep browsing your site:

• Continuous reading: when readers reach the end of a post, the previous one loads without leaving the page.
• Reactions: unlimited reactions on posts, with the option to create your own.
• Votes: vote widget areas.
• Quick navigation: fast movement between posts and a reading-in-progress indicator.

The set is completed by a sticky sidebar, custom widget areas, the option to choose which sidebar goes on each page, a custom back-to-top button, and its own design for the 404 page and protected pages. In the panel you also adjust colors, logo, navigation, footer, sharing buttons, SEO and custom CSS, with more than 800 Google Fonts for typography.

Xoxo Core does not work without the Xoxo theme

This plugin is not a general add-on for any theme: it is the main piece of the Xoxo theme and only makes sense with it. Before deciding, separate what comes solved from what is up to you:

• Solved: blog layouts, post formats, reactions, votes, continuous reading, sticky sidebar and options panel.
• Solved: one-click demo content import, translation readiness and support for right-to-left languages.
• You cover it with another plugin: the contact form is prepared for Contact Form 7, which you must install separately.
• You cover it with your account: the newsletter is prepared for Mailchimp, but you need your own account and lists.
• You cover it yourself: texts, photos, categories and the publishing strategy; the theme provides the showcase, not the content.

It is a blog and magazine foundation. If your priority is selling products, check in the demo whether it fits what you need.

Common questions before building your blog with Xoxo Core

Can I use it with another theme?

That is not what it is meant for. It is built to work with the Xoxo theme, so install them together.

Does it work for a site in Arabic or Hebrew?

Yes, it includes support for right-to-left writing and is ready to be translated.

Can I start with sample content?

Yes, it comes with a one-click demo importer and a file with sample content, useful to see how each home page looks before publishing your own.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Almost everything is adjusted from the options panel; custom CSS is there for anyone who wants to tweak something specific.