Updated Astra WordPress Theme Offers Stronger Performance
Almost 2 million websites use the Astra WordPress theme. A new theme version delivers better performance and many designs and UI improvements.
The popular Astra WordPress theme has been updated to version 3.8.0. This improves the performance of the backend and front end. It also makes it easier to design websites faster.
Astra WordPress Theme
Astra is a WordPress theme free of charge that has received a rare five-star rating on the WordPress theme website.
The Astra theme homepage states that the theme has been trusted by NASA and Stanford University and is used on over 1.6 million websites.
It is easy to use and light on code, which makes it very popular.
It has Schema.org structured code embedded into it and is SEO-ready right out of the box.
Astra works well with most major page builders, including Elementor and Beaver Builder, Divi, Visual Composer (SiteOrigin), WooCommerce, and many more.
Its popularity can be attributed to the reality that it allows you to import starter templates ready-made for various industries and uses.
Version 3.8.0 of the free Astra theme has been released.
The theme is also available in a pro version that costs extra and has been updated to version 3.68.8.
Simplified Design Flow
The Astra theme has been redesigned and features a more straightforward design flow to make it easier for designers and publishers to create websites quicker.
The Latest Posts Block has been improved with thoughtful improvements, so it looks great without worrying about minor details.
Headings, link colors, and fonts are all pre-set to the theme style settings.
Also, the Pull Quote block was improved. This fixed a style problem that left text aligned even though it was in the center of the quote text.
Astra Announcement explained:
“Previously, the left-aligned quote would still appear when the position was moved to the right-center or middle-centered. This has been corrected, and it looks much better. “
More Control over Design Elements
Astra allows you to modify the design of your pages and automate some styling elements.
The new theme, for example, allows users to change the colors of links. It also makes it easier to modify margins and padding. Additionally, borders can be customized according to the user’s preferred width, color, or radius.
Astra allows you to disable the header area at the top of the page globally or sitewide.
The design controls have been improved to be more intuitive and easier to use. Dropdown controls can now be accessed via button selection controls.
A filter can be added to the child theme to allow publishers to change the default content width.
Astra noted:
“…Now you can have more authority over the sidebar, the content layout, and the visual layout designs with the block editor.
Page Elements with fewer toggles or conditionally appearing will load the page quicker.
Performance Improvements
Astra is focusing on improving its theme’s speed. Although performance improvements may not seem significant, even modest gains can lead to more sales, conversions, and page views. This is a good start.
These improvements were made to the backend to assist users in designing and the front end to provide a best experience for site visitors.
According Astra:
According to a study, the speed of your website depends on how much CSS you use. Your website will load slow-going if you use more CSS.
Reducing the use of CSS is essential because speed is a significant ranking factor.
This is what we did with the block editor. We used WordPress’s built-in CSS and decreased the use of CSS in our theme.
Backend Improvements
Dynamic CSS on the backend has been reduced from 21.4KB to 7KB. The static CSS has been reduced from 21KB to 15KB, and the page size in the backend has been reduced from 588KB to 547KB.
Frontend Improvements
The frontend CSS has been decreased from 9.77KB to 4.44KB, and the page size from 111KB to 106KB.
The font customizer controls were moved to ReactJS to speed up the process.
Astra Keeps Getting Better
Nearly two million websites trust the Astra theme because it makes creating websites simple, especially with the built-in template importer.
Astra is still one of the most widely used WordPress themes. This is due to its improved performance and design functions.
