You’ve installed LaunchPad and clicked “Setup Wizard,” but now you’re stuck on the first screen staring at three recipe options. Should you choose Blog, Business, or Portfolio? The decision feels more important than it probably is, yet choosing the wrong WordPress site recipe means rebuilding everything from scratch.
This comparison guide breaks down exactly what each LaunchPad recipe includes, who should use it, and how to make the right choice for your specific project. You’ll learn the technical differences between recipes, see real-world examples of each type, and discover a simple decision framework that eliminates the guesswork. By the end, you’ll confidently select the recipe that matches your goals without second-guessing yourself.
What Are WordPress Site Recipes and How Do They Work
WordPress site recipes are pre-configured templates that bundle together themes, plugins, page structures, and settings optimized for specific website types. Think of them as blueprints that guide LaunchPad’s automated setup process.
When you select a recipe, you’re not just choosing a visual design. You’re determining which pages get created, what content appears on those pages, which plugins get recommended, how your navigation menus are structured, and even what color schemes work best for your industry.
Each recipe represents hundreds of decisions made by experienced WordPress developers. Instead of researching best practices for business websites or portfolio sites, you benefit from tested configurations that have proven effective across thousands of real-world implementations.
The Three Core LaunchPad Recipes
The free version of LaunchPad includes three carefully designed WordPress site recipes. These cover the majority of small business and personal website needs according to WordPress theme usage statistics.
Blog/News recipes prioritize content display and reading experience. Business recipes emphasize service presentation and lead generation. Portfolio recipes showcase visual work with gallery-style layouts.
Pro users access six additional specialized recipes including Agency, E-commerce, Landing Page, Membership, Photography, and Restaurant. These follow the same pattern but target specific industries with unique requirements.
Blog Recipe: When Content Is Your Primary Focus
The Blog recipe is designed for content creators, publishers, journalists, and anyone building a site where regular articles are the main attraction. This WordPress site recipe optimizes for readability, content discovery, and subscriber conversion.
What the Blog Recipe Includes
When you select the Blog recipe, LaunchPad creates a homepage with featured posts, a dedicated blog archive page, an about page, and a contact page. The homepage is structured to highlight your most recent or featured content with attractive post previews including featured images, excerpts, and clear calls-to-action.
Recommended plugins typically include Yoast SEO for search optimization, Akismet for comment spam protection, and a social sharing plugin to encourage content distribution. The navigation menu prioritizes your blog feed with secondary links to about and contact pages.
The bundled theme configuration emphasizes typography and readability. Font pairings are selected for long-form reading comfort. Sidebar widgets are positioned to promote popular posts, categories, and newsletter signups without disrupting the reading experience.
Who Should Choose the Blog WordPress Site Recipe
Select the Blog recipe if your primary goal is publishing regular content and building an audience through articles. This includes personal blogs, niche content sites, news publications, and thought leadership platforms.
Freelance writers, consultants who blog regularly, and content marketers building organic traffic through SEO should default to this recipe. It’s also the right choice if you plan to monetize through display ads, affiliate marketing, or sponsored content.
However, if you’re a service provider who occasionally publishes blog posts, the Business recipe is probably a better fit. Blogging functionality can be added to business sites, but it’s difficult to add comprehensive service pages to blog-focused sites.
Blog Recipe Customization Options
After the wizard completes, you can customize your blog in the WordPress Customizer. Common modifications include changing the blog layout from list view to grid view, adjusting post excerpt lengths, and configuring sidebar content.
The Blog recipe works exceptionally well with page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder if you want more design control. Many bloggers use the default blog pages as-is but create custom landing pages for lead magnets or product promotions.
Business Recipe: Converting Visitors into Customers
The Business recipe shifts focus from content consumption to service presentation and lead generation. This WordPress site recipe is optimized for professional services, consultants, agencies, and any business that sells services or wants to generate inquiries.
What the Business Recipe Includes
Business recipe sites feature a homepage with service highlights, team introductions, testimonials, and clear contact calls-to-action. Pages typically include Home, About, Services, Contact, and Blog (because content marketing supports business development).
The navigation structure places Services prominently, making it easy for visitors to understand what you offer within seconds of arrival. Contact forms are strategically placed on multiple pages, not just a dedicated contact page.
Recommended plugins often include Contact Form 7 or WPForms for inquiries, Yoast SEO for local search optimization, and sometimes appointment booking plugins for service businesses. The plugin selection supports lead generation and client communication.
Ideal Use Cases for Business WordPress Site Recipes
Choose the Business recipe for professional services firms, consultants, agencies, B2B companies, local service providers, and any business where the website’s primary purpose is generating leads or inquiries.
Law firms, accounting practices, marketing agencies, web design studios, and consulting practices all fit perfectly within this recipe. The structure supports multiple service offerings without creating a confusing navigation experience.
Even if you plan to blog regularly, the Business recipe accommodates content marketing while maintaining the service-first focus that converts visitors into clients. According to HubSpot research, companies that blog generate 67% more leads than those that don’t, making the included blog functionality essential.
Business Recipe Design Philosophy
The Business recipe uses design psychology to build trust and authority. Color schemes tend toward professional blues, grays, and corporate palettes rather than vibrant creative colors.
Typography choices emphasize clarity and professionalism over artistic expression. Layouts are structured and predictable, helping visitors quickly find pricing, services, and contact information without hunting through creative navigation patterns.
This doesn’t mean business sites look boring. Modern business design is clean, spacious, and professional while still reflecting brand personality through photography, color accents, and content voice.
Portfolio Recipe: Showcasing Your Creative Work
The Portfolio recipe is built for visual creators who need to showcase projects, case studies, or creative work. This WordPress site recipe prioritizes image display, project organization, and visitor engagement with your work.
What the Portfolio Recipe Includes
Portfolio sites feature a homepage with a grid or masonry layout of featured projects. Each project links to a detailed case study or project page with descriptions, images, and process documentation.
Standard pages include Home (project showcase), About, Portfolio (complete project archive), and Contact. Some configurations add a Services page if you’re a freelancer offering specific creative services.
The Portfolio recipe recommends plugins that enhance image display and gallery functionality. Lightbox plugins for full-screen image viewing, lazy loading for performance with image-heavy pages, and sometimes client gallery plugins for sharing work privately with clients.
Who Needs Portfolio WordPress Site Recipes
Select the Portfolio recipe if you’re a photographer, graphic designer, web designer, illustrator, architect, interior designer, or any creative professional whose work is visual and project-based.
This recipe also works for agencies that want to showcase case studies, product designers building a public portfolio, and creative professionals transitioning careers who need to demonstrate their work to potential employers.
If you’re a creative professional who also wants to blog about your process or industry, the Portfolio recipe accommodates blog content without letting it dominate the site. Your work remains the focus, with blog posts supporting your authority and SEO presence.
Portfolio Recipe Layout Considerations
Portfolio sites are inherently visual, so LaunchPad’s Portfolio recipe emphasizes image quality and presentation. Layouts are gallery-style with large images, minimal text distractions, and clear project categorization.
Navigation is simplified to avoid cluttering the visual experience. Visitors should be able to browse your work, learn about you, and contact you without complex menu structures or overwhelming content.
The included theme supports custom taxonomies for organizing projects by type, industry, or style. This helps visitors find relevant work examples quickly, especially important if you work across multiple creative disciplines.
Decision Framework: Which Recipe Should You Choose
If you’re still uncertain which WordPress site recipe fits your needs, work through this simple decision tree. Start with your primary goal, then follow the path that matches your situation.
Primary Goal Decision Tree
Ask yourself: “What action do I want visitors to take?” If the answer is “read my content and subscribe,” choose Blog. If the answer is “contact me about services,” choose Business. If the answer is “view my work and hire me for projects,” choose Portfolio.
Consider what success looks like six months after launch. Are you measuring success by traffic and subscribers? That’s a Blog recipe indicator. Measuring by consultation requests and client acquisitions? Business recipe. Measuring by portfolio views and project inquiries? Portfolio recipe.
Content Type Assessment
Look at the content you’ll publish most frequently. If it’s written articles, tutorials, news, or commentary, the Blog recipe aligns with your content strategy. If it’s service descriptions, case studies, and team information, you want Business. If it’s project photos, design mockups, and visual portfolios, select Portfolio.
Don’t confuse having a blog with being a blog. Most business and portfolio sites include blog sections for content marketing, but that doesn’t make them blogs. The blog section is a feature, not the core identity.
Industry Alignment
Certain industries naturally align with specific recipes. Content creators, journalists, and educators typically need Blog recipes. Professional service providers, consultants, and agencies need Business recipes. Creative professionals and visual artists need Portfolio recipes.
However, industry isn’t destiny. A photographer who primarily teaches photography through written tutorials might choose Blog over Portfolio. A consultant who positions herself as a thought leader might also choose Blog, with services mentioned in the sidebar and about page.
Switching Recipes After Initial Setup
What if you choose wrong? LaunchPad includes a complete reset feature that removes all wizard-created content, allowing you to start fresh with a different recipe.
Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard and look for the “Reset Site” option. This removes all pages, posts, and menus created by LaunchPad while preserving anything you manually created afterward. It also removes installed themes and plugins that were part of the recipe.
The reset process takes 2-3 minutes and returns your WordPress installation to its pre-LaunchPad state. You can then run the wizard again with a different recipe selection. This safety net means you can experiment without risk.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress site recipes bundle themes, plugins, pages, and settings optimized for specific website types (blog, business, portfolio)
- Choose based on your primary goal: content consumption (Blog), lead generation (Business), or work showcase (Portfolio)
- All recipes include blog functionality, but the Blog recipe prioritizes content while others treat it as a supporting feature
Select Your Perfect WordPress Site Recipe Today
You now understand the differences between LaunchPad’s Blog, Business, and Portfolio recipes and have a decision framework for choosing confidently. Each recipe solves specific problems for distinct user types, and the reset feature means you can change your mind without consequences.
Remember that recipes are starting points, not permanent constraints. After the wizard completes, you can customize extensively through the WordPress Customizer, add additional plugins, and modify page structures to match your exact requirements.
Ready to launch your perfectly structured WordPress site? Download LaunchPad from WordPress.org and select the recipe that matches your goals. Need access to specialized recipes for agencies, e-commerce, or restaurants? Explore LaunchPad Pro with six additional industry-specific templates.
