1. Introduction
Learning takes time, and frequently time is money. Consider it an investment to hire an expert, and take comfort in knowing that you are making the wise decision of collaborating with someone who has already dedicated their time and passion to becoming adept at their craft.
If you are reading this, then it is likely that you have reached this point. Don’t worry, I’ve been there too. After being an advocate of the philosophy that one can accomplish anything through learning and taking things into my own hands, I eventually realized that if my true passion and craft lies elsewhere, then time is better spent doing what I do best.
But what happens when you’ve hit a wall? How do you stand out? When you have a vision that you just can’t seem to execute and lack the coding expertise to develop the solution, or simply don’t have the time and energy to train yourself as a web developer. This is a common scenario that many entrepreneurs, small business owners and even individuals face after trying to take website development into their own hands.
Nowadays content management systems (CMS) have made it increasingly easier for anyone to build a website. WordPress, arguably the most popular CMS, boasts a user base of over 75 million; with a 59.4% market share of all CMS’s and powering 29.4% of the internet. It is clear that WordPress is here to stay.
When it comes to competing in today’s online market, a professionally designed and functioning website is essential. If you have a vision but lack the technical skills to implement it, want to save time, or need to be sure that you are hiring a developer based on their merits, then this is a book for you.
2. Benefits of Collaborating with an Expert WordPress Developer
• Save Time: If you’ve never tried to make a complex website change yourself, you may not realize the time taken up by simply researching how to make the change, or time spent going backwards and forwards between the changes and the site to check things are working as intended. On many occasions, I have been asked to fix changes that have been made by clients who initially thought it was a simple change but ended up breaking the site due to a lack of knowledge. Getting a developer to do it right the first time can save a lot of hassle. Also, consider whether it is worth your time making changes to the website yourself, or whether it would be more cost-effective to pay a developer allowing you to focus your time elsewhere.
• Peace of Mind: Firstly, a good developer will always be abreast of the latest WordPress updates and any issues that may arise when updating. If something goes wrong with your website and you are not sure how to fix it, or if something stops working as a result of an update – do you know how to go about identifying what has caused the problem and how to fix it yourself? Time spent on trying to rectify an issue can be costly and a developer can help resolve problems quickly and effectively. Knowing that your website is in safe hands and that any changes won’t adversely affect it can provide peace of mind when managing a website.
3. Finding the Right WordPress Developer for Your Website
Another helpful way to find WordPress developers is to get in contact with other website owners who have had work done on their websites. You might want to shine up your networking skills, but often times other webmasters can recommend talented developers who did work for them. Step into the webmaster community and attend some internet marketing or webmaster meetups. Meetup is a good website to find local groups who frequently meet. At these meetups, discuss your project with others and you will be able to get recommendations on developers as well as possibly find a developer in attendance.
Finding the right WordPress website developer may be a difficult task, not just because the pool of talent is so large, but also because the pool of talent contains many developers who are not as skilled as they may claim. In order to find a talented developer, it is important that you cast a wide net when it comes to searching for candidates. As the job is based on the internet, be sure to start your search on the internet. Develop a job posting and post it on the various internet forums that contain the largest pool of WordPress development talent. It may also be helpful to post your listing on a few job board sites.
4. The Collaborative Process with a WordPress Developer
The final step is to review the functionality of the site and ensure everything is working fine before the site launch. This includes checking all the forms, viewing all the pages and posts, and overall making sure that there are no issues with the site. This step is very important as it never looks good when a site is launched and there are problems. I would then review all the changes made and make sure that they are the changes you requested. Now that everything is fine and dandy, your new site can now be launched.
Section 3: Developing the website, talks about the steps a qualified WordPress developer like me takes in turning your PSD files into a functioning WordPress theme. Theme development time varies as no PSD designs are ever the same. However, the estimated theme development time would usually be the same amount of time taken to convert your PSD files to XHTML/CSS. This is because I would need to dissect your PSD files and separate each image for the theme. I would also need to make sure that the theme is cross-browser compatible. Once theme development is complete, I would package and send the theme to you to be installed on your server.
5. Customizing Your Website Design
No matter what the choice, stick to what is or will look professional and clean. Remember, the visual aspect is the first judgment of your website. And sometimes it may be metadata.
If a custom theme is out of reach of your budget, there is still an option between high-end and cheap. There are tools out there like Artisteer that allow you to create a custom theme with no HTML or CSS knowledge. However, a low-cost theme can still be modified DIY. If you find a cheap theme you still really like, there are tweaks you can make. Usually, you can change the header and background images. Always make a child theme before you edit it, though, just to be safe. And this relates back to overloading the site with plugins. If you can find the right plugin for a feature, you may not have to add the additional script with the theme.
The first fallback is always to do it yourself. If your site is running a generic theme such as Twenty Eleven, go to Appearance and you can customize the current theme. However, this has minimal customization options. The favorite way of many is to simply find a theme that looks nice. You can filter searches in the WordPress theme console to show specific features, or you can simply google them from many in-depth lists. Once you have found your new theme, make sure you preview it first and, if successful, apply it. Now, if there is no theme out there that seems to be the one you want, this is where things get tricky. The next choice is to find a developer to make a custom theme. This grants full creative and functional control over your theme. However, this is a very costly choice and you will need to know and find a good developer.
Bought a domain and paid for hosting, now it’s time to work and select a theme from the WordPress Console that suits your business. Google also has tips on rankings using responsive website design, so make sure your theme is responsive. It should look clean and load fast. One thing to remember: do not overload the site with plugins. They tend to slow the site down, especially if you are blogging. Plugins are tools that provide additional functionality to your site. This is really easy to do, but sometimes time-consuming. However, it is worth the time spent in most cases.
The theme is one of the simplest and most powerful elements of WordPress. A great theme will make your site look professional. It makes it easy to change the entire layout of your site by providing templates for the site’s front page, archives, and single posts.
6. Enhancing Functionality with Plugins
A great example of a useful plugin is NextGen Gallery. It’s a photo gallery plugin with a sleek user interface; it adds a new section to your admin sidebar allowing you to upload photos in bulk, create/edit/delete galleries, and edit various settings. After you’ve created a gallery, you can add it to a page or post with a simple code, or you can use the provided shortcode. With a little bit of configuration and some quality photos, you can add a professional photo gallery to your website free of charge. An alternative method would be to code the gallery into your website using HTML and CSS, but by doing that you’re adding stress to the server, editing the code regularly, and it’s just not worth it considering the simplicity and functionality of NextGen Gallery.
With countless plugins available, you can develop a completely custom website using off the shelf components. The best thing about these plugins is most are free or have a free version that is fully functional. Premium versions usually include support and extended functionality, but the free versions are a fantastic way to add a ton of functionality without breaking the bank. You can add event calendars, complex forms, photo galleries, and social media widgets with a few clicks. Installation is very simple, usually requiring you to download a zip file and uploading it through the WordPress admin, or by simply searching for it within the admin interface and clicking “install”. Once installed, a new section will appear in your admin sidebar, or an interface to the plugin will appear in an existing section. Configuration can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, but it’s time well spent if you consider the functionality added to your website.
7. Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
Webpage content is also a critical element in search engine optimization. Having a large number of keywords or phrases will improve rankings and visibility. Phrases and keywords must be readable and provide insight about your product or service. The more relevant the keywords, and the more often they appear, the better. Casual, Cozy, and Mellow implement keyword-rich content during the design stages. This will ensure your webpage is as SEO friendly as possible.
The most common mistake in website design is building a website that is flash-based. Although this creates a very interactive site, flash has serious limitations. Flash sites are not viewable on some mobile devices, and most importantly, search engine spiders cannot read flash. Therefore, a flash-based site has little to no chance of being found via search engines. Flash is not the only way to modernize or have a great looking site. There are HTML and CSS alternatives that search engine browsers can read and index properly. If a flash site is a must, an HTML alternative can be created. This is just one of the many alternative solutions at Casual, Cozy, and Mellow.
It is more than finalizing your website. You need to be visible to your clientele. During the design stages, Casual, Cozy, and Mellow reviewed with you the importance of being visible on the web. Visibility is key to having a successful website. If people cannot find your website on the web, or do not know you exist, it is the same as having a beautiful brochure that you keep in a drawer. Casual, Cozy, and Mellow create websites with search engines in mind. We create sites that are search engine friendly. There are many design elements and techniques that will allow potential clients and viewers to find your site with ease.
8. Ensuring Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Design
Mobile internet use is increasing daily and may soon surpass desktop usage. To ensure that websites which work on desktops will work just as well on mobile devices, they should be using a responsive design. This is increasingly important as well in the wake of a new Google update. This update, however, is the new Google Mobile Friendly algorithm that’s supposed to be even larger than their Panda and Penguin updates. So why is Google caring so much about mobile? Because mobile internet usage will soon surpass desktop, and it is also Google’s effort to get every site on the internet mobile optimized. This is great news in the long run for consumers, but in the meantime, there will be a surge of website owners looking for quick fixes to dodge being penalized in the search results. This algorithm goes into effect on April 21, 2015, and it affects search results worldwide in all languages.
9. Integrating Social Media into Your Website
The first and probably most obvious way to leverage social media is to automate the process of promoting your blog posts to your social networks. Right when you post a new article, a link is sent out to the site’s Twitter, Facebook, and other accounts to notify followers of new content. This method is surely one of the most efficient ways to drive more traffic to your site. One major benefit of this is to publish to Twitter with a short link using services like bit.ly or su.pr which leave more room for retweets. By default, WordPress will publish post links to Twitter using the full 42 character wp.me links and will only leave 97 characters in the tweet. This in turn will leave no room for manual retweeting with additional commentary and discussion of the post.
WordPress makes it easy to incorporate social media into your new website and to leverage it to grow your audience. You can facilitate the process with simple blog promotion, adding social sharing lines, or even automate the process with plugins. Here are a few ways to effectively integrate social media into your site.
Users of social media networks increasingly expect to see “share” buttons and other social media tools on websites. Including the ability for users to participate in these free-form ways (commenting, sharing, news feeds, etc.) provides exposure to the site to their connections on these services. Using social sign-on is an easier way to get users involved with the site, since they can use information from their profiles to start using a new site. Plugins like Simple Facebook Connect will help users post status updates on Facebook about their activity on the site. All of these methods can drive traffic to the site and can also increase the likelihood of users returning more frequently.
10. Securing Your Website from Cyber Threats
Another great security risk is having your website taken offline or defaced. This can be very damaging to your company’s image. To prevent this, you should ensure that your website uses secure, up-to-date software. Content Management Systems and Forum software are often the targets of hackers. This software usually needs regular security updates. If your website has been built using software that seems to be a constant target for hackers, then you should always keep a backup of your website so that you can quickly recover your data.
There are a few common security threats that all website owners should protect themselves against. Malware is software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems. Hackers install malware by exploiting security loopholes. The most common forms of malware are viruses, which attach to program files and replicate when the program is run, and trojans, which can create a backdoor on your system, giving hackers access to your system and private information. Usually, malware is used to exploit private information or for direct financial gain. The best way to protect yourself against malware is to obtain a scanner that can inform you if your website has been infected. Regularly updating software will also prevent malware from exploiting software vulnerabilities.
A compromised website can lead to damaged client relationships and lost data. Cybercrime continues to grow, all business owners must consider the security of their website. Without the right security measures, your website could become another victim of cybercrime. Malware can be inserted into your website, your customers’ information can be stolen, your website can be defaced, and you can even be barred access to your own website.
11. Testing and Quality Assurance
Please do not let the implication of this article make you weary of hiring a web developer for your site. The fact is, no single person will ever be able to master all aspects of web development including coding languages, design, and the various development and debugging tools. But in a world where first impressions mean everything, hiring a dedicated developer is the only way to guarantee you will get the most out of your site and secure a prominent placement in the market.
With WordPrax, you need not worry about these issues. Your dedicated developer can use all of the latest technology tools available inside and outside of WordPress in order to systematically test and verify every single aspect of your website; whether it be for warnings, errors, broken links, cross-browser compatibility, or even A/B testing to see which navigation menu style your users prefer. A true expert developer will not consider a project completed until everything is exactly to your liking and working properly.
Many web developers will tell you that the job is done when your website is live. After all, they got what they wanted. You, on the other hand, are left with a barely functional, bug-ridden site that is unreliable, breaks often, and looks terrible to your users. The last thing you need is to repair the repairman’s repairs by showing your site visitors reliability at this stage when you’ve had numerous opportunities for placements in the past!
12. Website Maintenance and Support
It is our hope that you feel educated and prepared when considering your investment in a website. In any WordPress guru/customer relationship, a mutual understanding is what we all look for. An understanding of your technical needs provided by a knowledgeable expert. And an understanding of quality service provided by a happy customer. Be sure to understand ALL that may be involved in taking your website live and know that investing in quality service is also investing in your own peace of mind. Build a better future!
This technician/customer relationship is built through trust and reliability. Customers with a reliable WordPress expert often feel it is safe to assume he/she may be more suitable for any future changes or additions to their website.
Should you decide to have an ongoing and evolving relationship with your WordPress expert, you may want to consider a maintenance package. A maintenance package can act as an insurance plan for your investment. Most website professionals see the value in having the most up-to-date information regarding website changes and news, and this is most often regulated through websites in the support/maintenance of customers’ websites. A good maintenance package can include site backup, maintenance of recent updates of all themes and plugins, and real-time monitoring. A good website provider will be available to help you with any theme or plugin customization questions, minor graphic design or content layout changes or additions, and recommendations for any future changes or additions you may want.
13. Budgeting and Pricing Considerations
Rates for development work will vary greatly depending on the skill level of the developer and the complexity of the project. Developing WordPress websites can be a competitive business and you may get bids ranging anywhere from $500 for a complete website to tens of thousands of dollars. The key here is to provide the developer a list of your needs and then see who can provide the best value solution. Budget developers will bid low and do things quickly, so take care to ensure that they are meeting your needs. High-end developers may give you a very high estimate or tell you that some custom features can’t be done within a reasonable budget. If you go the cheap route, be mindful of the old adage: “you get what you pay for.” And at any rate, get multiple bids.
At some point in your discussions about your needs and the options, your developer should be giving you cost estimates for various pieces of the job. If you know what you want, developing a quote for a WordPress project is very similar to giving an estimate for constructing an addition onto a house: the more detailed the plans, the more accurate the estimate can be. A good developer will work with you to give you an estimate on the whole project or on various stages of the project, and will inform you of any cost overruns well in advance so there are no surprises. You should also ask the developer about their rates and how they apply. Do they charge by the hour, by the day, by the week? Is there a cost to “redo” if you’re not satisfied?
14. Case Studies: Successful Collaborations with WordPress Developers
When you think of case studies in a traditional context, you may recall the case method of teaching at universities. WordPress doesn’t have a case method of teaching yet, but we can learn a lot from its own case studies. In the context of WordPress, case studies are extended examples which demonstrate the value of a product or service. Many successful WordPress theme shops and plugin authors provide extended case studies to show customers how they can use their product. In this article, we take a look at successful collaborations with WordPress developers to deliver high quality websites. Through a series of interviews we uncover the problem, the solution, and the business impact of several case studies. These case studies will give insights for those currently working with a developer, and those considering the services of a WordPress developer.
15. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long is the turnaround?
A: We build your site on a platform called WordPress, which makes it incredibly easy to make changes or updates. If you are familiar with using programs such as Microsoft Word, then you’re already well equipped to start on your own. If you’re wanting to put more time into running your business and less into learning new programs, we also offer very competitive rates on updates!
Q: How do I make updates to my site once it’s completed?
A: Yes! We work very closely with our clients during the design process to ensure the site is exactly what you are after. We will keep in constant contact with you during this stage to ask for your opinions and feedback.
Q: Will I have a say in the design process?
A: It all depends upon the size of your project, but typically our small to medium websites take 4-6 weeks to complete. Once we have a better understanding of your specific needs, we can give you a more accurate timeframe.
16. Conclusion
Thank you for following this guide, now you should have full control of your website. And one more thing – just don’t stop because being a good website developer is a never-ending process. Good luck!
We hope this guide was easy and comfortable to follow. We did our best in explaining every topic with details and examples. But just in case you have a feeling that something was left unclear or you have a suggestion – feel free to contact us and we’ll fill the gap asap.
We’ve come a long way in this guide, starting with very basic concepts and progressing to rather advanced feature topics. Even though we started with a WordPress knowledge base for beginners, it pays to be proficient in the technical aspects of the platform because the CMS is so widely used. Now you should be much more excited about using WordPress!
