It’s only natural to have questions and concerns about building a website. Here are a few very common ones. If you don’t see a topic listed that answers your query, please contact me. Questions, comments, concerns, and communications of any kind are always welcome.
Click on the question to reveal the answer.
WordPress started out as a blogging system back in 2003. It has since evolved to become one of the most powerful and popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in existence. WordPress makes it easy for you to create pages and posts, add images, and create/edit content.
The creators of WordPress made their code open source early on, which means developers have full access to the structure and systems. Because of its fantastic versatility, web developers can use WordPress as a foundation to build beautiful, highly functional websites. Being a powerful CMS means anyone can use the WordPress platform to successfully manage their content themselves; adding a new page, changing/updating the content of a page, adding blog posts, etc. Using WordPress is pretty much as easy as writing an email.
WordPress is an open source tool, so basically, yes it is free to implement WordPress. However, WordPress Development is not the same thing as WordPress Implementation.
Implementation means installing WordPress on your server, picking a pre-made theme from the vast repository, and adding your content. Development means having someone who knows how to work with WordPress create a custom theme. A developer will create custom solutions that precisely fit your unique needs and wants. This will give you the exact functionality you need for your site, without slowing it down with “feature bloat”.
A pre-made theme will only have your site looking mostly the way you want, while also looking exactly like dozens (possibly hundreds!) of other sites out there. A custom-built theme will have the exact look and feel you want for your site.
There is also the question of the security of your website. A developer has the knowledge of how to harden WordPress to make it more secure against hackers.
It’s all about conversations. First, we discuss your needs, wants, and goals, and then I can plan out ways to make it happen. Once I have a strategy or two in place, we discuss the different options, and pick a course of action.
Once we know how the site is going to function, we discuss design concepts. I always welcome input here; it is helpful when people have examples of things they like. Based on our discussions, I’ll come up with a plan for the look and feel of your site. I will also plan out the content structure; establishing what pages you need, and what content goes on which page.
At this point, I go off into my cave and start doing the really fun part; writing code. (Hey, I’m a nerd, of course that’s the fun part for me.) When the template is ready, I’ll show it to you. Now we have more conversations about any minor tweaks that are needed. I will also give you a login so you can start adding content yourself.
After all the content is added and the site is finalized, it’s time to get the site live. I’ll make sure you know how to update, edit, and add site content, and then we’ll get your site out there for the world to see.
This is why I love working with WordPress; they made their interface easy to use and understand. It is a lot like writing an email or using a word processor. And the best part is, you can log in and do it all yourself!
Gone are the dark days of having to contact your developer to ask them to change/add content on the site. I want to empower you to have full control over the content on your site. I’ll take the time to train you, and make sure you know how to use your site like a pro. After all, it’s your site; you should be in full control over the content on it.
Not presently, no. I know several good hosting options, and will work with you to determine the optimal hosting solution for your site.