WordPress Website Design | Complete Guide to WordPress Site

WordPress Website Design | Complete Guide to WordPress Site

WordPress (WP) is a free open source content management system (CMS) coded in PHP and combined with a database, either MariaDB or MySQL. It allows users to develop and maintain dynamic sites by using a simple backend interface. According to w3techs, WP is used by 63.5 percent of all the sites, whose content management systems are known. This figure translates to 37.4 percent of all sites. 

Thanks to the versatility of this CMS, WordPress website design has since become quite popular and is a top choice for many small and large businesses. Moreover, many individuals also turn to WP whenever they want to develop functional and appealing sites. 

If you are thinking about making a site with WP, below is a comprehensive guide. It simplifies the concept and elaborates on everything essential. 

What Is a CMS?

A CMS is an interface that facilitates the direct publication of content to the web. Compared to uploading pages from a PC, publishing content pages directly to the web is better since it permits many users to add and share the information remotely. The underlying technique of a CMS is to authorize the creation of standards-compliant content. 

With a CMS, people can develop, edit, and publish content whenever and from wherever. And since information is added to the CMS server, the functional bits of the CMS are not stored on people’s PCs. 

The four different types of CMS are:

  • Enterprise CMS
  • Web CMS
  • Web group CMS 
  • Component CMS. 

What Is WordPress Site Design?

WordPress site design refers to all processes that go into the creation of a WordPress website. It can involve hiring a WP expert to install a pre-made template and modify the colors to align with your brand. Alternatively, it might entail contracting a renowned development agency to develop a heavily customized WP website. 

Typically, a WP site design consists of the following:

  • WordPress front-end design. It is all about building what users interact with and see by using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The goals of front-end design are to enhance accessibility and performance. 
  • Back-end development: It entails working on the server-side of a website and primarily on how it works. Backend development normally consists of three parts: a server, an application, and a database. 

What Do You Need to Build a WordPress Site?

First, you need to have a clear picture of the site you want. After that, you have to budget for its development and develop a timeframe. Most importantly, it would be best if you planned for the following essential aspects of site-building. 

WordPress Hosting

WP is available in two variants – WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WP.org is a free, open-source software for creating sites, and for hosting, you have to consider working with a third-party. WP.com is a private entity that sells hosting for WP. Unlike other hosting providers, WP.com has conditions that determine what you can do on your WP site. 

As mentioned before, you need hosting from a third-party to have a WP.org site on the internet. Today, there’re tons of WP hosting companies, making it quite challenging to decide, especially for first-time developers. WP Engine has since emerged as an excellent hosting provider and is preferred since it focuses on hosting WP sites only. 

Note, regarding WP hosting, there’s a difference between a dedicated and shared hosting environment. With the former, only your site will reside on a specific server and IP. With the latter, if other sites on the server are attacked, yours is also at risk.

Domain Name

A domain name, the identity of your site, is also necessary when making a WP site. It is the address where visitors can find your site. Domain names were introduced and leveraged to single out entities on the internet instead of utilizing IP addresses. When working with WP, it’s possible to use your own domain. 

Design

If you would like a simple design for your website, consider hiring a WP designer. They will develop a functional site from any simple WP website template and adjust it to match your brand. For a more sophisticated and personalized site, a renowned website development agency will prove handy. 

Plugins 

There’re numerous WordPress plugins, and they keep increasing by the day. You can choose a plugin as necessitated by the functionality that you wish to achieve on your WP site. Below are some excellent plugins you can use when developing your site:

  • Yoast SEO: It is one of the best SEO tools today. This plugin will tell you how SEO-friendly your content is and also provide suggestions on how to improve it. 
  • Gravity Forms: It is a paid plugin that facilitates the creation of functional forms straightforwardly. 
  • Wordfence Security: Among other security functionalities, this plugin permits you to modify the file structure and names to secure your site against Malware.
  • WooCommerce: It is a powerful open-source e-commerce plugin for WP. 
  • W3 Total Cache: It is a no-cost caching tool that helps improve your site’s load speeds. 

WordPress Site Design Services: What Do They Entail? 

When you talk about WordPress website design, you could be referring to a whole lot of things. And that’s because there are various approaches to creating a WP site and different tasks to complete before you have it up and functioning. Nevertheless, you have the option of coming up with a website yourself, whereby you need technical expertise and a lot of time. Or, you could get someone to create it for you. You can find a vast number of developers with WP design experience on the market today. 

When it comes to hiring WP site designing help, there’s the alternative of getting a web designer to create a site from a pre-existing theme for you at a low price. Or you could hire an expert web design team to design and build a complete custom WP site. The first option will, of course, be cheaper. However, it won’t give you a top-quality customized site as the second option.

To better understand the difference between these two services, let’s look focus on custom design vs. pre-designed WP themes. Using a pre-defined template involves purchasing a WP theme from a reliable source and getting it adjusted a little bit and installed by a web designer. With a custom WP design, however, it involves making the site from scratch in line with a brand’s/company’s needs and complexities. 

So, which is better? Both custom-designed and afore-made WP approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. While using an afore-designed template is budget-friendly, fast, and easy, the cons include limited customization options, code, and plugin overload, and increased security threats (for cheaper templates). A custom WP design offers benefits such as uniqueness, flexibility, faster loading speeds, and custom branding. However, it takes time and requires a significant investment. 

Tips for Choosing the Best WordPress Website Design Company

Your WP website will be as good as the designer/ team you choose to do the job for you. So, how can you make sure that you select the best WordPress designer for your site? Here are some top things you should look for in a website design company

  • Look at their WP Website Portfolio: always check the websites that the company has designed for other clients to familiarize yourself with their style of work. Visit these websites and decide whether you like their approach. 
  • Ask how long they have been in the industry: a more experienced company will most likely understand and adapt to your needs better. Additionally, companies that have been in existence for years will probably be there to support and maintain your site after it’s launched. So, check their longevity as well. 
  • Assess their familiarity with modern trends and responsive website designs: Nowadays, people access the internet on smart devices more than ever before. So, ensure that your site is easy to open on these gadgets. Responsiveness, coupled with an attractive modern design, can help bring traction to your new website. So, ensure that the web design team you hire understands these things. 
  • Make sure they charge a fair (not too cheap) price: while you definitely want to get yourself a good deal, be careful not to pick a company that offers you a deal that is too good to be true as you will probably end up with a generic site. Remember, an excellent website is always worth the investment. The Coder team can get you a fully customized website for a pretty fair price. 
  • Check that the company understands SEO and Conversion: search engine optimization is necessary if you want your site to appear among the top suggestions on Google. So, your website designer should know how it functions and the best practices. They should also understand how and what makes a site convert, as having a great-looking site alone doesn’t cut it anymore. 
  • Ask whether they offer maintenance services and how much it will cost: inquire about whether the company will maintain your website or provide support post-launching. If so, know how much it will cost to plan your budget. 

The Cost of Building a WordPress Site: What is the Pricing? 

As mentioned earlier, a WordPress website may be built using a pre-made theme or from scratch. The method you choose will pretty much determine how much you will pay. Of course, other factors such as the company you go with to create your site for you, how fast you require your platform to be ready and functioning, whether hosting is part of the package, among others, will also affect the price. 

That said, it will cost you anywhere from a few hundred dollars (in the case of a pre-made template) to upward of $50,000 for a custom WP site depending on project complexity. With the Coder team, the web design process doesn’t use pre-made templates, and WordPress website design pricing begins at $5,000. 

Popular Sites That Have Been Built Using WP

WordPress is, by far, the leading CMS and the most prominent market shareholder today. That said, millions of websites use WP. Among the most notable names include:

  • The New York Times;
  • TechCrunch;
  • BBC America;
  • Bloomberg Professional;
  • Sony Music Website;
  • Microsoft News Center;
  • Facebook Newsroom;
  • Katy Perry;
  • Beyoncé;
  • The Rolling Stone. 

Final Words about WordPress Website Design

Whether you want to create a website to advertise your business, a blog, or an e-commerce store, WordPress is definitely the right choice. It’s the most popular website platform on the planet, powering nearly a third of all websites in existence. The good thing about WP is that you can be as flexible or unique as you want.

Just make sure you hire a good web design company and give your ideas/requirements as clearly as possible. 

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