WordPress?

[Jables]

I've been reading this forum an have come to the conclusion that Wordpress is the way to go.

I am at the design stage for my website and don't know what to use to design. I only know HTML, that alone won't make a killer site.

I need to implement a blog, forum, an store. Would Wordpress be the way to go?

Thanks,
Josh

 

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[Amail]

Yes, Wordpress is the way to go especially if you're not a html/css wiz. Wordpress is a CMS (content management system). You manage the content (blogs, articles, photos, etc). The content displays according to the template you've chosen. There are thousands of Wordpress templates out there, some free and some paid.

Other CMS are Joomla, Drupal, probably some I'm forgetting or don't know about. Wordpress is the boss though, and seems to be most SEO friendly.

 

[tincho1492]

Try Woothemes or ThemeForest. If you don't know anything about design that is a good starting point.

 

[Jables]

Thank you for the replies. Very helpful. I'll post the link to my site when it I done!

Another quick question. Can I build a site in Wordpress before it is being hosted?

 

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[tincho1492]

Yes, you can use a localhost to develop the website on your computer. I use XAMPP. It's easy to install and once you have done your website just upload the files to your online server.

 

[Kak]

It is very hard to beat wordpress until you can afford to put a an active webmaster on payroll.

I like what I am able to do myself, but eventually I want to outsource to an active SEO, webmaster, article writer.

 

[bane]

Hi,

I am confused about how to build a non-blogging site, e.g. without comments etc.
Do I just have to go through a bunch of themes to find one that is not about blogging?

Cheers

 

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[nzerinto]

Hi,

I am confused about how to build a non-blogging site, e.g. without comments etc.
Do I just have to go through a bunch of themes to find one that is not about blogging?

Cheers

You can look for themes that aren't "blogging specific", ie don't have post info (ie publish date and "number of comments" next to each post title), but generally if you publish "pages" you won't get this problem, and then all you need to do is disable comments in the WordPress admin area, and perhaps remove the line of code (from the theme) that says "Comments have been disabled for this post" so no one knows any better.

 

[mayana]

The advice about the comments is exactly the solution to that issue. Wordpress works great for non-blogging websites. When you want to add a new page to your website, make sure that it is a "page" and not a "post". That way, the page will show up on your menu/navigation bar. What kind of website are you trying to build?

 

[mayana]

Try Woothemes or ThemeForest. If you don't know anything about design that is a good starting point.

I was a big Woothemes fan until recently. I've been happier making simple adjustments to the CSS/HTML of some of the free themes. One free theme that I used recently was "simple catch".

 

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[DealMaker]

Wordpress can be a good way to go because it's VERY, VERY easy to install. add content to your site, etc.

There is a price for the simplicity though...

There are often compatibility issues between versions of Wordpress and the themes and plugins that you use. These can cause issues with usability and security.

You also have to watch the amount of load on your server's processor when using some plug-ins... especially if you're running shared hosting.

If you're relatively tech-savvy and you are able to stay up on updates, security, and compatibility issues (or are willing to pay someone that can do these things), Wordpress is great.

If you're not willing to learn/pay someone to do these things, or you're just putting up a static website without regular content updates needed, you might look at other options including HTML/CSS.

 

[NaPal]

I'm currently using Wordpress on my 2 sites, however i feel there are a lot of missing links/details/options that could be in place to make it even easier and functionality wise.

I'm currently having an issue with one theme where it displays fine on Firefox, and looks like total crap on IE.

I've been seeing more and more on Joomla. Is this pretty much the same as wordpress? I;m interested

 

[Lgallion]

Just one more Wordpress theme option, this one is basically great for setting up landing pages, sales pages, squeeze pages and funnels: OptimizePress

It is around $100, but if you need to do one of the above, it is a huge time saver. If you want your site to look super stylish, however, it is pretty limited in how the pages can be customized (they look acceptable, but don't have that 'wow' factor like something from Woothemes does).

 

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[Layna]

If you're relatively tech-savvy and you are able to stay up on updates, security, and compatibility issues (or are willing to pay someone that can do these things), Wordpress is great.

How much should I expect to pay someone? I'm wondering because I came across a course on WordPress for $100 that I think would get me up to speed. (Of course, the other alternative is the library!)

 

[bane]

What kind of website are you trying to build?

Like just a basic squeeze page. Or just NOT a blog (i.e. edit buttons, comments etc)


Why do people always refer to paid themes? Are they simply much more powerful than free ones?

I know basic HTML/CSS, can I just get a basic free theme and customise it to my needs?

Thanks for your advice already everyone.

 

[mayana]

Like just a basic squeeze page. Or just NOT a blog (i.e. edit buttons, comments etc)


Why do people always refer to paid themes? Are they simply much more powerful than free ones?

I know basic HTML/CSS, can I just get a basic free theme and customise it to my needs?

Thanks for your advice already everyone.

For what you need it for, I don't think you need to even consider a paid theme, especially considering that you feel comfortable editing the CSS and html yourself. Just pick your theme, get rid of all of the extras on in and leave what you need.

The good thing about the paid themes is that a lot of the grunt work has been done for you and you can usually customize it in a more user-friendly way (via theme options, for example). There isn't anything magic about the paid themes. In fact, the reason that I don't like Woothemes is because of the way the code is written... is it my imagination, or do they make it difficult to customize on purpose?

I like the free themes because (mostly) they are written in the true spirit of open-source and are really easy to find your way around to make simple changes. A lot of the authors make themselves available on the Wordpress support forums and will give advice for free about how to do this and that.

 

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[bane]

For what you need it for, I don't think you need to even consider a paid theme, especially considering that you feel comfortable editing the CSS and html yourself. Just pick your theme, get rid of all of the extras on in and leave what you need.

The good thing about the paid themes is that a lot of the grunt work has been done for you and you can usually customize it in a more user-friendly way (via theme options, for example). There isn't anything magic about the paid themes. In fact, the reason that I don't like Woothemes is because of the way the code is written... is it my imagination, or do they make it difficult to customize on purpose?

I like the free themes because (mostly) they are written in the true spirit of open-source and are really easy to find your way around to make simple changes. A lot of the authors make themselves available on the Wordpress support forums and will give advice for free about how to do this and that.

Ah cool. Thank you very much ntapia. I will take your advice on board!

Do you have any opinion of "optimizepress"? Cheers

 

[mayana]

How much should I expect to pay someone? I'm wondering because I came across a course on WordPress for $100 that I think would get me up to speed. (Of course, the other alternative is the library!)

It really depends on what kind of a website you are looking for. It's probably worth learning how to do it yourself. If you want to pay someone for a simple site, $200-$300 will probably get you something decent.

If you need something more complicated, it can get more expensive.

Ah cool. Thank you very much ntapia. I will take your advice on board!

Do you have any opinion of "optimizepress"? Cheers

I don't have any personal experience with this theme, though I will say that $97 is higher than most premium themes. Maybe you could try out some free themes and see if you can make them work for you first?

 

[DeletedUser2]

why Paid vs Free

sometimes free ones have built in virus junk.

Google Virus in Free Wp Theme. several out there.

paid, no virus

plus with some paid, they have some good "non Blogger" themes,

We have used it on lots of domains for things like

ecommerce,
Blogging
Sales pages/landing page
sales funnels
forums

We just found WP to be easy to learn, install, update ect. and if you go to youtube, and search how to word press. there is enough there for a free course or 3.

Paid was cheap enough that it made sense for us. ODESK has alot of peopel who can install, update, adn do PSD to HMTL or HTML to WP conversions. so the labor is cheap enough of a commodity, that it takes very little to run.



Hope that helps


Z

 

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[mayana]

why Paid vs Free

sometimes free ones have built in virus junk.

Google Virus in Free Wp Theme. several out there.

paid, no virus

This is definitely something to consider. Basically, NEVER download a free theme from anywhere EXCEPT for the main Wordpress site.