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Creating a WebPlatform using WordPress

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Tomas J

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Hi there,

I am a beginner considering web development. A few days ago I've started building a web platform for my project. I've done all the administrative things like choosing hosting, domain, etc. I've also bought a premium theme that nicely fit my project (its called MyListing - My City – Just another MyListing Sites site). I consider the platform I am creating an MVP, later on, I plan to hire professionals.

The thing is that I've expected that working with WordPress, especially customizing the theme would be much easier. Do you have any suggestions on how to learn the basics to properly customize it (some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast)?

Is there someone who would like to discuss it further? I would be grateful for any advice, specific or general.

Thanks a lot!
Tomas
 
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Xeon

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The thing is that I've expected that working with WordPress, especially customizing the theme would be much easier. Do you have any suggestions on how to learn the basics to properly customize it (some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast)?

What aspect of the theme do you want to customize? The header and footer? Home page? Colors? Listing pages? Single Product pages?

Since you're using that particular theme in the link you gave, I assume your site is about listing items / events and displaying them in a results page?
 

Real Deal Denver

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Hi there,

I am a beginner considering web development. A few days ago I've started building a web platform for my project. I've done all the administrative things like choosing hosting, domain, etc. I've also bought a premium theme that nicely fit my project (its called MyListing - My City – Just another MyListing Sites site). I consider the platform I am creating an MVP, later on, I plan to hire professionals.

The thing is that I've expected that working with WordPress, especially customizing the theme would be much easier. Do you have any suggestions on how to learn the basics to properly customize it (some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast)?

Is there someone who would like to discuss it further? I would be grateful for any advice, specific or general.

Thanks a lot!
Tomas

I've been down that exact road. You have three choices;

1) Learn HTML and CSS and do the work yourself, one step at a time. This is the most powerful way to have complete control, but this is the most time consuming and requires a lot of knowledge and skill.

2) Get a "page builder" program to greatly speed up the work. Instead of writing commands one at a time, a page builder is a "visual interface" where you add photos, videos, copy and paste text, etc. by "visually" dropping them on the page. The three most popular ones are Divi, Elementor, and Beaver Builder. I use Divi. All of them have a learning curve, but you can find "how-to" A-Z videos on YouTube to watch that will get you up to speed in a day or two.

3) Hire someone to do it for you. With that method, you are at their mercy, and can't do much on your own, so unless it's a one-time thing, I would avoid this choice. There are always changes you will want to make - so you should have some way to do the work yourself.

There are your options. Good luck.

I also use WordPress - and I'll say be ready for a wild bumpy ride. It is in NO way as developed and smoothly integrated as they would have you believe. There is a lot to learn, and there are a lot of issues. Google will be your guide to help you as you go.
 

kristkaa

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Hi there,

I am a beginner considering web development. A few days ago I've started building a web platform for my project. I've done all the administrative things like choosing hosting, domain, etc. I've also bought a premium theme that nicely fit my project (its called MyListing - My City – Just another MyListing Sites site). I consider the platform I am creating an MVP, later on, I plan to hire professionals.

The thing is that I've expected that working with WordPress, especially customizing the theme would be much easier. Do you have any suggestions on how to learn the basics to properly customize it (some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast)?

Is there someone who would like to discuss it further? I would be grateful for any advice, specific or general.

Thanks a lot!
Tomas

For wordpress basics, start off with Wordpress documentation. Second, go over the theme documentation. That should give you the starting point.

How much you can change from backend admin panel without having to learn HTML, CSS, PHP and JS depends what options theme developers have added for that. Some themes have more configurations available from either backend or wordpress customizer tool, others less. But again, theme documentation should give you a glue about that.

You can also learn from online video courses to grasp the basics faster.

Good luck!
 
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rogue synthetic

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If you just need cosmetic changes to the theme, pick up a resource on HTML and CSS. Wordpress themes are like any other web page. You lay them out with HTML and make them pretty with CSS. Not too hard, really.

If you're asking about changing the functionality, that's going to require some competence with PHP and knowing your way around Stack Exchange help threads. It's not that hard, but it's a different kettle of fish from the front-end coding. If you don't have any background in coding you're better off paying somebody to do this stuff for you.

And if you're doing that, it's worth a think about what you're going to do when you move away from WP. Which you will be doing sooner than later for any serious application.

Also, as a general point about expectations, this:

"some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast"

...isn't really the best way to be thinking about this. (Or any technical subject: "hey, got some tips on how to learn the basics of heart surgery really fast?")

Get your hands dirty in the Codex and expect to put in real work to get even minimally competent, if you want something more than white screen where your website should be.
 

DaDream

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Apr 24, 2019
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I've been down that exact road. You have three choices;

1) Learn HTML and CSS and do the work yourself, one step at a time. This is the most powerful way to have complete control, but this is the most time consuming and requires a lot of knowledge and skill.

2) Get a "page builder" program to greatly speed up the work. Instead of writing commands one at a time, a page builder is a "visual interface" where you add photos, videos, copy and paste text, etc. by "visually" dropping them on the page. The three most popular ones are Divi, Elementor, and Beaver Builder. I use Divi. All of them have a learning curve, but you can find "how-to" A-Z videos on YouTube to watch that will get you up to speed in a day or two.

3) Hire someone to do it for you. With that method, you are at their mercy, and can't do much on your own, so unless it's a one-time thing, I would avoid this choice. There are always changes you will want to make - so you should have some way to do the work yourself.

There are your options. Good luck.

I also use WordPress - and I'll say be ready for a wild bumpy ride. It is in NO way as developed and smoothly integrated as they would have you believe. There is a lot to learn, and there are a lot of issues. Google will be your guide to help you as you go.

How did you learn these are the best page builders?:Divi, Elementor, and Beaver Builder.
 

Real Deal Denver

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How did you learn these are the best page builders?:Divi, Elementor, and Beaver Builder.

Of all places - here!

I can't remember the thread, but I wrote the name down and continued my research on Google.

I went to each website, and couldn't see any huge differences, so I went with Divi because I liked their lifetime plan. It may be the best - it may not be. It's like a car - which is better, Ford or Chevy? Does it matter? Who cares? They are both good. Divi gets the job done for me.

Just google "best website builder" - or "web page builder" - or...
 
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John F.

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The thing is that I've expected that working with WordPress, especially customizing the theme would be much easier. Do you have any suggestions on how to learn the basics to properly customize it (some tips on how to learn the basics of WordPress really fast)?

I am in the process of building a site for my new business with WP right now. If you are looking for it to be a quick build process with just a couple clicks, you are in the wrong spot. WP building is going to take some time and research.

I learned WP by watching YouTube videos. A simple search on how to build/configure whatever theme you are using should do the trick. WP is great to start with if you don't know how to code, but it is not a magic pill for site development. It will still take a ton of effort to build something worth visiting.

You can also look at importing Demo content from the company you bought the theme from. That can at least give you a general starting point.
 

DaDream

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Apr 24, 2019
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Of all places - here!

I can't remember the thread, but I wrote the name down and continued my research on Google.

I went to each website, and couldn't see any huge differences, so I went with Divi because I liked their lifetime plan. It may be the best - it may not be. It's like a car - which is better, Ford or Chevy? Does it matter? Who cares? They are both good. Divi gets the job done for me.

Just google "best website builder" - or "web page builder" - or...

It sparked curiosity because none of the CMS/website builders I have tried have worked out. It's cause I'm being cheap and I want to work with something free for now so I can practice. Both Weebly and Wix were slow to work with on their free tier. Wordpress did not quite work for me either. Shopify is good but I did some research and I'm better off learning to build my own thing. It will save a lot of money in the long run.

So anyway I will get to try those out. One last question I have. When it comes to taking payment what do you use and why?
 

Real Deal Denver

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It sparked curiosity because none of the CMS/website builders I have tried have worked out. It's cause I'm being cheap and I want to work with something free for now so I can practice. Both Weebly and Wix were slow to work with on their free tier. Wordpress did not quite work for me either. Shopify is good but I did some research and I'm better off learning to build my own thing. It will save a lot of money in the long run.

So anyway I will get to try those out. One last question I have. When it comes to taking payment what do you use and why?

If I was going to take payment, I'd use Paypal. But I deal with one time large purchases, as I'm a real estate appraiser. I don't offer any payment plans except cash or check. In fact, I recently started working with attorneys (which I plan to do exclusively), and my payment terms are THEIR customers pay me at the door. The attorneys like that, as it's one less thing for them to worry about, and I like it too.

FYI, I have talked to other appraisers that used to take credit cards but stopped doing that. The reason is anyone can complain about anything, and it is a lot of work to dispute IF someone doesn't "like" their appraisal. Of course, most people won't be a problem - but that's not *all* people. It only takes ONE to mess up your day or week.

If I were going to take payment for a B2C biz selling a large selection of items, I'd pay the extra charge to have everything handled in one setup, which I've heard that Shopify is good at. I am not looking for cheap - cheap takes work. In fact, I am right now embroiled in a technical problem with WordPress. The third one in 24 hours. I want good - with no problems - and I'll gladly pay extra for that. People in business are so cheap nowadays anyway. In the "good old days" it was expensive as hell to have a business phone - yellow pages advertising - and a secretary to answer it. Now we have VOIP phones and bots. And everyone is STILL looking to scrimp. Okay - I get it. But I'd rather spend my time increasing sales - which costs a lot of money too - and not worry about the menial stuff. Yes, I would have an 800 number - yes, I would have a 24-hour chat manned by REAL humans that speak fluent English (only costs about $800 a month!) - and yes, I would have deluxe packaging and reliable shipping (NOT cheap USPS). That's what the leaders in business do. And the leaders are the ones that make the most money. Funny how that works - business fascinates me to no end.
 
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Xeon

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Sep 3, 2017
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It sparked curiosity because none of the CMS/website builders I have tried have worked out. It's cause I'm being cheap and I want to work with something free for now so I can practice. Both Weebly and Wix were slow to work with on their free tier. Wordpress did not quite work for me either. Shopify is good but I did some research and I'm better off learning to build my own thing. It will save a lot of money in the long run.

Elementor user & fanatic here, built my own shop using that.
I've used Divi & Visual Composer in the past, played with Weebly and Wix, and had a Shopify store to play with previously (also bought their Shogun page builder and other plugins).

I've been championing this Elementor tool in various earlier posts as well.
This beast is now on a whole new level that if you don't try this out, you're missing out many things.

If Weebly & Wix are like Toyotas and Hondas, and Divi & Visual Composer are in the Porsche tier, then Elementor is in the Koenigsegg tier and Elementor Pro is a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

If you just want to tinker around, get cheap hosting + Wordpress + Elementor installed, and go play around. Cheap hosting you can get it around $3.95 / month, if you can't pay that, something is wrong......

In Elementor, it's not just dragging but the ability to customise every facet of every element by clicking buttons. Their responsiveness option (ability to make it look different on desktop, mobile and tablets) are very powerful.
The latest versions now even have motion effects, creating pop-ups from scratch and entire headers/footers/single product pages etc.
(you can literally build an entire website INSIDE the header and footer itself lol).

Even more-irregular-than-average website designs like these:
Behance
Dribbble - atach.png by Outcrowd

can be done easily in there by clicking buttons. Feel free to ask me any Elementor questions you've.
No, I'm not their affiliate or anything, just a passionate lover. Maybe I should apply to be their brand rep.

There's one comment among the Elementor community on FB yesterday that the guys behind Elementor should LEAVE Wordpress and create their own CMS, because the tool has gotten so powerful that Wordpress is actually holding it back LOL. I'm a strong advocate of that.
It's kinda like a lion (Elementor) being tied down by this pig (Wordpress) strapped onto its back while it's battling hyenas.

There's another one, Oxygen. But it's kinda new and not as widespread as Elementor yet, and not as much features.

Payment wise, I'm using Paypal but am considering adding Stripe to it.
 
Last edited:

MattR82

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Are you planning on building websites with WordPress in the future or are you wanting to learn just for this one off project?

I'd recommend Elementor and probably Astra theme. Check out tutorials on YouTube by Wpcrafter. If you want something quick and easy, Astra has a bunch of kinda ready made starter sites. Still, there's not really anything quick about learning wordpress unless you want a crappy site. Probably plenty of VA's in the Philippines that can help you out for 10 bucks an hour as well. I've had a few that were really good from ph.
 

DaDream

Contributor
User Power
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138%
Apr 24, 2019
45
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Miami Florida
If I was going to take payment, I'd use Paypal. But I deal with one time large purchases, as I'm a real estate appraiser. I don't offer any payment plans except cash or check. In fact, I recently started working with attorneys (which I plan to do exclusively), and my payment terms are THEIR customers pay me at the door. The attorneys like that, as it's one less thing for them to worry about, and I like it too.

FYI, I have talked to other appraisers that used to take credit cards but stopped doing that. The reason is anyone can complain about anything, and it is a lot of work to dispute IF someone doesn't "like" their appraisal. Of course, most people won't be a problem - but that's not *all* people. It only takes ONE to mess up your day or week.

If I were going to take payment for a B2C biz selling a large selection of items, I'd pay the extra charge to have everything handled in one setup, which I've heard that Shopify is good at. I am not looking for cheap - cheap takes work. In fact, I am right now embroiled in a technical problem with WordPress. The third one in 24 hours. I want good - with no problems - and I'll gladly pay extra for that. People in business are so cheap nowadays anyway. In the "good old days" it was expensive as hell to have a business phone - yellow pages advertising - and a secretary to answer it. Now we have VOIP phones and bots. And everyone is STILL looking to scrimp. Okay - I get it. But I'd rather spend my time increasing sales - which costs a lot of money too - and not worry about the menial stuff. Yes, I would have an 800 number - yes, I would have a 24-hour chat manned by REAL humans that speak fluent English (only costs about $800 a month!) - and yes, I would have deluxe packaging and reliable shipping (NOT cheap USPS). That's what the leaders in business do. And the leaders are the ones that make the most money. Funny how that works - business fascinates me to no end.

Yea I get you. I'm with a large eCommerce store based on Magento 1. Fulfillment has not been automated so a lot of resources go into that. Same can be said in terms of adding products. No one click options as with Overlo or Spocket.

At the same time. I'm thinking in terms of having an advantage when bidding for ads. I'm just starting out. I don't have that much capital to play with. I'm thinking of finding a few products I could dropship and see where things go.

Ultimately I think you might be right. Cost of development can add up significantly and the goal is to free my time from running the business. In the end I will strive to go for automation. A lot of value in your answer.
 
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DaDream

Contributor
User Power
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Apr 24, 2019
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Miami Florida
Elementor user & fanatic here, built my own shop using that.
I've used Divi & Visual Composer in the past, played with Weebly and Wix, and had a Shopify store to play with previously (also bought their Shogun page builder and other plugins).

I've been championing this Elementor tool in various earlier posts as well.
This beast is now on a whole new level that if you don't try this out, you're missing out many things.

If Weebly & Wix are like Toyotas and Hondas, and Divi & Visual Composer are in the Porsche tier, then Elementor is in the Koenigsegg tier and Elementor Pro is a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

If you just want to tinker around, get cheap hosting + Wordpress + Elementor installed, and go play around. Cheap hosting you can get it around $3.95 / month, if you can't pay that, something is wrong......

In Elementor, it's not just dragging but the ability to customise every facet of every element by clicking buttons. Their responsiveness option (ability to make it look different on desktop, mobile and tablets) are very powerful.
The latest versions now even have motion effects, creating pop-ups from scratch and entire headers/footers/single product pages etc.
(you can literally build an entire website INSIDE the header and footer itself lol).

Even more-irregular-than-average website designs like these:
Behance
Dribbble - atach.png by Outcrowd

can be done easily in there by clicking buttons. Feel free to ask me any Elementor questions you've.
No, I'm not their affiliate or anything, just a passionate lover. Maybe I should apply to be their brand rep.

There's one comment among the Elementor community on FB yesterday that the guys behind Elementor should LEAVE Wordpress and create their own CMS, because the tool has gotten so powerful that Wordpress is actually holding it back LOL. I'm a strong advocate of that.
It's kinda like a lion (Elementor) being tied down by this pig (Wordpress) strapped onto its back while it's battling hyenas.

There's another one, Oxygen. But it's kinda new and not as widespread as Elementor yet, and not as much features.

Payment wise, I'm using Paypal but am considering adding Stripe to it.

View: https://youtu.be/R7636QIopMg


I guess I have no choice but to try both of them. Thank you for your feedback. Much appreciated.
 

DaDream

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
138%
Apr 24, 2019
45
62
Miami Florida
Are you planning on building websites with WordPress in the future or are you wanting to learn just for this one off project?

I'd recommend Elementor and probably Astra theme. Check out tutorials on YouTube by Wpcrafter. If you want something quick and easy, Astra has a bunch of kinda ready made starter sites. Still, there's not really anything quick about learning wordpress unless you want a crappy site. Probably plenty of VA's in the Philippines that can help you out for 10 bucks an hour as well. I've had a few that were really good from ph.

Will look at this as well. Fun weekend for me. Thank you.
 

MattR82

Gold Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
178%
Oct 4, 2015
1,394
2,480
41
Brisbane

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