So what’s a “theme”?

We like to explain WordPress sites using the analogy of a car. Every car has basic components that make it run, like the engine and transmission–that’s what the WordPress software does, it powers your website.

On top of WordPress we place a “theme,” which provides some additional functionality and a few design elements. Think of it like the metal frame that you attach all of the different parts of the car to. There are thousands of themes out there, and many of them are free, but we choose to work with one theme for all of our sites, a premium theme called Genesis (in the past we have worked with other themes but will no longer be designing new sites outside Genesis for the reasons discussed below).

Not All Themes Are Equal

Not all themes are equal in terms of their functionality, stability, and security.

While some cars just have the basics, others have powerful V8 engines, high end security systems that protect them from being broken into, and lots of customizable options, all while also offering reliability that is second to none.

That’s how we see Genesis. It provides the most secure foundation we’ve ever found among WordPress themes. It is SEO-friendly, highly customizable, easy to update, and has fabulous support. It’s also becoming more and more “mobile-responsive” which will be increasingly important as more and more people are surfing the web on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad. In addition, Genesis is built by a company that is well-established and is going to be around for a long time.

Fine-Tuning the Theme with Child Themes

But not all cars with special features look alike, and that’s where the “Child Theme” comes in. It’s like the body, paint job, chrome wheels, and other details that make up the “look” of the car.

Studiopress has 24 gorgeous child themes. We start with a child theme that best matches the look and feel you are envisioning for your website. Then we make it more unique, adding your logo, new background images, your color scheme, and choice of fonts. The basic rule of thumb is that the more unique we make it, the bigger the job.

To learn more about Genesis’s features or view their child themes, click here.

Adding Even More Functionality with Plugins

To extend our analogy a little further, all the extra options you might add to a car (like a high-end stereo system) are called plugins in the WordPress world. Plugins add extra functions beyond what your theme provides, things like calendars, testimonial boxes, slideshows, etc. Some plugins are free and some have to be purchased, like my favorite backup plugin “Backup Buddy.”

Hint: it’s NOT showering your web designer with expensive and opulent gifts because you love your new website so much (although we wouldn’t complain if you did!)

It’s what you do before you even begin work on your site that makes you the best. It’s having put some serious thought into not only why you want a website in the first place, but also what you want to do with it once you have it.

Serious thought? That sounds like it will take some time, and maybe you don’t feel like you have the time to come up with a web plan. I get it, you’re busy. But here’s why it is so important:

Taking a few hours now will make your website building process much smoother, faster, more enjoyable (AND less expensive) because it allows for very clear communication between you and your web designer. Best of all, it will help you love your website when it is complete, and be excited to send people to it.

Here are the five most important things that you need to figure out BEFORE you begin your first web project.

1. Know Who You Are

Whether you are creating a website to represent yourself, a small business, or a nonprofit, the first step is to know who you are. What makes you unique? What is the story behind why you are even running your business or nonprofit? What is your passion? And how do you want people to see and remember your company or organization?

Many companies and nonprofits already have these answers written down in the form of a “How we got started” story or a mission or vision statement. If so, communicate all of these elements to your web designer. If you don’t have them yet, you must answer these questions before you begin building your first website.

2. Know Your Site Visitors

How can you know who your site visitors are before you even have a site? This sounds like a chicken or the egg dilemma, but in this case, the egg comes first.

You must come up with a profile for your ideal site visitor.

If your business already exists, then this is probably the type of person you have already identified as your ideal customer or client. If you are a nonprofit, you might have multiple audiences: community members who will use your services, volunteers, and funders. You need to have a picture of all three of these groups of people, and answer some detailed questions about each of them.

The worst mistake you can make for your site is to say “I want my site to appeal to everyone.” That waters things down, doesn’t allow you to convey your uniqueness, and doesn’t appeal to your most important site visitors, the ones you want to create and maintain a long-term relationship with.

When you are coming up with your ideal site visitor, describe any common characteristics you can think of: their age-range, gender, socio-economic status, profession, their likes/dislikes, etc.

3. Know What You Want Your Site to Do

Far too many people decide to build a website just because “everyone else is doing it.” It’s true that having a website makes your business or nonprofit seem more legitimate, and people may look at you funny if you tell them you don’t have one.

So sometimes your goal may be to simply have a “web presence,” which could essentially look like an online brochure for your business. That’s fine, if that’s your goal.

But, it is essential to clarify your goals for your site from the very beginning (knowing of course that you can add on to your website in the future to give it more functionality).

What is it that you want your site to do? What is its purpose? Are you trying to sell a product? Offer a way for people to make online donations to your non-profit? Are you trying to teach something on your site by offering compelling content to your site visitors? Are you hoping to gain new clients for your service-related business? Are you hoping to connect with your existing volunteers, staff members, or clients in a new way?

4. Know How People Are Going to Find Your Site

One of the biggest mistakes I have made personally, and I have seen many others make with their first websites, is to assume that just because you build it, the people will come.

Launching a site is not a magical formula for gaining new clients, selling tons of products, or sharing your information with the world .

You almost have to think of your website in the same way that you would a full-color printed pamphlet or brochure. Just printing 10,000 copies of a brochure and then keeping it locked up in a storage room collecting dust isn’t going to do anything to help grow your business or spread your message. You have to not only get those brochures out into the world, but you have to specifically get them into the hands of your most likely customers or clients.

So, just like you would need a plan for when and where you would hand out your brochures to get the most “bang for your buck” you also need to have an idea of how you are going to attract people to your site if you want your site to be seen by more people than just your friends and family, or a random visitor here and there)

I know this may sound harsh, but I feel like I have to be a little “heavy-handed” here. I really want you to “get” this because I don’t want you to feel like your website was a waste of money because it’s not “doing anything” for you.

So here goes. When it is done, your website will be one of over one trillion websites that already exist on the Internet. Now I will do my best to incorporate the latest technologies and techniques to make sure that your site is seen and ranked well by the search engines, but these alone are not a magic bullet.

Your site will be far more effective, and thus your relationship with your website and your designer will stay positive if you don’t assume that your website is going to solve all of your business problems on its own. You need to understand that you will have to find effective ways (we can help you do that) to attract new people to your site.

5. Know Your Style and Preferences

Of any of the five most important things to figure out about your website, this one might be the most obvious to you already. Outlining your style and preferences is incredibly helpful during the early design process, as doing so will highlight the details that could make or break your satisfaction with your website.

While some of these are details that can often be addressed later in the design process, after you’ve seen the first draft of your site, if they are known and prioritized from the beginning, it will make it much more likely that both you and your web designer will really enjoy the process of creating your site.

Why? There is nothing more frustrating from either position than thinking (or hearing), “Wow, you really missed the mark. That’s not what I was looking for at all.” Sometimes these could be minor details, like maybe the background of the site was your least favorite color, but first impressions stay with us for a long time, and could tarnish your relationship with your web designer.

Here’s a great way to get started:

Choose five websites that represent someone who is in the same business as you (they may even be a direct competitor). Get really specific about what you do or don’t like about these sites. This is one of the best ways to start to figure out your style and preferences, especially for someone who is creating their very first website, as it is much easier to determine what you want by analyzing what you do and don’t like about someone else’s site. Here are a few specific things to look for:

1. Look at the home page of these sites. What specifically do you like or not like about the home page? Does it draw you in and make you want to learn more?

2. Look at the overall color scheme of the sites. Of the sites you’ve analyzed, which color choices appeal to you most? Do you have a few colors that are especially important to you or your business?

3. Look at the photos on the sites. Do they have large or small photos? Many photos or just a few? Photos with a compelling tagline or “call to action” written on top? What do you like or not like about their photos or graphics?

4. Look at the background of the sites. Is it a solid color, a photo, or does it have a texture to it? Is it busy or very subtle? What backgrounds do you like or not like, and why?

5. Look at the writing on the sites. Do you like the fonts used on one site more than another? Do you like any particular colors or sizes of fonts better? Do you like it when a site has it’s titles capitalized or in bold?

Wrapping Up

We’ve talked about the five most important things that you need to know before you begin your first website. First, you need to know your business inside and out. Second, you need to figure out who your site visitors are going to be. Third, you need to identify your goals for your site. Fourth, begin to map out how people will find your site. And lastly, outline your style and preferences.

These steps will make your website design process more focused, make the experience more enjoyable, make the end product better, and ensure less miscommunication between you and your designer.

And now you can see why completing these steps would make you one of the best web clients in the world.

To get a copy of our “New Website Questionnaire” or our “Web Redesign Questionnaire” which includes all of the five elements above (and much more), fill out the contact form on the First Steps to Getting Started page, and we’ll email you a copy.

To get a copy of our “New Website Questionnaire” or our “Web Redesign Questionnaire” which includes all of the five elements above (and much more), fill out the contact form on the First Steps to Getting Started page, and we’ll email you a copy.

WordPress is rapidly growing in popularity: over 73 million people (bloggers, nonprofits, small businesses, and corporations) are using WordPress for their personal or professional websites.

After using a number of different web development tools, I have chosen WordPress as the only platform on which I  create websites for myself and my clients.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why My Clients Choose WordPress for Their First Website or Web Redesign
(And Why You Should Consider It Too):

1. WordPress is easy to use.

This is the number one reason that I create WordPress sites for my clients, and it’s based on the number one complaint I hear from potential clients which is their current website system is too complicated for them to use themselves. Most of them have been relying on an outside web designer to make simple edits for them and this can be costly at a designer’s hourly wage. Others have been wanting to remove outdated content on their sites for months, even years, but can’t because either their designer is too busy (or has vanished from the face of the Earth), and since they don’t know how to do the edits themselves, they are just stuck.

“I find WordPress to be fluid, dynamic, and intuitive. Although I am still a novice at being my own webmaster, I feel confident that I can care for my site, communicate with my readers, and keep everything updated and relevant.”

Melora Purell, Coordinator
Kohala Watershed Partnership

One of the non-profits I work with had a similar problem. One of their web-savvy staff members could make simple changes on their site, but it was a “clunky” system which was difficult to teach to others. After we redesigned their site in WordPress, I taught two staff members how to use it, as well as one of their 80 year old volunteers, who ended up being their primary site editor. He had never used WordPress before, but was able to learn the system well enough to add photos, pdfs, and to make simple edits and additions to the site in less than one hour!

If you could only see the look of amazement (and sense of relief) on my clients’ faces when they realize how easy it will be to edit their sites themselves. This is the kind of thing that makes me tear up in my business, and makes me love working with WordPress even more.

2. WordPress is extremely SEO friendly.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Being “SEO-friendly” means that search engines like Google will have an easier time finding your site and understanding what it’s about, which means that it will be more likely to recommend your site when someone (a future client, fan, or volunteer) searches for a topic that is available on your site. WordPress is very SEO-friendly on its own, but if search engine rank is very important to you, there are a few tools I recommend that can be added to a WordPress website to make it even more search engine friendly.

3. WordPress allows you to integrate a blog on your site.

WordPress was originally built to be a blogging platform, but in more recent years has added the ability to have regular pages like any other website. This means that WordPress is perfectly made to add a fantastic blog to your site.

Some people may not think they want a blog on their site, or understand exactly what it is for, but one example I have used a number of times with nonprofit organizations is to turn the blog into a place to announce “News and Events.” This section might share information about upcoming fundraisers, photos or videos of volunteers, their newsletter, or links to related news articles.

4. WordPress has a built-in network of support.

Because WordPress is “Open Source” (which means it is free to use, modify, or distribute without needing a license) there are literally millions of people out there who are creating new updates, themes, plugins, and tutorials to make WordPress even better. This insures that it won’t disappear anytime soon. And since it has a fantastic community who love and support WordPress, you will always be able to find someone to help you with your site.

5. WordPress is easily customizable.

There are thousands of different themes available to apply to a WordPress site, many of which are free, that allow you to make your site look any way you’d like. And any skilled WordPress designer can fully customize your site beyond the theme to achieve the look you are visualizing. Starting with a theme when working with a designer saves them time because there are so many great features already built-in that your web designer wouldn’t have to custom code themselves. This saves you money.

My favorite WordPress theme is Genesis by Studiopress not only because it has so many different variations, but also because it one of the most stable, secure, and  e SEO-friendly themes available. They have “child themes” that specialize in displaying real estate listings, showing off photography portfolios, and many others that work very well for individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses. Click here for more information about WordPress themes.

6. WordPress allows you to be interactive.

Having a web presence that allows your business or organization to be interactive with your clients, fans, or volunteers is becoming more and more important. When you have a way to reach out to your audience, and a way for them to engage with you, you develop a more connected relationship with your customers and thus a more long-term relationship.

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter allow for a lot of this relationship building to happen, but WordPress is a great tool for this as well. The blog feature is one of the best ways to build a relationship with people on your website because there is always a new reason for people to return to your site again and again and share their thoughts through a comment. Plus there are many other WordPress plugins that allow for interaction like surveys, testimonials, share buttons, and newsletter sign-ups.

WordPress would even allow you to create a private site that would give you a way to interact with a closer circle of staff, clients, or volunteers.

7. WordPress allows you to make changes quickly.

I’ve already touched on this in #1, but it is so important that it’s worth a second mention. You will never have to wait again for your web designer’s schedule to lighten up to make a simple edit to your site.

Your edits are as easy to make as typing an e-mail in a program like Gmail or Yahoo. Let’s say you see a spelling mistake on your site. After logging into the site, you would click on the page where the mistake is, correct the word in the WordPress Editor, click the blue “Publish” button, and your changes have already been made live on the site. It’s that quick!

One of my nonprofit clients used to wait months for their pro-bono webmaster to make changes because the executive director didn’t want to pressure them. Now the ED manages her WordPress site herself and does an amazing job providing new content for her readers.

8. WordPress allows you to sell products or receive donations.

When I had my very first website designed (before I even knew how to develop sites myself), I thought I needed a fancy shopping cart with lots of bells and whistles. This meant a $99/month fee for the shopping cart, a $30/month fee for the merchant account, and another $15/month for what’s called a payment gateway. Yuck! As a small business with very few initial sales, this ate up any profits I was making, eventually causing me to cancel all of these services.

There are other alternatives, especially for small businesses who are just getting off the ground. For any of my clients who want to sell items on their websites, I help them set up a free Paypal business account which allows for their customers (even the ones without a Paypal account) to use a credit card on their site. Paypal also allows you to take donations by credit card if you are a nonprofit.

WordPress easily integrates with Paypal, making it simple to take payments or donations on your website without any up-front fees. For one of my clients, who had a small company that made herbal salves, being able to sell her products on her WordPress site has opened her up to business in Canada, Australia, and England, as well as across the US.

9. WordPress has thousands of available add-on features.

If you are looking for a particular feature on your website, it’s highly likely that someone else has already created it as a WordPress plugin. And that means that you can use it, usually for free (although there are some paid plugins that give you advanced features).

Let’s say you want to have some photos rotate like a slideshow on your home page— a plugin called Dynamic Content Gallery will let you do that. How about integrating a calendar on your site?— there are a number of great plugins that can help you do that, even ones that will automatically display your upcoming events on your sidebar. Another plugin I like lets you display testimonials from your customers on your site, alternating them on different pages to make your site more dynamic.

One of my personal favorites as a WordPress designer is a paid plugin called Backup Buddy, which as you can guess makes backing up your site a cinch. This means that neither you nor I will ever lose sleep over a server crash or user error that results in your site data being lost. That’s one priceless plugin that I pass on to my clients for only $25/year (although it would cost you $75 to buy yourself).

10. WordPress can be hosted by many providers.

When I had my first website developed, I began hosting my site with my web designer. He charged me $50 month for hosting one site, which if you’ve ever looked around at your options is obscenely high. Because I felt burned by this experience, I like to be completely transparent with my clients and tell them up front how inexpensive hosting options can be, especially when you don’t need that many features.

I also prefer to set up clients with their own hosting accounts because this allows you the greatest amount of freedom in the future. I have heard too many clients admit that they don’t know where their domain names were purchased, who their hosting company is, or how to even contact their old web designer. Sometimes you find that you might be a better match for a different designer in the future when it’s time for a revamp of your site, and having control over your hosting makes this transition so much easier and less awkward for you and your previous designer.

As WordPress is growing in popularity, most hosting companies can host a WordPress site, and many of them have a 1-click install of the WordPress framework which will make your work even simpler.

The Most Important Reason

Overall all of these reasons point to one underlying motivation and major benefit of using WordPress, which is that it gives you a great relationship with your website. I love being a part of that.

If you are interested in having your first site developed in WordPress or are considering redesigning your existing website in WordPress, please see our First Steps to Getting Started page.