ByWordPress is such a great technology when it comes to web development. As a web developer for about three years now, I’ve gained experience developing multiple websites, some for myself, others for clients and organisations. But as I look back on my journey so far, I can say that I would have avoided many errors I made if I had known what I am coming to share with you today earlier. Maybe you are interested in WordPress, and you are wondering how to plan a WordPress website development project. Well, I have good news for you, because this article is right for you. Read on.
Have a meeting with the client to discuss his/her needs
This point goes to you if you are developing a website for a client, but you can also apply it to yourself even if you are building the website for yourself, say a portfolio website. There are many clients and organisations that need great-looking websites but don’t know what should even be on the interfaces. I remember one person who contacted me to build his website but didn’t know what to put there. He just got the idea and wanted something nice. You see. Chances that you’ll meet such people and clients are high. That is why you need to have a meeting with them.
As a developer, you know the technicality of what you are doing. So, let the client describe what he wants. Let him put forth all his ideas to you. As he’s talking, write down what he is saying about the project. Ensure that he explains any point you feel confused about further to clear any ambiguity in your mind.
After getting that, move on to the next point.
List the pages you have to build individually for the project
A website is like a book with several pages linked together. So, for every website, there ought to be pages to build. In WordPress technology, a page is different from a post. And from my experience, many clients are more concerned about the pages than the posts. So, it’s likely that you may not build any post-pages for the project.
Some pages, such as the Contact, Privacy Policy, and Home pages, are a must-have for every website. So, these three have to be written down. And, for the privacy policy, you can generate some online to use for the website. Just make sure that you edit it enough to suit the client’s website purpose and vision so that it won’t be generic.
The other pages you will build will depend on how the client describes the project. Sometimes, you may have to research similar websites to know other essential pages to add to the list.
Set up your development environment
Once you are clear with the pages to develop, set up the development environment on your computer or laptop. When I started building WordPress websites, I used MAMP localhost. By the way, others used XAMPP localhost. But over time, as my laptop storage space started reducing, it ran slowly since MAMP used much of my RAM. Moreover, clients can’t also monitor the progress of the work when you are using localhost.
So, after gaining some experience on how web domains and hosting work, I now create subdomains for my website and build clients’ websites on it so that after the job is thoroughly done, I can make a backup using a plugin and later migrate it to the client’s domain, then reset my subdomain and probably delete it entirely later on.
Research on similar projects
Because WordPress is open source, many resources online can help you with your work. Building everything from scratch is not advisable if you don’t understand how PHP works. So, you have to google similar websites and see what their user interface looks like. Then, you can also research Elementor’s website to get templates of some pages you can import and customise later to suit your work.
Take your time to select the most appropriate theme and essential plugins
Before you start building any webpage, even before using page builders like Elementor, take time to research a good theme in the WordPress theme directory to use. There are thousands of themes, and each is unique. If you are like me and would like to stick to one theme, you can go ahead and even purchase the premium version lifetime access for all your future projects. But everyone is different. Some developers like to browse. So, whatever your case is, just ensure you select the most appropriate one for your project. However, remember that each theme comes with its own settings and ways of customising it. So, be careful.
Some plugins are essential to install. Jetpack, Yoast SEO and Elementor are non-negotiables. But you can choose more to install based on your project. Remember to research the plugins before installing them.
Customise the header and footer
Don’t start building pages directly. Build your menu list and customise the header and footer first. Ensure the colours are on point also. If possible, create a different menu for the desktop view and another for the mobile and tablet views. Why? Usually, the mobile view has an off-canvas drawer, which makes it possible to have a more extended menu list, unlike the desktop view, which many themes limit the menu list item to about 6 or 7.
Build the pages one by one, and always let the homepage be the last to build
Now you have set up your environment, installed your desired theme and plugins, and customised your header and footer; it’s time to build the pages. Start from less difficult ones like Contact and Privacy policy pages. Then, you can proceed to create others. However, let the homepage be the last to be built because it is the most important and usually comprises more content from other web pages merged into it.
Constantly review your work and ask for reviews from your client and other developers
Everybody learns from others. Never build the website while neglecting the client’s review and other developers. They can help you save a lot of time from doing wasteful work.
If you are using localhost, you cannot share your work online until you’ve moved the website online.
Remember this
As soon as any new website goes live, scammers start sending emails to the admin emails. Sometimes, they use bots that crawl the contact page to do that. Always create a Google Recapta and merge it in your contact form plugin, say Contact Form 7, Ninja Forms or WP Forms. It’ll help you sort many spammy emails automatically, as Google will block them from even sending them to you through the site admin email.
All the best in your career as a WordPress website developer.
