considerations – Tech Warrior

How much does it cost to build a website, part 2?

Tristan Green — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Welcome to part two of our exploration into the elements that affect the cost of building a website. Remember to take a look at Part one of How much does it cost to build a website for the full picture. In this part we look at indirect elements like hosting, domain registration and logo design.

Our chief want in life, is someone who shall make us do what we can. This is the service of a friend. With him, we are easily great.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Logo design and a website

You need a logo before you can have a website, unless you run your business as a sole prop, under your name and think nothing of a mix and match approach to colours and fonts. This does not look very professional but many do-it-yourselfers, seem to think it is fine.

Tech Warrior has evolved a sequence of processes that endeavour to eliminate some of the back-and-forth communications with customers, mainly because no one really has time to have six or seven meetings around the type of font your logo should have.

This is why Tech Warrior has created a document work flow so we can reduce the time it takes to deliver logo concepts to our clients. The cost is reduced substantially mainly because we’re not having to set up meetings and discuss all the changes. From start to finish a logo can take as little as a week to complete, however if the content document is lacking substance, expect the logo designs to match! As David Ogilvy said, “Give me the freedom of a tight brief.”

To host a website?

Hosting a website with Tech Warrior has a base cost of R170 per month. The more pages your website has, the more the hosting costs. We do, however, try to manage If you were to have a 51 paged website, the hosting would increase to R420 per month.

This topic fluctuates based on the client requirements, simply put if the client wants or needs more; the hosting costs more.

Purchasing domain names carefully is a very important aspect of owning a website. Having a website is an important part of running a business. Make sure you are the rightful registered owner of your domain name.

To secure a domain?

When you decide you want to build a website, ask yourself what the purpose of the website is going to be. Are people going to be buying products from you through an ecommerce website, or will your website just be an online portfolio displaying work you have done. Head on over to our learning hub and read this article it outlines the 5 steps required to get your website up and running.

I’ll touch on one of the topics the article briefly covers, the purchasing of a domain. If you imagine the entire internet as a humongous cherry pie, when you purchase a domain, you are effectively buying a piece of this “Internet Pie”. Depending on who you make the purchase with the price will vary, some local organisations such as Domains.co.za, Afrihost and Xneelo all offer domain registrations; companies such as GoDaddy, Wix and WordPress also offer domain registrations, however your domain will be suffixed with the chosen service provider’s name, like so, “secondhandjoburg.wordpress.co.za” instead of “secondhandhoburg.co.za”. The main reason for this is branding for the CMS, but you are effectively utilizing their server capacity which needs to be paid for in some way or another.

To put your colour palette together?

The colour palette’s Tech Warrior creates are all done in conjunction with the client as a way to maximise customer satisfaction from start to finish. If you already have a logo developed, we’ll use colours from the logo to create brand consistency.

Once a deposit has been received for the requested work we’ll generate a colour palette and subsequently a logo to match. As the South African colloquial adage goes, “nothing for mahala’.

As you can see, there are a few costs involved with getting a website developed from domain registration to logo illustration. Depending on who you choose to develop your website costs will vary, the main objective is to try and not have the wool pulled over your eyes. That’s the purpose of Tech Warrior’s Learning Hub articles; we have an objective to equip our customers, new and recurring, with knowledge to help them make informed decisions.

As with anything, if you are unsure, get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to assist!

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

Judson Dawtrey — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

SEO explained

SEO or “Search Engine Optimisation” involves the processes used to increase the amount of quality unpaid traffic to your website through search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, et al. SEO is important if you want your website to succeed. If nobody is viewing your website, then people won’t see what your business provides and therefore you won’t get the sales and customers you deserve. SEO helps rectify this by helping Google, or whichever search engine is being used, to rank your website higher on searches so that your business pops up more frequently when people are searching for specific information or solutions to their problems.

Why is it important?

Search engines use clever apps or programs called bots which gather information about specific pages. These bots, also known as internet bots or web robots, are automated software applications that are linked to the search engine in question and they traverse the internet to gather information about websites. This information is analyzed by specific algorithms, another part of the search engine. These algorithms focus on special ranking factors and signals which work out and determine the context and relevance of order certain pages so the best ones show up in search results. Content quality and keywords are important factors for content optimisation. Crawlability is a search engine's ability to access and crawl content on a website. A website’s crawlability, content quality and mobile friendliness are all important so that search engines can provide people with the best user experience when searching for specific information.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
—Thomas Edison

Other ways to enhance SEO

Other important SEO actions include pagespeed, which is explained in the name. The speed at which your website loads is very important in SEO as it deals with user satisfaction. Search engines, specifically Google rate this very highly. If your website does not load fast enough, your customers will most likely leave and try another website which can have a negative impact on your website’s traffic.

There is also search intent which involves website owners pasting a topic into a keyword research tool to help find certain keywords and phrases that people search for often. These keywords and phrases can then be included in the website content. It is very important when doing this is to ensure the overall page content aligns with the search intent of the keyword or phrase.

There are other ways to enhance SEO for your website, however those mentioned stand out the most when it comes to Google’s ranking system. Not having SEO is not the end of the world, however, it will result in a lot less traffic moving through your website and your main aim for a website is to elevate your professionalism and get as much business as possible.

How much does it cost to build a website, part 1?

Tristan Green — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

When I started this article I had no idea it would evolve into the complex end product it became. Given the variety of factors that contribute to the cost of a website I decided to split the article into two parts. The first part deals with the elements directly affecting the cost of a website. Things like choice of platform, content and scope creep. In part two I’ll explore the indirect elements like hosting, domain registration and logo design. Yes, you do need a logo before you build a website.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride, we’re going to look in depth at what drives the price of a website up and or down.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
—Walt Disney

Amount of content and website platform

The development of a website usually follows the same process from start to finish. If it’s a WordPress or similar CMS website, content will be generated and then published onto the website along with images, videos and links to other websites and blogs. The amount of content to be published on a site is a factor in the overall website price.

If the website developer has to create a one page website versus a 10 page site, chances are they’re going to charge you more. The primary reason will be a time factor, designing and building a single page website can take a few hours opposed to a 10 page site which can sometimes take a few weeks to finish.

Another factor affecting price is how the website is built. Is the site going to be hardcoded? Is it going to be designed and built using a website platform like Squarespace, Weebly or Wix. Or perhaps it will be developed using a self-hosted platform like WordPress or Joomla. Using a platform or self-hosted option can be the cheaper option because it takes less time to do.

What makes a website more expensive?

Similarly to the forces driving a website’s price down, the same applies to the price being driven up. In addition, the complexity of a website, the amount of content, whether or not original photos need to be shot, and who has the final sign off decision are all examples of variables that could affect the price.

On a tongue-in-cheek note, the agency or web development company may have to reach certain targets or have overheads which need to be fulfilled - those fancy offices need to be paid for even if no one is actually in them at the moment! Fancy offices may mean more expensive web development costs for you.

Scope creep

At Tech Warrior we try to keep the cost of our websites down. This does mean that we ask our clients to follow our processes. We do our best to educate and explain what goes into building a website via our learning hub. This ensures the web development process is transparent and the customer can rest easy in the knowledge that they are making the correct choice.

It is our hope that an informed customer will work with our workflow and not against it. In the rare case where this doesn’t happen and scope creep tries to rear it’s frustrating head, we may have to charge for updates and alterations to client websites outside of the original site building process.

Adding extra pages

As a general rule of thumb at Tech Warrior we don’t build bespoke, custom websites. Instead we utilise a tried and tested consumer-focused approach that we are all familiar with, off the rack or shelf. Using our purpose built website theme we offer a great value for money product that comes with minimal structural changes but a healthy amount of personalisation. This keeps time and costs down. We offer websites for a range of needs:

1 page website
5 page website
10 page website
Ecommerce website
20 page website

If extra pages are needed, turning a 5 page website into a 7 page one for example, these are charged for on a per page basis. These extra pages range in price from R650 to R1275 depending on the amount of content and the complexity of layout.

Adding more pages can also increase what it costs to host the website. We explore this in more detail in Part 2 of How much does it cost to build a website?

The website take over process

At Tech Warrior, we will manage the process of transferring domains and website takeovers. We charge for this service because it takes time and often there are jargon filled administrative tasks which need to be resolved. We don’t expect you to understand the jargon of the domain transferal and website hosting so it is easier for us to handle this, quickly and efficiently on your behalf.

The final word

This article explored the direct costs of building a website. Some of the costs are specific to the way Tech Warrior does things. Remember we’ve been doing this for a long time - some 25 years. We like to think that the experience gained during this time translates into a streamlined process that offers our customers a great value website within a relatively quick amount of time.

How to build a successful website in 5 easy steps

Matthew Green — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

A website is the most all-round effective way to attract customers, build trust and solve problems. In this article I’ll break down the 5 steps you need to follow in order to successfully build a website. It doesn’t matter whether you are building a website from scratch or starting out with a redesign on your current website, these are the five steps to success.

I am going to assume that you will be using a professional web development company to build your website. If you are choosing to build your website yourself or are getting a family or friend to build your website for you, there may be some overlap in the steps but overall they are the same. I am also going to assume you have sorted out how much you want to spend on the website. If you are unsure, read through the article: I need a website for my small business. Where do I start?

A consistent and heart-filled effort to completion is the foundation of excellent work.
—Benjamin Watson

Step one: Gather the content

The biggest hurdle in getting any website project completed and over the finish line is content. This content is usually in the form of text, images and videos. As the business or organisation owner, you know your business best. This is why it’s important that you put the right amount of time, energy and effort into deciding what problems you are solving, what image you want to portray, what you are about and how you want to convey this message.

Gather and collate as much of the content for your website project upfront as you can. Make a folder on your computer and store relevant documents, images and so on in it. At Tech Warrior we have a content process document that we use. It is online and we collaborate with our customer to ensure we get the right content for the site.

Who does this step (1)

The business owner gathers the content

Step two: Decide on branding, colours and domain name

Do you have a logo? If not you will need one. Any decent website design process shouldn’t continue unless you have a logo. The colour scheme or colour palette for the website is derived from the logo. This ensures consistency when it comes to your business and brand identity. If you don’t have one, you will need to get one designed. Tech Warrior can design a logo but you can use any decent graphic designer to get one. The main thing is, you need one!

In this step a domain name is also required. It can be registered new or updated by the web developer. If you are starting from scratch a good web developer will advise and guide you on the best domain to choose for your business. They will also register and maintain it on your behalf.

Who does this step (2)

The business owner provides the logo
The web development company creates the colour palette for the website from the logo
The web development company will advise and register the right domain for your business

Step three: Develop and build the website

Once the content has been gathered, the logo designed and the colours chosen, it’s time to build the website. Depending on the size and complexity of the website, this can take from two weeks to a month or more. At Tech Warrior our most popular website product is Small Business Websites Standard version. It’s a 5 page website that takes two weeks to complete.

Once the site is completed it goes through an internal review before being handed to the customer for review and proofing. Any small changes are completed and then the site can go live.

Who does this step (3)

The web development company will build the site and do the internal review
The business owner will check that he/she is happy with the site

Step four: Make the website live

Once everyone is happy that the website has been built according to spec, it is time to make it live. This means linking the website to the domain name. Another term for this is hosting. This is where the website will live. You can think of this like the online address of the business or organisation. The website developer will manage any migration or take over processes needed in this step.

Who does this step (4)

The web development company makes the website live

Step five: Marketing the website

Now that the website has been built and made live, it is time to market it. There are a number of things you can do in this step, some paid and some for free. Some also involve the use of a dedicated marketing professional, whether an individual or a company.

Some of the ways you can market the website include buying adverts on Facebook or Google, creating a social media presence, building a mailing list and telling your existing customers and friends.

Who does this step (5)

The business owner will do some of these and together with either the web development company or a specialised digital marketing company a marketing plan to promote the website will be created

Building a website is not difficult. Almost anyone can build a website with the many tools and platforms available today. Building a website on time and to spec is more challenging. By following these five steps you will be well on your way to a successful website.

What if I hate what you have done?

Tristan Green — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Everyone wants something different

Everyone has their own preferences, we may not share the same affiliation to a genre of music, type of food, political party or world view. This is what makes everyone and everything unique, our desire to have something different and to be different.

When it comes to Tech Warrior’s Small Business Websites, we offer a product which is unique in terms of colours and content used, but in terms of overall structure it follows the same framework or theme. It is a mould which we use to replicate a well oiled, taken care of machine (website). If you absolutely hate what we have created for you we’ll do what we can to rectify what you dislike, within reason.

We follow a process which is tried and tested and we’ll work in tandem with you, our client, to create the best possible website for you. We usually get a sense that things are not going to work out very well, very early on in the relationship and we are prepared to part company (and refund any relevant monies due) if we feel that there is not a good match.

Expectation vs reality

Everyone has expectations, whether people like to admit to that or not is a different story. As a small business, Tech Warrior does something which is incredibly audacious when it omes to the way we build websites, but our approach to doing it is the same as any other company or service provider out there. We ask our clients for their money and in return deliver a service or product which a customer should be proud of and show off to the world, like a new pair of Adidas or Nike sneakers.

If we don’t deliver the advertised service, our customer’s expectations won’t be met and that will leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouths. We do our best to mitigate this by clarifying upfront what is our responsibility and what is the onus of the client. Content is non-negotiable. No content, no website.

We can’t be responsible for compiling content on behalf of the client but we do make it easier by providing a scope and content document that is filled out online with the guidance of a Tech Warrior team member. The content which appears on their site is the content they’ve provided to Tech Warrior.

All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA.
—Reid Hoffman

Sometimes it’s best to say goodbye

If there are minor adjustments which need to be made, like changing images or shuffling some text around that’s easily remedied and often take a client from vaguely okay to super satisfied. If there are drastic changes like altering the format of the website we may need to recontract, reprice or have that “parting company” conversation.

That said, if you absolutely, wholeheartedly cannot stand the look and feel of your website after the development team has done their utmost to meet your expectations, then unfortunately this means Tech Warrior is not the web development company for you. Having agreed to separate we help with a hand over process as well as referrals to other development companies. We aren’t in the business of making enemies, and we can’t be all things to everybody. We like to help those who need it most, small business owners and medium sized enterprises, and when we are a good fit, we build strong and long term relationships.

I want a website, where do I start?

Judson Dawtrey — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

If you want a website, where do you start? So many options to choose from, so many decisions to make. You could do it yourself or hire a professional developer. If you decide to hire a web developer, know that each one is likely to use a different process with regards to building a website. Tech Warrior’s web development process is outlined below to give you an idea of where things would start when going about the web development process when you decide to go with Tech Warrior as your chosen web design company.

The Process Begins

To begin the process, Tech Warrior needs to get an understanding of what the website is for specifically, why you would like to have a website built. Bear in mind, you need to at least have a basic idea of what they would like to have done, and why, as this makes it easier for Tech Warrior to deliver to expectations and to ensure the web development process runs smoothly.

An initial meeting is held either over the phone or face to face to discuss the key requirements. Once Tech Warrior has an idea of what you’re looking for, we then provide you with a proposal which breaks down the costs and details of the web development fees. This includes domain registration if a domain has not been registered already. Once you are happy with the proposal and Tech Warrior gets the go ahead, and assuming you have a logo, a range of colour palette options are put together for the website based off your logo. If you do not have a logo we can also provide you with our logo design proposal if you would like Tech Warrior to design your logo. Alternatively you can get a logo designed somewhere else, but we do need one in order to proceed.

You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.
—Zig Ziglar

Website content scope document

Next we provide you with a content and scope document which contains a number of relevant questions to help you formulate the content for the website.

Although we don’t not write content for our clients, Tech Warrior will guide you through the process of creating content. Web development does not begin until all content is complete. This is to avoid substantial content changes to the website at a later stage which could impact the layout of the webpage and result in additional charges. However, small content changes are a simple process and would not be charged for.

Once Tech Warrior has all the required content, the designer will begin designing the website. This takes roughly two weeks if all the correct information has been provided as requested. When the designer is finished, there is an internal review where we, at Tech Warrior, go through the website before we pass it on to you, the client, for a client review.

Website review process

The client review needs to be taken seriously and not skimmed through. There is only one chance to make changes. It is important to be sure of what you like and do not like as going back and forth with change requests will delay the web development process and could be charged for depending on the scale of changes needed.

When you are happy, and the website signed off, it will go “live” and be ready to be used as a key element in your brand building and marketing strategy.

I want a one pager but what if I want to add pages later?

Tristan Green — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Knowing what’s best for you

Tech Warrior has five different website packages available, they are Starter, Standard, Professional, E-Commerce and Professional Plus. Starter being the entry point for a small business, Standard is the most popular and Professional Plus the most customisable, being almost bespoke. These packages vary in price in an effort to cater for everyone’s budgets and needs.

All the website’s Tech Warrior develops have the same features. The difference in price is related to the amount of content required for each website as well as the number of pages needed to ‘house’ said content. This leads me to my next point, why we’ve set up the packages the way we have and knowing what’s best for you.

When you use Tech Warrior as the web development company for your business, the website’s we create are not bespoke, custom designed masterpieces, but they are masterpieces nonetheless! There are a few reasons we offer our services the way we do, a primary one is related to cost for both client and Tech Warrior.

Of course I could have said earlier on in the article that you can order a one paged website now and add pages at a later stage, however that would be more beneficial to Tech Warrior and less so to you, the consumer. The reason for this is that we charge per page added to a website and we charge by the hour if there is work outside of the aforementioned packages.

If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.
—Jim Rohn

Honesty is the best policy

We don’t want you to be out of pocket, I mean a few extra zeros in the bank doesn’t hurt us but it may hurt you, which is why we aim to be as transparent as possible. A one pager could be all you need for now and ever. And, your business may grow and you may wish to expand your website to accommodate your additional offerings. You can do that.

If you order a Starter version of Tech Warrior’s Small Business Websites and add an additional four pages at a later stage, you would end up paying more for the site than you would if you had ordered the Standard version upfront but you wouldn’t be paying for it all at once so it could suit your cash flow needs too.

How can I create a website for my business free of cost?

Judson Dawtrey — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Is it possible to have a free website?

Getting a website developed for your business is easier now than ever before. If you have access to a computer, there are a vast number of ways to have a website designed and developed for your business. Some ways are easier than others, however. In most cases taking shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems or underwhelming results.

If you would like to have a website built free of cost, there are a few online platforms and software you can use, such as WordPress, Squarespace or Wix. These assist you in designing websites with easy to use templates and themes and other services.

A free website is not all sunshine and rainbows

The ability to design and build your own website has been made a much easier process with the use of the above-mentioned do-it-yourself platforms and software. Doing it yourself can lead to issues that hinder the quality of the final product. This is because many people are unaware of what actually makes a good website and what makes a bad website.

Many people believe that a website is to showcase them and/or their business, and in part this is true. The primary audience of your website, however, are your customers. You don’t have a website for you to visit and get information about your business, that’s what your customers do. You need a website so that your customers have a place for them to visit and gather information about your business without having to leave their homes or phones. Websites are there to help you market your business, build trust and for visitors to make a more informed choice about how you can solve their particular problem.

Issues that could arise when building a free website

When building a free website, you might, as a result of the platform you use, have to host adverts on it. This can cloud your website with unnecessary information. First impressions, which are so important, might be impacted by potentially irrelevant advertising “noise”. To add insult to injury these intrusive adverts could slow down the loading of your website. Why would you allow advertising on your website? Well you may be under the impression that you will earn revenue from them but this is usually not the case. Any revenue from the adverts goes to the platform provider and you don’t get any financial benefit from the clicks on the advert.

Your domain name could also be affected as you will most likely have to include the name of the platform you are using i.e. cheapcars.wordpress.com. This can make your website and business seem very unprofessional. Free websites also have bandwidth restrictions and this could impact the potential growth of your website.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.
—Colin Powell

Why choose a professional over something free

When designing your own website, the content you use is of major importance. This is what your customers will be reading or watching to get an idea of what the business does and what problems it solves. Not knowing how to structure your content can lead to a cluttered, ugly website which can drive customers away.

Do you know how to design a website that is mobile friendly? And not just mobile friendly but designed so that it looks good on a mobile device? This is a must in this day and age where 60 percent of your website’s visitors will be arriving on a mobile device.

This is where having someone else whose business is websites will come in handy. They can assist you with putting you content together for your website in a way that works based on best practices. Some web design companies will put the content together for you. Others may not do the content, but will help guide you through the process. And of course they will ensure that what looks good on screen, looks good on a mobile device too.

At Tech Warrior we believe that you should compile the content for your website as you know your business better than anyone else. We do, however, guide you with a set of detailed questions to ensure the correct content is gathered and collated.

Be aware of shortcuts

It is quite a simple process to build your own free website for your business as the tools are easily available. However, you get what you don’t pay for. As previously mentioned, shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems that could arise in future if you decided to go that route.

But if you must, go for it!

If you can, we highly recommend you choose a trusted web company that can help you build a quality website to help your business succeed.

What is the difference between a website and a blog?

Matthew Green — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:27:26 +0000

I have often been called pedantic. This means that sometimes I can be overly concerned with the accuracy or precision of something. In this case, however, I think it’s okay to be a little pedantic because technically a blog is a website.

What is a website?

A British computer scientist, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, invented the World Wide Web or Web for short in 1989. His vision was for an easy way to share information stored on networked computers in different geographic locations. Kind of like an interconnected web of information. As it turns out, any time you have a collection of one or more web pages that are hosted under the same domain, you have a website.

This doesn’t really say what a website can do but it does explain what it is. Websites can be developed for businesses, organisations, governments and individuals. They can be maintained and looked after by one person or a team of people, depending on the size and function of the website.

Websites can be small in size, i.e. have a limited number of pages or massive in scale like Google or Wikipedia. Usually the information on a website's pages are relatively static, meaning it doesn’t change all that often. On the other hand, social media sites like Facebook or Twitter are also websites and these change all the time!

What is a blog?

A blog is a website with regularly updated information. Much like a diary or journal. It’s usually written or published by an individual rather than a company or news organisation. This is not to say that a company won’t have a blog, rather a person or author at the company will be the responsible person for the contents of the blog.

The term blog is a portmanteau which happens when you combine two words to form a new one, in this case web + log = blog. The act of writing and publishing is called blogging. Unlike the more static pages on a website, blog pages are referred to as articles or posts and are published regularly. This can vary from multiple times a day to a few times a week or month. There is no rule, it depends on the author of the blog and the kind of information being presented. Tech Warrior’s learning hub (for information on building a website) is a blog and publishes posts a few times per week.

The Web does not just connect machines, it connects people.
—Tim Berners-Lee

Blog comments

Another key difference between a website and a blog is community engagement. The author of a blog will often open the opportunity for discussion on what has been published. This discussion takes the form of a comment system situated below the main article or post.

In recent times, however, this has been abused by both people and automated scripts or bots. In the former, people can take the conversation off-topic which means irrelevant things are discussed, outside the focus of the original blog post. Additionally commenters can sometimes be vitriolic to other comment posters, focussing on the person and not what was said in a disrespectful or spiteful manner. In the latter, the scripts or bots endeavour to post comments, also unrelated, containing spam links to other dubious websites. This is done in an effort to try and con Google and other search engines into giving them a higher rank on the search results pages. This kind of behavior has resulted in many blogs limiting comments or putting safeguards in place.

A well-rounded website will contain both web pages and posts. In other words it will be both a website and a blog. Web pages are useful for static information that doesn’t change all that much or often. Publishing a blog can keep customers and visitors up to date with the latest news and happenings. It can also build deeper engagement and trust through the comment system, provided this is managed properly.

What is a WordPress theme?

Tristan Green — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

What is WordPress?

Firstly let’s clear up any confusion about what WordPress is. Simply put, WordPress allows anyone, individuals and organisations, to build websites and blogs. In more technical terms, WordPress is a free content management system (CMS) that is open to the public. It utilises features such as plugins and themes. It is also the most widely used tool for building websites in the world.

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
—Henry Ford

How does a WordPress theme work?

The term ‘theme’ is used as an umbrella concept that includes things like page layout templates and stylesheets for colours and headings. A host of profession-specific themes such as a photography theme for wedding photographers or a restaurant theme for a pizza joint or coffee shop are available. General use themes which can be implemented for a variety of websites are also available. These themes can be further adjusted and tweaked through the use of plugins.

A template in WordPress forms a foundation or skeleton for content to be added to, modified and removed. Content can include images, text and videos.

Stylesheets in web development dictate how and where content is displayed. I always remember this as a rulebook which tells your browser, Google Chrome, Opera, FireFox or Microsoft Edge, how the content of a website needs to be displayed. It is the instruction for the browser that the font on a website is a specific size, an image is displayed at that particular place, etc. This is arguably one of the most important aspects of a WordPress theme.

How much does a WordPress theme cost?

Some WordPress themes are free. WordPress comes with a few bundled in to give you a start when building a website. These themes can be limited in their functionality, power and overall ease of use but they give bloggers and small businesses an opportunity to have an online presence with minimal effort.

Of course there is also the option of buying a theme. Usually paid for themes are more versatile and flexible. They offer so much more in terms of how sleek a website can look, how much more control you have in terms of page design and some of the time, you can design your own page layout templates to use across your website.

What is a WordPress plugin?

Plugins are free or paid for extras you can add to your website or blog. They are generally quite niche and often offer something specific to the website. An example of this can be a popup for a competition that gets displayed when someone visits your site; a gallery to showcase beautiful artwork and images; or a plugin to make your website more secure and less likely to be hacked or broken into. You can get more powerful plugins that monitor how many people visit your site and how much time they’ve spent on different pages as well.

Plugins aren’t always necessary as many themes have features built in that plugins offer, making sure there are ‘less cogs that need oiling’. Plugins can be a weak spot for hackers to target so only having necessary ones is a more prudent approach.

As with anything, if you have the budget and spend some cash, you can get your hands on some pretty powerful themes and plugins ultimately making your WordPress themed website more and more standalone and a cut above the rest. If you don’t have the funds available it’s okay, the free themes are more than capable of delivering a great looking website.

considerations – Tech Warrior

How much does it cost to build a website, part 2?

Logo design and a website

To host a website?

To secure a domain?

To put your colour palette together?

Further reading

What is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

SEO explained

Why is it important?

Other ways to enhance SEO

Further reading

How much does it cost to build a website, part 1?

Amount of content and website platform

What makes a website more expensive?

Scope creep

Adding extra pages

The website take over process

The final word

Further reading

How to build a successful website in 5 easy steps

Step one: Gather the content

Who does this step (1)

Step two: Decide on branding, colours and domain name

Who does this step (2)

Step three: Develop and build the website

Who does this step (3)

Step four: Make the website live

Who does this step (4)

Step five: Marketing the website

Who does this step (5)

Further reading

What if I hate what you have done?

Everyone wants something different

Expectation vs reality

Sometimes it’s best to say goodbye

Further reading

I want a website, where do I start?

The Process Begins

Website content scope document

Website review process

Further reading

I want a one pager but what if I want to add pages later?

Knowing what’s best for you

Honesty is the best policy

Further reading

How can I create a website for my business free of cost?

Is it possible to have a free website?

A free website is not all sunshine and rainbows

Issues that could arise when building a free website

Why choose a professional over something free

Be aware of shortcuts

Further reading

What is the difference between a website and a blog?

What is a website?

What is a blog?

Blog comments

Further reading

What is a WordPress theme?

What is WordPress?

How does a WordPress theme work?

How much does a WordPress theme cost?

What is a WordPress plugin?

Further reading