How to Develop WordPress Themes

Developing WordThemes are very convenient these days. One does not require any prior knowledge. Here is the simple tutorial that will guide you to create WordPress theme.

What Makes a Theme Great?

Is it Good design? There are many WordPress themes which appear to be charming initially. But when you download it, you will realize that it lacks the basic coding standards. So, coding is necessary. It is easy to develop a WordPress theme, but a good website for eCommerce development requires a lot of efforts and planning. You can consider it by hiring WordPress developer who can professionally convert your coded HTML/CSS design and into a beautiful WordPress theme.

The theme which is designed to modern standards should meet some trends and expectations of a modern web design. Nowadays, CSS3 gradients, transparent boxes, font replacement and noisy background are in the online fashion. Earlier it was cursor trails, animated gifs, and flaming text.

Now let's start

If you are in the practice of writing code in your style, then you need to understand the architecture of the site and figure out how to read it. To overcome this difficulties WordPress has well-established coding standards for PHP, HTML, and CSS. Following these standards, it becomes easier for developers to read and modify your code. They create a baseline for collaboration; it is because WordPress is an open source, and same applies to the plugins and themes. The coding standards help to improve the readability.

The standards given below means your code can be read, understood, and modified.

Example:

WordPress coding standards recommend the following structure to ensure readability of CSS:

- Refer tabs for indentation. Avoid spaces
- Provide a line to each selector, which should end with either a comma or an open curly brace.

1 #selector-1,
2 #selector-2,
3 #selector-3 {
4         background: #fff;
5         color: #000;
6 }

Organize your Theme File
Every web project requires a different set of resources. Some applications work on desktop and works under a single language while few aim for mobile devices with various languages. Many projects may range anywhere from three to four (HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript) languages. Moreover, the components of the themes can work on the side of the client or server, and initiate communication directly with WordPress.

Therefore, keeping your resources organized is vital to overcoming these complexity concerns. Failing in this will be challenging for designers, developers, or users. 

Theme file organization in short:

- Set up template files for different page components instead of one file.
- Keep the foremost template files within the theme’s root directory.
- Give CSS, image, page templates, JavaScript, and language files their directory.
- Be absolutely clear in file naming, prefix page template.

Be consistent to Template Hierarchy

The templates and files are used to produce different parts of the website. Some of them are displayed on every page, and others appear only in certain conditions. There is a hierarchy in WordPress, which represents, which template is to be utilized first and after that. If you do not provide the first option, WordPress will automatically use the second one. It is very vital to understand this hierarchy for WordPress ecommerce development as it familiarises yourself with the template hierarchy and ensures that you’re developing a correct template in the intended places.

Internationalize/Localise Your Theme

Internationalising your WordPress theme means you make it ready for translation. Localisation is the actual transfer of theme strings from one language to another. If you are fluent in another language, you might translate your theme yourself. Otherwise, you can, at least, give others the chance to do it for you.

Making your theme readable for non-English readers comes down to two acronyms: “i18n” and “l10n.” I18n is represented for internationalisation. Similarly, l10n is the numeronym for localisation. To do this WordPress uses the GNU gettext localisation framework. Special tools then parse the source code files and the translatable strings extracted into POT files.

The next step is to translate the text file inside the POT file into the target language. There are some important tools which can be used to create POT file: GNU Gettext, Pootle, Poedit and Launch Pad.

To Conclude

Test Your Theme

It is nothing more disgusting if you download a theme, which has a plethora of bugs, and no sooner people will stop using it. Therefore, it is essential to test the theme developed. Apart from this, if you are thinking to showcase your theme in WordPress directory, the validation team will not accept it. Therefore, check it twice before giving it a green signal.

Why WordPress is a great for Non-profit organizations ?

WordPress has recently celebrated its 12 birthday and has emerged as a leading content management system for websites and blogs. WordPress plugin development services plays a crucial role in maintaining the zest of WordPress alive by providing high performance plugins for extendable functionalities. There are a lot of organizations which have chosen most professional WordPress website development firm to build their websites in order to cater their audience in the best possible way. Being an open source software WordPress is widely used by a lot of non-profit and social organizations to make their mark in this open source world. Though there are a lot of content management systems present in today's world but WordPress is the most widely used CMS in the market preferred by this social service group and NGO's. Let's dig deeper!

WordPress provides quick service and being an open source software is free. You need no money to purchase its license, no money to upgrade the software and no other extra cost regarding commissions are required. It is estimated that organizations spend around $500 only while paying for the license and other stuff related to the content management system let alone the cost of hiring a WordPress developer. Furthermore, WordPress offers ample lot of template designs and themes with easy integration steps which helps the organizations to save the cost they invest to hire designers or web programmers.  Moreover, there are a lot of free themes specially tailored for non-profit organizations. Moreover, it offers quick installation and setup procedures which plays a crucial role in its success. This further helps you to establish your website on internet within a very short period of time. WordPress has some where or the other has played a crucial role in decreasing the time taken to build websites.

Perfect model for NGOs

As we are well aware of the fact that most of nor-profit or social service organizations function with the help of donations and thus have a revenue model for getting non-conventional income.  WordPress works as one of the best CMS for these sites as it allows very easy integration of Payment gateways, which accepts online transfers and other regular payment modes. There are numerous plugins such as PayPal, 2CO, Stripe and many other which fosters the payment model which these websites need. Everything is ready made and handy to use and all you need to do is to fill in the bank details of your organization and start the process. We further have plugins which allows these organizations to spread their work with ease.

Add extra features via Plugins

No CMS can provide all the features which you need in your website. Thus, it becomes necessary for you to use tools which allows a wide range of extendability. WordPress stands tall in offering this functionality as it allows simple integration of plugins which helps you to improve the credibility of your website. One can install various features such as  Statistics Tools ,Social Networking Buttons, Payment Plugins , Audio Players and Video Galleries in your website with just few installation steps and no programing acumen.

Gives organic traffic

NGO's and social service organizations need websites which have the functionality to conduct online polls, surveys, feedback and other tools which can carry forward interactions with a large community or a target audience.  WordPress being a highly competitive CMS offer all such tools which embarks on interactions which are quite favorable for the admin of the website.  Thus, it helps you to organically generate traffic and further get attention of people and voluntary donors.

With such a low setting-up cost and affordable maintenance cost, WordPress seems to be the  most viable option for NGOs and social service organizations. I am sure there must be queries regarding the development and other things. Feel free to drop us your queries, we will be glad to help!

WordPress turns 12! Yet the journey begins now

With a rich clientèle inclusive of top names from various industries and fortune 500 companies viz UPS upside, eBay, CNN, Fortune.com, TechCrunch, NBC sports, DowJones and many more WordPress have now turned 12.

Last recorded on 14/3/15, statistics states that WordPress has a share of 23 % of the total websites which means 190,558 websites in total. 409 million people view WordPress blogs and 61.8 million post are added monthly. With such a wide acceptance WordPress has certainly gained a strong foothold hold in the market. Apart from web development companies now go on for WordPress Plugin development of their own. What all things culminate to help WordPress attain this zenith?

Lets find out.

1. WordPress is for Free!

It is but natural that every one has an inclination towards stuff which is available for free. Who wouldn't love to take their business online using ready to use technology without spending a dime. Plus, when it offers high customization as per the needs of your eCommerce store. Well i would accept it with alacrity. 

 

Though people will certainly give free things a try but they take them for granted as they think that free things do not offer quality. However, this open source world has confuted all these conceptions or rather I would say misconceptions. WordPress being an opensource software is free and is not only equally competent but is superior to its paid counterpart and it has proved its mettle as it holds the maximum number of top 1 million websites and has the largest share in the market.

2. Less technicalities involved

WordPress has created a revolution in the tech world by providing easy to use interface which requires minimal or even no technical expertises. Anyone who has a little common sense or is used to use simple computer softwares can work on WordPress with any difficulty. One can easily add a post or page using the basic MS Word like functionalities in their WordPress site.

3. Conducive Environment for SEP

Search engine optimization is one of the most in-demand feature of Web applications which one can easily get in WordPress web development. All you need to do is to have rudimentary a grasp of SEO and knowledge of simple plugins to get super fast results. Moreover, WordPress offers such functionalities which can incorporate SEO very easily with your WordPress site.

4. Stylish WordPress themes for super fast development

Functionalities are certainly necessary for a websites but are not sufficient for the success of a website. The look and feel of your website are extremely important for success as customers do get attracted to good designs. Your website is the face of your business in this techsavy world, so do make sure to keep it highly maintained so as impress the users. 

 

This is why WordPress is in demand as it comes with numerous themes which can change the look and feel of your website just by adding these themes. These themes give a 360 degree change to your website.

5. Easy support

WordPress is known for its vast community of developers thus you can easily count on them for support. There are numerous people who use WordPress and have shared their experiences in the mass media which enables you to know a lot about its intricacies.

There are numerous forums and blogs written by WordPress developers which helps you to know more about it in a very short time span. So, if you think that you are trying something experimental and you might get stuck somewhere in between, do not worry as we have ample lot of support out there.

As WordPress has now completed 12 years in the industry we wish that its community grows more wholesome with the passage of time. 

 

Feel free to add your views!

Creating a WordPress E-commerce Store That Invites Shoppers

E-commerce is a very fascinating industry, and thanks to WordPress, now anyone can become an imperative part of it and capitalize on our evolving online shopping habits. Thousands of businesses out there opting for WordPress to build an e-commerce website that engages users and stimulates them to shop.

However, designing an e-commerce website using WordPress is one thing, and planning right moves for traffic generation and revenue maximization is entirely another. After having WordPress e-commerce development , you also need to outline a competitive strategy for your online store, so that customers keep on returning.

E-commerce web design is a broader concept that isn't just limited to the aesthetics of a store. To influence the overall success of your business, it's important for you to follow some best of breed strategies, such as SEO, an inviting landing page, smooth transaction process, and much more, so that customers don't ditch you during the process. A remarkable e-commerce creates an environment that encourages its visitors to act and complete the process they've initiated.

Here are some key tips and tricks that you can implement when it comes to building and running a WordPress e-commerce website.

1. Go for Email Marketing

Email marketing can be an indispensable tool for any online business when it comes to maintaining a healthy and long-term relationship with its customers. It's a handy solution for entrepreneurs to gain an insight of their customers and thus interact with them accordingly. Creating email lists is a critical aspect for the success of any online store. Without an evoking email list, it will become difficult for you to encourage users for repeat sales. 

 

Mere traffic generation shouldn't be your ultimate goal, you need visitors that should be converted into promising customers. A thoughtful email list will help you achieve this objective in an efficient manner.

2. Embrace Blogging

If you are running an e-commerce channel that is based on WordPress, then you can easily supercharge your business with the addition of informative blogs and articles to your website. Blogging has to be a key strategy to influence your website growth and boost sales. 

 

Blogs attract traffic instantly and make users feel confident about your website. They inform customers about a range of products, so that they can make right decisions at the time of purchase.

3. Responsive is the Key

With the proliferation of smartphones and mobile devices, customers' expectations regarding online shopping have also increased. Today, the majority of online shoppers prefers to purchase from their mobile devices, thus resulting in increased mobile traffic and need for responsive websites. Therefore, it is important for online players to embrace responsive design to ensure a pleasurable mobile shopping experience. 

 

Failing to create a responsive website will not only provide a bad experience, but also results in lower search engine ranking. In order to avoid such issues, make sure your website is optimized to suit the growing needs of a variety of mobile devices. You can hire WordPress Expert and ask them to build a responsive theme for your website to cater your mobile audience. You can also download some pre-built themes from some leading theme markets for your site.

Conclusion

Creating an e-commerce website using WordPress is a big step, but if you are serious enough to make the most out of it, make sure you have implemented the above mentioned tips to get the user's attention towards your website.

WordPress Ecommerce Development – Is It a Good Choice?

The e-commerce business is booming, as more and more retailers have started conducting their business online. Another aspect that has contributed in the rise of the popularity of e-commerce can be attributed to consumers favoring online shopping – than using the conventional shopping methods. What's more? With rapid advancements in web technologies, business owners have realized how developing an e-commerce site or web portal helps foster their brand in the virtual world.

However, before launching any product in today's competing online space, make sure to conduct a thorough market research. This will help you get connected to maximum number of target customers, explore your competitors and the approach they follow, and learn about likes and dislikes of target customers by reading reviews posted by them.

Is WordPress a Better Choice as an Ecommerce Platform?

WordPress was initially touted as the best blogging platform, as time passed by a lot of changes were made in the platform. Now, it is also counted amongst the best content management tool. You can build almost any type of site using the WordPress platform. Have you ever wondered that you can use WordPress as an Ecommerce platform? It's true. WordPress can also be used as an e-commerce platform.

With several open-source platforms available in the market that have been designed particularly for building online sites, you might be wondering why you should bother going for WordPress? Well, a simple answer to this is that choosing expert WordPress ecommerce development company can help you set-up an e-commerce website with minimal efforts. In addition, you can easily add content, images and several other essential attributes to your site without investing chunks of money on hiring a developer – to get the desired changes done.

For any online site or portal, a shopping cart is a must-have element that you can't neglect. Adding an e-cart can turn out to be an expensive deal if you choose .NET or any other web development framework to design your e-commerce website. However, Wordpress offer various free plugins that helps embed e-commerce components into your WordPress site. You don't have to refer to other platforms to get these components integrated to the site. Some of these plug-ins are WP eCommerce, JigoShop, WooCommerce and many others.

Lastly, unlike other e-commerce platforms WordPress helps add blogging capability to the site. Right from adding RSS feeds, to adding a comment section and newsletter subscription, you set-up all effortlessly with WordPress CMS.

Incorporate Additional Ecommerce Features With PSD to WordPress Conversion

You can even convert PSD to Wordpress in case you want to create a custom plug-in that helps add more advanced e-commerce features to your existing WordPress site. Besides, selecting PSD to WordPress conversion helps to give a custom look to your site. But, carrying out the conversion is not a child's play and requires technical competence and coding skills. So, if you feel you can't perform the conversion on your own, you can search for a WordPress expert who can assist you with the conversion.

But prior to finalizing your choice of developer, make sure to sign a NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) with your developer – to assure that you are the rightful owner of the product that is being developed. Also, do verify that the developer can provide flexible development services (part-time, full-time or hourly) as per your project needs.

Conclusion

In case you feel baffled up whether to choose WordPress as an Ecommerce platform or not, then reading the above discussed factors will surely help you take the right decision.