For this client they wanted the works – a logo design, wordpress design with custom header, and a twitter background.

These are some of the requests and ideas from the client:

• Wants design to tie together with 2 of her other sites (use of green)
• Likes fresh and clean (use of white) and possibly gray
• Incorporate a pop of color
• Doesn’t want dark colors
• Wants design to be consistent (discussed re-branding)
• Incorporate Headshot

I also asked the client about herself and her business to get an idea about what would best represent her and her brand.  She shared that she is “professional (but SO not corporate), funny and pretty sarcastic, direct – with my clients, and in life, optimistic, motivating/inspiring, great at the big ideas/possibilities, goofy/silly, savvy, genuine, authentic, a go-getter.”  She also shared that her business focuses on:  coaching and consulting, offers business/personal branding services, targets women entrepreneurs, includes coaching, consulting, programs, products etc…

She also included site designs that she liked and what elements she wanted to incorporate from them.  All of the above information  really helped me to visualize her ideas and then take it from there.

I always start with the logo design since everything will pretty much revolve around that.  Because the client was very focused on the topic of branding the first thing I did was take a look at her other websites.

The main theme on the sites is the color green and the dragonfly, so I thought it would be appropriate to carry the same theme into the design I would be working on.  The only reason that I would suggest  starting with a new design would be if the client was going to be changing their other sites as well.  But the client was not planning on doing that.  And since she was very concerned with her branding and being consistent – I let my client know that it would be best to just use the dragonfly logo design that she was already using.  The only problem was that she did not have access to the original image files or the designer who had created it.

So I had to start from scratch and re-create the dragonfly.

It looked nice, but there was something missing – a POP of color.  So I decided to add some. 

Much better!  I then added the title and tag line and here is the final logo design:

The next step was to work on  the WordPress site design.  My client was using the Headway WordPress theme which is one of my favorites because of the ease and simplicity of use.  You really do not need any knowledge of CSS to make color and layout changes – it is great.

Anyway, I proceeded to create the header design.  I knew I wanted to incorporate the logo, her headshot and possibly some elements from the the header on her other site.  This is what I came up with first, but there was still something missing.

Much better!  Love the swirl and flower design

The header is really the starting place for a website design.  I like to install the header first before I start my WordPress customizations.  I then grab the colors and tie them into the overall design.

The colors flow nicely.  I brought the green into the navigation.  I even used the gray / taupe color from the flowers and swirls and used that for the background color.  Now you can see that there is definitely a uniformity between all of her sites.  And the dragonfly design will represent her brand throughout all of her websites.

Lastly, I created her Twitter background which was a no-brainer.  I just took everything from the logo, header, and website and brought it together.

Another happy client!  Yay!

What do you think of the design?  I always love to hear feedback!

WordPress started out being known for its blogging capabilities, but many businesses are now using WordPress to combine their main website and blog so they are both on one single domain.  But is it really necessary to do this?  Are there any benefits for a website that uses WordPress?  Oh yeah baby, there definitely is!

There are several great reasons to choose WordPress for your website.  Here is my list:

• Easy to Use – WordPress is an application that is installed on your web server.  You can update your site’s pages, add articles / blog posts, and personalize your theme through the WordPress dashboard which is easily accessed through a special login page.

• SEO / Optimization – the blogging capabilities can help your website big time with SEO and optimization.  And we all know how important that is!  A blog allows you to add fresh new CONSISTENT content to your website.  Google and other search engines love a site that is updated on a regular basis.   And as that old internet saying goes “CONTENT IS KING”. Your articles and posts should attract interest and draw readers in.  Also, many WordPress themes are being created with optimization already built in.  So be sure to keep this in mind when choosing a theme.

• Plugins / Widgets - A WordPress plugin is a special tool that extends the functionality of WordPress.  You can do anything from add a contact form, a photo gallery, an ad section in your sidebar, or even add connection between your social networks like Twitter and Facebook.  The possibilities are endless.  There are hundreds or plugins to choose from and they are free too!  Here are 2 extensive lists that will help you see some of the ones that are available.  Keep in mind that they are all free to use as well.

WordPress Widget List

WordPress Plugin List

• Customizable Themes – As a designer, this is definitely my favorite thing about WordPress.  I LOVE the fact that I can choose a WordPress theme and customize it.  I am by no means a WordPress developer, but I enjoy dabbling in the CSS of a theme – adding and changing things like the header, background, fonts, navigation and overall site colors.  In order to do this on your own, you will need some knowledge of CSS or you can hire me to help you! (hint hint)

• Inexpensive – To me, this is huge.  In this day and age many businesses cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to have a site built from the ground up.  But with WordPress, you can get a professional looking website and blog (all in one) for just a few hundred dollars.  Here is a simple price breakdown for those of you wondering about everything that is involved in started a WordPress website.

• WordPress Database Installation – $65
• WordPress Theme Install – $20
• Add the 10 Basic Starter Plugins – $35
• Add Additional Plugins (depends on what you need) $40 / hour
• Custom Header Design – $60
• Custom Header Install & Configurations – $15 – $30 (install price depends on the theme)
• Theme Customizations – Colors, Header Install & Resizing, and anything else needed – $40 / hour
• Favicon Designed & Uploaded – $25
• Custom Optin Box – $35 – $65 (depending on what optin company you use)
• Button Ad to match site design – $20 – $30

In the end you will wind up spending around $300 or $400 for a WordPress site and that is including some custom graphics as well!  If you are interested in starting a WordPress site or even moving your current site over to WordPress from html, then please fill out the design form below. We would be happy to help you!

Moving your site from HTML to WordPress can be a mysterious and sometimes scary process, especially if you do not know everything that is involved. This guide serves to provide you with some clarity as to all that needs to be done to convert a website from html to WordPress. It will also help you to know which questions to ask and help you gather all the necessary information so that the migration is a success.

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Step 1: Information Gathering

At the beginning of the process, we will need to gather as much information as possible about your website. Browsing your site will help us get acquainted with your style and flow, but there may be things like hidden sales pages, confirmation messages, forms, downloads, etc. that we may not be aware of.

It’s important to ensure that the scope of the project is very clearly detailed during this phase to avoid delays in project completion or unforeseen costs.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Do I want my WordPress Site to be an exact copy of my HTML website, or are there improvements or changes I would like to make?

a. What exactly are those improvements and changes?

2. How do I want the navigation to work? Consider hierarchy, layout, positioning, order, etc and provide as much detail as possible.

3. Do I need to make any changes to the content of the website? Do I want my WordPress pages to have the exact same formatting as I currently have (colors, font sizes, tables, etc)? Do I need to change any wording or forms?

4. What forms do I have on my site? Are there thank you or confirmation (hidden from navigation) pages that I need transferred over? How are those page redirects set up? (Typically these are set within the form controls, so if your form is from AWeber or Constant Contact, any changes to the URL of the thank you page must be made within that application)

5. Do I have any hidden sales pages or squeeze pages that I need migrated?

6. Are there any redirects in place, such as additional domains that redirect to my domain? (You may have the .org or .net version of your .com address that redirects automatically. It’s important that we are aware of these so that we can place the proper redirects and ensure that they are working at launch time)

7. Are there any elements or functionalities that I need to add to the new website, such as a widgetized footer or widgetized sidebars, sub navigation, breadcrumbs, disclaimers in the footer, footer navigation, etc?

8. Do I have closed membership only areas of the website that need to be transitioned?

9. Do I have a shopping cart or services page with PayPal buttons that must be transitioned?

10. Do I use any services that rely on particular pages within my website, such as RSS tools like Feedburner or web stat tracking tools?

11. Do I use custom email addresses, and, if I do, how do I access my email?

12. Do I use a lot of images on my website? Are they linked from an external source or do I upload them directly to my website? If they are external, do I want them linked locally instead?

These questions are important, and will form the basis for the bulk of information that is necessary to migrate your website to WordPress.

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Step 2: Development

Development is the longest stage, and will comprise the bulk of the design work.

During the development stage, we will review your requirements carefully and build the structure of your site in WordPress. Development will often take place within a “Sandbox’ environment, an installation of WordPress off of your regular hosting and away from your domain, specifically for the purpose of testing, designing, and migrating content. This typically involves:

· Setting up the header, loading logos and header images

· Setting up a very basic navigation structure, to be fleshed out as development continues and throughout content migration

· Setting up page templates, such as the Home Page and Blog Page. Often clients may request different set ups and templates (i.e. different sidebars, extra content areas) for services or about pages.

· Implementing basic plugins to populate sidebars and footers and for use during content migration, as well as use during future content updates including blog posts .

· Implementing design elements, styling content areas, adding images, etc.

We can create a WordPress site that keeps the same design and style of your html site.  It will not be 100% the same unless you want to spend a lot of money to have the css built from the ground up.  You can either choose your WordPress theme and we can customize the colors to match or we can use a theme of our choosing according to what we feel would best fit the design.

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Step 3: Content Migration

This is the most critical step in the process, and a step during which we will need you to be extra vigilant and responsive. Migrating content from an HTML site into WordPress is not as simple as a copy & paste. HTML websites often have a lot of extra, unnecessary or inefficient code that does not fit well within the clean, styled structure of your new or converted design. We will ask you regularly to check on content that has been migrated to check for integrity of the content as well as to ensure that you are pleased with the style and look of the content.

Depending on the scope of the project, content migration includes:

· Migration of all main page & post content. The list of pages & posts to come over will be detailed during the information gathering period.

· Migration of sidebar content, and/or updating this content with new WordPress functionality, as defined in the scope of the project

· Migration of footer information

· Migration of images, and, where necessary, updating image links to avoid broken images

· Migration of navigation structure, unless a new structure has been decided upon, in which case, content will be migrated over and modified where necessary to fit within the new navigation hierarchy.

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Step 4: Project Launch

Completing & launching the project is not as simple as activating our new WordPress theme. Oh, I wish it were! This can be the most stressful part of an HTML to WordPress migration.

During the project launch, I will ensure that your host is ready to accept a WordPress installation. If you haven’t selected a host, I can recommend a hosting plan based upon your business needs and budget.

On the selected launch date, typically in the evening to ensure that any down time takes place during a quiet period for your website, I will prepare the Sandbox installation (an exact duplicate of how your site will appear live on your domain) to move to your new host. This usually involves a large number of files being transferred via FTP as well as migration of the website’s database. We also set up any necessary redirects at this time.

Whenever possible, I will transfer all the necessary files & database tables to your host prior to “switching” the site – in this way, we minimize down time as much as possible.

Once all files are in place, I will make the necessary changes to the DNS nameservers, which will result in anywhere from 2 to 48 hours of down time for your site. This time varies greatly and depends entirely upon how quickly DNS changes propogate across the internet. Accessibility to the website will also be affected by location in the world (for US sites, US visitors will see DNS changes faster than visitors overseas) and also individual user internet access (ISPs refresh DNS caches at different times). I find that domains purchased through GoDaddy have a must faster DNS resolution – sometimes nearly instantaneous.

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Step 5: Check, Check and Double Check

There are a lot of moving parts to a website, and even more during a website transition. Changing the platform of a website is involved, and is hectic for all involved! I will have gone over the sandbox website with you in detail prior to the move, however it is critical that the live site is checked and toured thoroughly to ensure that no additional changes need to be made.

We often recommend the use of a “changing room” or “landing page” theme temporarily while we inspect all elements of the website to ensure that each page is up to our standards before officially re-opening the website to visitors.

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That’s it!

It seems like a lot. To be very honest, it actually is! Remember, DPK Graphic Design is ready to take it on. We are well versed in moving sites from HTML to WordPress. You are in safe hands. This guide serves to be a comprehensive overview of the process so that there are no surprises – which should translate into a little less anxiety for you!

If you have any questions, you may contact us at any point during the project. While we always endeavor to clearly define the scope of the project, at the start, there are often times when clients need to stop and re-evaluate their business needs. For that reason, this is an interactive process, with multiple “checkpoints” for your approval and guidance.

Here is another example of our WordPress design work in moving a regular html website over to wordpress.

If you are interested in moving YOUR html site over to WordPress, please fill out the form below and we will get back with you within 24 hours to discuss a quote.

With all the plugins for the blogger to use, one wonders which ones are the best. Here are my Top Ten must have WordPress plugins:

• Meta Tag Manager – This simple plugin gives you the ability to add custom meta tags or keywords that will apply to all pages or just the home page of your site. It is so easy all you need to do is upload the plugin, activate it and add your site’s description and list of keywords that are relevant to your site’s content. You could say that this plugin gives your blog its wings, because the right meta tags & keywords really can help you to be ranked well in Google and other search engines.

• CommentLuv -  This plugin provides one of the best ways for you to say thank you to your blog readers who comment. It is another simple plugin that allows the commenter to display their most recent post from their blog onto your blog after they leave you a comment.  It actually gives other bloggers incentive to leave comments so that they can have a link to their blog added to your site.  It is all about reciprocation right?

• TweetThis – This highly customizable plugin adds a “Tweet This Post” link to every post and page on your site. It also has the ability to shortens URLs that are tweeted and can automatically tweet new and scheduled blog posts. This is a great plugin because it allows people to share the best of your content with their Twitter followers.  This, in turn,  helps to increase your quality traffic. By quality traffic, I mean people who will come back again and may even become subscribers.

• Subscribe to Comments – The plugin does just what it says. It allows the commenter to subscribe to the comments on a specific post and receive email notification as others comment as well.  It makes consistent communication possible. You will find some people who carry on a conversation based on your post topic. Great for Google Ranking.

• Google Analytics – This is a powerhouse of a plugin, in that it generates comprehensive site statistics for your site, geared towards website optimization. What makes this plugin so dynamic is that it integrates with many of the other beneficial plugins and tools like Ad Sense, Ad Manager, and Contact Form helping each of them perform in various ways. The only downside to this plugin is that Google will know all of your stats. So you will want to consider the cost, if any.

• Future Posts Calendar – It adds a simple month-by-month calendar that shows all the dates you have posts scheduled for.   It highlights the days, so you can see it while in a post.  And in addition, if you click a day the Post Timestamp boxes change to that day, month and year. This is a great plugin for editorial purposes because you can see exactly what is going on with your content. Also the Future Posts Calendar helps you not to create duplicate content which can cause a big slap from Google and hurt your ranking.

• Link Within – Take your blog to the next level with this plugin. It is a simple widget that that appears under each post, linking to related stories pulled from your blog archive. This plugin is a great way to engage the reader and gives them a reason to stay and read more. The images make it more appealing than just a list; and helps to increase your page views as well.

• WP125 – For the blogger a good source of income can be to allow advertising from outside sources.  A perfect plugin to help you manage your ads more efficiently is the WP125. Because it is so easy to use and has many features like displaying any number of ads you choose and statistics that show how many times an ad was clicked, it leaves you more time to do what matters most for your blog – write.

• WPGreetBox – With features like the ability to show different welcome messages, customizable options, and the option to have the greeting box not show for certain URLs, the WPGreetBox ia perfect plugin for the blogger who wants to increase their blog exposure and build a loyal readership. In a nutshell it gives you the ability to set different messages based on the referrer’s URL. For example, if the referrer is twitter.com, it will encourage the visitor to tweet the post and follow the you on Twitter. This is a great way to build your audience and expertise.

• Contact Form 7 -  : If you are looking for a simple contact form plugin that is also flexible, then you might want to consider the Contact Form 7 plugin for your blog. This plugin gives you the options to design the form and mail. You can also manage multiple contact forms which means you can create forms for particular posts or other pages where you want to capture information about your blog visitors.

As you can see, there are many wordpress plugins for the blogger that will help you to run a successful community friendly blog. Your blog will rank well with Google and your audience, when maintained in the right way. Using these plugins is a great way to give your blog the exposure it needs. Of course the most important part of your blog is the content, so be sure to make that a priority as well.