9seeds

Building Custom WordPress Solutions | Plugin Development

 

9seeds

Custom Theme Design Offers More Choice in WordPress

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Clients often come to us with ideas and excitement requesting certain website functionality. We believe virtually everything is possible with WordPress. Due to this, defining our scope of work is really about determining the development hours necessary to accomplish the client goals. Clients may not understand the complexity of their requests and explanation and education is required for us to work together.

We strive to provide flexible, high functioning websites that deliver maximum value.

Achieving our clients’ business goals is always at the forefront. That means that while we present options in website development, sometimes the best solutions is custom theme design, while others times the best solution may be to use an existing theme with some slight tweaking to suit.

Regardless, we start any website development project the same with the following considerations:

  • What is the overarching goal and purpose of the website?
  • What are the functional requirements to achieve those goals?
  • What is the available budget?
  • How long is the timeline?

Once we’ve determined the answers to those questions, we delve a little deeper.

  • How can we achieve the stated goals while being good stewards of the project budget?
  • Will making modifications to an existing theme deliver the desired result?
  • If so, which theme should we choose? There are 10’s of thousands but we have favorite starter themes for these types of projects.
  • Will the ultimate solution meet all of the needs of the client?

When an existing theme is not the answer, we discuss custom theme design.

Custom Theme Design – What Is It?

In a word, flexible.

Functionality, design and features are limitless in custom website development. If you can think it, we can create it. We outline the project, define the specifics, determine the cost and happily get to work putting it all together to serve your needs.

However, on a practical note, time equals money, so budget is often a reason that custom theme design may not be the answer that best meets the need of the client.

Another reason custom theme design can be challenging from a cost and timeline perspective is that we are often not using an “out-of the-box” solution for site features and functions as well. We will always try to keep costs down by leveraging existing open source software. Asking detailed intake questions is critically important as these features must be specifically determined during the project outline phase. Bespoke custom functionality can always be added, but it will increase the overall cost of the website.

If the budget is limited, it may make sense to discuss the possibility of using an existing theme to achieve a goal that closely meets client expectations.

This method can reduce the amount of time needed in development and therefore reduce the overall cost of the new website. Functionality requests may require custom coding, even when using an existing theme. However, the total hours needed are fewer than the requirements for custom theme design.

The biggest drawbacks to non-custom theme use include:

  • Theme Bloat – Existing themes may utilize less efficient code and reduce the speed of your website. Every switch and toggle a theme includes adds some overhead that can result in longer load times that affect the overall health of the site.
  • Overwhelm – While it may be possible for your website to have a switch and toggle to be adapted to every whim, it is never advisable. We prefer to keep both the code and interface minimalistic to avoid confusion and conflicting functions.
  • Limited Options – Adapting an existing theme to specific requirements can be even more work than having created it from scratch. The chosen theme may use a methodology that is not intuitive to the end user and is difficult for developers to customize.

The bottom line boils down to a satisfying end user experience and remaining within budget requirements. Our job is to deliver a website that meets the vision of our client using the best technology. When a website vision is achievable through an existing theme, we determine a workable solution. Otherwise, we move to custom theme design and guide clients through the process.

Either way we meet our clients’ business goals by providing flexible, high functioning websites that deliver maximum value to our clients. In the end, that is the best fit for all involved.

Do you want to talk more about your theme design needs?  Reach out to us. We’d be happy to talk further.

Sponsoring WordCamps like Lehigh Valley.

Sponsoring WordCamps in Leigh Valley and Worldwide

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Sponsoring WordCamps is one of our favorite ways we give back to the greater WordPress community. With so many WordCamps happening ALL around the world, we can’t sponsor them all. We generally focus on sponsoring the ones where 9seeds has someone attending or speaking. However  there are times when someone reaches out and asks us to sponsor. In these cases, we gladly pitch in.

WordCamp Leigh Valley was an example of that. Ken Kramer whom has long helped out in the Web Savvy Marketing theme support forums, and now 9seeds theme support forums. He is one of the organizers for WordCamp Lehigh Valley. He reached out to ask if we would sponsor and I jumped at the opportunity!

“We started sponsoring WordCamps when they were all “small camps,” and those are still my favorites to sponsor. First, small camps tend to have the most trouble finding sponsors, but also I’m nostalgic and miss the intimate community feel one can get at a smaller camp. ” – Jon Brown, Founder, 9seeds

Review the schedule or click on a session title to review the information shared at this special WordCamp.

We weren’t able to attend the actual WordCamp Leigh Valley, but I’m hoping to stop by their local meetup group the next time I’m in Pennsylvania visiting friends in the area.

Sponsoring Another WordCamp, Orange County 2017 #WCOC!

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Once again 9seeds is honored to be one of the many awesome sponsors of WordCamp Orange County 2017 happening this weekend in Orange County, California.

At 9seeds we’ve all long been avid attendees, speakers, sponsors, and even organizers of  WordCamps around the world, from Las Vegas to Bangkok. WordCamp Orange County, however, has a very unique and special place in all our hearts and in particular Jon Brown’s WordPress history.

For 9seeds there are a lot of first and milestones that have occurred at this long-running cornerstone of the WordCamp Community.

9seeds sponsored the first ever WordCamp Orange County in 2010 and it was where Jon Brown first met John Hawkins and Todd Huish!

9seeds sponsored WordCamp Orange County again in 2011 and this year, 2017, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been involved in every WordCamp Orange County in between!

Jon Brown and John Hawkins have both spoken at WordCamp Orange County multiple times over the years: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016 (both of us taking a turn in 2016).

WordCamp Orange County was huge for me personally as well.  As mentioned above it was the first camp I ever attended and that years organizers Brandon Dove and Jeff Zinn of Pixel Jar have been friends and mentors ever since. It was where I did my first talk on my journey from freelancer to agency owner while being a remote worker and digital nomad in 2014.

Oh, and Jon Brown is helping organize this year as well.