WordPress Site Design - learnwp.uslearnwp.us/wp-content/uploads/WP-Class3-2019.pdfThemes, Plugins &...
Transcript of WordPress Site Design - learnwp.uslearnwp.us/wp-content/uploads/WP-Class3-2019.pdfThemes, Plugins &...
WordPress Site DesignACE #CT01756 Intro to WordPress
By Adrian Mikeliunas
http://learnwp.us/week3/
SESSION# 3 of 6
Themes, Plugins & Widgets
How to find and how to install them
Themes provide all of the front end styling of your WordPress site
Widgets add additional content and features to your WordPress site’s sidebars, configured via Theme
Plugins are bits of software that can be uploaded to extend to expand the functionality of your WordPress site
Week 3 Agenda
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Themes Widgets Plugins
eCommerceMembership
Site
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WordPress Extensions
Examples:
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WordPress Themes
http://learnwp.us http://learnwp.us/wp-admin
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People say: “Content is King” They will come back to your blog…
Or they will run away if they
can’t find what they want
It’s not aesthetically pleasing
If looks are NOT important… 25 Remarkable Examples of WordPress Websites
https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/resources/25-cool-websites-made-with-wordpresshttp://www.tripwiremagazine.com/examples-of-wordpress-websites/
Content vs. Looks
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Make your site Unique!
Integrate with current company Logo or color theme
Integrate with existing web site
Seasonal changes [community, retailer]
Special occasions [protests]
Why Change Looks?
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Configurable via Dashboard, Appearance:
Theme: change to another theme
Customize (Color, Logo & Banner)
Widgets
Menus
Header/Footer area
Background
Editor [WARNING!]
Theme Options
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Paid Themes ($10-$100) Features, Quality, Support, Uniqueness Examples:
http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress http://www.elegantthemes.com http://www.woothemes.com
Free Themes Less Features NOT Unique! “50+ Beautiful & Free WordPress Themes”
https://colorlib.com/wp/free-wordpress-themes
Themes
Atahualpa 3.7.23 , over 1 million downloads! http://wordpress.bytesforall.com
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WordPress Showcasehttps://wordpress.org/showcase
WordPress sitehttps://wordpress.org/themes
Start Here:
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF CHOOSING A WORDPRESS THEME https://wpengine.com/blog/dos-donts-wordpress-theme/
Selecting the Perfect WordPress Themehttp://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-themes/selecting-the-perfect-theme-for-wordpress/
Find a Theme
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Find out the technology behind a website:
http://builtwith.com
Or, for a WordPress site:
www.wpthemedetector.com
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Research
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlescal203963.html
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List of features Columns, colors, sliders or hero image, features
Fast and Lightweight
Responsive looks good in all devices/browsers: mobile, desktop, IE, FF,
Support Free or paid? Frequent updates?
Colors & Fonts, custom CSS
Test before deploying!
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Selecting a WordPress Theme
Lightweight and adaptable
Custom menu, header image, and background
Showcase page template, widget support…
RESPONSIVE!
Twenty Eleven (2011) Theme
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/twentyeleven
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Last updated: November 15, 2017Active Installs: 300,000+
Header video and immersive featured images
focus on business sites, it features multiple sections on the front page as well as widgets, navigation and social menus, a logo, and more
2017 Theme
wordpress.org/themes/twentyseventeen
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Last updated: November 15, 2017Active Installs: 1M+
From Dashboard, Appearance, Themes, Install Themes
2 Steps for paid themes!
Download from vendor site
Install from local hard drive
1 step from Dashboard for free themes
Install
Activate Theme!
TIP: Always preview your theme before you install it!
Installing a Theme
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At a minimum:
index.php
style.css
A javascript.js file
Additional PHP files
Theme Components
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http://codex.wordpress.org/Site_Design_and_Layout
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Themes Directory
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1) Hire a programmer or designer $$$https://www.upwork.com
http://www.peopleperhour.com
http://creativefolks.net http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/cpg/CraigsList
https://www.fiverr.com/categories/programming-tech/wordpress-services
2) Build custom WordPress Themes without coding!http://themeframe.com [old!]
https://www.optimizepress.com/
3) Take another course! $99https://www.udemy.com/building-custom-wordpress-sites-from-scratch/
Build a Theme
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Price $10 to $100 per year
Online or telephone Support
Money-back guarantee
May offer some plugin bonuses
Examples: https://themeforest.net/category/wordpress?sort=sales
http://www.elegantthemes.com
http://www.woothemes.com
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Commercial Themes
Avada, 400k+ $60
X Theme, 175k $45
Enfold, 147k $59
The 7, 100k $39
Be Theme, 99k $59
Frameworks http://diythemes.com/ $87 - $197
https://www.studiopress.com/ $59 - $499
https://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/ $89 - $249
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Best Seller$
Both are based on PHP+JS+CSS!
Widgets focus on the UX (user experience)
They get activated by dragging them in Theme, Appearance,
Plugins offers new functionality
May or may not be viewable by some users
User verification
Multimedia: Slide shows, Video or Music players
Widgets & Plugins
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Widgets are drag-and-drop design elements that you can easily add to your WordPress site
On Main Page, Blog Posts, sidebars, or footer
WordPress has a few built-in widgets
Calendar, Tag Cloud, Archives, Pages, Search, …
Thousands more available at WordPress.org!
http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Widgets
Widgets
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Widgets are installed & activated same as plugins
Once installed, go to: Appearance, Widgets to select them via drag and drop!
Or on some themes:
Appearance
Customize
Widgets
+ Add a Widget
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Widget – Installation
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Some themes offer a Widget options feature without the tricky drag and drop! Example: 2015
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Widget –Theme Customizer
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Examples:
Search
Archives
Categories
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Widgets in Action
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My criteria
Check Rating, at least 3 out of 5 stars, and from more than 5 reviewers!
Tested and popular: At least version 1.0!
many plugins are still version 0.x or BETA
Updated: preferably less than 1 year old
older plugins may NOT be compatible with your site
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Plugin Selection Criteria
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Plugins can extend WordPress to do almost anything you can imagine!
In this directory you can find, download, rate, and comment on all the best plugins the WordPress community has to offer…
https://wordpress.org/plugins/
To manage plugins, you need to go to the PLUGINS section of your dashboard, where you’ll find a list of plugins already installed…
Plugins
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Create a backup of your site
Better Editor toolbar for your posts!
Receive data or news feeds from other sites:
stocks, weather, news, etc.
Receive Donations via PayPal
Take look at the most popular plugins here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/browse/popular
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Plugin Ideas
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Most hosting providers include
Akismet - the best way in the world to protect your blogfrom comment and trackback spam
Hello Dolly – first oficial plugin
GoDaddy and HostGator include a few extra plugins
Plugins need to be ACTIVATED before they run!
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Default Plugins
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Plugins- Installation
TIP: Check the RATING and the version [at least 1.0 recommended!]
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Plugins- Update & Delete
TIP: Check on a weekly basis for plugin updates… WordPress #3 30
Find plugins for your site from our curated plugin directory http://wpplugindirectory.org
Best WordPress Plugins http://www.wpbeginner.com/category/plugins/
Plugins https://codecanyon.net/category/wordpress
Widgets https://codecanyon.net/category/wordpress/widgets
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Commercial Plugins
Themes, Plugins & Widgets
How to find and how to install them
Themes provide all of the front end styling of your WordPress site
Widgets add additional content and features to your WordPress site’s sidebars, configured via Theme
Plugins are bits of software that can be uploaded to extend to expand the functionality of your WordPress site
Week 3 Summary
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