Insights

Tips for Selecting a WordPress Development Agency

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When a business is looking for a WordPress web developer, they sometimes forget that besides writing the code that ‘runs’ the website, there is the need for the input of a web designer. Without their creative contribution, the website may well not be engaging enough, or simply be too hard to navigate and use.

So what do these two web specialists do, what is the difference, and how do they work together to create the perfect site?

 

The Web Design / Development Process:-

Creating a great User Experience (UX)

Ensuring the experience users have when visiting a site is a good one (the User Experience), is of the utmost importance. There are two reasons for this, one being that Google gives better rankings to sites that provide a good UX. However, this is not the most important of the two, as it is even more vital to make sure that the site is readily ‘understood’ and is easy to navigate. Failure to meet this need will more than likely result in visitors leaving the site before the owner’s goal (a sale, joining the mailing list, or making an enquiry) is met.

Making visitors life easier

To this end, user types (personas) and their needs are established. Then the information that the site contains is classified and a decision made as to how this will be accessed by the user, all before any web / visual design is carried out.

Usability Factors

This is where ‘Information Architecture’ comes into play. This is all about helping users understand their location on a website and the manner in which they can get the information they require. It also covers the functionality that is needed to work ‘through the site’ to the users (and hopefully the businesses) goals. To assist in this important process, wireframes and lo-fidelity mock-ups are often used, allowing the elements of the page to be easily edited and moved around.

Innovative / Intuitive / Interactive Design

The outcome of this process feeds into that of User interface design. This is the stage where the placement of the elements that make up the page is optimised, whilst at the same time ensuring that the websites’ look and feel, match the needs of the client.

This stage is often described as the ‘graphic design’ section of the process.

During the First Process, Certain Principles Have to Be Abided by:-

On-Screen Balance – Ensuring a balanced appearance

Contrast and Emphasis – Used to focus attention

Consistency – Repetition and rhythm so that visitors don’t become confused

Unity – Based on the way the human brain organises information into categories


The Web Development Phase

This stage is where the requirements (the technical and functional specification) and the designs created by the web designer, come together. Putting it simply, this is the phase where the code that is needed to make a fully functioning website is written.  Both mark-up and programming languages such as HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript are used at this juncture.

Using a Content Management System (CMS) saves time and money

Unless a business requires a really unusual website, it is far more cost-effective to use a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal to create the site, than it is to build one from scratch.

Selecting a WordPress Development Agency

But website development is not just about the clever use of themes and plugins, there is far more to it and this means that selecting the best WordPress team needs careful thought and consideration.

So Why Choose Rouge Media?

We love being a WordPress Development Agency, we eat, sleep and dream about WordPress. At Rouge we have, and can demonstrate through our extensive portfolio, that we both understand our customer’s needs and always deliver a beautiful, fully functional website.

But we also understand that you need proof of why Rouge is the WordPress Developer you could choose, so with this in mind we have what we believe are the top 6 issues:

  1. The Consultation Phase

Many of our business customers have a ‘high level’ idea about the website they want, but, as could be expected, have not delved into the details of the web design or layout. At Rouge we fully understand this could be a big problem, as unless the full specification and requirements are known, the design and thus the delivery of the website could be delayed.

This is why the very first thing we do at Rouge is to carry out what we call the ‘Discovery Phase’. This is where the Project Specification document is born, including the creative, functional and strategic brief. Your audience and their needs, plus how they will interact with the site are also covered. This is a vital stage, as in the majority of cases extra functionality requirements become apparent. At this point, the total cost of the project can be agreed, and the design concept and full timed Project Plan created.

So when you select Rouge Media as your WordPress developer you know that your website will tick all the right boxes, when it will be delivered and how much it will cost.

  1. Cost Effectiveness

There is no doubt that cost is a major factor when selecting any supplier or service. However, it is not so much the cost that needs to be considered, but rather how ‘cost-effective’ that service will be. In the case of a custom developed website, the real test is will it produce the necessary Return on Investment (ROI)? If this highly important goal is to be reached, then by definition, the website design that is developed and made live MUST fully comply with the online business model and marketing of that business. It also means that the site must seamlessly integrate with the other systems of the business, as problems with any ‘back end’ integration could cost the business dearly if this vital area is not covered.

This is why the consultancy that is built into the Discovery Phase is so very important.

When you select Rouge as your WordPress development agency, you know that the site is being created with the need to provide a good Return on Investment.

  1. Beautiful Responsive Website Design

In such a competitive arena, there is no doubt that any website must be ‘beautiful’, but in this case, beauty needs to be more than skin deep, as the site also needs to be fast and fully responsive, whilst also offering the full functionality as specified in the Discovery Phase.  It is also necessary to ensure that the site complies with the latest design trends, whilst also matching the brand identity / strategy of the business.

So, when you choose Rouge, you know that your website is going to look and act the part, that it will work on all the different browsers and devices (especially mobile devices) that are in use today.

  1. Bespoke Custom Development

The consultative phase uncovers the prerequisites the site needs to fulfil, inevitably leading to the requirement to write some code and to configure WordPress in ways that mean that these needs are met. At Rouge, we don’t create a site from the ‘ground-up’, rather we customise the coding that WordPress utilises. This, in turn, requires a multi-functional team. Again Rouge is different in that rather than outsourcing some of the custom development work, we have an in-house integrated team, covering all the different programming languages like html5, PHP and JavaScript, meaning that we are totally in control of the complete development phase and do not have to rely on suppliers that are essentially beyond our control.

Thus, when you pick Rouge Media as your developer for your ecommerce / business website, you know that we are in total control of the entire project and can, therefore, be sure that your site will be up and running on time and on budget.

  1. Easily Updated and Maintained

With an online business, nothing stays the same for long. There is always the need to update the contents of the site or to add new products or services. This is where the Content Management System (CMS) that is provided by the WordPress CMS really helps, it is very easy to alter just about anything.

However, there is another area that is often overlooked – that of Maintenance. Any website needs to be kept up to date with the changes that occur on the web. These range from the need to make alterations to meet a new rule from Google about Search Engine Optimisation, to the highly important security updates that any WordPress site requires. Ensuring that these updates are implemented is vital as if not, there is a good chance that the website could be hacked or made in-operational for some reason. To meet these needs Rouge offers a full website maintenance service, making sure your website remains up to date.

So when you select Rouge as your WordPress development agency, you know that your online business will be easy to update and that the issue of ongoing maintenance is covered, your site thus being kept fully secure and up to date.

  1. Search Engine Optimisation

Not all online businesses are interested in obtaining free traffic from the Search Engines such as Google, their online and offline marketing campaign/programmes relying on other channels, for instance, Social Media or another form of advertising to hit their target market.

SEO Friendly Design

However, many companies want good search engine rankings, and to this end, all Rouge websites are designed with the ‘needs’ of the search engines in mind, the appropriate ‘place holders’ for SEO data being created.

Internet Marketing Services

Rouge also offers a full range of SEO services, including PPC (pay per click – AdWords), as well as content creation / copywriting and full on-page optimisation. We can even provide a link building service so that you can be sure that your internet marketing and digital strategy are fully covered.

Thus when you decide to get your website built by Rouge, you also know that the marketing activities needed to ensure a maximum ROI are also covered.

  1. Hosting

There really is only one place to host WordPress websites if you want them blisteringly fast, super secure and with award-winning customer support, and that’s WP Engine. These guys are are hosting company of choice and for good reason.

Rouge Media the Full Service Creative Digital WordPress Develpment Agency

We hope that you can see just how thoroughly Rouge provides all the services required to produce a fully functional website, one that will engage with your customers and has all the customisation and optimisation that is needed.

Please do contact us to discuss your WordPress requirements or visit our portfolio to see examples of great hand-crafted WordPress websites.

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