Crafting Client-Centric WordPress Websites in 8 Simple Steps

Creating a WordPress website for clients can be simple. Following these steps, you can efficiently design top-notch custom WordPress website design that meets your client’s needs.

Grasping Your Client’s Objectives

The journey starts with understanding the primary purpose of your client’s website. Learn about their industry, business, and target audience. 

Pinpoint their website goals, from promoting their products to enhancing customer engagement. 

Your client’s choice of website type – eCommerce, blog, or corporate landing page – forms the foundation of your web design.

Picking a Hosting Provider

Your next task is selecting a suitable hosting provider. This decision affects not just the storage of website files but also the site’s security and performance. Consider factors such as:

Custom WordPress website design type and it’s traffic and storage needs

Overall budget, including domain name, premium theme, and hosting services

Compatibility with WordPress

Security features offered by the hosting provider

Outlining the Project Scope

Determine the project’s scope with a clear understanding of your client’s goals and website type. 

Ask questions about your client’s values, brand guidelines, reference websites, integration needs, website scale, and desired functionalities. 

This information helps you estimate the project’s timeline and direction.

Setting up a WordPress Admin User for the Client

WordPress makes user role management easy. Assigning your client the Admin role gives them complete control over their website. 

Here’s how to create and assign a new WordPress user role:

Log into your WordPress Dashboard, then click Users → Add New.

Enter the user’s personal information.

Create a new password, which users can change later.

Select the Admin role from the drop-down menu.

Lastly, click Add New User.

Crafting a Sitemap and Visual Layout

The visual design of a website is a key factor influencing its performance and popularity. 

Studies show that 50% of consumers view website design as crucial for businesses, and it takes only 0.05 seconds for users to form an opinion about your site. 

Moreover, a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website is more likely to be crawled, indexed, and ranked by search engine bots. Create a sitemap to ensure your client’s website is visually appealing and SEO-friendly. 

This outlines the website’s structure and helps search engines understand the relationship between different pages. You can use online tools like DupliChecker to generate an XML sitemap.

After laying out the website’s framework, move on to the visual design. Based on your understanding of the client’s brand, brainstorm ideas and create a mood board to guide your design choices. 

Essential elements for website design include:

Buttons and icons

Color schemes

Fonts

Headers

Logos

Patterns

Photos or videos

Selecting the Right Plugins and Themes

WordPress offers a vast selection of plugins and tools that add extra functionality to your website. 

While the specific plugins you need may vary depending on the type of website you’re building, here are some essential ones to consider:

Elementor: 

A drag-and-drop page builder for easy customization.

AIOSEO:

 An automatic tool for managing your website’s SEO.

MonsterInsights: 

Connect your site to Google Analytics.

WPForms: 

This enables you to create various forms or surveys for your site.

WooCommerce:

 A popular eCommerce plugin for online stores.

WordFence: 

Handles basic website security elements.

Preparing Essential Documentation for the Client’s Site Management

Website building documentation is akin to an instruction manual for your clients, helping them understand their site’s development process and ongoing maintenance. 

Project Description:

Outline the purpose of the website and its intended goals.

Front-end Functionality:

 List critical features and provide basic wireframe templates.

Back-end Functionality:

 Explain how to login and edit the website.

Design Fundamentals: 

Include a list of brand identity elements such as fonts, color palettes, photos, videos, and a description of the website’s general style.

Contact Information:

 Leave your contact details for any further queries.

Handing Over the Site to the Client

The final step in creating a WordPress website for clients is the handover. Before doing so, perform a thorough check on the development site:

Grammar and Typos:

 Review all text for misspelled words and grammatical errors.

Overall Functionality: 

Test all buttons and forms to ensure they work correctly.

Backup Policy:

 Confirm that a robust backup policy is in place.

Payment and Billing: 

Resolve any invoice issues.

Next, share all login credentials with your client, including WordPress admin, hosting login, and domain registrar accounts. Ensure they test each one and confirm their functionality.

If you’ve added your client as an Admin, you can now remove yourself from this role. Either ask your clients to do this or use their credentials to remove yourself as a user:

Go to the WordPress Dashboard → Users → All Users.

Select your username and click the Delete button.

Note that all your content will be removed unless you assign it to another user. To do this, after clicking the Delete button, choose your client’s account from the “Attribute all content to” drop-down menu.

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