tailoring wordpress to meet your client's needs
DESCRIPTION
We choose to build on WordPress to provide our clients with a proven and flexible backend for their web presence. These projects often have specific goals that make them unique from other sites on the web and frequently need to be tailored for specific functional and business requirements. WordPress is built on the core philosophy that it should be simple to use. In this presentation, Jon Bishop, Web Developer at AMP Agency, covers a variety of methods in which we can optimize and tailor the WordPress Admin for different use cases. The goal is to provide clients with a backend solution that meets their needs and follows the core WordPress philosophy surrounding simplicity.TRANSCRIPT
Jon Bishop • Web Developer • 77 N. Washington St., 8th Floor, Boston MA 02114 • 617.837.8158
Tailoring WordPress To Meet Your Client Needs
About AMP Agency
• Independently-owned, integrated communications agency
• Clients include: Hasbro, Maybelline New York, Samsonite, Intel, Princess Cruises, NFL Players and Ansell Healthcare
What Is The Problem?
Sometimes developers fail to take the extra steps necessary to give their clients a good user experience
If It's Too Hard, You're Doing It Wrong
WordPress Can Be A Happy Place
Taking the time to tailor WordPress to meet specific client needs can• Prevent unnecessary follow up conversations• Help you work faster and more efficiently• Create a better relationship with your client
Custom Post Types & Taxonomies
When Should I Use Them?
• Portfolios• Events• Databases• Forums• Ticket systems• Ad management
" Anywhere you need a new content type "
Custom Columns
Bring important custom post meta and taxonomy data to the post list page
http://www.jonbishop.com/2012/09/creating-presentations-with-custom-post-types/
Custom Post Meta
If you can make custom post meta easier, do it
https://github.com/jaredatch/Custom-Metaboxes-and-Fields-for-WordPress
http://www.farinspace.com/wpalchemy-metabox/
https://github.com/jonbish/WP-Meta-Box
Page Templates
Custom post meta for specific page templates
Post to Post Relationships
Sometimes it makes more sense to create relationships between post types instead of replicating taxonomies
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/posts-to-posts/
Widgets
" Anything that could be a widget, should be a widget "
Shortcodes
• Ads
• Social Media Buttons
• Calls to Action
• Posts from RSS
• Hiding Private Content
• Displaying Widgets in Content
• Content Boxes
• Icon Lists
http://codex.wordpress.org/Shortcode
• Columns
• Quotes
• Pricing Tables
• Author Info
• Contact Forms
• Tabs
• Accordions
Make the WordPress visual editor a more powerful tool for your clients
Developers,
If it's too hard, You're doing it wrong
http://www.jonbishop.com/2012/03/keeping-up-with-wordpress/
Things To Keep In Mind
Functionality in Themes vs Plugins
What's easy for you might not be easy for everyone
Identify problems up front
so you can anticipate problems
in the future
Boston WordPress Meetup
We are currently the 2nd largest WordPress meetup in the world with 1520+ members on meetup.com
We've been averaging about 88 attendees per meetup with a diverse mix of developers, enthusiasts and beginners
We are looking for speakers, sponsors and supporters• Please email Kurt ([email protected]) and Jon
([email protected]) if interested
http://bostonwp.org
Thanks!
Jon Bishop
Web Developer @ AMP Agency
Website / JonBishop.com
Twitter / @JonDBishop