Tag: WebDev

Responsiveness

wp responsive

 

The Future of Web Design

If you’ve paid any mind to recent trends in web design, mobile apps and smartphone usage, you’re probably aware of the fact that people are viewing more and more of the web on portable devices with small screens. Responsive design brings an approach to web development that begins with the mobile user experience first, and scales up from that perspective.

Responsive Design with WordPress

The core of WordPress open source software makes great efforts to accommodate forward thinking ideas such as responsiveness, while maintaining some semblance of backwards compatibility with deprecated designs, practices, and systems that may have fallen by the wayside.

By following best practices, keeping up with current web standards, and considering search engine visibility, those developing the web today will do well to keep responsive design front of mind.

Why Be Concerned About Responsiveness?

Ultimately, you want those who come to your site to have a good experience so that they stay there for a bit, check out your content, and perhaps make a purchase. So, you want to make sure that no matter what kind of device people use to visit your website, they’ll be able to see all your beautiful photos, videos, and relevant written content. If your visitors can’t see your message clearly, they won’t know how to act, and probably won’t stick around very long either. This is why you’ll definitely want to keep responsiveness in mind and make sure your site looks great on any device!

WebDev with WordPress

wp bike

Why Develop with WordPress?

When I discovered WordPress, I thought it was primarily a blogging platform (and at the time it pretty much was), sort of like Blogger, which I had had previous experience with…but that was about as deep as I went with it at first. Blogger and Tumblr are more flexible than some platforms, and users can custom code their UX a bit, but WP is still the best content management system (CMS) and website building tool there is, with more than 35% of the internet now built on its foundation.

What I do With WP

I’ve always managed to write a few posts here and there with WordPress over the years, while experimenting with other blogging, microblogging, photo-sharing platforms, like Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter…but there always did seem to be something special about WordPress. I still post and share content on all these sites occasionally, so feel free to connect with me in those spaces if you’re out there! But WP is now my focus, and this website in particular is where I will be sharing the bulk of what I’m learning while also seeking input, critique, and clientele.

More Personal Experiences

Right around the same time I began blogging on WordPress.com, my partner and wife Koren and I, started up a little coffee shop and realized a website was a good idea for the business. Soon a friend was offering to set up a basic site for the coffee place and I quickly found myself writing more and more blog posts, learning some HTML and CSS here and there, and implementing search engine optimization (SEO), site security, and other backend maintenance functions as well.

Then a few years into running the coffee shop business, managing our website and online presence of the company (named Cuppa, by the way), I started learning more about customizing themes and developing websites from the ground up using WordPress.org. Thanks to a good friend who made some time to help me get started, I quickly acquired lots of new skills, tools, and great resources for building up my knowledge and experience in web development.