Custom WordPress Development – The Future of Website Design

Wondering why WordPress is used by half of the internet? Here’s everything you should know about custom WordPress development, themes, plugins, integration, and WordPress speed optimization. Find out why custom WordPress development is the future of website design.

Introduction to WordPress

Since the inception of WordPress in 2003, this CMS platform has become one of the most preferred options for businesses and global brands to create an online presence. According to January 2022 data, WordPress is used by half of the internet and powers 65.2% of websites whose CMS we know.

But what is WordPress CMS? 

WordPress is an open-source content management system that allows users to build and run websites without coding. It provides diverse plugins and themes to help users make their websites more presentable, functional, and efficient. 

Read More: HEADLESS CMS: GATSBY JS WITH WORDPRESS

WordPress.com and WordPress.org are the two versions of WordPress that are rendered at users’ disposal. 

WordPress.com is the hosted version that allows users to create and launch a website on WordPress servers. It is beneficial for non-tech people as they do not have to deal with the hassle of hosting their website on a private server. 

When it comes to WordPress.org, users have to host their WordPress website on a private or third-party server. This option is more suitable for advanced users who can handle the pressure of WordPress technicalities.

Organizations opt for custom WordPress development as it provides many benefits to set their websites apart from their industry competitors. Custom WordPress website development services include customized plugins and themes, a unique layout, and backend customization. 

Even though WordPress is free to start with, you have to pay for additional premium services. At the very least, for domain and hosting, and then comes the add-ons. So, even though WordPress is technically free, some investment is needed to access third-party or paid themes and plugins.

Coming to the technical side, the WordPress programming language is PHP runs on My SQL or MariaDB database and uses other languages and technologies like CSS, HTML, jQuery, and JavaScript.

Why Should Your Business Invest in a Custom WordPress Web Design? 

Every business is different, and if you want to be renowned, you should show something new and memorable. Your customers should know that you are a unique provider. Custom websites can help you do that as it allows you to customize your website easily. 

Do business owners often say why should we opt for custom website design when there’s an option to choose website templates at a low price? Well, the truth is custom websites will provide value to a business in the long run, and that’s why businesses should consider custom website design as an investment rather than an expense. 

Premade WordPress Theme vs. Custom WordPress Theme Development 

Kickstarting WordPress development includes concrete choices that will make a monumental difference in the final result.

Once you have decided to go down the path of WordPress development, it’s time to choose themes that make your website stand out. Let’s look at what WordPress has to offer. Wondering, which theme holds the power to make your WordPress website look visually appealing?

Check out “Pre-made WordPress Theme vs. Custom Website Design: Which is Better?” before you decide to make a wise decision. 

Premade WordPress Theme

Premade WordPress themes are the ones that you’ll find in the WordPress directory. Users can either use free or premium themes. All you shall have to do is search for the theme, download it, and run it on your WordPress website. 

For a better understanding, let us comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a pre-built WordPress theme. 

Advantages: 

1. Cost-effective: Premade themes are the most promising options for individuals or organizations required to work within a given budget. 

2. Faster Development: No waiting period as pre-made themes are already built.

3. No Technicalities: As coding is not a prerequisite, even a non-technical individual can download and use premade themes. 

Disadvantages: 

1. Customizable only to an extent: Even though premade themes offer customization, it might not always be at par with what you might get with custom themes. 

2. Risk of less security: Pre-made themes have a risk of less security to the website. Since the code of the pre-built theme is accessible to all users, your website can easily get hacked.

3. Lack of Support: There’s no guarantee of regular support and maintenance with the prebuilt themes. 

Custom WordPress Theme Development

The drawbacks of premade WordPress websites encouraged people to try custom WordPress theme development. Do you want to know why a Custom WordPress theme is better for your business? To paint a picture, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of custom WordPress themes. 

Advantages: 

• Unique and Personalized: You can get a custom-built WordPress theme with only the necessary functionalities suitable to your business to make your website unique. 
• Secure: Since you’ll hire a WordPress development agency to build a theme from scratch, their skilled developers shall consider the security aspects.
• Support and Maintenance: With custom WordPress theme development services, you will receive themes with professional developer support and timely maintenance.
• SEO-aligned: Your website themes can be built along the lines of search engines to get more traffic. 

Disadvantages:

• Time-consuming: Custom theme development will take a few weeks, unlike the pre-built themes. 
• Investment required: Several free premade themes are available in the WordPress repository. But when it comes to custom WordPress development, a substantial investment is required.

Custom vs. Pre-built Themes: What is the difference?

The dissimilarity between custom and pre-built WordPress themes lies in their overall development cycle. While custom WordPress themes serve a particular functionality for an established theme, premade themes are generic. You will have to align your websites as per the theme’s functionality. 

Overall, if you wish to make your website stand out from your competitors and cater to your audience in the best possible manner, custom WordPress theme development is the answer for you! 

Custom WordPress Plugin Development

In addition to themes, WordPress plugins also play a crucial role in determining the efficiency, functionality, speed, and performance of a WordPress website. To make it easier for the users, the WordPress repository houses more than 50,000 plugins- varying in terms of the purpose they serve. 

If the pre-built plugins cannot fulfill the desired functionalities, you can even opt for  custom WordPress plugin development. 

But wait, why should you go down the path of customized plugins when several plugins are already in the WordPress store? Find out “5 Reasons Why a Custom WordPress Plugin Is Better for Your Business” and see the below features. 

1. Extend functionalities of the Website: Often website owners look for changes in the functionality of WordPress websites and also want to customize the appearance and feel of the site. In such situations, WordPress custom plugins help to meet the requirement.
2. Relentless Security: With premade plugins, you might always worry about security breaches. But the same is not applicable with custom WordPress plugin development, as you can hire WordPress developers to build a plugin from scratch while keeping in mind the security factor. 
3. Speed and Performance: Since customized plugins only contain essential features, such plugins can help you improve the speed and performance of your WordPress website by decreasing the overall loading time and bounce rate.
4. Compatibility with Search Engines:  With the help of WordPress developers, you can create customized WordPress plugins that are compatible with the search engines. This can help you get more traffic and traction for better visibility on the SERP. 
5. Support and Maintenance: You might not always receive the necessary support and maintenance with pre-built themes. The developers might eventually stop rolling out updates for their plugins. But you shall not face the same situation with custom WordPress plugin development as the developer will offer active support and maintenance, along with regular updates.

WordPress Pros and Cons

A Pros and Cons list can help us determine the number of benefits that we can derive and the price required for the same. Let us apply the same rule to WordPress and help you understand why you must choose this CMS for upscaling your business. 

Read More: Scaling WordPress website for High Traffic

Benefits of WordPress

• Easy to Use: With the help of WordPress, you can get started with a website, even if you hail from a non-technical background. That’s how easy it is to get started with WordPress. With an abundance of plugins and themes, you can easily create an efficient and functional WordPress website without any coding. 

• Open Source: The open-source feature of WordPress allows programmers to share code online and quickly proceed with the overall development process through the necessary support online. 

• Wide Adoption: Irrespective of the nature of your business, the power of WordPress can be leveraged to create a strong and engaging presence online. 

• Established History: Since its inception in 2003, WordPress has powered millions of websites, making it a trustworthy option for businesses and organizations. 

• Great For SEO: As WordPress is structured while keeping the norms of SEO in mind, your website becomes easier to crawl and index, thereby rendering more traffic. 

• Large Plugin Library: With thousands of pre-made plugins in the WordPress directory, creating a WordPress website with all the necessary functionalities is almost like a cakewalk. 

• Integrates Well With 3rd Parties: Since WordPress allows you to connect with third-party applications, you can extend your website while retaining security. 

• Flexible Backend: With a flexible backend, WordPress website owners can easily access the admin area to change or update the content. 

Disadvantages of WordPress 

• Slow page speed: WordPress is one of the slow platforms when there are extra plugins, database tables, and codebases. Even large images, content, and uncertain hosting can affect your website speed. 

• Vulnerable to Hacking: Since WordPress is quite popular, your website might attract cyber-attacks. The possibility of the same is even higher with amateur plugin integration. 

• Generic: The popularity of WordPress might prompt your competitors to also use the same CMS platform, along with similar plugins and themes. Unless you go down the path of custom WordPress development, the chances of ending up with a generic website are increasingly high. 

• Expensive: While the WordPress platform is free, using it efficiently relies on personalization themes and plugins. However, most of these features and tools have a price. The more of them you use, the higher the cost.

• Not Always User-Friendly: Despite the plugins and themes, WordPress might not always be user-friendly. It does require regular maintenance that might lead the users to go the extra mile. 

WordPress Website Design Agency vs. Freelance WordPress Developer

Business owners with no time to build their WordPress websites often look for website development agencies or freelance WordPress developers. If you are, too, looking for a reliable developer but are confused about whether to choose a WordPress Agency or Freelance WordPress Developer, let’s help you make an informed decision. 

Overview of WordPress Website Design Agency 

An established WordPress website development agency brings aboard several skills and in-depth expertise. When you hire a WordPress development agency to create a WordPress website, they bring their entire team of developers, designers, and writers on board. 

While the developers develop the website and handle the technical aspect, the writers can write plagiarism-free and engaging content for your visitors. The designers can make your website visually appealing by considering the color scheme and fonts. 

With a faster turnaround time, smoother customization, and quality assurance, you can get your money’s worth with a WordPress development agency. 

Pros 

• Thorough planning and execution 
• Diverse expertise
• Regular support and maintenance 
• Meets multiple website requirements
• Affordable in the long run 

Overview of Freelance WordPress Developer 

Freelance WordPress developers are an ideal choice when you only want to create a website or a few plugins or themes. A well-rounded developer might render additional services, but finding such a versatile freelancer can become a task. 

Moreover, freelancers will charge as per their expertise and experience, which may or may not fit your budget. 

Pros 

• You pay for what you need.
• Personal touch to the services 
• You can compare the prices and decide. 

Considering the advantages of hiring a WordPress design agency and WordPress freelance developer, we must side with the former. Our reasonings are based on the long-term and diverse results that one can derive from hiring a WordPress development agency. They bring their diversified experience and expertise to the table and provide end-to-end services.

WordPress Security

Cyber-attacks have become a new norm, with more and more security attacks happening daily. A report by Accenture denoted that security attacks have increased by 31% from 2020 to 2021. Such reports might pop a question like, “Is WordPress secure?” in your mind. 

So, is it? 

Well, WordPress is secure as far as one undertakes the necessary measures. Every WordPress website owner must consider a few technicalities to protect their website from malicious attacks. Learn how to secure your WordPress website from hackers. It can be achieved in the following manner: 

1. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication. 
2. Enable SSL to safeguard the website for the owners and visitors. 
3. Rely on a secure hosting provider. 
4. Get a WordPress security plugin to scan the website for malware. 
5. Check the reviews before installing any plugins or themes. 
6. Update the WordPress core, plugins, and themes regularly. 
7. Restrict access to the admin area. 
8. Always backup your WordPress website. 

Even though WordPress has a strong backend for security purposes, you must follow the aforementioned steps to protect your website from cyberattacks.

WordPress SEO

Simply creating a website without factoring in the SEO aspect will not drive the necessary traffic. It is vital to pay attention to WordPress SEO to get a higher rank in the search engine results. 

Fortunately, WordPress is search-engine friendly by default. In other words, it adheres to the norms of SEO so that the website gets more visibility and traffic. 

However, it doesn’t hurt to take a few extra steps and boost your  WordPress website ranks on the SERP. 

1. Since the hosting provider plays a vital role in determining SEO, it is advisable to choose a WordPress-specific hosting plan. 
2. Leverage the power of SEO-friendly themes and plugins to improve the site’s speed and other SEO functionalities. 
3. Formatting your content by using heading tags makes it easier for the crawlers to interpret the data and index it properly. 
4. Keyword research can go a long way in understanding the requirements of your target audience so that you can similarly alter your content.
5. Google considers responsiveness as a critical ranking factor. So, ensure that your website is mobile-responsive. 
6. Alter the quality and size of the images to increase the page loading speed and improve the site’s performance. 
7. Use internal and external links to make your WordPress website more dependable and authoritative. 
8. Apart from qualitative content, frequent updating and posting can generate engagement and make your WordPress website relevant for the searchers.

WordPress Speed Optimization

It certainly pays to have a faster and more functional WordPress since nobody has the patience level to wait for the website to load at its leisure. 

If you are wondering, “How do I make my WordPress site faster?” Let’s help you learn how to optimize WordPress website speed?

1. Undertake a performance test to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your website and make changes accordingly.
2.  We’ve said it once, and we shall say it again: Choose a reliable hosting provider as it plays a crucial role in determining your WordPress website’s speed and performance. 
3. Always update your site with the latest version of PHP. As of June 2022, the latest version of PHP is 8.1.7.
4. Opt for qualitative plugins without going overboard. Select the ones that add value to your website and delete the unused ones as such a process can work as a WordPress speed optimizer. 
5. Lazy-loading speeds up the website by determining the loading of images and videos until they’re visible on the screen. 
6. Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated. 
7. Paginate comment sections and posts to save loading time. 

Read More: WHY IS PHP DYING? OR IS IT HERE TO STAY?

Is WordPress Good for SEO?

As mentioned earlier, WordPress is strategically built while keeping SEO in mind. Hence, WordPress websites have higher chances of getting a better rank on Google. Its built-in features and additional plugins make it easier for website owners to help rank their websites.

WordPress Vs. Others

WordPress’ popularity is justified due to its user-friendliness and rich repository of plugins and themes. However, it is certainly not the only content management system in the market. If you are wondering about other popular WordPress alternatives, the following list will come to be of help: 

• Wix
• Drupal 
• Shopify 
• CMS Hub
• Joomla
• Webflow
• Squarespace

Let’s look at some of the strongest contenders of WordPress. 

WordPress Vs. Wix – Is Wix or WordPress better?

WordPress vs. Wix is an ongoing battle with substantial advantages on both sides. If questions like, “Is WordPress or Wix better?” lingering in your mind, let us help you get a definitive answer. 

Overview of Wix 

Established in 2006, Wix is a cloud-based website builder that helps with website hosting and designing as well. Similar to WordPress, Wix has a drag-and-drop feature that makes it user-friendly. Along with that, its ready-made templates and multi-language feature make it a desirable option for small and medium-scale organizations. 

Additionally, Wix hosting is reliable and scalable to get your website up and running in no time. 

As of June 2022, Wix has a market share of 3.4%. 

It offers several other features like- 

• Site speed and performance 
• Marketing qualities
• Drag-and-drop site builder 
• Comprehensive template collection 
• Support 

However, despite such advantages to its name, why is WordPress better than Wix? 

1. WordPress offers thousands of themes and plugins. Such a diverse collection makes it a suitable CMS option for all kinds of businesses, irrespective of the niche. Contrarily, Wix offers a fixed amount of templates that might restrict the functionality and efficiency of your website. 
2. WordPress is mobile-responsive, while the same functionality is not available with Wix. While the company is taking steps in this direction, WordPress takes the lead with its responsive structure. 
3. Wix does not allow you to change the template, but you can do it easily with WordPress.
4. WordPress offers more features and elements for blogging and eCommerce websites. 

Read More: HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR WORDPRESS WEBSITE FOR MOBILE USERS?

WordPress Vs. Drupal

In addition to Wix, Drupal is a worthy contender in the CMS race. With a 1.03% market share (June 2022), popular companies like Tesla and Entertainment Weekly rely on it for creating their websites. 

Launched in the year 2000, Drupal is a free and open-source content management system that can be used for creating simple and complex websites.

Some of its best features are:

• Free and open-source 
• Mobile-responsive 
• SEO-friendly 
• Secure and scalable 

But WordPress is still the preferred option over Drupal due to the following reasons: 

1. 1. WordPress has less margin of error as far as SEO is concerned. 
2. Upgrading versions in Drupal involves rewriting the code and a complete re-designing.
3.  Drupal is not as user-friendly as WordPress. People from non-technical backgrounds might have a hard time setting up their websites. 

WordPress Vs. Shopify

Currently, 427,676 websites run on Shopify making it the best content management system. 

It is an eCommerce platform that allows one to set up an online store and sell products and services. Over the years, its development has allowed website owners to sell digital products, memberships, ticketed experiences, rentals, lessons, classes, etc. 

Some of the best features of Shopify include: 

• Security
• Complete personalization 
• Fast loading speed
• Mobile responsiveness
• User-friendly interface 

Rather than debating on WordPress vs. Shopify, it is more advisable to go down the path of WordPress interaction with Shopify. If you have an eCommerce store, integrating Shopify into your WordPress website can open up newer doors of opportunities and profitability. 

WordPress Integration

Creating a WordPress website is not the end. You will have to integrate it with various plugins to make it more functional and efficient. 

For example, Shopify WordPress integration is crucial for eCommerce businesses and online stores. It will add all the necessary eCommerce functionalities and make it easier for you, as a businessperson, to facilitate payment methods, manage inventory, handle shipping and taxes, etc. 

Other crucial WordPress integrations include: 

• Hubspot 
• Mailchimp
• Paypal
• Zoho CRM
• Salesforce

WordPress integration with an existing website is as seamless and straightforward as operating it, and it can be fulfilled in under 5 minutes. 

Don’t believe us? Try the following steps and see for yourself!

• Go to your existing website and create a folder or sub-directory by any XYZ name. 
• Download WordPress from the official website. 
• Upload all the files to the new folder and install them. 

Why Hire Us?

Even though operating and setting up a website through WordPress is uncomplicated, the lack of a professional touch might lead to a few mishaps, especially with the technicalities. 

That is precisely where Creole Studios come into the picture. Being a WordPress development company, our team comprises expert and experienced developers and designers to provide the best results. 

With our custom WordPress development services, we provide end-to-end assistance- right from the inception of the idea to the delivery of the final product. Be it customized plugins or themes; our dedicated WordPress developers are ready to take on any challenges and provide the desired results within the stipulated time frame. 

8 Reasons Why We’re The Best Custom WordPress Website Development Company for Your Project

·        Free custom mockup
·        We know SEO
·        We’ve worked with all-size companies
·        Top-rated developers on Upwork and featured by Goodfirms
·        100% custom design
·        Notable backend development
·        8+ years of expertise
·        75% client repeat rate

Don’t let time run out. Hire WordPress developers from Creole Studios and let our proficient developers help you envision your dream website, something that will derive the results as soon as possible. 

How Can We Help You?

Custom WordPress development is quite diverse and multifarious. Its manifold benefits and features ensure that this CMS has a bright future, and every business owner must try it to elevate the online presence of their businesses. 

However, despite its user-friendliness, professional help can positively change your WordPress website’s interface and functionality, which is what Creole Studios is here for. Our WordPress development agency, with several years of experience, has helped varying companies to build robust WordPress websites, and now it is time for your business to shine! 

With our custom WordPress development services, let us help you kickstart your WordPress journey and pace your way toward success!