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vangogh
08-06-2008, 02:55 PM
A few months ago I redesigned my site and moved to a new domain. Many of you have probably seen it, but some of you may not have looked yet so I thought I would post a link here and ask what you all think.

The new site is Van SEO Design (http://www.vanseodesign.com/) and it's all built on top of WordPress.

Happy to hear what you like and don't like. Thanks.

KristineS
08-06-2008, 04:34 PM
I've seen at least a few of the incarnations of this site. I think it turned out very nicely. I especially like the color scheme.

I didn't realize you built it all on top of Wordpress though. That gives me hope for the OBS! Someday I want to move all that to Wordpress.

vangogh
08-06-2008, 04:48 PM
Thanks Kristine. I know you're one of the people who saw the site as it developed.

Yep, the whole thing is WordPress. I did a couple of not so usual things with the pages. Everything outside the blog is technically not part of WordPress, since they sit outside the blog folder structure, but using a little php magic those pages are pulling things from WordPress and use the same stylesheet.

I think there's actually a better way to do what I did, but I didn't know how at the time. Next time I redesign or have some free time I'll try to switch to a different system.

WordPress is great. It's not perfect, but it can really function as a full CMS now, especially with the addition of a few plugins.

SteveC
08-06-2008, 11:31 PM
It's a fantastic website... and I'm sure it is already working well for you...

The question I have is how the hell do you find the time to develop your own website?

Well done... and take it from me, as someone that has been in the industry for over twelve years... it's a great website, extremely well laid out and extremely easy to use...

vangogh
08-06-2008, 11:43 PM
Thanks Steve. I'm not sure how I found the time. It took over a year actually. I started worked on some ideas in Feb, 07 and 4 or 5 comps later had something close to what you see. Then I picked it up again this past January and started developing the theme and made some changes to the design as I went. It wasn't until mid April that I was finally able to switch to the new design from the old one.

I have a tendency to make things hard on myself by making just one more last minute change that takes a month to work out.

Thanks on the compliments. Most people have liked it, though I ran a poll on my site and a few people voted that they didn't like it. You can't please everyone I guess.

cbscreative
08-07-2008, 01:27 AM
I liked it a lot when I saw it. I also know the challenge of finding the time to do a redesign. Now that I've changed my logo, other tasks include a complete facelift for my site too, which I know is going to take a while. Congrats on getting your new deisgn launched. I know that's not easy.

vangogh
08-07-2008, 01:30 AM
Thanks Steve. I think the three of us would all agree it's so much harder designing a site for yourself than for a client. I had a hard time being objective through the process. At some moments I loved the design and at others I hated everything about it.

In the end I trusted myself and listened to the opinions of some well respected friends.

I like your new logo and will be looking forward to the new design when it comes.

Harold Mansfield
09-02-2008, 10:09 PM
I like it a lot. Have you ever thought about releasing a slightly modified version for word press (so yours stays original) and getting some footer link love ?

vangogh
09-03-2008, 01:34 AM
Thanks eborg. (By the way do you prefer eborg or Harold?). I'm actually working on developing a WordPress theme. A little more than just the usual theme. I'm trying to set it up with it's own control panel on the backend so you can customize a lot of things without having to touch a line of code.

In time I'll end up releasing a version that looks like my current site. A few people have asked me about it already.

I really enjoy working with WordPress and so want to enter the premium theme market.

Jagella
01-06-2009, 03:02 PM
A few months ago I redesigned my site and moved to a new domain. Many of you have probably seen it, but some of you may not have looked yet so I thought I would post a link here and ask what you all think.

The new site is Van SEO Design (http://www.vanseodesign.com/) and it's all built on top of WordPress.

Happy to hear what you like and don't like. Thanks.

Steve, congratulations on your new site design. Your color choices are harmonized, your pages are unified well, your font choices are nice, and your navigation is intuitive and easy to use.

What strikes me most about your design is that the pages are light on graphics. I'm assuming that since you primarily offer website designs, graphics are not of paramount importance.

You say you're good at optimizing sites for search engines? I won't just take your word for it. I just checked Google for “SEO design,” and your site comes up on the second page of the results. That's very good considering how many sites offer SEO.

I also checked your site with my notebook computer. It fits on the screen with no horizontal scrolling needed.

Why did you decide to build your site “on top of Wordpress”? Are you hoping you'll be more persuasive by blogging? Is the site helping you find more clients?

Jagella

KarenB
01-06-2009, 03:42 PM
Awesome, Steve!

Your new website is fresh and inviting. :)

I agree, Jagella, that Steve certainly knows how to optimize those search engines.

Steve also developed my own website with those nifty file cabinet drawers quite a while back. I still get comments on those! It seems that people love playing with them. It's just such a neat concept and it was entirely Steve's idea. I wanted a navigation side bar that resembled a file cabinet, and somehow Steve created something out of the blue that far exceeded my expectations. I recommend him to all of my clients requiring website creation.

He truly listens to his customers.

Karen

vangogh
01-06-2009, 07:57 PM
Thanks Joe and Karen.

Joe, there actually are graphics in the design. There's a few creating the shadows and things like that. I find images are often the main culprit in slowing down a site so if I can do without one I will. Lately I've been wanting to add more graphics to my designs, but I'll still be looking for ways to keep the pages loading faster.

I developed the layout for 1024x768, but have a little JavaScript to detect if someone's browser is using a lower resolution. Then they get a slightly different css file and a narrower site. I also checked the site on my phone. If the resolution is really low the right hand side of the design will drop below the main content.

The use of WordPress started from using it to blog. As WordPress has evolved and I've learned more about it, I've come to realize it can be used as a full CMS instead of just as a blogging platform. I like working with WordPress and having the whole site be run from WordPress means one set of files to update instead of multiple files. Makes for easier maintenance. It's also quicker to create a new page through WordPress' admin interface than to have to build a new html page.

Karen do you remember how different those file cabinets looked in the design images I sent. I knew what they would look like in my head and knew I could create them with code, but didn't have the skills at the time to create them well in Photoshop. I'm glad you trusted me when I said they would look better on the page than they did in the image.

I still like visiting your site and playing with the navigation. It's fun.

Jagella
01-06-2009, 11:17 PM
I find images are often the main culprit in slowing down a site so if I can do without one I will. Lately I've been wanting to add more graphics to my designs, but I'll still be looking for ways to keep the pages loading faster.

I have the same issues. I often use Photoshop’s Save for Web and Devices command to reduce file sizes of graphics for the Web. In addition, I've found that graphics that are very large or numerous just don't look right. The images should supplement the copy rather than the other way around. I'm not sure why Web pages seem to work that way. In print, huge images like those in a magazine ad work fine. Any thoughts on this, Steve?


I developed the layout for 1024x768, but have a little JavaScript to detect if someone's browser is using a lower resolution. Then they get a slightly different css file and a narrower site.

That's interesting. Did you check your site on different computers besides your phone to check what it looks like on different screens? I use my notebook computer to get an alternate view of my site.


I also checked the site on my phone. If the resolution is really low the right hand side of the design will drop below the main content.

Opera can simulate a portable computer screen. Go to View, Small Screen. Your site looks fine using that view. My Web pages' graphics are not in the proper order with that view.


As WordPress has evolved and I've learned more about it, I've come to realize it can be used as a full CMS instead of just as a blogging platform. I like working with WordPress and having the whole site be run from WordPress means one set of files to update instead of multiple files. Makes for easier maintenance. It's also quicker to create a new page through WordPress' admin interface than to have to build a new html page.

I'll need to look into using WordPress too.

Jagella

vangogh
01-07-2009, 12:25 AM
The issue with images on the web is it's a different medium. People read a web page differently than they read a magazine article. People skim and scan online until they find what they want. Offline they're more likely to read. You also don't have the same level of control online. In print you know how your design will look. Online a design can look very different from one monitor to the next so you need to be willing to give up a certain amount of precise control in favor or something more fluid.

I did check the design on a few computers, though probably not as many as I should. A few months ago I purchased a Macbook in large part because it allows me to test sites on both Mac and Windows. I currently have Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows Vista installed on the laptop each with a variety of browsers. Before too long I'll add a version of Linux to the mix. I'll be able to test many different combinations of operating systems an browsers all on one laptop.

I hadn't realized that about Opera. Thanks. I'll have to give it a try. I also think there are some Google Android simulators online that let you test how your site will look on an Android phone.

Jagella
01-07-2009, 11:09 AM
A few months ago I purchased a Macbook in large part because it allows me to test sites on both Mac and Windows. I currently have Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows Vista installed on the laptop each with a variety of browsers. Before too long I'll add a version of Linux to the mix. I'll be able to test many different combinations of operating systems an browsers all on one laptop.

Four operating systems on one computer? I assume you're using Boot Camp. How well does Windows run on a Mac? I'd use a Mac if I could run my software on one including my games.

What benefits might I realize by using WordPress?

Jagella

cbscreative
01-07-2009, 11:58 AM
Another thing to keep in mind with content and images on the web is that there have been a lot of studies done to track how people respond. These studies consistently show that well over 75% are reading content before paying attention to images. That actually makes sense when you think about it. If people are using search engines looking for information, they naturally will be more interested in the content.

I do believe it is important to display the content as pleasing to the eye, but it's counterproductive to place too much emphasis on graphics. Many graphic designers would shun that idea, but it's better to face reality.

vangogh
01-07-2009, 12:49 PM
Joe I use Parallels virtualization software and install the additional operating systems in Prallels. VM Ware makes a similar product. The operating systems don't run as well as they would if they were the only operating system since they don't get to use all the resources of the computer.

They run fine. If you have software that's a resource hog it's still going to demand resources and run a little slower on the virtual OS. I generally only use browsers and a few smaller programs in the virtual OSs. Photoshop is the one big program I still need on the Windows side as I haven't bought the Mac version yet.

You can run anything you want on Windows inside of Mac. There are probably a few things here and there that may have problems, but I haven't really encountered any yet.

The benefits of WordPress?

Probably more than I can cover in a single post and it depends a little on who you are and why you might use it. A developer will find different benefits than a person simply looking to put up a site.

Like any content management system (CMS) it helps you manage your content. You don't need to know html or css or php or any other web language to add new pages to your site. The average person can continue to add content to their site without hiring someone to put it up.

There's a very active design and development community around WordPress that will give you free designs (themes) and free functionality (plugins). There are also pay version of themes and plugins, though even then it's much cheaper than having stuff custom created for you.

Personally I think there are marketing and seo advantages to blogging in general and WordPress in particular. That's not to say that using WordPress automatically means you'll have traffic and rank #1 for everything you want, but I do think their are some advantages right out of the gate and if you know what you're doing you can optimize your WordPress site fairly easily.

Here's a pretty good guide to seo and WordPress (http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/) by Joost de Valk, one of the more active developers in the community and a very knowlesgable person in general. He's a good person to follow if you're interested in WordPress in general.

Now having said the above there's going to be some learning curve using any system new to you. Don't expect to install WordPress and be an expert in a week. As a site owner you can get the basics in that time, but there's more to blogging than using a blogging application. (You don't need to blog to use WordPress though) As a developer the longer you use WP the more you'll be able to bend it to your wishes. Ideally you would know html, css, and some php. The php part isn't entirely necessary, but it helps.

Harold Mansfield
01-07-2009, 03:49 PM
Thanks eborg. (By the way do you prefer eborg or Harold?). I'm actually working on developing a WordPress theme. A little more than just the usual theme. I'm trying to set it up with it's own control panel on the backend so you can customize a lot of things without having to touch a line of code.

In time I'll end up releasing a version that looks like my current site. A few people have asked me about it already.

I really enjoy working with WordPress and so want to enter the premium theme market.

Doesn't matter. My name is Harold, I'm not trying to hide from the Feds or anything. ( I just always liked Ernest Borgnine, especially in the Poseidon Adventure)

Looking forward to a theme release. I think it will be very popular.

vangogh
01-07-2009, 09:25 PM
I always wondered where eborg came from. I should have guessed since I've seen quite a few Ernest Borgnine movies and watched McHales's Navy all the time as a kid.

Thought I'd ask. I knew you weren't hiding anything, but you generally don't advertise your name. I tend to call people here by name when I know it, but sometimes I like to ask first to make sure it's ok.

Jagella
01-07-2009, 10:44 PM
Like any content management system (CMS) it helps you manage your content. You don't need to know html or css or php or any other web language to add new pages to your site. The average person can continue to add content to their site without hiring someone to put it up.

Can you use WordPress to add a database to your site?

I'm definitely intrigued. Lately my interests have been leaning back toward Web design and development. I just haven't had that much time to work on PHP and MYSQL. I'm very interested in learning, though.

Jagella

billbenson
01-07-2009, 11:49 PM
I don't use wordpress, but I think I can safely say the following:

First, a good anology for a database is to think of it as a bunch of excel sheets that interact with each other. One excel sheet may contain customer details. When you have multiple items for a person, say various phone numbers its best to create a phone number excel sheet rather than have different line items in one sheet for the same customer.

CMS's create databases when they are installed. Think of them again as a bunch of excel sheets.

Plug ins may either alter or add tables (the excel sheets).

A CMS is not a tool for creating a custom DB. It is a tool for utilizing the CMS Db. phpmyadmin is an example of a tool for creating and manipulating databases.

I could see from the time I started writing web sites the power of databases. I started out with php mysql for dummies. It's a book you can make it through in a couple of weeks at an hour or two a night. I don't necessarily recommend the book as I think it gave me some bad habits, but it is a starting place.

There have been a number of threads on the importance of graphics, layout, colors SEO, etc in web design. While none is mutually exclusive, IMO the database is the most powerful tool a web site can have. Analyzing the demographics of your visitors, buying habits, serving them different information based on that, quote generators that spit out quotes in seconds not hours, etc., etc., etc.

Back to your original question; will WP add a database to you site - no - if I understand your question correctly. You need to learn a fair amount of code to write and manage databases. I use php / mysql. There are others that work well as well.

It doesn't mean that you necessarily need to become a programmer though. If you do nothing more than go through the dummies book mentioned above, it will give you some incredible marketing ideas for things you can do on web sites. There are plenty of programmers you can hire out there, the key is giving them a good spec.

Or dig into it. The beauty of php is even mediocre programmers like me can come up with code that works. I strongly suspect that databases are one of the most underutilized tools on websites.

vangogh
01-08-2009, 12:54 AM
What Bill said.

In order to use WordPress you need to set up a database. If your server software is some flavor of *nix (Linux for example) you'll probably use phpmyadmin or your hosting control panel to create the database. When you install WordPress it installs a number of tables in the database you created.

Actually there's a good chance your host will have a one click install of WordPress through your control panel that creates the database for you, but it's good practice to do it yourself.

A database stores information. It can store text and images and zip files, etc. What WordPress and all CMSs do is store your content in the database. WordPress files then read and write to the database. If you create a new post the content is stores in the database. Each page of your site isn't associated with a new file on the server, but rather a new entry in the database. The files in the application are a mix of html and server side programming language (WordPress uses php) and usually some code specific to the application to present the information from the database as a web page.

WordPress (as well as other modern CMSs) are developed to perform a minimal amount of functions and then the application can be extended through plugins. WordPress has a directory specifically for themes, which is likely where you'd spend most of your time if you want to create designs for WordPress. A theme has a handful of files, some of which are necessary and some of which are useful, but may not be needed for your specific design. You can also add files beyond the basic ones included.

If you simply want to use WordPress for your site you don't need any specific knowledge of html or css or php or mysql. You really just need to be able to login and get used to the WordPress admin interface. If you want to design themes you'll need to know html and css. Knowledge of php helps, but isn't entirely necessary. If you want to develop plugin you will need to know php.

The best way to learn about WordPress is simply to install it somewhere and use it. Either find some space on a server, set up a server on your own computer, or sign up at WordPress.com (http://wordpress.com), which is the free hosted version of WordPress. You won't get to see all sides of WordPress on the .com site, but you'll get to log in and see the admin side of things.

If you want to download and install WordPress somewhere go to WordPress.org (http://wordpress.org).