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06/23/2022

How To Create A Custom Homepage in WordPress?

WordPress For Beginners, WordPress Tips / By Ian Lin

This is an intermediate level tutorial for aspiring theme developers. Although I will not go into the finer points of theme developments, I will demonstrate how to create a custom page template that you can add to your current theme. The purpose of the tutorial is to create a customized home page that doesn’t necessarily follow the same theme design as the rest of your site. This is desirable for many WordPress developers who may want a very different home page that has attributes unlike what your WordPress theme currently offers. So, if you have an idea for a home page for your WordPress website that cannot be created easily with the standard WordPress WYSIWYG editor from the dashboard’s add page feature, this tutorial offers the solution you have been seeking.

Before you create a custom homepage

In order to follow along in this tutorial, it is expected that you know the basics of PHP and HTML. To be able to effectively create a page template in WordPress, you should be familiar with JavaScript and CSS as well. A decent understanding of the WordPress infrastructure and the WordPress admin area are also helpful.

Steps To Create A Custom Homepage in WordPress

Starting a Page Template

In order to add a custom home page to your current theme, you will want to start a new page template. This is necessary for the WordPress engine to recognize your new page. That way you can access the page from the admin area and activate it once you have created it. Select a name for your file and make sure it isn’t too common and that it doesn’t already exist in your current theme’s folder. I choose the name “homepage.php” since I intend to use it as the site’s home page. You do not have to user your own page as a home page, it could go anywhere in the site’s infrastructure that you desire. I just thought a custom home page template was a more common need so that is what this tutorial is based on. You can make a few fairly simply changes as you go and build a custom page for any page you wish in WordPress though, so let’s get started. Open your favorite text editor and start the homepage.php file with the following PHP code. If you already have a page coded that you want to use as a custom page template, then add the following code to the very top of the file:

The Template Name attribute inside of PHP comment tags is what WordPress uses to recognize your new file as a page template. Where I named my template, “homepage” in the above template code, replace the homepage text with the name of your template which should correspond with the filename itself.

Building your webpage

Now go ahead and build your webpage in PHP. You are free to use JavaScript, HTML, and CSS in your file as needed. However, you need to create an include folder to include all supporting files for you custom page so they are easily identifiable form the rest of the files in your current theme’s directory. I made a folder named homepage_includes for my custom page’s includes. This is where any images and supporting files will go including CSS and JavaScript files.

Uploading your custom page files

Once you have created your custom page and supporting files, it is time to upload them to your server and see if they work. The main PHP file you created as your template page, homepage.php in our case, needs to go in the main folder of your current theme which should have a directory pate similar to the following:

Where “your-theme” is the name of the theme you have selected as your active theme form the WordPress admin. Upload your homepage.php file to your theme directory. Next upload the folder containing all the support files for your new template page into the same directory, your theme’s main folder.

Activating a Custom Page from the Dashboard

Finally, it’s time to activate your new webpage from the WordPress admin so that the rest of your WordPress site or blog recognizes the page and adds it to the proper Navigation menus and provides links as needed. Here are the necessary steps to make your new page officially part of your existing WordPress site:

Login to your WordPress admin dashboard.
Click on “pages” then “add new” to add a new page to WordPress.
Give the new page an appropriate title at the top of the resulting page. I named mine Home page as an example.
Move over to the right column of the page and locate the template drop down and you should see your new template named as one of the options. Select it.
Publish the page. There is no need to enter any content in the WYSIWYG editor since you already coded your HTML in the custom page template, homepage.php in our case.
Here is an image of the WordPress admin area that corresponds to the above steps. Notice the template drop down and the title attributes are the only things I selected or filled in before hitting the “publish” button.

custom wordpress homepage
That is really all there is too it! You should now have a working page. Click view page at the top of the add page dialog and it will take you to the custom page you have created.

Using a Custom Page Template as Your Home Page
For those of you that do want to make the custom page, your WordPress site’s home page or landing page, here are the few simple steps necessary to achieve a custom home page setup:

Login to the admin dashboard
Go to the settings option in the main left-side navigation menu and select the “reading” option.
Tick the option for a static home page and find your custom page template in the dropdown and select it.
Click the save button at the bottom of bottom of the page
Now when you go to your sites base URL or Domain name, you will see your new custom page as the home page for your WordPress site.

Summary

After following along with this rather simple WordPress template or custom home page tutorial, you should be able to add any custom locally made home page to your WordPress site. Of course, I could go on all day and half of tomorrow about how to properly code the template page using standard WordPress coding methods, but that is beyond the scope of this tutorial. This tutorial was meant to simply show you how to add a custom page. You need to learn some about developing templates in order to build a proper template yet, but this tutorial should get you off in the proper directions. Happy coding!

03/20/2022

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03/10/2022

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03/02/2022

6 Reasons Why Your Business Needs an Attractive Website

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out or you’ve already been on the market for a while now, if your business doesn’t have an online presentation, it might as well be invisible to the outside world. A website is a crucial part of your company’s identity that clearly defines your role in the industry, reaches out to potential customers, and maintains all of the connections you have established throughout the years. Every company that wants to be taken seriously needs to have a professional website that reflects their attitude towards business and their customers. In case you’re still not convinced you need it, here are 6 main reasons that might help you decide.

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1.Validity
The first reason you might need to consider creating a website is validity. Nowadays, if a person wants to check whether a certain company is legit or professional, he goes to its website and finds all of the information about it – who are the people running it, what kind of service they provide, and where they’re located. So, in a way, having a website is like owning an identity card that helps people see you’re not a random scammer. This is where various testimonials from your previous clients might come in handy, or any other type of reviews. Just show your future customers that they have nothing to worry about.

2.Availability
The great thing about a website is that it works 24/7. There are no working hours and people are able to visit you whenever they feel like it. Create a list of items you sell, or services you offer, along with the prices and you will save up on your precious time. Besides that, you can implement a chatbot that will automatically resolve any customer issues and answer any questions they might have. This automatic process is the future, so investing in the aforementioned technology is certainly a good move.

3.Reaching Out to Customers
Building a website can help you maintain a relationship with all your old customers, as well as reach out to new, wider audiences. Speaking of customers, one of the most important marketing strategies nowadays is based on offering the ultimate customer experience. Annoying ads and intrusive commercials simply aren’t effective right now, so if you want to promote your business, you have to think about what your customers want and make sure you provide it. This also means connecting your website to various social media profiles and keeping in touch with your community online.

4.Branding
Your ultimate goal in all your marketing efforts should be creating a recognizable brand that people will always remember. The design of your website is one of the most important elements of this strategy. Your logo should be simple, interesting, and consistent across all of your websites. Besides that, a company-specific color scheme can subconsciously affect your customers and stick in their memory. For example, Coca-Cola’s colors are red and white (with the black color of the drink itself), and are always easily recognizable in any commercial. Their website also utilizes these colors to subtly remind people of their existence.

5.Showcase
The website is, by definition, an online presentation, so its basic function is to present your company to the world and potential customers. The best way to engage someone in a concept is to show them something and not just talk about it. So, use the website to showcase all of the products your company makes or create a visual presentation of your services. In short – show, don’t tell. It is said that people remember content a lot better visually, so amaze your visitors with images, videos, and infographics whenever you can. In any case, creativity pays off.

6.Simplicity
In the end, one of the main reasons why you should consider creating a website is that it’s easy and has a number of benefits, so why shouldn’t you? So, how do you begin? Well, just choose one of many free website builders like WordPress, Site123, Drupal, and choose the design you like. When choosing, think about what your customers might like to see and how to make things easier for them. Remember, always choose functionality before beauty, but if possible try to aim for both.

Conclusion
Nowadays, it’s impossible to even imagine a serious company without a website, regardless of how small or new it is. There is so much competition out there and you have to have a good start if you want to achieve success in this unforgiving world. The most important thing to remember is that having a website is not a privilege but a necessity. You will be amazed by how much your business will improve in just a couple of months of having a website. Don’t be afraid to try it right now.

By Andy Mathews

02/27/2022

We are excited to launch a new website for Katy CPA Services today. Check it out https://katycpaservices.com.
It’s a pleasure to be a part of your web project. Congratulations and best wishes for your business.

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02/25/2022

If you are in the construction industry, this is an awesome design for your website. Check it out:

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02/17/2022

Check out this restaurant theme. Amazing design

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02/07/2022

Top Web Design Tips That Everyone Should Know by Bipper Media

Did you know that it takes about 0.05 seconds for a user to form an opinion about your website?

The goal of web design is to capture attention and make web pages easy for people to read and navigate on different devices like computers, tablets, or mobile phones. And if you want to accomplish all of those things, then these tips will be helpful.

Keep reading to learn useful web design tips that will take your website to the next level.

Tip #1: Be Consistent
It’s important to keep your website consistent. That means that you should use the same layout, color scheme, or other factors on all of your pages.

Remember that consistency makes websites easier to navigate for visitors. If each page is different, it can be confusing.

Be sure to organize your website in an easy-to-use way for your visitors.

Tip #2: Make Sure Your Website Is Largely Text-Based
Most websites have text on the pages. This means that you should make sure most of your content appears in small chunks of text rather than taking up large spaces on the screen.

Remember that people don’t like reading long paragraphs on their computer screens. It’s best to break up the text into smaller pieces that are easier to read.

Tip #3: Make Sure You Showcase Your Content
You need to make sure that your website is easy to find what you want its visitors to see! This means making good use of headers, headlines, and other tools to highlight what you want people to see.

You should use headlines and other features to point out the content or things that your visitors will find interesting. If you do this, they will be more likely to return!

Tip #4: Don’t Miss Out on Mobile Designs
Today it’s easier than ever for someone to visit your website from a mobile device. Many people use their phones and tablets to check websites on the go!

You should design your website with these people in mind. The best way to do this is by creating different versions of your site that any type of device can access easily.

This will ensure that more people can see what you have to offer!

Tip #5: Always Test Your Site for Errors
It’s a good idea to test your website before you release it. This will allow you to find and fix any errors that might appear on different browsers or websites. You should also check for broken links, pictures, and other issues.

To do this, you can use a website called “W3C Markup Validation Service”. Just type in the URL of your site and it will give you an error list.

Remember that if something is wrong with your site, people might get frustrated and leave!

That’s what makes web design important – remember to keep these tips in mind while designing your first website.

Tip #6: Keep It Unique!
You can use these tips to make an attractive website that people will enjoy visiting. However, you should also remember that you want your site to be unique.

Don’t just copy the designs of other sites – this is how you stand out from the crowd. Instead, come up with a design that you enjoy and that other people will find aesthetically pleasing.

Tip #7: Make Sure to Keep It Simple!
It’s important to remember that you don’t want your website to be too complicated. That means that you should only use the tools and features that are necessary for your site.

Don’t add too many bells and whistles – these might confuse people or keep them from finding what they want on your site.

Remember that simplicity is key if you want your website to be successful!

Tip #8: Provide Contact Information
It’s important to provide contact information on your site so that people can reach you if they want to. This should be simple and easy to find – for instance, it might be a good idea to include it in the footer of each page or use an email form plugin.

If you give people this information, they can get in touch with you if they need to!

Tip #9: Be Careful With Colors!
You can use colors to make your website stand out. However, you shouldn’t pick the first color scheme that you see online. Why not?

Remember that different colors mean different things. If you want something to look professional and trustworthy, it should be light-colored. On the other hand, bright colors will make your site seem more creative and fun.

Hiring a web design expert can help you find the perfect colors.

Tip #10: Always Prepare for the Future!
Remember that it’s impossible to predict the future. Therefore, you don’t know exactly how people will access websites years from now. This means that you should make your site as accessible as possible to the widest audience possible.

To do this, you might want to use a content management system for your site. This will allow people from all over the world – no matter how they access the internet – to read what you have to say!

Tip #11: Test, Test, and Test Again
You should always test your website before you release it to the public. You can do this by making a copy of your site on a private server and playing around with it.

This will allow you to find out if any bugs exist or if anything doesn’t work properly. If you don’t find out about these problems in advance, you might annoy the people who visit your site.

This is what makes web design important – keep these tips in mind when redesigning your website!

01/31/2022

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a content management system (CMS), which is a software that allows you to create and manage your website and manage its content from a central interface. It is the most popular CMS on the market, with over 60% of websites built via CMS using it as their platform.

WordPress was created by Matt Mullenweg in 2003 when he was attending the New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (NMIMT) at age 19. WordPress started out as just an idea for an open-source blog tool that he coded in PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) while attending NMIMT for his final semester before graduating. He released his work under GPL – GNU Public License, Version 2, which means anyone can use it free, copy it, or modify it without paying any fees.

The first release of WordPress was on May 27th, 2003, and it quickly gained in popularity due to the ease of use and flexibility that it offered users. The second version of WordPress was released on December 11th, 2003 with a slew of new features and updates.

In 2005, after two years of development, WordPress released version two point oh, which included a new default theme (Kubrick) and many improvements to the administration panel. It was at this time that WordPress really started to take off in the commercial world, with more businesses and users gravitating towards it for its ease of use and customizability. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Source: digitaloperatingsolutions