WordPress Development Process Explained in Simple Words [Updated]

Several website platforms can be used when building a new site – Content Management Systems (CMS) is what they’re usually called. The core idea of a CMS is to give you simple tools so that you’re able to edit your site’s content without any knowledge of coding. For the majority of part – from the user’s point of view – these CMS look like familiar interfaces with the option to create new pages or documents and later have them published to the web.

Luckily, though choosing the best one is simple. There’s only one king on top of the mountain – and it’s WordPress. It is important to select a custom WordPress development company for high-performance solutions.

WordPress is used on more than 34% of all websites. To put it in different words roughly every one in three websites is powered by WordPress.

Or, to put it in different words, nearly every one in three websites that you visit is built on WordPress.

Here are the key details about WordPress:

• Open source
• Free
• DIY solution for website building
• Fast, optimized, and secure
• SEO-ready – makes promotion easier

Get your Groundwork

Website, buy a domain & hosting
Before you begin with WordPress site development, it is important to conduct some vital groundwork such as picking a domain name closely associated with your company name or relevant niche. Domain name could play a key role for branding initiatives. A good domain name should be: easy to memorize, unique and distinctive for your brand. It should be hard to mix up with other brands and stand among competitors. When learning how to build a website, selecting a name is probably the most fun aspect of the whole process.

Decipher the Environment

WordPress is constantly changing and experiencing an evolution. However, not everyone uses the latest version. It is important to understand your product’s requirements right from beginning to end because it will dictate your work, from development to release.

A few things to consider:

• Version of WordPress that will be supported
• Provide updates for future releases
• Types of browsers targeted
• Multisite or not

These are a just few pointers, there are several questions that hold the key to building the most solid product given the constraints of the environment.

Bring Idea to Life with WordPress Development

For several businesses and entrepreneurs, the main challenge is coming up with an idea for a premium product that will work. Irrespective of whether the idea is obvious or easy to implement, the idea is still a valid proposition till it is actually implemented. And just because you are not convinced does not mean there is no market for it. It is important to validate an idea to understand whether it solves a user’s problems.

• Identify problems and potential solutions: To put it in simple words, if there’s something you wish you had in your toolbox, you’re not the one who wants it.
• Identify key players and compete: Competition is good because it fosters innovation. Make a list of successful plugins or themes, offer some additional features or a new take on the concept, and compete.

Ultimately everything boils down to utility, not just the robustness of features. Keep all your apprehensions about your idea. Whether it is too simple or too complex to build, your target audience is mainly interested in the utility. If the product simplifies users’ lives, then it’s worth a try and worth implementing.

Once you’ve got an idea, it is time to transform your idea into reality. Among the most crucial steps in professional WordPress development is to lay a solid foundation. With your requirements defined, you should have an idea of the environment that requires support for work. At this point, it’s time to set up the development environment.

The development environment comprises the local installation of the Web server, database system, and platform to develop the product. Ideally, the development environment should replicate or mirror the staging environment. The staging environment should invariably mirror the production environment as close as possible.

Plugins & Customizations

Plugins and WordPress customization plays an important role in development. There are several WordPress plugins that allow you to get started with adding other usual elements on websites such as contact forms, product galleries, sliders, subscription forms for newsletters, SEO plugins, and much more. To install additional features, you will need to install plugins. WordPress plugins lets you add new features to websites eliminating the need of writing any code. There are 55,000+ WordPress plugins available in the free WordPress plugin directory alone.

Testing

When it comes to WordPress website development, you need to have the proper testing in place. You’ll need a testing infrastructure to identify any bugs prior to launch. Your work will be viewed by different people, isn’t it?

• Non-loading elements and typographical errors: Some of the most glaring errors that eliminate chances and might annoy users.
• Slow-loading pages: Optimization and high performance of the website to ensure that site is optimized
  Focus on the mobile version. The majority of people make the mistake of focusing just on the desktop experience, which is a mistake in today’s day and age.

What is the WordPress website development process?

A WordPress website development project has several parts, and they are as follows:

• Project initiation– The project initiation phase of website development involves setting the goals and requirements of the project and panning other factors.
• Designing– The designing phase involves deciding how the website would look. Thus, this step includes determining the website’s layout, pages, themes, and the like.
• Data migration– Data migration is crucial when you already have a website and want to transfer the data to the new one.
• Development-Once the preliminary decisions are made, the next step involves the final development step that finalizes the basics of the website.
• Quality assurance– Once the website is developed, it is crucial to check for all the features’ quality and functionality before launching.
• Launching the site-This is the final step of website development, where the client finally launches the site after testing for its performance and quality.

WordPress development workflow

Though website development projects might feel like they are almost done, remember several complexities and intricate factors that you need to focus on. Thus, it would be best if you followed the typical WordPress workflow instead of jumping to conclusions.

The workflow involves two broad categories- the initial build and the client testing and bug fixing process. The initial build is where the project is 60% complete. However, though the website is ready for launch at this stage, the bug fixing and client testing phases are extremely crucial to maintain the website’s quality and efficiency.

How long does it take to develop a WordPress website?

The time taken to develop a WordPress website depends on its features and the number of pages. For instance, a simple blog would take around 2 hours. These blogs have no customizations and involve only installing WordPress and using a simple theme with permalinks.

An information site with several pages, including a contact page, a home page, a blog, and others, might take eight hours. Such blogs have greater customizations than simple blogs or websites.

Developing e-commerce websites take the greatest time on WordPress. Such websites generally take 20 hours or more as they have intricate customizations, different themes, and various other features. Thus, the greater the number of features, the greater the time to develop a WordPress website.

Why Hidden Brains?

Hidden Brains is one of the most trusted and reliable WordPress development services provider companies in India. With a global client base, we are the pioneer in our field. We offer customized WordPress development services such as Custom WordPress Web Development, Integration, Plugin Development, and Support & Maintenance. The WordPress website developed by us has aesthetic appeal and is feature-rich with high usability and scalability. 

Finally

If you are looking to develop a WordPress website for a large business, the project can run for an extended time. Considering the fact that there are several people working on it, the site will go through various phases of revisions. However, the smaller your scope becomes, the less time it can take to create an entire website.

Developing a WordPress website is not as challenging it looks. It would be best if you hired a WordPress development company to build your website. Such companies generally comply with your instructions and ensure they design your website accordingly. Alternatively, you can also follow the guide mentioned above to develop a smooth and efficient WordPress website.

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Albert Smith

Albert Smith, Marketing Manager at Hidden Brains, drives brand growth with innovative strategies in web, mobile app, and software development.