WordPress or Pure Design via HTML Coding

newfabear · 02-03-2010, 07:00 AM

Hi,

I last done some web design around five years ago and have decided to dip my feet back in again after speaking to a friend about Internet Marketing. My question is that if you intend to create a number of different sites how would you decide whether to base them around Wordpress themes or code the sites up manually.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Matt

jonweb2009 · 02-03-2010, 03:52 PM

It is about personal choice,

and what kind of websites you want to create.

If you just want to fill some articles then wordpress is enough.

if you want to create some professional sites you may start from hand coding.

Or you could use JOOMLA with variety of templates.

newfabear · 02-03-2010, 05:19 PM

Think I will need to get a balance between the both like they say "Content is King" so either way got to get that sorted before I decide on the technicalities I suppose.

hankyjohn · 02-04-2010, 10:31 AM

i would like to use wordpress because its very to easy to maintain contents and add new pages, change designs etc. For a technical person, wordpress works best.

cafeeman · 02-05-2010, 06:55 AM

i use stiqr.com now to do almost all my designs, its pretty cool

joshuthomas · 02-05-2010, 08:52 AM

this is a question for your clients !

5minutejoomla · 02-05-2010, 05:07 PM

I assume that you mean by "code the sites up manually" that you are referring to HTML? If you are, and your clients want 3 -5 page brochure type sites, then you could probably churn those out faster with an HTML editor and a couple of template files.

However, once you get over 5 pages or the client plans to update it themselves and want more functionality (like widgets that do things), you should go with Wordpress.

If they want people to sign up, access special information, have multiple authors, a directory, events, community etc. then it's time to get up to speed on either Joomla or Drupal.

If you are doing this for yourself for internet marketing, then you are the client and just need to consider the level of complexity you are considering. Most IM folks use Wordpress because it falls in the middle of ease of use vs. professional functionality and there are a number of tools the IM folks like that run in WP.

PixelPusher · 02-05-2010, 10:20 PM

Really depends on what the client intends to do with the website and whether they are wanting to manage content or pay you to do it.

northpark · 02-09-2010, 12:24 AM

It's up to the client. I've had someone with a fairly static 3 page site want content management and on the other hand i've built large sites with no cms because the clients prefer to leave updates in my hands (which suits me fine!).

I wouldn't add cms for my own benefit because i've not found one i'm totally happy with although i'm thinking about trying expression engine as i've heard it's great.

Wordpress is good because it's quick to learn and because of all the plugins already available for free. I've found joomla, drupal etc to have too steep a learning curve and for the majority of jobs i've done, a bit overkill.

I bet a client comes along insisting on Drupal or Joomla now

aracaris · 02-09-2010, 01:07 AM

As others have said, it really just depends on what your needs are. Personally I often times find that I like to have a combination of the two, with articles being largely WordPress, and other pages being .html (or .shtml).
If you like both, there's no need to go exclusively with just one or the other (plus if you are going to be taking on clients you should learn both, because chances are good you'll have clients that want one or the other or a combo of both), it's quite possible to have a site with both work very very well, in which case which you use will come down to the needs of a given page within a site. What's really nice is your WordPress pages and the rest of your site can be made to look pretty much identical, so there's a seamless transition from one to another.

I'm thinking of starting to learn Drupal or Joomla, any recommendations for which one to start with? Or should I just in and start learning both?

02-03-2010, 07:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
newfabear New Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 2	WordPress or Pure Design via HTML Coding Hi, I last done some web design around five years ago and have decided to dip my feet back in again after speaking to a friend about Internet Marketing. My question is that if you intend to create a number of different sites how would you decide whether to base them around Wordpress themes or code the sites up manually. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated Matt

02-03-2010, 03:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
jonweb2009 Bronze Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 60	It is about personal choice, and what kind of websites you want to create. If you just want to fill some articles then wordpress is enough. if you want to create some professional sites you may start from hand coding. Or you could use JOOMLA with variety of templates. __________________ HTML PHOTOSHOP ASP.NET, JAVASCRIPT WEB DESIGN TUTORIALS. www.tutorialriver.com

02-04-2010, 10:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
hankyjohn New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 15	i would like to use wordpress because its very to easy to maintain contents and add new pages, change designs etc. For a technical person, wordpress works best. __________________ Thanks, hanky John Ecommerce Website Design Corporate Website Design Search Engine optimization

02-05-2010, 08:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
joshuthomas Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: India Posts: 36	this is a question for your clients ! __________________ Web & Graphic Design Blog *Submit to PR4 Directory: Free Submission * Approval in 24 Hrs * Do Follow Linkbacks**

02-05-2010, 05:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
5minutejoomla New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Wine Country, CA Posts: 2	I assume that you mean by "code the sites up manually" that you are referring to HTML? If you are, and your clients want 3 -5 page brochure type sites, then you could probably churn those out faster with an HTML editor and a couple of template files. However, once you get over 5 pages or the client plans to update it themselves and want more functionality (like widgets that do things), you should go with Wordpress. If they want people to sign up, access special information, have multiple authors, a directory, events, community etc. then it's time to get up to speed on either Joomla or Drupal. If you are doing this for yourself for internet marketing, then you are the client and just need to consider the level of complexity you are considering. Most IM folks use Wordpress because it falls in the middle of ease of use vs. professional functionality and there are a number of tools the IM folks like that run in WP. __________________ ================================== 5MinuteJoomla - What you need to know about Joomla in 5 minutes of less.

02-03-2010, 05:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
newfabear New Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 2	Think I will need to get a balance between the both like they say "Content is King" so either way got to get that sorted before I decide on the technicalities I suppose.

02-05-2010, 06:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
cafeeman New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 7	i use stiqr.com now to do almost all my designs, its pretty cool

02-05-2010, 10:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
PixelPusher Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 479	Really depends on what the client intends to do with the website and whether they are wanting to manage content or pay you to do it. __________________ John Darling Graphic / Web Designer SmarterTools Inc. (877) 357-6278 www.smartertools.com

02-09-2010, 12:24 AM	#9 (permalink)
northpark Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 29	It's up to the client. I've had someone with a fairly static 3 page site want content management and on the other hand i've built large sites with no cms because the clients prefer to leave updates in my hands (which suits me fine!). I wouldn't add cms for my own benefit because i've not found one i'm totally happy with although i'm thinking about trying expression engine as i've heard it's great. Wordpress is good because it's quick to learn and because of all the plugins already available for free. I've found joomla, drupal etc to have too steep a learning curve and for the majority of jobs i've done, a bit overkill. I bet a client comes along insisting on Drupal or Joomla now __________________ North Park Design Web Design & Development www.northparkdesign.com Last edited by northpark; 02-09-2010 at 12:31 AM.

02-09-2010, 01:07 AM	#10 (permalink)
aracaris Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 33	As others have said, it really just depends on what your needs are. Personally I often times find that I like to have a combination of the two, with articles being largely WordPress, and other pages being .html (or .shtml). If you like both, there's no need to go exclusively with just one or the other (plus if you are going to be taking on clients you should learn both, because chances are good you'll have clients that want one or the other or a combo of both), it's quite possible to have a site with both work very very well, in which case which you use will come down to the needs of a given page within a site. What's really nice is your WordPress pages and the rest of your site can be made to look pretty much identical, so there's a seamless transition from one to another. I'm thinking of starting to learn Drupal or Joomla, any recommendations for which one to start with? Or should I just in and start learning both? __________________ Megan Bennett-Burks Web design and more The Toucanet's Roost, dedicated to birds in the toucan family, and other softbills. Metal4Metal Last edited by aracaris; 02-09-2010 at 01:16 AM.

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