Over the course of three years I’ve researched more than 50 WordPress themes and templates. Evaluating them and seeing what can be done with them. Continue reading
Category Archives: Open source
WordPress Website Examples
The wonders of WordPress as a CMS (content management system) website development tool.
Tusler Design use WordPress a lot. Its become one of the most useful pieces of software used in Internet development.
WordPress is so versatile it can be used for almost any type of website. It has a worldwide group of developers who make it and keep it secure.
Tusler Design recommend most new websites and website re-vamps to use WordPress if they’re not already using it.
Example WordPress Websites
Some examples of websites designed and developed by Tusler Design working with WordPress.
Orissa Designs
Orissa Designs is owned and run by artist Tracey Jenkins. She specialises in producing art and shabby chic furniture.
The website uses WordPress and is linked to a PayPal account for accepting payments for online orders. Tracey updates the site herself adding new items as her catologue grows.
http://www.orissadesigns.co.uk/
Camping at Mwnt
Ty Gwyn Farm and Caravan Park (on the cliffs above Mwnt in Ceredigion) wanted a new website and commissioned Tusler Design.
The website gives an instant feel for the unique and wonderful location of the site. To improve the search engine recognition of the website ‘CampingatMwnt.co.uk’ was chosen as the domain name. Site includes a blog and is linked to the Facebook page for Ty Gwyn.
Completeness
Completeness is the online home of Kasturi Tusler, creative artist and crochet teacher.
The website features her crochet patterns, video crochet tutorials, a blog, downloadable recipes for home cooking (including one for homemade deodorant!). This site is also linked to Completeness’ Facebook page.
Custom House Cardigan
Custom House Cardigan is owned and run by creative designer and artist Karina Servini. The Custom House is one of Cardigan’s oldest buildings and has an atmosphere all of it’s own. It now houses a gallery and shop where over 300 local artists and craftspeople have their work on display and available to buy.
The website uses WordPress alongside an e-commerce shop using Magento E-commerce System. The whole thing is integrated within the main website.
http://www.customhousecardigan.com/
Cardigan Bay Company
The Cardigan Bay Company wanted a super simple site that could show some of their great designs and artwork that was also ready for them to build upon.
This is a fine example of using custom graphics with WordPress to create an instant impression upon the visitor.
http://www.cardiganbaycompany.co.uk/
HuwBryn
HuwBryn is owned and run by Huw Jones of Bryn Farm near Cardigan in west Wales. HuwBryn produces specialised natural animal bedding for a whole range of pets and animals.
Visitors to the website can order varieties of combinations of natural meadow hay, straw and chippings for practically any animal kept domestically. Visitors can purchase products using PayPal.
JR Fabrications
JR Fabrications is owned and run by Jason Rice and are a welding and fabrication company based in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire.
The website uses WordPress and features many examples and testimonials from clients of Jason’s. He updates and adds things to the website himself with the occasion bit of tech support from us.
Get your new website built in WordPress and enjoy the benefits of creating and publishing your own content whenever you like…
Contact us now to get your WordPress website rolling.
CMS like WordPress is best value
It might sound like a bold statement but using a content management system to run your business website is actually about the best value you can get.
Many clients (and clients of our friends who are web designers) say that the cost of updating, adding and improving their websites went down when they switched to using a CMS like WordPress.
The simple explanation for this is that once you’ve understood how to use WordPress’s publishing tools you no longer need to pay for all your changes and updates.
WordPress is very easy to grasp
Within one hour most clients are comfortable creating and editing new pages and new posts, adding links and images or whatever they need quickly and without needing to attend a long-winded training course.
Even use your smartphone to update
You can use your smart phone or tablet to add pages and posts. Upload images straight from your device, tag and publish them to your blog or news pages.
WordPress is a very easy to learn and use tool for your content management system.
Hi-end web publishing for us all
We all benefit from access to high-quality web publishing tools nowadays without finding enormous budgets to run it all as in the past.
The Internet and accessible technology has given us the opportunity to present ourselves as we like to be seen.
So, if you have a mission to accomplish, a purpose, aim, target, goals, intention, idea, message or whatever; the Internet is the place to present it.
Use Facebook and Twitter to deepen connections with audiences
Inter-linking your website with your Facebook and Twitter pages gives your visitors and customers a ‘seamless’ experience and connection with you. So your dialogue can continue with your online followers and friends all the time – even when you’re asleep in bed.
Tusler Design can help you with your CMS
Tusler Design create websites using WordPress (and other systems) regularly and can help you set it all up and configure it correctly. Tusler Design also give you training and support in using WordPress and getting the most out of your system.
And use Google Analytics to see what is working
Tusler Design can help you use and understand Google’s great analytics system to improve your website’s performance and conversion rates.
Why not see for yourself?
Please ask about WordPress via the contact page.
And, if you already have a WordPress site and would just like some help, then please also ask via the contact page.
Philip Ling Estates website update
Philip Ling Estates updated site.
Newcastle Emlyn estate agents Philip Ling Estates recently commissioned a complete overhaul and upgrade to their property web site at www.philipling.co.uk.
The web site features complete listings of their west Wales property database, showing only those properties currently available to purchase and to rent. Both commercial and private.
Users can search and review all the properties listed and can register and get email updates of new properties or changes to existing ones.
At its core the site uses property management software called ‘Open Realty‘ to control all its primary functions. The developers released a new version (number 3) which was completely customised by ourselves and our colleagues at SCL Internet Services in Cardigan.
The system is now fully editable by Philip Ling Estates in-house staff and is linked to Rightmove.co.uk where properties are simultaneously listed.
Web Design Technology
Web Design Technologies and Tools
Modern websites use a variety of software tools. Aiming to give users a good experience. And to give owners a return on investment.
Some of the many tools we use in our web design and development processes are listed below.
Google analytics is a fab web user information tool. Google’s tracking tool gives you in-depth information about the pages your users are visiting, how long they are spending, what keywords and phrases they are using to find you and much more. Google Analytics works perfectly with Adwords so you can monitor your pay-per-click advertising results and compare them against natural listings. Giving you a complete overview to reconcile with sales. Very powerful when linked to your e-commerce store to track conversion rates.
YouTube is the video tool that changed the Internet. And perhaps the way we communicate. Posting videos of examples from your website gives you valuable exposure to a complete new audience online. You can use videos to quickly promote your products and services. Each video page on YouTube can be deep-linked back to your site. There are so many possibilities with YouTube.
Facebook has changed the way we communicate. As a promotional tool Facebook gives you personal connection to customers and clients, all of whom have expressly ‘liked’ you. You can be more informal on Facebook than in other communications.
Twitter is perfect for brief messages and updates. You can use Twitter to make short, quick news announcements and give your clients and customers a place where they can ‘get the latest’. Twitter also makes it easy for you to follow others in your industry or interest group.
WordPress is our open-source content management system of choice. The functionality and flexibility of it make it a powerful website management tool and provide for many levels of dynamics and interation with users.
Magento is an awe inspiring open-source e-commerce platform. The amount of flexibility and ease of use are un-equaled in our experience of using shopping carts and online payment processing systems.
MailChimp is a perfect tool for managing mailing lists and newsletters. It enables tracking of emails opened and tracks click-through routes as well. You can easily see who has opened your email and who has also clicked on one or more of the links.
Zend is the perfect development platform if you need to build high-quality PHP applications quickly.
PayPal is often the most straightforward method of receiving payments from your website. There are numerous other excellent payment gateways including Worldpay. SECpay and SagePay
Photoshop is still the fundamental building block for most new web designs. Also in-page graphics play an important part in creating the desired user experience on many sites.
Dreamweaver has become more of a super ftp tool than an editor. It is still rolled out for some hard-coded web pages, scripting and editing cascading style sheets (CSS).
Open Source
Tusler-Design use and recommend open source software for content management system (CMS) solutions and for online shops. Open source has the advantage that it is being constantly improved by developers all over the world and is also free (or very low cost).
WordPress Blogging Platform.
WordPress is a fully customisable web publishing platform and content management system. We take the basic system and modify it for each specific client.
WordPress, like other CMS systems, enables contributors and editors to easily edit and update their website without needing to contact a specialist web developer all the time.
WordPress has thousands of widgets and plugins which make it suitable for a wide range of internet sites.
Magento E-commerce System.
Magento Ecommerce platform is the most sophisticated piece of shopping software we have seen. The fact that it is open source is even better.
Magento gives shop owners the ability to quickly display their products with clear images, descriptions, and prices; all linked to customer accounts and secure shopping carts.
Site owners then choose their preferred payment gateway and start selling online.
Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is a full featured open source, linux based operating system.
Not strictly a web development application Ubuntu is more like your Windows or Mac OS but is free and open source. Worth a look if you’re frustrated with Windows and your PC has slowed to a crawl.
The Open Source Initiative.
Open Source coding is not new to the Internet.
The Open Source Initiative began in 1998 and created one of the first web browsers; Netscape Navigator.