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Aaron Rutley, profile picture
Uploaded byAaron Rutley
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Client-friendly WordPress Websites

The document discusses how to create WordPress websites that are client-friendly. It recommends customizing the admin area to be intuitive for clients, using pages instead of menus, using code instead of widgets, using custom post types sparingly, and using custom fields for everything to make content management easy for clients. It provides examples of how the author implements these strategies, such as restricting client roles, cleaning up the admin interface, using pages for navigation, and using custom fields instead of post type plugins.

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Web Design and Development•
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@AaronRutley Client-friendly WordPress websites
About me ‣ Co-founder of ‘eleven media’ a small web design agency ‣ I’m a full time WordPress Theme Developer ‣ Coding WP themes for 5+ years ‣ 1 free WP plugin (1k downloads) ‣ 2 free WP themes (100k downloads)
Why Client-friendly ? ‣ Less training / support / documentation ‣ Happy clients ‣ Happy developer “Aim to make the client’s wp-admin experience as intuitive as possible.”
How I create Client-friendly sites: ‣ I customise the wp-admin area to suit the project ‣ I use Pages instead of 3.0 Menus ‣ I use code instead of Widgets ‣ I use CPTs sparingly ‣ I use Custom Fields for everything * I have a completely different mindset if I’m developing a theme for distribution * You might not agree & that’s cool !
Customising the wp-admin area ‣ Restrict the client to “editor” role ‣ Clean up the wp-admin (Minimal Admin, Adminimize & Functions) ‣ Tailor the admin experience (Admin Columns, White Label CMS & Functions) “I give clients everything they need to manage content & hide everything they don't.”
Powering navigation with pages ‣ Pages are easy to understand ‣ 3.0 Menus can get confusing ‣ Plugin : Simple Page Ordering ‣ Plugin : Admin Collapse Sub Pages ‣ Plugin : Exclude Pages from Navigation
Custom solutions over Widgets Eg : Twitter Feed ‣ Is the functionality even needed / what’s this solving ? ‣ Which widget / plugin to use ? do you need a plugin ? ‣ Can a widget be styled to suit the business / brand ?
Use CPTs sparingly ‣ I use Custom Post Types for content that would typically be shown multiple times & likely have a ‘single’ page: (Products, Staff Profiles, Testimonials) ‣ I don’t use Custom Post Types for content that is shown once (Sliders, FAQ’s, Galleries) ‣ I’m guilty of overusing CPT’s in the past ; )
Use Custom Fields for everything ‣ Custom Fields / Post Meta is Ideal for complex layouts (Advanced Custom Fields, Pods, Types & Functions) ‣ I use ACFs to replace ‘post type’ plugins (faqs, sliders etc) ‣ ACF with the ‘Flexible Content Field’ add-on is awesome for responsive design ‣ Very client friendly (no shortcodes etc)
Quick Demo
Thanks! @AaronRutley www.elevenmedia.com.au