Randy A Brown

Author: Randy A Brown

  • The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 5 – Maintain

    The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 5 – Maintain

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Once the website is deployed, as in seconds after, it’s time to maintain the website. This includes the backend, the frontend, and content. This is also when you should start implementing additions that were not ready or available during the first four steps. A maintenance schedule with items in a checklist can help keep the schedule on track.

    Under the Hood

    It’s important to keep your WordPress installation up to date. This includes the WordPress core, themes, and plugins. The majority of updates are security patches that fix holes. A website that hasn’t been kept up to date will be a security risk for the server and anyone that visits the website. If the server gets malware the website can be blacklisted.

    First, always keep an updated backup. Never perform a software update on your live website without a recent backup. I prefer to perform the updates on test sites first. Once you’re sure the updates are safe it’s time to update the live site.

    I recommend running periodic tests for speed and usability to ensure your website is loading correctly.

    Frontend

    The frontend also needs to be maintained. This includes colors, styles, design elements, images, animations, etc. You don’t want your visitors thinking they just stumbled into the way-back machine (unless it’s a retro design on purpose).

    Not only do design elements need to be maintained, but also calls to action, button arrangement, colors, etc., need to be changed as needed in order to get the best results. I don’t recommend changing at random though. One of the best ways to know what to change and how to change it is to use a/b testing. This will show you which colors, styles, buttons, etc., are the most productive for your website.

    Content

    News, products, offers, prices, images, articles, ads, etc. should be kept up to date. Your site would not look very professional if product prices were several years or weeks old. How many times have you driven by an old gas station with prices from years ago on the sign? What are your thoughts when you see that? You automatically assume they’re out of business. A website with old content looks like it’s out of business.

    The same goes for articles. How many websites have you seen where the last post was “I’m Back!” and that was three years ago? You don’t have to post every day, but the more often you can post the better. Set a schedule and stick to it. At least 4 posts a week is ideal for the best traffic results.

    Lets Discuss

    • Do you use a maintenance schedule?
    • Do you implement updates on a test server first?
    • Do you use a/b testing to see what is effective?
    • How often do you post?

    Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. 

    Featured image by Igor Ovsyannykov 

     

     

  • The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 4 – Deploy

    The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 4 – Deploy

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Step 4 in the 5 steps of developing a website is deploy. Once the website’s checklist is complete with all of the elements in place and the site has been thoroughly tested it is time to publish the site. Even though the site is tested ahead of time, we can’t just publish and walk away. There may be issues we haven’t found yet. Users might not enjoy using something that we thought would be a great choice. Something might be too confusing, or the functionality or needs might change.

    Deploy according to your launch plan and check everything multiple times as you deploy. This will include setting up the domain on the new server or removing the coming soon message, disabling IP blockers, sending out emails, promoting in social media, setting up any necessary redirects, etc.

    Quality Assurance

    This person continues to watch the site for problems. This includes using different browsers, checking links, using different platforms and devices, etc. They will also check for load times and take feedback from users. These tasks are especially important if the site was moved from a test server to a live server.

    A/B Testing

    In order to help improve the site’s design and functionality, the blog manager or QA person should use a/b testing. This will help determine where changes need to be made. It would test the layout design, color choices, button styles, call-to-actions, and more. The results of the tests should be logged and used for inform website changes.

    Analytics

    The blog manager should analyze the site’s traffic to see which marketing efforts are effective, learn more about the audience (which can tell you more about their needs and what the site needs to provide), which browsers and devices are the most popular, what other websites are sending traffic, etc. This will help you focus your best efforts where they are the most effective.

    Security

    Security should remain a concern. Keep a check on the security logs. This will tell you of potential threats and identify IP’s that should be blocked and any holes in the website’s security. It’s important to respond to problems quickly.

    Let’s Discuss

    • Do you follow a launch plan when deploying a website?
    • Is your launch plan different from what I’ve discussed here?
    • Do you have anything to add?

    Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already.

    Featured image by SpaceX 

  • Guest Appearance on Elegant Theme’s Divi Nation

    Guest Appearance on Elegant Theme’s Divi Nation

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Today I was the guest on Elegant Theme’s Divi Nation. We discussed writing content about Divi and how I got started as a content provider.

    https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/divi-resources/creating-effective-content-for-your-brand-with-randy-brown-the-divi-nation-podcast-episode-54

  • The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 3 – Develop

    The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 3 – Develop

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Development brings all of the design elements together to build a workable website. Since it’s a content management system complete with database, content creation tools, and media storage, WordPress greatly eases the pain of development. The backend already exists and the frontend uses themes that are pre-made, customized, or built from scratch built on top of the WordPress system. Many themes and plugins include drag and drop tools that make it easy to place the elements where you want them. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in development.

    Comps and Wireframes

    Comps are the mockups that many designers create in Photoshop that show the design of the layout. Lots of designers skip Photoshop and build the mockup using tools such as Divi to build the wireframe. The comps or wireframes are used to build the site.

    The developer, which can be the same person as the designer and sometimes does both jobs simultaneously, places all of the elements in their proper locations, adds the CSS (by hand or by using plugins), adds any PHP needed (or plugins) to create any special features for the theme, adds backgrounds, graphics, fonts, menus, buttons, social plugin, newsletter plugin, security, backups, eCommerce, analytics, etc., for both frontend and backend.

    This work is sometimes done on the actual server while others prefer to develop the site on a private server and move it to the live server when the site is ready. Either way the domain name and hosting are prepared, sometimes with WordPress installed and security plugins in place, and a coming soon page displays to visitors and provides an email opt-in and social follow and sharing buttons.

    Content

    The content team will create the first round of written content for the website based on the direction decided in the design phase. This includes any copy for the pages and the first set of articles. This content is based on a spreadsheet called a content matrix.

    Many use tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to keep the list for the content matrix. Content creators use these tools as a checklist to produce the content. The blog manager will create the user accounts and have each user upload their content.

    Media

    Media includes podcasts, video production, slideshows, etc. The media development team create podcasts and videos (which are sometimes the same content). This also includes any videos to be produced such as company introductions, tutorials, product information, etc. This may require high-end recording equipment and software. The material is often written by the content team.

    This will also include storing and presenting the media. For example, the design phases answers the questions of will the media be stored on the website itself or another site such as YouTube and then embedded within the content. In this phase those tools and accounts are gathered and prepared to store the media.

    Blog Management

    The blog manager will publish the pages and posts as they are approved. At this point the website will still display a coming soon message to visitors, so they won’t see the content until the site is ready to go live.

    Let’s Discuss

    • Do you build comps with Photoshop or a similar tool?
    • Do you prefer to build a wireframe with tools such as Divi?
    • What is your favorite content matrix tool? 

    Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. 

    Featured image by Tirza van Dijk 

     

     

  • The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 2 – Design

    The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website – Step 2 – Design

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The second step in developing a WordPress website is Design. Fortunately WordPress, being an amazing content management system, takes care of handling content database and other parts of the website under the hood, so you’re not designing from the ground up. Instead, you’re designing on top of an already powerful platform. Fortunately, this platform doesn’t place heavy restrictions on the design.

    There are several steps to designing the website. Be sure to include the client in every step – getting their feedback and explaining design choices. This will help keep the project on time and within budget, and will reduce surprises while ensuring you’re creating the website the client needs.

    Sitemap

    A sitemap is a diagram of the website. It will show what the pages are and how they’re connected. It will show the navigation structure and the categories for the content.

    One of my favorite tools for building sitemaps is a mindmap tool called Coggle.

    Wireframe

    A wireframe is a series of diagrams that show the details of each page. It shows the page’s navigation, the content such as text and images and how they relate to each other, and the interactive portions such as calls to action and links. (The image above shows Divi Wireframe Kit Vol. 3)

    Many designers use tools such as Photoshop, Gimp, etc. I prefer to create wireframes directly within the page itself using Divi. Other building themes and page-building plugins are great too.

    Content Plan

    The wireframe shows where the content will go within the page’s design. The content plan will show what the content is, where it comes from, will it include snippets that link to blog posts, will those snippets include images and if so what size, what is the character limit of the snippet and posts’ title, will it include meta information, how will the user interact with the snippet, what categories will be included, etc.

    The types of content, writing style, length, types of images, video, etc., should also be included within the content plan.

    The Look of the Site

    The look of the site is what we usually think of when we talk about design. Once the client has approved the sitemap and wireframe design, the visual designers can add visual elements on top of the wireframes. This includes choosing colors, fonts, and adding graphics.

    Be sure to test the site on multiple screen sizes and devices, and in multiple web browsers.

    UX/UI Testing

    Once the design is in place it’s a good idea to test the site with a small group, taking their feedback and making improvements. Some prefer to test multiple designs from the same wireframes in order to get the best design possible. This will help ensure that you provide the best design to the client and you’ll also be able to provide feedback from the test group if needed.

    Let’s Discuss

    • What are your favorite sitemap tools?
    • What are your favorite wireframe tools?
    • Do you use a process different from this?

    Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already.

    Featured image by Galymzhan Abdugalimov

     

     

  • The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website Step 1 – Define

    The Steps of Developing a WordPress Website Step 1 – Define

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Like any successful project, developing a website should follow a proper sequence of steps. The steps, often called phases, help keep the project on track and within budget. They also help ensure that the website that’s built is the website the client needs – without bugs and scalable. This requires breaking the project down into a series of steps. In this series we’ll look at the steps of developing a WordPress website.

    Five Step Process

    Many developers use a five-step process:

    1. Define
    2. Design
    3. Develop
    4. Deploy
    5. Maintain

    There are lots of variations on these steps, but this is a simple plan that moves the project from concept to finished product. The steps follow a common-sense methodology. Let’s take a look at each of the steps.

    Step 1 – Define

    Before starting on the website’s design you must first define the website. This includes the site’s business goals and customer requirements. Before designing the site’s structure you need a clear definition of what the site is for.

    Site Goals

    Clearly define the top 3-5 goals that the website needs to meet. These goals will help determine the layout, visuals, navigation, and content requirements per page.

    For example, a site for a local handyman business might only need to have a one-page layout to specify the services provided and give contact information, or it might need multiple pages with detailed information about each service and include purchasing through the site with recurring payments. Those are two vastly different levels of design for the same type of business.

    Business Requirements

    Meet with the internal stakeholders and have them help you create a list of the site’s business goals. Make statements for them to finish, such as “the site must be able to…”. This isn’t the look of the site. Rather, it’s the functionality of the site. It will answer the question “what are the site’s primary abilities?”

    Create a list of all of these abilities the site must have and then have them prioritize the list. The first few should be the most important that the site must have at start-up and the rest can be added later.

    In this meeting try not to discuss how something will be accomplished. The focus should be on what needs to be done rather than how it will be done.

    Request For Proposal (RFP)

    The client will need to create an RFP. It will include the project overview, the site’s business goals, and the site’s requirements.

    Project Plan

    This will be the roadmap for the project. It will list all of the steps required and specify the time, people, and budget required for each step. Break the steps down into milestones with a time and budget for each. Most recommend adding a little extra time and budget for unforeseen issues.

    The project should be tracked using a Gantt Charts or similar tracking tool. Microsoft Project is a popular tool for project management. You can also get templates for Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet apps.

    Let’s Discuss

    • Do you use the common 5-step project plan or do you use another plan?
    • What are your favorite questions for defining the website’s requirements?
    • What is your favorite tool for tracking the project?

    Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. 

    Featured image by rawpixel.com

    Stay tuned for Step 2 – Design

  • The People Involved in Developing a WordPress Website

    The People Involved in Developing a WordPress Website

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Developing a website, especially large website, often requires a team. However, WordPress now has many themes, plugins, and features that have helped to reduce the work required to the point that a single person can develop high quality websites, making it possible to run a WordPress development business by yourself.

    This is a look at the people, tasks, and skills involved in developing a website with WordPress. If you’re doing this alone these are some of the hats you’ll wear or some of the people you’ll hire. Every project won’t need all of these people and tasks, but they are typical in one form or another.

    Project Manager

    Someone needs to be in charge of keeping the project on task. Without a project manager it’s likely the scope of the project will grow (scope creep), due dates will be missed, and budgets will be broken. This person should be able to determine what can be done when and for how much.

    Many clients don’t have a realistic idea of what’s possible at what cost. They may think that a website with 1000 items in a store can be developed from scratch by tomorrow for $100. The PM will help set the clients expectations and keep the project on track (both on time and within budget).

    Business Analyst

    There are too many websites out there trying to get everyone’s attention. We can’t just set up a site and expect people to find it. Even if you’re not involved with marketing the website, those who are need to be involved with the web design from the beginning. They will perform tasks such as:

    • Set goals for the site. This will determine what the site needs to accomplish.
    • Identify the target market. This will determine who the site is designed for.
    • This will determine the keywords used for the site’s SEO, ads, partnerships, etc.

    Information Architect

    This person will determine the pages that the site will need and the navigation structure. They will create a sitemap diagram that will be used to create a wireframe diagram for each of the pages to show the navigation structure. They will test this navigation structure and streamline it according to usability.

    Visual Designer

    The Visual Designer will take the sitemap and wireframes and design the look of the site, with the company’s branding, into the wireframes – modifying the layout as needed. The use best-practices for layout, color, fonts, buttons, animation, etc., to determine the best user experience with the content. It will look great while remaining practical and loading fast. Photoshop is a popular tool for visual design.

    Web Developer

    The web developer creates the design in WordPress. In many instances this is the same person as the visual designer and many visual designers work with WordPress rather than other design tools (although a lot do use Photoshop to create their wireframe). Many use tools such as Divi, Beaver Builder, or Elementor to create the design.

    Once the design is created in WordPress they add the HTML, PHP, and CSS that’s needed to make the site unique. They will use API’s to connect WordPress to other services, integrate with various platforms such as forums and learning platforms, etc. Sometimes they focus on front-end or back-end development.

    Programmer

    WordPress programmers add features that are not normally available such as creating plugins and theme development. They use languages such as PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and SQL. They should be familiar with React, Node, API’s, etc.

    Content Creator

    Also known as content developer, content provider, copywriter, or simply writer, content creators provide what is known as copy. This isn’t the same as print copy. This is copy that is designed specifically for the unique nuances of the web. (this is my profession btw)

    This is usually two different tasks or roles:

    Content Strategist – also known as a blog manager, they identify the types of text required including articles (which will include text, images, illustrations, etc.), text for buttons, menus, product descriptions, etc. This requires knowledge of SEO, content design (including word choices, sentience and paragraph style, headlines, lists, descriptions, etc.), character limits, word counts, etc.

    Copy Writer – they write the text itself. They will use good structure which places the major points first followed by supporting text, laying out the content in a design that’s easily scanable, using action words rather than passive words, making the best use of the word count, and driving the readers toward the call to action.

    Media Specialist – they create media such as podcasts and video. These are usually tutorials, interviews, training, etc.

    eCommerce Specialist – they create product pages including descriptions, images, video, demonstrations, etc. Online stores can have as few as a single product to many thousands of products. This person may be required to manage the store.

    Ending Thoughts

    Many soloprelancer’s (solo-entrepreneur-freelancer. I don’t know if that’s a real word, but it is now) have done these tasks for so long that they don’t even think of them as separate jobs. Unless you’re an expert in all of these fields and have the time to invest, don’t try to go at it alone. It’s better to get help in your weaker areas and focus on what you do best. Use tools that we have at our disposal.

    WordPress is not hard to learn, it’s in high demand, and the business possibilities are endless. Become familiar with a few good tools, such as an all-purpose theme like Divi and learning CSS, and use them instead of trying to build from the ground up. Fortunately there are many plugins and themes that do much of the work for you.

    Whether you focus on just one thing and become part of a team, or become good at several things and start your own solo business, the skills covered here are crucial to a successful WordPress website.

    Let’s Discuss

    • Do you perform multiple roles or do you prefer to focus on one thing?
    • Are there any roles you would add?
    • Which role is your favorite?

    Thanks for reading and commenting. Please subscribe if you haven’t already.

    Featured image by Helloquence

     

  • How to Know if a Career in WordPress Web Design is Right for You

    How to Know if a Career in WordPress Web Design is Right for You

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Web design and development are among the fastest and best careers today. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that web development will grow 27% through 2024 with an average wage of over $66k per year. The typical entry position only requires an associate’s degree. Many developers are self-taught and self-employed. Others are part of teams where they perform part of the tasks in a team environment. Most work full time.

    Needless to say, a career in web design and development is a good idea. In this series we’ll look at what it takes to launch a successful career in web design. We’ll look at the people involved, the skills needed, and the process from start to finish.

    How to Know if WordPress Web Design is Right for You

    Let’s look at some of the tasks that are required for designers and developers. If these tasks sound good to you then you will most likely enjoy this career choice.

    Some of the tasks include:

    • Meeting with clients to determine the needs of the website.
    • Working with team members to determine the content of the site.
    • Creating a mock-up of the design based on the client’s needs.
    • Creating graphics for the site.
    • Creating code (usually HTML, JavaScript, PHP, CSS, or SQL) to perform desired functions.
    • Choose themes and plugins.
    • Modify the design as needed.

    If you’re a freelancer that works alone you’ll be responsible for all of these tasks. If you work with a team (either as part of a team or as a team that you hire), and depending on your role, you could be responsible to manage the project and the team. Freelancers will have business management tasks as well, which include:

    • Marketing
    • Accounting
    • Customer service

    Designers and developers must be driven to meet client’s deadlines and they must take goals seriously. This requires:

    • Concentration – they must have the ability to work on project for long periods of time.
    • Detail oriented – all of the elements must be thoroughly thought through. Code is especially important as one minor error can bring down a server and affect thousands of websites (just ask Amazon).
    • Creativity – using modern design trends for layouts, graphics, fonts, colors, and even going beyond the standard and creating new designs that make your work stand out (in a good way, of course).
    • Soft skills – developers and designers have to communicate with clients that don’t know anything about web design. This requires patience and being thorough in asking and answering questions.

    Related Careers

    There are lots of related careers that designers and developers can move into. They include:

    • Computer programming
    • Database administrator
    • Graphics designer
    • Information systems Management
    • Security analyst
    • Software developer
    • Systems analyst

    Most of these careers require bachelor’s degrees. The pay ranges from around $50k to over $100k. Most are in high demand. Even if you decide that web design and development is not for you, you have similar careers to move into that use your skills.

    Let’s Discuss

    • What skills do you see as the most important to a web design career?
    • Do you prefer to design and develop the site yourself or do you prefer to be part of a team?
    • What other careers do you see as related to web design and development?

    Let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already.

    Featured image by Lee Campbell

     

  • How to Create a Review Site Using Extra from Elegant Themes

    How to Create a Review Site Using Extra from Elegant Themes

    Reading Time: 11 minutes

    When most people consider buying something they usually search for reviews online. For many products there simply aren’t enough reviews, or not detailed enough reviews, to help readers make an informed decision. This opens an opportunity to create your very own product review website. Fortunately, Elegant Themes’ Extra is the perfect theme to create a product review site.

    Product reviews are a great way to bring in traffic and help establish your credibility. They even let you talk about things you like and bring in some extra cash through affiliate programs. In this article we’ll discuss how to build a review site using Extra, how to develop your own review structure, and look at some examples. I’ve also included some tips that I’ve learned from my many years of reviewing products (I even use Extra for my review site).

    In this article I’ll provide mock reviews of laptops. Images are taken from Unsplash.com.

    Extra’s Homepage Builder

    Extra has a built in review system allowing you to develop your own review structure, give each item within the structure a score, and Extra calculates a total score automatically. Extra can be used as an online magazine or a blog.

    The homepage needs to be designed so that categories are easy to find. Extra has a great system for building homepages designed around categories, which in turn highlight your product reviews. Products can be placed within their categories in tabbed boxes, sliders, or individual posts. Extra excels at product categories because of the layouts and modules within the Category Builder.

    Category Builder

    The Category Builder uses the Divi Builder and is unique to Extra (in the dashboard, go to Extra and select Category Builder). This is the Divi Builder with a special library of layouts and modules. It has several layouts that are great for getting started with a homepage including blogs and magazines.

    The Category Builder has several modules that highlight your posts. Modules include:

    • Featured Posts Slider
    • Posts Carousel
    • Tabbed Posts
    • Posts
    • Text
    • Ads
    • Code
    • Image
    • Blog Feed Masonry
    • Blog Feed Standard

    These can be used to create category layouts with sections that focus on specific products. Once you’ve created your layout select to use the layout as the homepage under Layout Usage on the right of the screen.

    Developing Your Review Structure

    A review needs to be structured so that it tells the information in a scanable way that’s easy to follow and makes sense for the product. Typically, the sections of the review are the major features of the product. It’s a good idea to browse through your favorite review sites and structure your reviews similarly.

    Sites that have a nice review structure include:

    A good overall structure might look like this:

    • Pros
    • Cons
    • Bottom line / verdict
    • Introduction
    • First feature
    • Second feature
    • Third feature
    • Comparisons
    • Conclusion

    The Review Layout

    The review itself needs to be easy to follow. It will discuss the major points of the product, a few minor points, performance, provide comparisons and example uses, and then have a conclusion with recommendation. Also provide a link where they can make a purchase as your call to action.

    The review should be easy to follow and scan, helping readers to quickly find the information they’re looking for. This is done by giving each major point its own section heading. H2 is a good choice to divide the sections. For example, if a reader looking at a laptop review is more interested in the gaming performance of a graphics chipset than the battery life, they should be able to find it just by scanning the page.

    Of course there’s more than one way to structure a product review. I recommend experimenting with structures that you like and see what works the best for you and your audience. Divi Leads is a great tool for testing article structure elements. I recommend creating several templates that you can save to the library.

    Using Media

    For the typical product, media such as images, and possibly videos, can be an essential part of the review. Usually, an image for each major feature is all that’s needed. You might not want to cover every feature because your content could end up being filled with information and images that your audience doesn’t need. Save images with the name of the product. This helps with SEO and for image searches.

    It’s a balancing game to find the exact amount of images to include. On one hand you want to include enough images to give your readers the information they need to make a decision. On the other hand you want your content to look clean and neat, and to load fast as possible. Fewer images that look amazing are better than a lot of images that look bad.

    If you need a lot of images then consider using a gallery. This would allow you to display a single image for each section of the review, keeping the overall look uncluttered, and your readers could see more images if they want.

    Using Extra’s Review System

    Extra has a review system built in that allows you to define your own review elements and give each review item a score. From this score it calculates a final score for you. The scoring system shows a graph that appears below the article’s content and places the overall score on the post in the homepage.

    To create the scoring structure, look at the major features of the product and then add the features that matter the most to your audience. Also consider including those that you get a lot of questions about.

    Going back to our example of reviewing laptops, you might want to score items such as:

    • Construction
    • Battery life
    • Screen clarity
    • Keyboard responsiveness
    • Performance
    • Features
    • Software
    • Warranty
    • Value

    Once you’ve determined your review structure type the items into their own Breakdown boxes. Click Add Breakdown to add a new review element. You can add as many items as you want and delete them if you decide you don’t need them. Create as many elements you need but keep is as simple as you can.

     

    Each of the review items in this example have been given an individual score and they combine to create an overall score. Each of these elements should have information within the review itself. For example, I’ve given Keyboard Responsiveness an 84%. The review should talk about the keyboard responsiveness, explaining what I liked and didn’t like about it. You might also consider explaining your rating system on an About page.

    Extra’s Sidebar Widget

    Extra comes with a review widget to show your latest reviews. It shows the title of the articles and a bar chart with the final score of the review. The post titles are clickable links. You can choose the number of reviews to show.

    Examples

    Review – a Child Theme for Extra

    To see an excellent example of review site using Extra, let’s look at a child theme from Michelle Nunan called Review.

    This is a child theme that’s made specifically to be a review magazine. The homepage layout includes:

    1. Hero image banner with animation
    2. Menu that stays on screen after scroll
    3. Product slider
    4. Top picks slider
    5. Tabbed posts
    6. Posts
    7. Footer with social follow, recent reviews, reviewers, affiliate disclaimer

    The sidebar includes:

    1. Recent reviews
    2. Search
    3. Recent posts
    4. Categories
    5. Login

    The review structure steps the reader through the product and its features in a real-world environment. It’s visually appealing, switching between text and imagery while remaining relevant.

    Bible Buying Guide – My Own Review Site Made with Extra

    I’ve ran Bible Buying Guide since 2011. It started with Elegant Theme’s Delicate News and I changed it to Extra a few months after it released. It’s gone through a few layout changes since moving to Extra. The current form displays a post slider with a single post followed by the most recent posts in a two-column blog layout and a sidebar. It uses the rating’s system so readers can rate my articles and the trending bar so readers can know what the most popular articles are.

    Tips for Writing Reviews

    It’s a good idea to analyze reviews and see what works and what doesn’t. Utilize the good practices in your own reviews and avoid the bad practices. Look at what engages the audience compared to what turns them off.

    For example, how many times have you seen reviews like this?

    • I bought it for my grandson and he loves it
    • Too large
    • Too small
    • Too heavy
    • Fast shipping
    • Not as advertised
    • Exactly as advertised
    • Didn’t work

    I’ve seen these very same comments on the exact same product. This is conflicting information and doesn’t really give the potential buyer the information they need about the product.

    I’m sure your grandson told you he loves it. The question is why does he love it? Does he love it because you gave it to him? What about it makes me think I will love it?

    ‘Too heavy’ is subjective. What is it too heavy for? Holding in one hand for three hours? Carrying in a backpack? Sitting on your lap? Be specific and give the weight. Your readers can decide if it’s too heavy for them or not. If you think it’s too heavy for you, tell why it’s too heavy. Your readers can relate to you and this will help them to know if the weight works for them.

    The same goes for the size. Rather than saying it’s too small, tell the size and the let the reader decide for themselves of it’s too small or not. The shipping doesn’t tell me anything about the product itself. The fact that a product didn’t work may not be a reflection on the product itself.

    Be completely honest about the product. If there’s something you don’t like then tell that you don’t like it, but also be specific and tell why you don’t like it. You owe it to your audience to tell both the good and the bad. If they buy a product and you haven’t told them about a glaring negative then they will feel cheated and you will lose trust – and trust takes time to build.

    For extensive products don’t try to cover everything. It doesn’t have to thoroughly cover every single minor feature. For example, in a product such as Photoshop your readers just want the basics that set it apart from the others.

    A review has to answer the question of why or why not. Why should I buy this? What are the benefits if I do? What am I missing out on if I don’t? Is there a better choice? Will this product suit my needs? If you get a lot of questions about a certain feature or aspect of a product then include that information in your reviews.

    Be consistent and realistic in your ratings. Determine what is worthy of a specific rating and rate accordingly. If everything is 5/5-star then the rating loses its value.

    Supplement your reviews with information that your audience will care about. This brings them back and ensures that you’ll always have content that they need. This can be anything from tips to using their products, to accessories, to gift ideas. Other articles could include Top 10, Best of, etc., and could cover multiple products within the same article. They could even link back to the original reviews. Review related products. Laptops and lawn mowers are not a good match, but laptops and tablets are.

    Establish your credibility as a reviewer by being completely honest. Know the products well. Don’t review products you’ve not seen in person or used yourself. Use your experience with the product to develop authority. Develop your own style and opinions. Readers will know they can trust your opinions and you’ll be able to answer their questions.

    Don’t recommend products just for their affiliate links. Your audience will realize your bias and you’ll lose credibility. Don’t give a shining review just because you got the product for free. Readers will catch on to this and will question your motives. This will reduce your credibility and authority in your industry.

    Show pros and cons – not just pros. This way you won’t come across as a pushy salesman. Be realistic in how the product works and the problems it solves. Don’t fall into the “as seen on TV” line of sales tactics where no one in the world can possibly crack open an egg without getting it all over their kitchen until they use this product.

    Tell who you think the product is best suited for and why you think they would benefit from it the most. If possible show examples of the product being used.

    Find a niche with products you love and an audience interested in those products. Don’t try to niche it down too much. If your goal is to make money then make sure there are plenty of affiliate programs. It’s difficult to write about products you don’t care for and it’s discouraging to write about products that you love but there isn’t a large enough audience to keep the site going. Use tools such Google’s Keyword Planner to find niches and products that potential readers are searching for.

    Write clearly and concisely but don’t worry about perfection. Aim high. Develop and write for a large audience.

    Making Money with Reviews

    It’s possible to make money from your review site, but don’t expect to make fast money. If that’s your goal then I wouldn’t advise starting a review website as it can take months, or even years, to bring in enough traffic to make money.

    There are several ways to make money from your review site. Here’s a look at the most popular methods.

    Affiliate Programs – When someone buys through your link you get a portion of the sale. Many online retailers have affiliate programs. This is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Many retailers pay around 5% while other programs pay up to 50%.

    Ads – Ads are another popular way to bring in revenue. Make sure ads are relevant to your audience and topic. The typical ad pays by the click or by the number of views, so to make good money from ads you’ll need lots of traffic.

    Sponsored Posts – Companies will pay you to write about their products or services. Just like any review you must be honest in showing both the pros and the cons or your readers will not trust your opinions.

    Selling Products – Add a store to your website. If you do you’ll have to be extra careful to be as thorough as possible in your reviews or your readers will assume you’re just trying to make a sale. I don’t recommend selling review copies that you’ve gotten for free.

    Disclosures

    The Federal Trade Commission has specific requirements for bloggers when discussing products. Be sure to disclose if you’ve gotten a free review copy, have affiliate links, etc., in order to comply with Federal regulations. The laws do change from time to time, so be sure to check ever so often to ensure you’re following the rules. 

    Final Thoughts

    Reviewing products is a great way to establish your authority in an industry and increase your income. Developing a review site is not that difficult when using themes such as Extra. Extra includes a review system with title, summary, total score, bar charts, and total scores on posts and in the sidebar. Extra makes it easy to develop your review system and the Category Builder is great for developing a homepage that includes your reviews or is built around your reviews.

    Extra is part of Elegant Themes’ subscription.

    Have you developed a review website using Extra’s review system? Let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Featured image from Michelle Nunan’s Extra child theme Review.

     

     

  • Divi Background Gradient Review

    Divi Background Gradient Review

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Divi has recently gone through a series of updates and one of those updates added some interesting background features including gradients. As you may know, I’m partial to gradients (see the article WordPress Design Trends 2017 – Gradients) and I see them becoming more popular throughout the year. As you can imagine I was excited when I heard that Divi was getting a gradient tool. Does it meet my expectations? In this review we’ll take a look at the new gradient tool as see what it can do.

    (Note – this article contains affiliate links to help keep this site running)

    Background Settings

    The new background settings includes four tabs: Color (for solid colors), Gradient, Image, and Video. Gradient is the second tab. To create a gradient, click the plus in the center.

    Visual Editor Example

    You’ll see the default gradient with two colors with boxes labeled Select Color. Click on these boxes to choose your colors.

    From here you can move the circle to the color you want or select the color from the circles at the bottom. Once you’ve chosen your color you’ll see the hex code that you can copy if you want. You can also paste hex codes into the code field. If you move the circle, a circle will appear filled with the color to help you decide if that’s the color you want. The sliders on the right change intensity and opacity.

    Once you’ve chosen your first color, select the box for the second color and make your choice.

    Once you’ve chosen your colors select somewhere outside the gradient color box and you’ll see your gradient. If you don’t like the colors you can select the color boxes and choose another color.

    Gradient Settings

    Under the gradient is a section with settings that include Gradient Type (choose from Linear or Radial), Gradient Direction, Start Position, and End Position. These controls allow you to change the direction the gradient flows and how the colors blend together.

    You can even keep them from blending if you want. Playing around with the controls can create some interesting backgrounds.

    Choosing Radial gives you another set of options called Radial Direction which includes center, top, bottom, left, right, and several combinations.

    Image Blend

    You can even place a gradient over an image using the Image Blend tool. Click on the Image tab and load the image you want. Go to the drop-down box at the bottom called Background Image Blend and select Overlay. Your gradient will appear over the image as an overlay. (I took this photo of a log cabin at Cades Cove here in TN).

    You can adjust the gradient controls to create some interesting effects. You’ll see the results in real-time.

    Thoughts on the Divi Gradient Tool

    The gradient tool is intuitive to use. It’s easy to create and modify gradients. There are enough adjustments and features that you can create dozens of gradients and none of them would look alike. You can even have a different gradient for each column in a row. You can place the gradients over images, which opens up a lot more possibilities. For example, you could use an image of a texture behind your gradient. By themselves the gradients are visually interesting. Throw images into the mix and the possibilities are endless. Since they’re created within the modules you can save the module to your library and reuse the gradients.

    The gradient tool is fun to play with. I like adjusting the colors to see what I can create and I like seeing how they look over the images. The gradient tool is a welcome addition to Divi and I highly recommend using it for your designs. Now, if they were to throw particle animation in there I would probably not have time to write.

    The example shown uses the text module. The background options are also available in rows, sections, and many other modules. The background gradient tool comes with many of the modules in Divi, Extra, and the Divi Builder plugin. You can get them at ElegantThemes.com.

    Let’s Discuss

    • Have you tried the Gradient tool?
    • Do you prefer using Divi’s gradients or something else?
    • What features would you like to see added to the gradient tool?

    Let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. 

    Disclaimer – I am a contributor to the Elegant Themes blog. I am also a customer. This in no way affects my opinion of Elegant Themes’ products. I take pride that all of my reviews are unbiased and fair. Honesty and credibility are my highest priority.