Custom Wordpress Theme or Static Website from Scratch

9 replies
For a website project that I'm starting I need a bit of coding done, which I will have to outsource. Two of my options are to commission a custom Wordpress theme or a regular site with a GUI.

I don't know what are the pros and cons. I guess having a Wordpress driven website will need some maintenance work every time Wordpress is updated? I don't know. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you.

#custom #scratch #static #theme #website #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author Scott Skinner
    All websites will require updating and tweaking. If you are doing it yourself, WP makes it easy. If you are outsourcing, it depends on who you hire. Either way I like WP cause changes can be made on the fly much easier.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934350].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    Originally Posted by benedetti View Post

    For a website project that I'm starting I need a bit of coding done, which I will have to outsource. Two of my options are to commission a custom Wordpress theme or a regular site with a GUI.

    I don't know what are the pros and cons. I guess having a Wordpress driven website will need some maintenance work every time Wordpress is updated? I don't know. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you.
    Wordpress all the way. The tons of free plugins that make it sing....makes that question a no-brainer.

    Wordpress is very easy to customize/hack as well -
    PHP Tutorial for WordPress Users – PHP 101
    is a great beginners tutorial.

    Hope that helps!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934375].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author asmartbuy
    Wordpress rocks! Too many templates to count. Plugins are sweet.
    Signature
    Ready To Cash In On The Greatest Transfer of Wealth Ever in Human History? Watch this Jam-Packed Informational video on how you can be in business for yourself, but not by yourself! Click Here.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934394].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    Static sites generally have lower processor loads than wordpress and in their simpler forms can be run off a cloud server, there are specific application specific setups beter suited to conventional hrm/css sites.

    Wordpress is much easier to make periodic additions to, providing the post page sort of organization is OK. THere are tons of preexisting plugins available that help customize a wordpress site to not look like a standard blog, these plugins as well as wordpress need periodic updates, which generally is accomplished with a click inside of wordpress. Being a well understood entity in it's stock form, wordpress might be more vulnerable to hacking, the comment boxes, of enabled are definitely spam magnets.
    Signature

    “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field” Niels Bohr

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934416].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author benedetti
      Thank you for your answers.

      One more thing. If you commissioned a custom Wordpress theme, would you based it on an existing framework? I use Catalyst, which I love.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934610].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author mdmmarketing
        The Catalyst WP theme is a great theme! As far as basing your custom WP theme on an existing theme, this is not a bad idea as it would not take as much work to customize and should cost you much less to have it created.

        However this should be discussed with whom ever you use for your outsourcing.

        Best Regards
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4934829].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
      That is the way it is supposed to work but the last two custom statics I have ordered cam to me very clunky and resource heavy .... go figure lol.



      Originally Posted by webapex View Post

      Static sites generally have lower processor loads than wordpress and in their simpler forms can be run off a cloud server, there are specific application specific setups beter suited to conventional hrm/css sites.

      Wordpress is much easier to make periodic additions to, providing the post page sort of organization is OK. THere are tons of preexisting plugins available that help customize a wordpress site to not look like a standard blog, these plugins as well as wordpress need periodic updates, which generally is accomplished with a click inside of wordpress. Being a well understood entity in it's stock form, wordpress might be more vulnerable to hacking, the comment boxes, of enabled are definitely spam magnets.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5115274].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author easymentor
    Hi benedetti -

    Catalyst is a great framework, both with regards to customized layouts and SEO. I use this for over 90% of the sites I build these days. I have a developers license and am very familiar with how it all works. If you're still looking for someone to build a custom design (based on your required specifications), please feel free to PM me and we can discuss this further.

    Kindest regards,
    Chris
    Signature

    Marketing Principles for Principled Marketing
    http://ThePrincipledMarketer.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5115031].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Fraser SellHealth
      Wordpress until the end!!
      start with wordpress , you can edit pretty much everything the same way you could with a basic html site, and all the plugins wordpress offers you can put up a functional site within a hour or so
      Signature

      Fraser Mackie
      Affiliate Manager
      Sellhealth.com

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5115201].message }}

Trending Topics