Customising a WordPress Website – DIY

Customising a WordPress website is something you’ll probably want to do sooner or later. If you’re not into programming and would prefer not to pay through the nose for a web designer here’s a great option to consider.

First of all why use the WordPress platform in the first place? WordPress – the platform installed on a purchased custom domain as opposed to a WordPress.com/your name site – is long established, loved by Google and relatively simple for the DIY website builder. It also comes with a ton of prebuilt themes and a million and one plugins.

There’s a lot you can do without customising a WordPress website too much. But in the ever-changing world of the Internet it pays to stand out from the crowd. In this post I’m looking at Optimizepress.

Available as either a full Worpress theme or as a plugin, it offers simple but advanced customisation at very reasonable price points. Whether you are just customising a WordPress website or websites you own or for multiple clients, Optimizepress is well worth considering. You’ll find affordable packages whatever your needs.

Customising A WordPress Website – Subtly Or Completely

If you are looking at customising a WordPress website but don’t want to drastically change your existing theme please refer to my previous post on Optimizepress here. If however you want a complete makeover or are building from scratch, read on.

As I mentioned at the top, you can use Optimizepress either as a plugin or a full theme. If you want to use their impressive suite of elements and landing page templates within an existing theme then go for the plugin. If you’re building from scratch or want a complete change then go with the theme. When you buy an Optimizepress package you have both options.

If you are familiar with the WordPress way of doing things, the Optimizepress way will take a little patience to master. That’s really because of the way the two platforms coexist. Whilst some of the basic WordPress building blocks continue to be used: Menus and navigation mainly, everything else is somewhat different.

As a complete theme change Optimizepress pages are built in their live editor. After selecting a basic layout template, elements are added from a wide selection. These include dividers, forms, content blocks, countdown clocks, pop ups, and subscription forms. Each element has a number of styling option templates, which can be used as they are, or which can be further customised.

In most cases adding images, text or video to these elements is done through the familiar Worpress dialog. For example on a Worpress themed page you would import an image via the add media button. You would then size and align it as required. With Optimizepress you would add it to a live editor element template. Similarly you would copy and paste text into an element rather than simply to a blank page.

They Have An Element For That!

Once used to the OP way of doing things customising a WordPress website with it is very intuitive. As Apple “Have an app for that”, Optimizepress will probably have an element for whatever you want to do on a page. With so many design options it’s a good idea to have a plan in mind before you start. If you are looking to achieve a look and feel similar to a site you admire you can probably do it with this theme or plugin. OptimizePress have a host of tutorial videos to help you get started and to walk you through various websites styles.

There are of course a lot of simple website builders out there now but WordPress is probably the best starting point. Optimizepress takes that great starting point and adds a ton of flexibility. You get what you pay for as the saying goes. A free website builder like Wix will get you online. A free WordPress theme on your own domain will take you much further but there comes a time when free isn’t good enough.

If you are at that stage or even contemplating your first website Optimizepress should definitely be part of your research.

To that end visit their comprehensive information page here or click on any of the images above for full details.