Is there a "best" way to build a website? I need a revamp!

cormie

Hi,
I'm looking to get www.vantasks.ie revamped asap. Just the design and structure of it for the moment, SEO will have to come at a later stage so pretty much just looking to keep the same content with a few cuts and a few additions.

Is wordpress the best route to go or would it be better to go a custom CMS route? I'd like everything linked up such as the blog and all forms and things modernised with anti spam filters protection etc.

The site itself is pretty simple as it's just an info site but one thing I wanted to add was the ability for the user to be able to select their address on google maps and then I could see the location they selected aswell as getting the GPS coordinates from it.

I'd like to add one of them fancy image slides like here: http://www.mountmerriontyres.ie/

and of course... I'd like it to be mobile compatible and by mobile, I mean multi display (from smart phone/iphone to tablet/ipad and all shapes and sizes in between).

I don't think it will be a big job at all, I just want the structure and backbone done right so it's easy to add content and things like facebook likes on each content page are added automatically.

And the big question: If you were to recommend a boards.ie user other than yourself to build a website, based on the work they have done and also very importantly, the advice you have seen them give on this forum and how responsive they seem to be, who would you recommend? I usually move quite fast from a client point of view and would hope for somebody with great communication and ability to explain things and be patient too, even if I may be a bit impatient to get things done

unseenfootage

Congratulations on your site. It really looks nice enough and serves its purpose.

It is a bit dated though and could do with a makeover.

You have very little content so a wordpress theme would probably suite your needs, if you want to go that route. Else if the site will be mostly static then a normal html site would be fine.

How often you would update your site would influence your decision on cms or otherwise.

Can't answer the last question since I am new to this section of boards...

cormie

Thanks for the reply. The site was built in 2006 so yes, very outdated at this stage and definitely time for a revamp. There's been a lot added to it since then too and it hasn't integrated too well so I'd like the revamp to flow nicely and not have to put up with incompatibility issues.

Yeah it's not a big site content wise although I know content is king for SEO so again, maybe this could be integrated nicely with the blog so the blog posts would be seen as new content by google. I want to add more content in terms of static pages but there's a few pages I'll probably take away too, cut out some of the excess.

cormie

Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to approach this? Also, considering I want to keep my ranking on Google etc, is there a seamless way to update a site without Google dropping the reputation I've built? What about code, Joomla, HTML5 etc, how do I know which to go with, or should I just go wordpress and let that take care of everything?

unseenfootage

Go with the wordpress route. I have experience with joomla and it is a bit bloated for your needs.

Wordpress is pretty useful for SEO.

If you are looking at a CMS then there is no need to worry about HTML5 or CSS since CMS is pretty much plug and play. Of course you will have to install modules but there is no coding involved.

If you keeping the same url, keywords, page names and articled headers then your SEO should be fine.

You can start by looking at a designer theme for your site.

Have you not found anyone to do it yet.?

I may have a week free over christmas. If you're work fast with the content and already have an idea for your design then we could talk.

areyawell

Really need a contact form instead of click to email. I'd go the wordpress route and pay for a nice theme for the site. Probably get a nice theme for 20 quid or so.

cormie

Thanks for the replies and input folks. Really glad to hear Wordpress is being so highly suggested, so far, as my brother knows a lot about themes and has built some very nice looking sites. He's not yet a coding or SEO expert and recommends customers get a separate SEO service for now. He also has a Wordpress designer who he highly recommends too, so I may well be set with somebody.

I just wasn't sure if Wordpress was a quick and easy way to build a nice looking website, but lacked the hidden structures of a well built website in terms of SEO and overall ability.

I was hoping to get a few recommendations of developers on boards.ie, from other developers on boards.ie, who have read their posts, seen their work and respected their ability and knowledge and if I got a few recommendations for the same person would have been very interested in speaking with them. Names that stand out from help I've received before on this forum are: cormee, Trojan, Tricky D, daymobrew, kbannon and forbairt and then I think SEO wise, The Apprentice, TsuDhoNimh and Notnem. That's over a few years of posting annoying questions and getting very helpful responses.

tricky D

There's quite a few things I would reckon you need to change or get done to improve your presence, but whether that requires a change of platform and all the implications of that change, is another matter. I would advise you to investigate altering your current format over starting from scratch design-wise. Ie. revamp over redesign. You should be able to tick your desired boxes: sliders, different viewport sizes and scenarios (multi-display as you call it), repositioning items like blogs, altering appearance via css, etc.

A redesign doesn't always solve issues, instead it often just moves many of them into a new design. Site owners can also drop the ball in relation to objectivity, as they view the site much more than customers, but it's the customer's experience which needs the focus more than the owner's.

I'd also advise that SEO not be treated as separate.

cormie

Thanks Tricky D, please check your PM's!