Along with our list of often-requested features we have also compiled a check list of tasks and issues to consider when setting up a new website or moving to a new one.
SEO considerations
First and foremost, we consider SEO impact during development. Duplicate content or competing SEO strategies can have detrimental effects on your ranking so we make sure to employ robots.txt and .htaccess directives properly to avoid any conflicts in terms of indexing content for search engines
Hosting transitions
We often move providers when it comes to setting up a new website and this can cause additional headaches if not planned properly. For one, hosting server configurations can be different so we prefer to build and develop on the actual server that the site will be launched on. This means sometimes that the client has to pay for two hosting accounts simultaneously but since we work fast and good, this will be only temporarily 🙂
Along with changing hosting providers comes the issue of DNS. The whole system of nameservers and DNS zones can be a bit daunting to the uninitiated, so we make sure that there is no down time when we make the switch to launch a new web site.
Third party apps/plugins
We avoid third party tools as much as we can. Typically, they add bulk to the code base and sometimes offer the first point of attack for hackers because a third-party developer may not have closed all backdoors or upkeeps their app properly and in a timely fashion. Sometimes, though, it would be silly to re-invent the wheel. “Advanced Custom Fields“, for example, is a plugin with a great reputation and has been around for years. It’s easy, powerful and I’m actually surprised it hasn’t been fully integrated into the WordPress code base.
WordFence is another one of our go-to, must-have plugins. Professionally developed and easy to use, it has millions of users and is properly maintained. Best of all, it creates real value by monitoring and blocking possible intruders and alerting you of all log-in attempts, successful or not.
Third party integrations
Salesforce, Mailchimp, Quickbooks, Google Analytics, Ads, and Marketplace are just a few tools and services that our clients often employ to help with their business. Proper integration with the new website requires some planning and foresight. We make sure that we have access or control of all necessary accounts and that no errant or inaccurate data is being sent or used by these tools.
If needed, we offer training and maintenance for all related tools and technologies.
