Custom build websites
Aren’t all websites custom built? Yeah, but no – but yeah, but no. Some may prefer to purchase an off the shelf theme and customise it to their liking. Whilst I can see the advantages to this as it’s faster and well maintained themes may offer a lot of support, I prefer to build website using a very basic framework. By starting the build from scratch I know exactly what the code does and how it is being used. This way, we aren’t limited to whatever the theme developers have built and we can design a website that really meets your needs. As part of my framework I use a plugin called WPBakery and this allows you – the user – to make updates to your website if you want to, without needing to know any code. Adding an image or changing some text will be as easy as updating a Facebook post.
Validated & optimised
Having a website is great for your company, but a slow website might deter more people than it’s worth. I use tools like Pagespeed Insights and GTMetrix to improve website loading speeds. Besides that, I use a number of other tools to validate my code, but the most important one is W3C validator. This tool helps me to ensure that my websites meet the W3C standards. You can see it for yourself on via this W3C link.
GDPR & Security
To me, security is one of the most important aspects of a website. A speedy website is nothing if it’s easily hackable. I enjoy reading up on the latest WordPress hacks as it helps me to understand how to avoid them. I use plugins such as WordFence and iThemes Security which helps me to make your website more secure. I also make sure that your site is set up to be GDPR compliant which is required by law if you deal with customers or visitors from the European Union.
Always improving
Whether new coding languages are being updated, new SEO rules are being introduced or web standards change – one thing is for sure and that is our websites are never truly finished. In order to keep up to date with all these changes, I read articles, attend conferences and network with people in the industry. There is so much to learn – every – single – day.
You've got this far, you probably want to see some work.
Knight Forge Studio
This was one of my latest, but also most favourite projects. Visitors can read here about Jason Knight, but also by merchandise and follow his series.
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Brookbush Institute
Before I started working as a WordPress Developer at Brighter*IR – a digital agency that designs and builds websites for companies that are on the London Stock Exchange – I worked on the Brookbush Institute website. One of my projects was to revamp their homepage and to make improvements using A/B testing.
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Brighter*IR
One of my latest projects was building the new website for Brighter*IR. The website was built using a custom framework and is W3C compliant. It is fast, modern – and to be fair – pretty darn awesome!
Visit the site