If your website was created using WordPress, one of the great benefits of WordPress is that revamping, upgrading or updating the look and style of the website is relatively straight-forward.
Upgrade your WordPress website
WordPress websites use themes (templates) so to update your website a new theme needs to be installed. WordPress cleverly retains all your pages and posts so after the new theme has been installed the old pages can be slotted into the new theme. Of course it’s a little more complicated than that – especially if you want new features on your homepage such as a slider or new widgets. Plus, you should never attempt to upgrade your WordPress theme without running a full back-up of your site first. It’s highly likely you’ll lose most of the website’s customisations without following the correct processes and back ups. However in summary it takes a web designer much less time to upgrade a WordPress website than to create a new one from scratch – and that makes it cost-effective for you. And what’s more, the newer WordPress themes tend to have much better security features that older themes.
Boxed vs Full-Width Themes
If you’ve been considering a new look website then you’ll probably have researched a number of websites in your sector that you like. You’ll also probably notice that those that appeal to you the most use a full screen layout rather than using a boxed layout. WordPress themes have certainly come on in the last few years – with more modern styles using the full-screen layout. Websites that were created only a few years ago can now look out-dated compared to your competitors’ websites. And as your website is the public window in to your business it’s important to keep your shop window looking better than your competitors!
Below are some websites that we’ve recently upgraded to full-width modern layouts. The main noticeable difference a full-screen website provides is that the two grey bars either side of the website no longer exist. The advantage of this is the extra space it provides – providing a much cleaner and easier user experience.
New WordPress themes also provide a multitude of new features and widgets that will enhance the look of your site plus encourage more exploration from your online visitors. And what’s even better – these WordPress websites work well on mobiles i.e. they are fully responsive and work well no matter which size screen the website is being viewed on. This is especially important as Google is unlikely to index a site that doesn’t work well on a tablet or mobile – according to Google over 50% of searches are now carried out on a mobile device.
The main objectives our clients provide when requesting a new look for their website fall into two general areas: They want a more modern-looking website to reflect their business and they want to stand out from their competitors. Plus, a website upgrade provides the ideal opportunity to review and amend the existing content and add any additional pages i.e. new services or locations that may have expanded in your last few years of trading.
Upgraded Websites – Before & After
You can visit the new revamped websites below using these links: www.10minutecbt.co.uk and www.jbj-pallets.co.uk.
If you would like to discuss your website upgrade please call 07976 653329 or email frankie@fpmortimore.co.uk