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Is WordPress the Best Tool for This Job? Sallie Goetsch WCLAX 2016

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Learn to identify the projects that are just right—not only for you, but for WordPress

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First thing you need to know: WP is not the baby bear.

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Just because you can…

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Doesn’t mean you should Even if you’ve never used anything but WordPress.

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Is this the right type of project for WP? https://wpshout.com/when-to-use-wordpress-flowchart/

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Bet you still can’t read that

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Here’s the idea WordPress does a lot of different things pretty well.

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Sometimes you need to do just one thing, spectacularly And the client is willing to pay the cost of the custom development.

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Sometimes WordPress is overkill. (I couldn’t find a photo with a fly.)

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Two Examples to Illustrate

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Website 1: Perfect for WordPress • Articles • Reviews • Event Listings • Organized by date & topic • Multiple authors • Editorial review process

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Just one problem. It was 1994.

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Matt Mullenweg was 10 years old. Not the real Matt. Or the real 1994.

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Here’s what I built instead.

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2016 and it’s still not WordPress! What are they thinking?

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What makes Didaskalia a good fit for WP? This is the interactive quiz part.

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Website 2: Not a good fit for WordPress •Static content •Tiny budget •Non-technical client

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But because WordPress was my default tool, I built them a WordPress site.

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That means maintenance.

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What they really needed: basic HTML •Small number of pages. •Small budget. •Cheap hosting. •Just has to sit there. •Content never changes.

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How to identify these projects (and clients). Not only is their old site a Yellow Pages ad, that’s all they want for a new site.

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Then there are these cases… The project would fit WordPress, but the client doesn’t.

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They want the features, but not the responsibility. Sorry, Spiderman is trademarked.

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Hosted services have a place Wix Squarespace

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The advantages of hosted services • UI easier for many people to grasp than WordPress • Different types of sites available • Updates and security handled for you • TCO less than a similar self-hosted WP site.

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The big dis- advantage? https://medium.com/@anildash/prince-transformed- eab793c75757#.xk6ttt6js

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Not much data portability, either.

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Signs your project is a good fit for WordPress

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Client believes a website is a business investment & budgets accordingly. • Multiple types of content that require regular updates • Needs custom design or functionality not available from hosted services. • Ownership & data portability matter • Site needs to do many different things (blog, portfolio, LMS, etc.)

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When a project is too big or too small… You have two choices

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Learn to use a new tool… (Because you didn’t have enough to do learning JavaScript)

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…or send the prospect somewhere else Make friends with people who do Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, etc.

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Success is at the intersection Right for You Right for WP Right for the Client Don’t take it on if it doesn’t meet all three criteria

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https://speakerdeck.com/wpfangirl Look me up Twitter: @salliegoetsch Web: wpfangirl.com Meetup: eastbaywp.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 510-969-9947