When I first decided to convert a static HTML design to WordPress I did some searching for a tutorial to help me get started with the basics. Surprisingly, I didn’t find anything that was very complete or easy to follow. So, I decided to write a very basic tutorial on how to convert a static HTML template into a WordPress theme. If you are an absolute beginner at developing WordPress themes then this should help you get started.
This tutorial assumes you already have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. It also assumes you have a website built in HTML and CSS and have it ready for conversion to WordPress. For those who need a basic introduction, refer to this helpful introduction to WordPress themes. If you already have something in WordPress (maybe you bought one of our WordPress templates), you might be interested in learning how to customize a WordPress theme and the WordPress child theme basics.
Sharing buttons seem like an obvious way to increase engagement, but do you really need them?
We often hear from customers who want to integrate sharing functionality into their WordPress powered website. They’ve heard it’s important to give readers options for sharing their content. This often takes the form of countless buttons plastered on every blog post. This makes some sense on the surface, but I seriously question how important it is to provide sharing options.
Your navigation is an important part of your website, and it might be hurting more than it’s helping.
You’ve got lots of important information to share on your website. Organizing it all can be a challenge. So you slowly start adding more and more menu items. Drop down menus become your best friend. More menu items are better, right?
Are part-time employees handling your customer support? If so, you might be ignoring an important competitive advantage.
Let’s say you’re selling a product or service. You love the work, your customer base is growing, but support always seems to take up everyone’s valuable time.
I don’t follow many WordPress news sites. They’re usually too noisy for my taste, and much of the content is just recycling existing news from elsewhere in the community. One exception, that’s slowly become my go to source, is Post Status. The founder of Post Status, Brian Krogsgard, has developed a reputation for covering WordPress over the past few years. He’s written close to two-hundred articles for WPCandy, and posted some great content on his personal site. He’s also developed a discerning eye for WordPress news and knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Brian’s taking a new approach to WordPress news with Post Status. Rather than repurposing existing news as new content, he’s linking directly to the original source and including brief and insightful commentary. Brian’s unique experience and involvement in the WordPress community makes his insight especially clear and refreshing. He’s also started to work some excellent long-form articles into the mix over the past few months, which has added a nice balance to the site.
Post Status announced a refreshed design and focus earlier today. As part of that announcement, The Theme Foundry is now an official partner of Post Status. Brian and I want to do something different with this collaboration. We want it to be a long term partnership. The exact opposite of a quick “ad buy”. We want to keep the focus on the content, and make sure we integrate mentions of The Theme Foundry in an unobtrusive way. I couldn’t be happier with how the initial launch turned out. Post Status is great for the WordPress community, and it’s also something we’re proud to support and associate ourselves with.
You’ve got a website or blog, but have you told your story? If the answer is no, you might be missing a big opportunity.
Have you ever watched a major professional sporting event on live TV? Here in the United States, I’m referring to a playoff football, basketball, or baseball game. Notice how the network will usually profile a player or coach, and tell a story about that individual? This builds viewer engagement with the broadcast. If you know more about someone, you’re more likely to be interested in the game they’re playing in. Not to mention, most people like a good story. It’s human nature.
You might be thinking — my story isn’t interesting or good enough. I don’t want people to know that much about me, and it could reflect poorly on how they perceive me or my business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most people don’t expect perfection, and they’d rather engage with someone they see as genuine, regardless of that person’s accomplishments.
The Foundry team white water rafting on the Payette river.
Last week the team met up here in Boise, Idaho. We all work remotely, so it’s really nice to bring everyone together for some “real life” time. Scott had the longest trip by far, coming all the way from Sydney, Australia! We had lots of fun, and even got to do some white water rafting (that’s the four of us in front).
We are proud and excited to announce our latest theme, Snap. Snap is a responsive, lightweight, and minimalist theme that makes it easy to feature your projects on your WordPress website. Snap’s clean grid based blog layout and configurable page templates also make it incredibly flexible. We invite you to view our demo site, learn more about the theme, or purchase Snap today.
I’ve been on the soapbox over here at The Theme Foundry lately discouraging too much “process” while we’re designing and building a new WordPress theme. What do I mean by process? I’m defining process as the steps you take to get from point A to point B. In a traditional agency environment this might take the form of: client meeting, client pitch, wireframes, Photoshop mock-ups, site delivery.
The Photography theme has been a hallmark of The Theme Foundry’s collection since we first released it nearly three years ago. It has stood the test of time and continues to be one of our most popular themes. Today, we are excited to usher in the next generation of Photography with the release of version 2.0.
This is a free update for all existing Photography customers. Please be sure to read the update instructions before you dive in.
