How many types of WordPress website creation are there? Why do the prices vary so much?

Many people who want to create a website with WordPress may have a question about why the development costs vary so much, from thousands to hundreds of thousands of baht or even higher. The difference in prices is due to the diverse website development processes, which result in varying costs and work duration. This article will explain the popular methods of WordPress website development and the reasons for the price differences. Creating a website with pre-made themes Using pre-made themes (Pre-made Themes) is the easiest and fastest way to create a WordPress website. Currently, there are many pre-made themes to choose from, both free themes from WordPress.org and paid themes from marketplaces like ThemeForest or local Thai developers like Seed Themes. Users can select a theme that fits their needs and install it immediately. Then, they can adjust the colors, styles, and content to suit their business or organization. The advantages of using pre-made themes for website creation are low costs, as most themes are priced around $30-100 or even free, making them suitable for those with limited budgets. It also requires less development time since the themes are already designed and developed, and users only need to customize the content and layout to fit their needs. Therefore, it is suitable for those who want a simple website without having to spend time on design and development. The disadvantages of using pre-made themes are the limited flexibility in customization, especially if the theme does not support the desired changes or customizations. Additionally, pre-made themes may not be suitable for websites that require special functions or highly specific and complex designs, as they may not be able to meet the needs in terms of aesthetics or specialized functionality. However, the advantages of price and development time are the lowest. Price range: Starts from thousands of baht - up to tens of thousands of baht ($)

CompressX: A free WordPress plugin to compress images, which every website should have.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to create a personal brand website, and I came across a really great WordPress plugin. It has amazing capabilities that can help reduce the size of images uploaded to the website, convert them to WebP or AVIF formats, allow you to choose the library you want to use for image conversion, manage previously uploaded images, set maximum image size, and many more features. I thought it must be a paid plugin, but surprisingly, it's all free. Let's take a look at some of the interesting features. Choosing the image compression library: We can choose between two libraries to help compress the images: GD: This is a PHP extension that helps manage image resizing. The advantage is it's faster at handling large images, but it supports fewer file formats. Imagick: This is another option that supports more file formats and produces higher quality images. We can click a link to check if our hosting environment has these extensions enabled. Choosing image format: We can select between WebP and AVIF formats: WebP is suitable for general use as it's supported by major browsers and platforms, while still providing high quality with smaller file sizes than traditional formats (JPEG, PNG). AVIF [...] (rest of the translation omitted for brevity)

How to Use Gutenberg Without Breaking Your Website Using Overrides Pattern

Currently, Gutenberg has evolved to fully support Full Site Editing (FSE), allowing users to edit various parts of the website, from the header and footer to other components on the page, without needing extensive themes or additional coding. Furthermore, the blocks offer a variety of customization features, providing flexible design options. However, a common issue faced by developers and users is accidental errors during edits or customizations (e.g., unintentionally changing components or layouts), which can damage or “break” the website structure. To address this issue, WordPress, starting from version 6.6, has introduced a new feature called Overrides Pattern, which helps prevent edits that could affect the functionality of various components. What is a Pattern? A Pattern in WordPress is a set of multiple blocks grouped together to form a predefined structure or template, similar to […]

Why is Meta Box a recommended plugin for managing fields in WordPress?

Recently, the WordPress community has been shaken by a major conflict between WordPress and WP Engine, which has left many surprised and questioning the direction of these two giants. This conflict has not only impacted WP Engine’s hosting services but has also extended to the blocking of related ACF plugins and their ban from the WordPress.org directory. This means users within the WP Engine ecosystem may no longer have access to updates or support from WordPress. One promising alternative is the Meta Box plugin, which offers flexible and efficient field management. In this article, we’ll introduce you to Meta Box, explore its features, and explain why it has become a popular topic of discussion recently. Differences Between ACF and Meta Box The ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plugin, in its pro version, comes with a wide range of basic capabilities, such as managing Options Pages, fields, and Post Types […]

Transform WordPress into a Backend with the Power of REST API

WordPress is not just a website creation system or content management tool, but also features an API that extends its capabilities for development and integration with other systems. Whether you want to build applications or connect with various services, WordPress API can help you. This article will introduce you to WordPress API and how to make the most of it.

Enhance Security: Add a Layer by Hiding wp-login for WordPress

Not hiding the wp-login.php page on a WordPress site in production is a critical security concern, even though it is just one of many security measures that should be implemented. Hiding the wp-login.php page can reduce the risk of brute force attacks, where attackers attempt to guess passwords to gain access. This not only increases the risk of being hacked but can also burden the server due to continuous password-guessing attacks. If you prefer to keep the wp-login.php page accessible, it’s advisable to configure login attempt limits. If the number of failed attempts exceeds the defined limit, the IP address can be blocked. This approach is better than leaving the page open without any restrictions, as bots often automatically search for wp-login.php and attempt to log in. Changing the login page URL can also slow down bots, making it harder for them to locate the login page, thus enhancing website security. WordPress Brute Force Protection Recommendations According to the official WordPress recommendations for brute force protection, the following methods are suggested: • Creating a .htpasswd file to restrict direct access to wp-login.php. • Hiding access to […]

How Do Small Image File Sizes Affect SEO? And Popular Resizing Tools

Reducing image file sizes for use on websites significantly impacts Core Web Vitals scores, especially in terms of Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which is a crucial metric that Google uses for SEO ranking. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures the time it takes to load the main content of a web page, which includes images, videos, or large text blocks. If the images used on the website have too large file sizes, it will increase the loading time, resulting in a lower LCP score. There are various methods to compress image files, from reducing them before uploading to having the website handle them. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and different tools. Popular image file formats for websites include older formats like JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF, which tend to have larger sizes. However, newer formats like SVG, WEBP, and AVIF have been developed, with AVIF and WEBP being modern file formats that offer many benefits suitable for website use.

WordPress Best Practices: Essential Dos and Don'ts

Developing and maintaining a WordPress website involves several factors to ensure optimal performance and security. Choosing the right themes and plugins, as well as regularly updating the WordPress core and plugins, is crucial. Additionally, regular backups and selecting quality hosting can help the site run smoothly. Learning basic coding and resizing images before uploading can enhance website efficiency. Using caching systems and customizing wp-login.php are other methods to boost speed and security. Compliance with PDPA laws to protect user data is also essential. Conversely, there are actions to avoid, such as directly editing theme files, using pirated themes or plugins, and using copyrighted images without permission. Minifying and combining JavaScript files using caching plugins can sometimes cause issues. Relying too much on plugins is not ideal, and it's better to avoid letting the server handle image resizing. Also, remember to delete unused plugins or themes to reduce system load and enhance security. This article will help you understand the correct methods for customizing and maintaining your WordPress website to ensure it operates efficiently, securely, and with quality in the long term. All these topics are gathered from my personal experience with WordPress, not only to ensure web security but also to make the site lean, small, and fast-loading, and to understand the correct methods for customizing your own WordPress site. When selecting a theme for WordPress, there are several considerations. First, choose a theme that is regularly updated. [...]

Ready-Made WordPress Code: Instantly Solve Common Issues

This article compiles commonly used pre-written code snippets for WordPress, helping many users solve various issues. Even those with no coding knowledge can use them immediately by simply placing them in the theme's `functions.php` file. However, always remember to use code safely by testing it locally first. If applied directly to a production site and problems arise, consider this a warning!

Navigating Your Path to Becoming an Expert WordPress Theme Developer

This article will guide you through becoming a WordPress Theme Developer and what to learn to get started. It explores an alternative for those using website builders like Elementor and dives into what it takes to write your own themes.