CWS Technology

psd to wordpress conversion

Websites have become an integral part of business. Everyone knows the importance of websites and how crucial they are for consolidating your position in the online marketplace. That being said, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea to simply keep a website up and running and the problem aggravates when you have to choose one of the CMS available. Your struggle continues when you have no prior knowledge of programming language or belong to the non-technical sphere. But that should not stop you from putting up a business. 

With all those scenarios building up and defining all those limitations, you either hire freelancers or a web development company or convert your existing website i.e. PSD to WordPress.

Did someone say WordPress ?

Well, you must be thinking why WordPress? WordPress is free and open source platform plus it has thousands of plugins and even a layman can get familiar with it. Not going into much detail, it is indeed, the best CMS platform available as of now. Google it and you’ll know and you’d say “Why Not WordPress.”

Creating PSD files is often a challenge as one needs to code and it requires to have deep knowledge of HTML, PHP, CSS and JavaScript. But creating a custom website in WordPress is not that easy but with some time it can be mastered. Therefore, in the following part, we’ve unfolded some efficient steps to convert PSD To WordPress.

PSD To WordPress Conversion :- Is it that easy ?

Converting the Photoshop files of PSD to WordPress is a strenuous task in web development services. You can design a website using Photoshop and then convert all the PSD files to WordPress to create your own personalized WordPress website but there are certain things that you should keep in mind.

As there is a myriad of automated PSD to WordPress conversion tools available meaning that, you don’t need to have the understanding of the mentioned programming languages. Just convert all the PSD files and add respective WordPress plugins and tags and voila. Still, it looks simple but there is a systematic way of converting PSD to WordPress.

Let’s get started!!!!!!

STEP 1: – Slicing PSD

Before converting PSD to WordPress, you need to slice all the PSD files i.e. to cut and divide an image file into multiple design files. This step is crucial because a website is a mixture of multiple images in which each component has its own functionality.

You need to break all the files into pieces because the single image will be big in size and will take more time in loading. Moreover, you have to combine different behaviors with different segments of the image, therefore, slicing is a must.

You can use Adobe Photoshop for layering to slicing the PSD and save the resulting segments as separate image files. A point to be noted here that while slicing, you should be precise. You cannot make mistakes as one single pixel may make two pieces unfit for joining.

STEP 2: – Creating index.html and style.css

Now you have to create index.html and style.css and for that code the sliced images into HTML or XHTML format and style using it CSS. The main objective is to not hinder the functionality of web components but to enhance it. Just like we have folders in our desktops for adding files, we need the same web server by adding website files including HTML tags, scripts, pages, CSS etc. Therefore, you should have an index.html page in all the directories. CSS defines how HTML elements get displayed. It controls the layout of multiple web pages all at once.

STEP 3: – Modifying index.html based on WordPress theme

As we are converting PSD to WordPress, therefore, we need to modify index.html files according to the WordPress theme so that we could use the functionality of WordPress plugins and tools.

Your WordPress site requires proper heading, titles, footer file, sidebar file etc. But we have all the codes in one HTML file, therefore, we need to code index.html according to WordPress files. A WordPress theme consists of archive.php, Footer.php, Header.php, Index.php, Sidebar.php, Search.php, 404.php, Comments.php etc. And you need to break index.html into index.php, header.php and other relevant .php files.

STEP 4: – Adding WordPress Tags

WordPress has inbuilt features and on-the-go plugins that can be integrated for enhancing the functionality of the WordPress. You don’t have to write codes just simply use the inbuilt functionality and get started.

For a complete list of WordPress refer to the following links:
– WordPress/Template Tags: – The page contains a full list of all the WordPress tags. Every tag is explained in detail in a dedicated page for that tag.

– WordPress/Function Reference: – This page is a reference guide to all the functions.

Now you have a custom WordPress theme and have inserted all the PHP tags to create the desired functionality, you can activate it through the WordPress dashboard.

STEP 5: – Embedding Functionality

There you are.

You have the WordPress site and you can add other functionality or even modify them. You just have to install plugins or configure the existing ones through WordPress dashboard. The final step in developing your new WordPress theme is adding the functionality. Maybe you want a new page counter, more secure contact form or some social media functions or widgets. You don’t have to even write a single line of code, for example, let’s say you want a new slider or a new style of a drop down menu, then you don’t have to go through the process of learning programming languages and then embed it.

Having an online presence is the prerequisite for businesses. Whether you want to enhance the functionality of the existing website or to develop a new website with custom-tailored design, you look for ways to start the development with.
It is no surprise that enterprises choose WordPress for developing websites because of:

  • ease of using
  • flexible architecture
  • versatility and simplicity
  • plugins
  • customization features.

WordPress is used globally and powers more than 23% of the websites. With the hundreds of thousands of plugins, you can manage the web traffic and can make websites like e-commerce, business websites, portals, personal blogging, portfolio websites, niche affiliate websites and much more.

Your Website is a Long-Term Investment

A website is the powerful marketing tool in your assets and through it, you can easily connect with the people breaking through all the limitations. To sell products, bring in leads, customer support services etc. all these are feasible through a WordPress website.

The website is an investment that pays you a high return on investment (ROI). It is the fulcrum of your marketing stratagem encapsulating all your efforts. But developing a WordPress website is not everyone’s cup of tea as you need to have good working knowledge of programming languages like PHP, JavaScript, HTML and MySQL plus you need to be familiar with certain technicalities such as SEO, Photo editing, designing etc.

Therefore, if you are looking forward to developing a website, you better hire a professional WordPress website developer. What aggravates the problem is that people with non-technical backgrounds or people who find coding drudgery want to create a website, then it is imperative to hire a WordPress developer who has adequate knowledge and experience in this domain.

Focus on your core competencies and do what you are good at and leave the implementation of the website to the developer but before hiring a WordPress developer you need to take into account certain points that will help you narrow down the options and assure that you choose a reliable developer who can meet your requirements.

Things to keep in mind before hiring a developer:

I.) –  Review Relevant Experience: before you hire a developer, it is recommended to check the portfolio and the relevant working experience in the similar field as experience counts more than anything. More the experience is more capable the person is to resolve any issue. Have a look at the websites the developer has created in the past and see if everything is working properly. If you can get feedback from their former client’s, then it’s a plus else you can easily make up your mind after going through the website developed by the them.

II.) – Cost Estimation: before developing a website you must have set a budget for it, therefore, choose a developer who will render the service within your budget and discuss beforehand the cost estimation of the project. There is the probability that due to some factors like project extension etc. might raise the budget. To compensate for that, you can apply cost-effective methods and cut down on other things. Discuss all these factors before commencing the project.

III.) – Technical Skills: Your website should be developed by following web standards that enable it to function uniformly on all browsers. You need some specific features for your website, do a cross-examination if the potent developer owns the required set of technical skills. Ensure that the developer uses neat codes and is proficient in basic languages like JavaScript, MySQL etc.

IV.) – Site Maintenance: Though developing a WordPress website is a one-time process but its maintenance is required from time to time in order to make it more optimal. Ensure that the developer provides the maintenance of your site even after delivering the project. This may raise the bar but it is worth to go for.

V.) – Delivery Timeline: Will you like it if the developer delays in delivering your project? The answer is obvious – no. Before the commencement of the project discuss the estimated delivery time of the project to ensure better results and agree upon a fixed delivery period.

VI.) – Website Security: Websites are susceptible to threats, therefore, you must also focus on adding an extra layer of security. Ask questions regarding the security of your site and ways to enhance it. Though, securing a website is not easy but you must ask the potential developer what preventive measures he would use for the security of the website. A website can be secured as long as the developer has taken the appropriate measures (mentioned below) to prevent script injection, hacking etc.
– proper coding
– timely updating the site
– choosing right plugins and themes.

VII.) – Website’s SEO value: In order to stay at the top on search engines, it is crucial for websites to perform optimally. Talk to the developer about how he/she is going to make the website responsive and SEO-friendly. Broken links, drop in organic rankings, the increase in 404 errors etc. hinders the SEO perspective. Make sure that the developer incorporates SEO functionality in the website.

CONCLUSION:

As already discussed that a website is a crucial tool at your disposal and to have an optimized website it is important to hire the right potential developer having relevant experience and knowledge.

The aforementioned points will help you find the reliable and efficient WordPress developer.

Are you ready to launch your WordPress website now? If not, talk to our experts now!

We know that WordPress is one of the largest content management system platforms. It offers the best solutions for the development of the websites and manages their contents. It is on developing mode with the introduction of every new theme or plugin. Most of the clients have no idea about how their websites are built and how they operate. They are more interested in the user-interface. But, there are times when people are often confused which content management to use? Actually, there are certain questions which always pop up like why is there need for WordPress? Why is it preferable? Why do we need to switch to WordPress? Therefore, many WordPress development companies offer their expertise in this field.

So, Here are few reasons as to why WordPress is the best CMS and you should use it.

1.) – WordPress is free and an open source
It doesn’t matter whether you are a freelancer or work in a company or a blogger, everything here is free. Yes, you heard it right, all for free. You need to have to pay a single penny. And on to top it all, it is an open source, meaning by, the original source code is readily available to everyone and can be accessed by anyone. You have the privilege to use the software the way you like. You have complete control of the content and have creative and functional freedom.

2.) – Ease of usability
You don’t need to assimilate any prior technical knowledge. If you are a layman, it’s fine as WordPress is easy to understand and use. Millions of people are joining WordPress every day and the reason being- it is quite easy to operate. Menu configuration, basic interface, customization features like these are readily available, hence, making it easy to work on WordPress.

3.) – More than just a blogging site
Clients often have this misconception that WordPress is merely a blogging site but it is more than that. With time, it has evolved into one of the best content management system platforms. WordPress is build using PHP and MySQL making it a versatile growing library of plugins. It offers full flexibility to create any website. The website can be of e-commerce, just a simple blogging site, a classified Ads listing website, a question forum website and much more. You can choose from the myriad of themes and plugins for the particular website and there are thousands of templates one can choose from and can make your website look the way you want it to look.

3.) – Accessibility and compatibility
It is compatible with every operating system and is accessible by all the users. Anyone can view the source code and modify as per their needs. It offers a highly intuitive interface and is easy to add new blog posts, new web pages, pictures etc.

4.) – Safe and Secure
As it is an open source, many clients think that it comes at the price of security but it is not true. It is developed keeping safety and security in mind and has a high-security standard not just so-called security. Since regular updates are provided by WordPress making you less vulnerable to the threat.

5.) – Can be easily integrated with other applications
It can be integrated with any application or another software. All you have to do is just install the particular plugin and there you are. Plugins add extra functionality apart from its inbuilt functionality.

6.) – Easy to customize it
We have to keep our fingers on the pulse of what is going on in the online market and adapt to it. If we think that our theme is pretty outdated of if there is time to change it just change it. It is feasible to customize designs, colors, pictures. One can easily customize websites on their own, though, there you can customize your theme through codes too but you are not familiar with coding doesn’t matter, just spend some time and you will learn to play with the customization.

7.) – More advanced features
It allows websites to host their blogs and manage their blogging communities and to moderate all the blogs from a single dashboard. It allows multiple blogs to exist within one installation. It enables users to function in multiple facets without creating any complexity. It also supports Pingback and Trackback standards for displaying links to other sites.

8.) – Easy to maintain
Maintaining a website is an arduous task and all the WordPress comes with plugins which take care of SEO. Maintaining a website and to ensure that it is well within the guidelines set by various search engines is easy with WordPress. It should be within the reach of the client as responsive sites are better for SEO purpose, making your website more visible, thus adding credibility to your website.

9.) – WordPress is expendable by using Plugins
WordPress has over 40,501 plugins offering custom functions and enabling users to have websites the way they want. Plugins allow users to extend the features and functionality of websites. These plugins range from search engine optimization to content management systems to content displaying features.

10.) – Easy to Troubleshoot
WordPress has a massive community of active users and developers and makes it easier to maintain it. It contains a myriad of queries and solutions to troubleshoot problems. One can post the queries and will get viable solutions. There are number of WordPress forums where developers communicate with each other.