Accelerate | Customized WordPress Marketing Website

Overview

This project utilized the WordPress Content Management System and WP Professional Best Practices to create a website to meet the business needs for a marketing company that had outgrown its existing basic site. After importing the client’s database and files, a common software development methodology called Agile Development was used, working in sprints with the robust CMS to develop the features, maintaining cohesive design and then launching the changes without altering any original files.

My Role

Alongside using Agile Methodology, the work entailed experience editing and updating existing websites and dynamic web applications. After obtaining an exact copy of the client’s live site, I created a copy on my local server to edit. Edits included creation of a Child Theme, Advanced Theme Customizations, Professional Deployment & Workflow, and using MySQL database management system, the Command Line and Git version control, delivering on requests to add specific features and functionality.

The Problem

The Accelerate Marketing agency had a site created, but it was much too simple to meet their business needs, as it only consisted of a basic homepage and a blog. The chief marketing officer wanted a more dynamic website with key features, including a services section, social marketing integrations, a new look, and other additional functionality. The edits requested were to be made without editing any of the existing files.

Old homepage featured image

New homepage updated image

The Solution

Child Theme creation. In order to edit the files and make changes without actually altering any of the original files, I created a child theme to make my modifications. The child theme inherited styles and functionality from the company’s original parent theme, and only needed to include the files found in the parent theme to be altered or additional templates to be added. This method allowed me to customize the existing theme without directly editing its files and also sped up the development process, opposed to starting something from scratch.