Now that went FAST! What a semester!

I just put up a quick survey under our assignments area, mind filling this out when you have a few minutes?

You have all been amazing students, and I want to thank each of you for the time we’ve shared this semester… I wish you the very best as you continue your journey through school and into your future careers.

I would love to see every single one of you in our next Web Dev III Advanced Web Class… Especially if you feel you have learned quite a bit this past semester, it certainly doesn’t stop here… You will start exploring WordPress Multisite Networks, Advanced WordPress Websites, Creatively using Posts & Forms for Data Collection, even opening our eyes to PHP, UX, UI, API’s, Web-Based Games & Apps! Please reach out any time you have any questions about our web classes. I guarantee you’ll have another great experience, while also adding even more tremendous value to your skill set as a Graphic Designer and Web Developer. AND you’ll have another new favorite class to look forward to each week…..

Have a great rest of your finals week, and CHEERS TO BEING DONE !!

Remote Week Participation: (D2L Discussions Area)
Please see our Remote Week Discussion Challenges & catch up on everything before the end of the semester.

Assignments/Homework: (D2L Assignments Area)
Please see our Assignments Area & catch up on everything before the end of the semester.

Great job everyone!

Dustin Grice
[email protected]
952-200-7732

—–Working with Existing Code & Hackers—–

When working with existing HTML and CSS code as a new web developer, remember to:

-Understand the code’s structure and purpose.
-Validate and clean the code for standards compliance.
-Create backups before making changes.
-Add comments for clarity and documentation.
-Ensure responsiveness and browser compatibility.
-Optimize for performance and accessibility.
-Thoroughly test changes and collaborate with your team.
-Keep a record of your modifications.
-Stay updated with evolving web development practices.

What about diving into a website that has been “hacked”? If you suspect a website has been hacked, here’s what to do:

-Assess the breach’s extent.
-Isolate affected areas.
-Back up the site.
-Scan for malware and remove it.
-Change all passwords.
-Update software and patch vulnerabilities.
-Review access logs.
-Remove malicious code.
-Implement security measures.
-Monitor for future breaches.

It’s important to note that not all hacks result in catastrophic damage. Some hackers may deface a website or change its appearance without causing data loss or significant harm. However, even in such cases, it’s crucial to treat the hack seriously and take appropriate actions to restore the website’s integrity and security.

—–Backing Up & Troubleshooting Websites—–

What can we do to help our clients, and also help us ensure saving massive amounts of time for ourselves…

Backing Up Websites:
Read this: https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/10-important-reasons-to-perform-website-backup/

-Backing Up HTML Sites via FTP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE4SKMGW2Wo
-Backing Up WordPress via FTP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuyMvWrVZ1M
-Backing Up WordPress Database & Restoring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZrYdRYTniM
-Backing Up WordPress via Plugin “All In One WordPress” & Restoring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpsjTPsygbs
-Backing Up WordPress Sites into Google Drive, Dropbox, etc: https://ca.wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/
-Backing Up All Sites via cPanel Backup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxvn5D7QTFc

Backing Up Files in General:
-Time Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd2YaBCXpaM
-Basic Backup 101: https://medium.com/@johnmireles/how-to-not-lose-your-photos-a-simple-and-easy-hard-disk-backup-strategy-for-photographers-2ea69bbfb6b4
-Personal Month & Date Structure, Google Drive Remote Folders, Dropbox

Troubleshooting HTML & CSS Code:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Tools_and_testing/Cross_browser_testing/HTML_and_CSS

Updating HTML & CSS Code:
Using a Code Library & running into an issue? Have you also updated to the latest version of the code library? This code should always stay up to date as well! Any plugins, APIs, connected services, sample code, etc.

Troubleshooting WordPress:
https://thedesignspace.co/5-ways-to-troubleshoot-wordpress/
https://www.collectiveray.com/wordpress-debug
https://wordpress.org/plugins/health-check/

Updating WordPress:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/why-you-should-always-use-the-latest-version-of-wordpress/
https://optimwise.com/why-update-wordpress-and-plugins/

Working with LOTS of plugins? Try this: https://wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-detective/

—–ADVANCED CSS—–

Advanced CSS can enable you to implement responsive design with media queries for various screen sizes, use custom fonts to enhance typography, create intricate animations and transitions for engaging user experiences, and even achieve 3D effects through transforms and perspective properties, among other possibilities.

You can also achieve effects like parallax scrolling, complex grid layouts, sophisticated image filters, flexible box alignment, custom shape creation, and fine-grained control over text and typography, allowing for highly creative and visually appealing web designs.

You can even create simple games using CSS, leveraging animations and transitions to build more interactive experiences.

—–CSS Media Queries—–
https://www.w3schools.com/cssref/css3_pr_mediaquery.asp

—–CSS Custom Fonts—–
Notes Link: https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_fonts.asp

You can also add fonts via Google Web Fonts: https://fonts.google.com/
Technically, the fonts are hosted at Google and you link them in the HTML header. Then, you can use them freely in CSS with @font-face

WordPress Example:
@import url(‘https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Secular+One&display=swap’);

{
font-family: 'Secular One', sans-serif;
}

Upload any Font File WordPress Plugin:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/use-any-font/

Then in your CSS Code:
h1 { font-family: ‘Droid Sans’, arial, serif; }

—–CSS Animations—–
https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_animations.asp

—–Code Libraries—–

Kicking things off with a very simple introduction to Font Awesome!
https://fontawesome.com/

Bootstrap – You could even almost call this a Design Library… Where we can add pre-written code into our website, and instantly make incredible looking web designs all still via code:)
https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.0/examples/

More Bootstrap Themes and Snippets:
https://startbootstrap.com/

More Code Libraries to Explore if interested:
https://jquery.com/
https://script.aculo.us/
https://www.educba.com/jquery-alternatives/

Advanced CSS in WordPress

Writing your own CSS in WordPress allows you to customize your website’s appearance way beyond basic styling… Understanding the WordPress Customizer, CSS plugins, and using the built-in Additional CSS option can further enhance your theme’s design. By mastering these advanced techniques, you can create visually stunning and unique websites that stand out in the crowded online landscape.

Changing Your Theme vs. Custom CSS

Changing your WordPress theme is often seen as a way to refresh the look and feel of your site, but it’s not always necessary, especially when you have a solid understanding of CSS. With CSS, you can significantly alter the appearance of your site without the need for a complete theme overhaul. You can customize colors, fonts, layouts, and even animations to create a unique and visually appealing experience for your users. By utilizing the built-in WordPress customizer or adding custom CSS through your theme’s settings, you can achieve a tailored look that meets your specific needs. This flexibility allows you to enhance your site’s aesthetics while maintaining the underlying functionality and structure of your existing theme, saving time and effort in the process.

Inspect Element

The Inspect Element tool is an invaluable feature found in most web browsers, allowing you to explore and manipulate the HTML and CSS of any webpage in real time. By right-clicking on any element and selecting “Inspect,” you can view the underlying code and see how various styles are applied. This tool is particularly useful for troubleshooting design issues, experimenting with new styles, and understanding the structure of your site. You can also edit CSS directly within the tool to see immediate changes without permanently altering your code. This hands-on approach helps to solidify your understanding of web design and development.

Media Queries

Media queries are a cornerstone of responsive web design, allowing you to apply different styles based on the viewport size or device characteristics. By using media queries in your CSS, you can create breakpoints where your layout adapts to ensure optimal usability across various devices, such as desktops, tablets, and smartphones. For example, you can adjust font sizes, change layouts, or hide certain elements when the screen width falls below a specific threshold. This flexibility ensures that your website remains user-friendly and visually appealing, regardless of the device being used to access it.

/* Mobile styles */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
    body {
        background-color: #f8f8f8; /* Lighter background for mobile */
    }

    .container {
        grid-template-columns: 1fr; /* Single column on mobile */
    }
}

Importing Custom Fonts

Importing custom fonts can dramatically enhance the aesthetic appeal of your WordPress site. By using services like Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts, you can easily integrate a wide range of typefaces into your design. To do this, you’ll typically include a @import rule in your CSS or link to the font in your HTML’s <head> section. Custom fonts can be used to establish a brand identity, improve readability, and create a more polished look. It’s important to ensure that the fonts you choose are web-safe and optimized for performance to enhance the user experience.

/* Importing a Google Font */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Roboto:wght@400;700&display=swap');

body {
    font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif; /* Use the imported font */
    color: #222222; /* Dark text color */
}

Simple Animations

Simple animations can add an engaging dynamic to your WordPress site, making it more interactive and visually interesting. Using CSS transitions and keyframe animations, you can create smooth effects that enhance user experience without overwhelming the visitor. For instance, you can animate buttons to change color on hover, create sliding menus, or fade in elements as they enter the viewport. By incorporating these animations thoughtfully, you can guide user attention and create a more enjoyable browsing experience, while keeping performance in mind to ensure that animations do not negatively impact load times.

/* Simple hover animation */
.button {
    background-color: #007BFF;
    color: white;
    padding: 10px 20px;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 5px;
    transition: background-color 0.3s ease; /* Transition effect */
}

.button:hover {
    background-color: #0056b3; /* Darker shade on hover */
    transform: scale(1.05); /* Slightly enlarge the button */
}

Utilizing AI Tools for Custom CSS in WordPress

In today’s digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become invaluable resources for web development, particularly when it comes to writing custom CSS for WordPress sites. These tools can assist users at all skill levels in generating efficient and effective CSS code. By simply copying and pasting a small piece of HTML code from your website into an AI tool, you can request tailored CSS styles that will alter the appearance of the selected elements.

For instance, if you want to change the background color of a specific section or modify the font style of a header, you can input the relevant HTML into the AI tool and ask for specific styling changes. The AI will analyze the HTML structure and generate the corresponding CSS rules needed to achieve your desired look. This capability not only saves time but also enhances creativity by providing new styling ideas that you may not have considered.

Moreover, using AI tools empowers users to explore CSS properties and techniques more deeply, enabling them to create unique designs while learning best practices in the process. This innovative approach to web design showcases the potential of AI to complement traditional coding methods, making it easier for everyone to customize their WordPress sites with confidence.

Basic Example of AI-Assisted CSS Generation

If you were to copy the following HTML snippet into an AI tool and request styling suggestions:

<div class="product-title">Stylish T-Shirt</div>

You might receive a CSS response like this:

.product-title {
    font-size: 24px; /* Increase font size */
    color: #FF5733; /* Change text color to a vibrant orange */
    text-align: center; /* Center the text */
    padding: 10px; /* Add some padding around the text */
    border-bottom: 2px solid #333; /* Add a bottom border */
}

This CSS enhances the appearance of the product title, making it stand out while demonstrating how AI can facilitate effective design changes with minimal effort.

Mastering CSS and leveraging modern tools, including AI, can significantly enhance your skills as a web developer. By understanding advanced CSS techniques, utilizing the Inspect Element feature, and implementing media queries, you gain the ability to create responsive and visually appealing websites that cater to diverse audiences. Additionally, importing custom fonts and adding simple animations can elevate user experience, making your projects stand out.

With these skills, you not only build better websites but also become a more valuable asset to any company, as you can adapt and optimize their online presence without the need for complete theme overhauls. This versatility positions you as a proficient developer capable of delivering tailored solutions that meet the evolving demands of the digital landscape.

—–Learning about Collecting Valuable Information with Contact Forms—–

Website contact forms are extremely powerful because they provide a direct and convenient way for website visitors to interact with a business or organization. They can be used to collect a wide range of information and serve various purposes. Here are some examples of different types of forms:

Contact Form: Contact forms allow users to send inquiries, feedback, or requests directly to a website’s owner or support team. They typically include fields for the user’s name, email address, subject, and message.

Registration Form: Registration forms are used to sign up for an account or membership on a website. They collect user information such as name, email, username, and password.

Sign-Up Form: Sign-up forms are often used for newsletter subscriptions or to join a mailing list. They collect email addresses to send updates, promotions, or newsletters.

Subscribe Form: Similar to sign-up forms, subscribe forms are used for users to opt-in to receive content, such as blog post notifications or updates. They collect email addresses for subscription purposes.

Support Form: Support forms are designed for users to request assistance or report issues. They may include fields for describing the problem, selecting the type of issue, and attaching relevant files.

Feedback Form: Feedback forms allow users to provide comments, suggestions, or ratings regarding a product, service, or website. They may include open-text fields and rating scales.

Order Form: Order forms are used for e-commerce websites to collect information needed for a purchase, such as product selection, quantity, shipping details, and payment information.

Survey Form: Survey forms are used to gather feedback and insights from users about specific topics. They can contain a variety of questions, including multiple-choice, open-ended, and rating questions.

Contact forms can be customized to collect specific data relevant to the website’s goals. They are a versatile tool for communication, data collection, and engagement with website users, making them a valuable asset for businesses and organizations.

—–How can you use the information—–

After collecting contact information, businesses and individuals can use it in several ways to benefit their goals and objectives, including:

Customer Communication: Contact information allows businesses to engage with customers through email, phone calls, or messaging, providing updates, promotions, and support.

Lead Nurturing: For sales and marketing purposes, contact information helps in nurturing leads through targeted content and personalized communication.

Customer Support: Businesses can use contact information to assist customers with inquiries, issues, and support requests.

Newsletter and Marketing Campaigns: Email addresses enable the distribution of newsletters, marketing campaigns, and product announcements to keep customers informed and engaged.

Event Invitations: Contact lists can be used to invite customers to events, webinars, or special promotions.

Market Research: Contact information can be used for surveys and market research to gather feedback and insights from customers.

Customer Segmentation: Segmentation of contact lists based on demographics or behaviors allows for more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

E-commerce and Sales: Businesses can use contact details for order processing, shipping notifications, and transaction-related communication.

Business Networking: Individuals can use collected contact information for networking, collaboration, and building professional relationships.

Recruitment: For individuals or HR departments, contact information is crucial for reaching out to potential job candidates or employers.

Emergency Contact: Storing contact information for emergency purposes or notifications, like school or workplace emergencies.

It’s important to note that collecting and using contact information must comply with privacy and data protection regulations, and individuals’ consent should be obtained for communication purposes. Respecting privacy and providing options for opting out of communication is essential for maintaining trust and legality in data usage.

—–Connecting to Other Systems—–

Contact forms can be extended beyond simple data collection by leveraging APIs and Web Hooks. By integrating with external services and systems, contact forms become powerful tools for automating workflows and enhancing user experiences. APIs allow data submitted through forms to be seamlessly transferred to external databases, email marketing platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and more. Web Hooks enable real-time communication, triggering events and actions when form submissions occur. This opens up possibilities for immediate notifications, lead management, and customized responses, making contact forms an integral part of streamlined and efficient online interactions, especially for businesses and organizations seeking to integrate and leverage diverse digital tools and services.

—–Wordpress Plugins—–

There are several popular contact form plugins for WordPress that make it easy to create and manage contact forms on your website. Some examples include:

WPForms: A user-friendly form builder with a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to create various forms, including contact forms, registration forms, and more.

Gravity Forms: A premium form builder plugin with advanced features, suitable for businesses and organizations that require complex forms.

Ninja Forms: A powerful and free form builder with many add-ons for extending its functionality.

Fluent Forms: Another powerful and free form builder.

Formidable Forms: A versatile form builder that offers advanced features and integrations, suitable for more complex form requirements.

Caldera Forms: A free and user-friendly form builder plugin with a range of add-ons and features for creating responsive forms.

HappyForms: A free and straightforward form builder with real-time previews for form design.

Contact Form 7: A widely used and free contact form plugin that offers flexibility and customization options.

These plugins provide various levels of functionality and ease of use, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your specific needs and skill level. They help you create contact forms and other types of forms without requiring extensive coding knowledge.

—–More Links—–
https://wpforms.com/8-reasons-why-you-need-a-contact-form/
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/10-types-online-forms-use/

—–UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF BLOGS—–

Blogs possess a remarkable potential beyond common expectations, and when combined with WooCommerce, they can effectively attract a diverse and substantial stream of targeted customers.

Content Authority: Blogs establish authority and expertise.
SEO Benefits: Improve search rankings and drive organic traffic.
Engagement: Foster engagement and community building.
Brand Building: Reinforce brand identity and messaging.
Lead Generation: Generate leads and grow customer base.
Monetization: Generate income through various strategies.

WordPress Specific Blogs, Categories and Tags:

Content Organization with Categories: Use categories to organize and segment content.
Focused Content with Tags: Cater to specific audience interests and needs.
Improved Navigation Opportunities: Enhance user experience with easy content discovery.
Content Variety: Include different content formats for a richer experience… Categorize Photos, Videos, Podcasts, etc.
Comprehensive Resource: Create a resource hub for a wider audience reach.

WordPress blog categories can serve as an extremely versatile tool for organizing content, allowing you to create libraries, listings, and categories for a wide range of subjects beyond traditional blogging.

History of Blogs:
https://thebloggingbuddha.com/what-is-a-blog/

Different Types of Blogs:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/which-are-the-most-popular-types-of-blogs/

Why Blogging is Important:
https://blog.wishpond.com/post/47804902390/4-reasons-why-blogging-is-important-for-your-business

Benefits of Blogging:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht

—–CONTENT VIEW PLUGINS—–

“Content Views” plugins, enables users to control and customize the front-end display of blog posts in WordPress. It’s important because it simplifies the process of creating and managing various post layouts and templates, providing options for filtering, sorting, and designing the presentation of posts. This level of control helps website owners and bloggers to enhance the user experience, increase engagement, and tailor the appearance of their blog posts to match specific design and content requirements, ultimately improving the overall quality and effectiveness of their WordPress website.

Here’s a list of some popular content views and display plugins for WordPress:

Content Views: https://wordpress.org/plugins/content-views-query-and-display-post-page/
Grid Plus: https://wordpress.org/plugins/grid-plus/
WP Show Posts: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-show-posts/
Post Grid: https://wordpress.org/plugins/post-grid/
Essential Grid: https://codecanyon.net/item/essential-grid-wordpress-plugin/7563340
Content Views Pro: https://www.contentviewspro.com/
Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more: https://wordpress.org/plugins/display-posts-shortcode/
Smart Post List: https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-post-lists/
Recent Posts Widget Extended: https://wordpress.org/plugins/recent-posts-widget-extended/
WP Latest Posts: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-latest-posts/

These plugins offer various features and options to customize the way your WordPress content is displayed on the front end, making it easier to create grids, lists, custom templates, and more for your blog posts and other types of content.

—–Helpful Woocommerce Plugins—–

Plugins can significantly extend the functionality of a WooCommerce-powered online store, making it more feature-rich and tailored to your specific e-commerce needs. Here are several ways in which plugins can enhance WooCommerce:

Payment Gateways: WooCommerce supports various payment gateways by default, but plugins can add even more options. For example, you can integrate with PayPal, Stripe, Square, or other payment processors to offer customers more choices when making payments.

Shipping Methods: Plugins can add additional shipping options, such as real-time carrier rate calculators, local pickup, delivery scheduling, or custom shipping rules based on specific conditions.

Product Add-ons and Customization: Some products require custom options or additional information from customers. Plugins can enable product customization with features like product configurators, extra fields, or file uploads for personalized items.

Product Variations: WooCommerce allows you to create product variations, but plugins can enhance this functionality by allowing bulk variation creation, pricing based on attributes, or dynamic image changes for product variations.

Inventory Management: Inventory tracking and management can be complex. Plugins can help automate inventory updates, manage backorders, or provide insights into stock levels to prevent overselling.

Discounts and Coupons: WooCommerce has built-in coupon functionality, but plugins can expand upon this by offering advanced coupon types, such as buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals, loyalty programs, or conditional discounts based on cart contents.

Product Reviews and Ratings: Enhance the customer experience by adding plugins that enable rich product reviews, ratings, and user-generated content, helping shoppers make informed decisions.

Subscription and Membership: If you want to sell subscription products or create a membership-based site, there are plugins like WooCommerce Subscriptions or WooCommerce Memberships that can add this functionality.

Analytics and Reporting: Plugins can integrate with analytics tools like Google Analytics or provide advanced reporting features to gain insights into customer behavior, sales trends, and website performance.

Security: E-commerce sites require robust security measures. Security plugins can help protect your online store from threats, fraud, and data breaches.

Multi-language and Currency: To sell internationally, plugins like WPML or WooCommerce Multilingual can help you create a multilingual and multi-currency online store.

Email Marketing Integration: Plugins can integrate your WooCommerce store with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or SendinBlue, allowing you to build and manage your customer email lists effectively.

Product Recommendations: Increase sales by using plugins that provide personalized product recommendations based on customer behavior and purchase history.

Abandoned Cart Recovery: Recover lost sales by sending automated emails to customers who have abandoned their shopping carts, reminding them to complete their purchase.

Performance Optimization: Speed up your WooCommerce store with plugins that optimize images, cache resources, and reduce page load times for better user experience.

These are just a few examples of how plugins can extend the functionality of WooCommerce. The vast ecosystem of WordPress and WooCommerce plugins allows you to customize and enhance your online store to meet your specific business goals and customer needs. When selecting plugins, it’s essential to consider their compatibility with your WooCommerce version, the quality of support, and user reviews to ensure they integrate seamlessly with your e-commerce site.

Directly from WordPress/Woo:
https://woocommerce.com/product-category/woocommerce-extensions/

20 Best WooCommerce Plugins for Your Store (Most are FREE)
https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/20-best-free-woocommerce-plugins-for-wordpress/

More Results via Google:
https://www.google.com/search?q=helpful+woocommerce+plugins&oq=helpful+woocommerce+plugins&aqs=chrome..69i57j33l3.3183j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

—–Continuing Development on our Woocommerce Websites—–

-Exploring Quick Canva Logos
-Exploring Email Log Plugin
-Exploring Email Notifications
-Exploring Creating Orders
-Exploring What a Customer Sees, their My Account Area, and adding Navigation Links to create quick shortcuts for customers
-Exploring Order Statuses, Editing Orders, Refund Orders, Creating Manual Orders, Leaving Order Notes

BONUS TOPIC: Woocommerce Shortcodes
https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/woocommerce-shortcodes/

Introduction to Woocommerce

WooCommerce is a free eCommerce software that makes it easy for selling products and services online. Over the years, it has become the most popular eCommerce platform in the world used by millions of small and large businesses (online stores). WooCommerce is developed as an extension of WordPress which is the most popular website builder on the market. This allows users to build an eCommerce website from scratch or add shopping cart functionality to an existing website. As an open-source software, WooCommerce is free to download and use. However, while the WooCommerce software is free, you still need a domain name and web hosting service to setup a website.

WooCommerce has become the most popular eCommerce software in the world because it’s easy to use for beginners, and it comes with extremely powerful features. Since WooCommerce is open source, not only is it 100% free, you also get complete freedom and control over your eCommerce website. Unlike other proprietary eCommerce platforms, WooCommerce pricing does not include licensing fees. This means you can use it to create as many online stores and eCommerce websites as you like.

WooCommerce is plugin built on top of WordPress, which means you get to benefit from all the powerful features of WordPress as well. See our complete WordPress review to learn more about WordPress. There are thousands of beautiful WooCommerce designs and templates that you can choose from to start your online store. Each of them comes with easy to use customization options and many of them are available for free.

One of the main reasons why business owners love WooCommerce is it’s flexibility. You can add additional features to WooCommerce by using various WooCommerce plugins (also known as add-ons). There are literally thousands of WooCommerce specific plugins that you can use to extend its functionality to add features like booking, subscriptions, shipping platform integrations, sales tax collection, etc. Apart from addons made specifically for WooCommerce, you can also use thousands of WordPress plugins on your website to add features like contact forms, call now buttons, galleries, data backup, security firewall, etc.

Another advantage of using WooCommerce is that it puts no restrictions on how you run your business. You can add unlimited products, make unlimited sales, import and export product data, add unlimited product images, videos, categories, and more. Accepting payments online is a major hurdle for many users. For those users, the most important benefit of using WooCommerce is that it integrates seamlessly with dozens of payment services and gateways. By default, it supports PayPal and Stripe out of the box. You can use dozens of other payment gateways through add-ons. There are even integrations available for some lesser-known and regional payment gateways.

Additional Information/Setup Guide Link:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/woocommerce-tutorial-ultimate-guide/

Basics of Setting Up Woocommerce Pre-Recorded Video Link:
https://share.getcloudapp.com/Blu5ek2L
*Note: Some software or hosting environments may be dated.

Web Host Refresh

1. Getting Back Up to Speed with Our Web Host
2. Auto-Installing Web Software/Web Apps on our Web Host

Learning About E-Commerce

Selling Online
Nearly Every Business Sells Something… Think about how much more valuable you would be if you could help with that… Let’s talk about all the companies we work for & which have websites that sell product, the ones that don’t, why the ones don’t sell online, opportunities that could create, building a site based on commissions of the new site sales, etc.

Freelancing
As a Graphic Design freelancer, if you can not find enough Graphic Design work, but can fill any voided extra open space with some web work, e-commerce product data work, photos, etc that could easily help pay the bills if you are open to other types of work. This can be a huge skillset to have!

Exploring Different Directions for Selling Online

Existing Online Marketplaces (Amazon, Ebay, Etsy)
Pros: No Hosting, Quick Turn Key Solution with no Web Design required at all, Add Product & Bank Details and you are nearly done…
Cons: Very Limited Customization, No Design Possible, Might give a high cut of every product sale to the Marketplace…
*Great for any new products or companies trying to answer the question, Will this sell?

Quick Turn Key E-Commerce Website Solutions (Shopify, Big Cartel, Square Space)
Pros: Quick & Easy, Fast, Little Labor, Your own Website/Domain Name/Not part of a Larger Online Marketplace, No Hosting
Cons: Limited Customization, Higher Monthly Fees Can Start to Add Up, More Expensive Plugins/Add-Ons
*Also great for any new products or companies trying to answer the question, Will this sell?

More Involved Self Hosted Solutions (WordPress/WooCommerce, Magento, Drupal)
Pros: Nearly Unlimited Customization, Cheaper Hosting, Cheaper Credit Card Fees
Cons: More Labor Intensive, Hosting Costs but Most Likely Cheaper

Custom Enterprise Solutions (Custom Programming & Software, Massive sites such as Best Buy, Target, etc)
Pros: Fully Custom/No Limits
Cons: Extremely Labor Intensive, no one else to rely on or go to/completely in-house

Exploring E-Commerce Website Platforms

https://tinuiti.com/blog/ecommerce/ecommerce-platforms-2/

• BigCommerce
• Magento
• WooCommerce
• Squarespace
• Wix
• Big Cartel
• Salesforce Commerce Cloud (Demandware)
• Volusion