Running a white label WordPress web development agency can be complicated. How can you successfully run a project, from start to finish, creating a beautiful and functional website while keeping your team motivated and your client happy?
It can feel overwhelming, of course. There are many factors to consider, and many people to collaborate with, which can be both a positive and frustrating experience.
But the good news is, it’s not impossible: you can do a few key things to stay productive and organized along the way!
In this blog post, we’ll look at some fundamental principles that will help make your life much easier, as well as some tips on how to optimize your workflow and keep things running as smoothly as possible.
White Label WordPress Development: Best Practices
When starting a new project, there are a few key tips to remember before you get going. By getting organized properly at the beginning, you can hopefully avoid some of the more annoying roadblocks later on!1. Collaboration and Communication
This is a huge factor to consider when it comes to white label WordPress solutions. When you’re running a digital agency where everyone works remotely, communication is going to be integral. It’s up to you to clearly communicate to your team members exactly what you need from them: your clients’ specifications, the plugins you’ll be using, and so on. Be clear, approachable, and easy to contact: this will ensure that everyone on your team can get hold of you quickly if they need more input. Of course, the same goes for clients, too: you need to be accessible and approachable by your clients if they want to be kept in the loop during the process.2. Project Management
Project managers for WordPress development services have a big responsibility throughout, but especially at the start of a project. You may be responsible for setting the tone, creating a structure for the project, and keeping everyone on track. Right at the start during the agreement process, it’s a good idea to create a document with the basic information everyone in the team will need to refer to, including:- Client requirements
- Technical specifications
- Quick links to useful information
- The roles of each team member
- Key deadlines
3. Task Management
The actual project execution is incredibly important. If you are a project manager, your job will be to keep track of deadlines, answer queries, and work closely with your development team to bring your client’s dream website to life. You can also take responsibility for running regular backups and other small tasks to ensure the project runs smoothly (more on that in the next section!).Workflow Efficiency: Tips to Stay Organized
Creating a WordPress website can sometimes feel chaotic, and if you’re working with many different team members, it can become overwhelming! Keeping the project running efficiently is important. The more organized you are, the better, and these small tips can help your workflow to run smoothly. Here are some best practices to stick to:1. Staging Area
Using a staging area will allow you to change a client’s website without interrupting the current one. It is, in general, the safest way to develop a website. BlogVault is an excellent example of a staging plugin; it allows you to run backups and provides a safe environment to make changes. You can use their one-click system to merge with the current site anytime.2. Version Control Systems
Using version control systems (like Git, for example) can help track file changes. This is excellent because if something does go wrong or something doesn’t quite click the way it should, you can revert to earlier versions instead. This is important if you’re working globally or providing a website for another digital agency. Depending on the deadlines you have, progress can move very quickly, with a lot of people accessing and updating files at the same time.3. Automated Backups
On this subject, it’s also a good idea to schedule automated backups. You can use a tool like Duplicator, an excellent plugin for backups and migration. This takes the thinking out of running backups. Once you’ve set it up, you can leave it to work in the background without requiring intervention. (Although obviously, it’s a good idea to periodically check that it’s working properly!)4. Plugins and Themes
Ideally, you should think about working on your site in sections, and you should work on themes and plugins separately. This is vital to avoid bugs and figure out issues: you can more easily identify problems if you work on these areas separately. Each should work independently, and ensuring that you do this properly will stop you from wasting time trying to figure out where the problem lies. This will also become important if there is an issue with functionality later on down the line when the website goes live!5. Coding Standards
It’s important to ensure everyone works to the same coding standard. Sticking to an agreed coding standard ensures that everything runs smoothly and means that if new developers join the team, they can understand the existing code.6. File Name Standardization
Agreeing to a naming convention for all files is important, too. This is super important for the handover stage (more on that shortly!) but also saves a ton of headaches digging through files if you need to.7. Regular Testing
It’s always worth spending a good amount of time testing throughout the process and at the end. You want to ensure that everything – literally everything! – works the way it should. Of course, the larger the site, the longer this will take. Still, it’s worth it to catch any bugs that might be hiding. The last thing you want is for a client to report that their users need help with functionality when the new site goes live.8. Documentation
Of course, handing over to your client is the last step. To do this properly, you need to provide them with documentation. This should include instructions on how to install the theme or plugin, how to customize it to meet their needs, and how to add content. It may be easier to do this along the way than at the end: keeping detailed notes on how the website runs as you go will help you prepare your client to use their new website properly. In fact, it’s better to sit down with your client and go through the instructions with them if possible. The friendlier and more helpful you are, the more likely they will get back to you. This is easier if you prepare for this along the way.Frequently Asked Questions
Before we wrap up, let’s check out some frequently asked questions:1. How can I keep everyone on the team motivated?
Keeping everyone motivated is a key component of any web development task. Splitting up tasks into sections helps, as it feels less daunting. These goals should be realistic and achievable; if you miss a deadline, it’s demotivating! It’s also important to keep communication in mind again. If you’re a project manager, regularly checking in with your team is a great way to pick up any issues early on and to encourage everyone as the work progresses.2. How often should I check in with my client as work progresses?
This is a personal choice for you and your clients; the usual answer is around once a week for a quick progress update. Your client may prefer more or less contact, but giving them a weekly update is a good general rule to stick to.3. How can I avoid ‘scope creep’?
Scope creep is the term used to describe revisions requested by clients; simple requests can turn into ongoing work, which can be costly and time-consuming. There are a few ways to avoid this, mostly during the beginning phase of working with a client. It’s a good idea to present them with a clear pricing structure for revisions at the start so everybody’s expectations are clear.To Sum Up – Key Takeaways
Meeting expectations can present many challenges, especially when you’ve got your client’s needs to manage. Hopefully, this has helped you to figure out how to stay on track. Here’s an overview of what we’ve learned:- Be open and communicative to everyone on your team, and be clear about expectations up front.
- Create a document containing key information for all team members to access.
- Think about safety and keeping your client’s existing site running smoothly by using a staging area.
- Use a version control system to revert back to old files if something goes wrong.
- Ensure that plugins and themes are up to date.
- Make sure that everyone is on the same page in terms of file name
- standardization and coding standards.
- Make sure to run regular, thorough tests to track progress and ensure everything is working correctly.
