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HTML vs Wordpress

[Deleted User]

HI

As part of a service I gave a client of an overall business package, we gave her a custom html website. She then wanted to make some changes which she was hiring a new company to do at her leisure.
New company came back and gave her a story about we didnt deliver a custom website because its not in wordpress, and that she originally wanted a Wordpress site, and we have somehow wronged her with this.

My understanding was html is a more pro website setup to deliver custom sites, and wordpress is more basic for bloggers, and cheap templates and stuff.

Is there a good way I can explain this to a customer?

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Graham

Deleted User wrote: »

My understanding was html is a more pro website setup to deliver custom sites, and wordpress is more basic for bloggers, and cheap templates and stuff.

WordPress has essentially evolved into a content management platform so you can't really say it's just for bloggers any more.

Cheap templates are just as available for static html sites as they are for WordPress.

What did the client ask for, and what did you deliver? Was the client happy when it was delivered?

To be honest it sounds like you went into this project with little commercial experience on your side, the client with even less. On the plus side, from the limited amount you've said about your replacements, it doesn't sound like they have a huge amount more experience than either you or the client.

[Deleted User]

None of that really helps Graham to be honest with you.

We delivered a beautiful custom website, many hours of design from one of the top graphics guys around and then translated into html and uploaded for the web. Its a proper custom website for luxury business.
New guy taking who was going to make changes at a cheaper price over wants it wordpress and is telling the customer we should have delivered it in wordpress and this html is basic etc etc.

Im asking for a way to explain this is not the case, because although I am not an expert on web code I know I am not wrong about this.

Fussgangerzone

Deleted User wrote: »

My understanding was html is a more pro website setup to deliver custom sites, and wordpress is more basic for bloggers, and cheap templates and stuff.

That doesn't make any sense to me. Html is just the markup, it can be generated to a high standard by any number of web technologies, including wordpress, which is a php-based, database-driven content management system. It affords later editing and addition to a website by the owner for little cost, and I would consider it the baseline solution for small business sites, giving customers more bang for their buck. Similarly good and free solutions are available.

In that case, my work would be:

Making a Wordpress theme to the client's design
Setting up any required plugins
Setting up hosting and other server requirements

If they didn't ask for a site they could edit, however, you haven't done anything wrong.

You delivered a custom website, but not a customisable website. Your client is perhaps confusing these terms? Make sure that she understands the difference. Also, explain that the html and css you wrote can be easily adapted into a theme for Wordpress, as it likely can, so the work you did is still useful if she does want to change to a Wordpress site. I bet the other folks won't have mentioned that.

Bottom line: a site consisting entirely of hand-written html is less professional than a site the client can easily edit, such as a Wordpress site. The relative quality of code and design is entirely dependent on the theme used or made.

But if that isn't what you were asked for, you're ok.

Graham

You just answered your own question

"We delivered a beautiful custom website, many hours of design from one of the top graphics guys around and then translated into html and uploaded for the web. Its a proper custom website for luxury business."

Had your client specifically requested a content management tool for the original job?

[Deleted User]

Fussgangerzone wrote: »

That doesn't make any sense to me. Html is just the markup, it can be generated to a high standard by any number of web technologies, including wordpress, which is a php-based, database-driven content management system. It affords later editing and addition to a website by the owner for little cost, and I would consider it the baseline solution for small business sites, giving customers more bang for their buck. Similarly good and free solutions are available.

In that case, my work would be:
Making a Wordpress theme to the client's design

Setting up any required plugins

Setting up hosting and other server requirements

If they didn't ask for a site they could edit, however, you haven't done anything wrong.

You delivered a custom website, but not a customisable website. Your client is perhaps confusing these terms? Make sure that she understands the difference. Also, explain that the html and css you wrote can be easily adapted into a theme for Wordpress, as it likely can, so the work you did is still useful if she does want to change to a Wordpress site. I bet the other folks won't have mentioned that.

Bottom line: a site consisting entirely of hand-written html is less professional than a site the client can easily edit, such as a Wordpress site. The relative quality of code and design is entirely dependent on the theme used or made.

But if that isn't what you were asked for, you're ok.

Thanks for the info.

Its not really a case of protecting myself here, because I have a stake in things and making it work and keep everyone happy.
Truth is client is telling us she wanted a wordpress not html, nobody is able to produce this email request as it was a long time ago.
I work with a top graphics guy who drew the site then gave it to a web guy who put the site up in HTML.
This was done for X amount of money, and then she wanted to hire a local guy to work with her on changes she wanted thereafter, new content and so on, as it would be cheaper to do this.

So site is handed over, customer gets mails from this new designer saying highly recommends it to be in wordpress. And we have not delivered a custom but website in a very basic html template. So client is now requesting changes to be made and paid for by us .
If have to pay to fix it, I'll pay so be it. I just want to know is this guy talking **** about what we delivered. I cant post the link here as the site cant searchable yet, but I can pm you if you like

[Deleted User]

Graham wrote: »

You just answered your own question

"We delivered a beautiful custom website, many hours of design from one of the top graphics guys around and then translated into html and uploaded for the web. Its a proper custom website for luxury business."

Had your client specifically requested a content management tool for the original job?

Not specifically in those terms. We wanted a site that could be edited, and other things could be inserted by a new designer like videos which were being produced at a later stage and so on. But I dont see why with the site being in HTML all this stuff isnt really easy to include/update/insert later?

Is this new guy just not able to do HTML do you think/?

Graham

Deleted User wrote: »

Is this new guy just not able to do HTML do you think/?

That would be one guess.

It doesn't sound like this is really a 'HTML vs Wordpress' issue at all. You need to try and ascertain if the client did actually ask for a WordPress based site.

[Deleted User]

Graham wrote: »

That would be one guess.

It doesn't sound like this is really a 'HTML vs Wordpress' issue at all. You need to try and ascertain if the client did actually ask for a WordPress based site.

Well to me it is the issue, because the client is talking to us like we have delivered something subpar in terms of format. And i dont believe she correct with that.
If she can provide a request for Wordpress I will pay a guy at my own cost to convert it, if she cant she can pay for it.

But what I would like to know is who is right in this situation. But Im guessing from the above comments, its seems a pretty grey area and both formats seem to be both adaptable/editable and what not, the impression Im getting is that its horses for courses

Fussgangerzone

Deleted User wrote: »

Truth is client is telling us she wanted a wordpress not html, nobody is able to produce this email request as it was a long time ago.

It sounds like she hadn't heard of Wordpress before now, so it's not likely she asked for this, and might just be being cheeky.

Deleted User wrote: »

then she wanted to hire a local guy to work with her on changes she wanted thereafter, new content and so on, as it would be cheaper to do this.

Did she decide this after or before your work was completed?
Were you aware of this when getting the site built?
If so, was the nature of the changes made clear?

Deleted User wrote: »

So site is handed over, customer gets mails from this new designer saying highly recommends it to be in wordpress. And we have not delivered a custom but website in a very basic html template. So client is now requesting changes to be made and paid for by us .
If have to pay to fix it, I'll pay so be it. I just want to know is this guy talking **** about what we delivered. I cant post the link here as the site cant searchable yet, but I can pm you if you like

You should stress that the site is entirely bespoke and no template was used.

$Photo of DonkeyStyle \o/$ DonkeyStyle \o/

By that standard, you'd have delivered a more professional website if you'd slapped a free theme on a default wordpress install. Which is bollox.

There's nothing inherently unprofessional or unacceptable about a static html site, in my opinion. And nothing about the use static html that would validate that you "didnt deliver a custom website".

[Deleted User]

Fussgangerzone wrote: »

It sounds like she hadn't heard of Wordpress before now, so it's not likely she asked for this, and might just be being cheeky.

Did she decide this after or before your work was completed?
Were you aware of this when getting the site built?
If so, was the nature of the changes made clear?

You should stress that the site is entirely bespoke and no template was used.

She might well be being cheeky, I think your right about that. Hence I've asked her to produce this request.

During the site design we knew changes would need to be made later for content and stuff that wasnt ready yet, videos, better photos and so on and some textual changes here or there, but not structural changes to the layout of the site
To confirm one thing - you say we havent delivered a customisable site. Why is this the case, is it not v easy to edit and manage a html site? doing the changes we planned?

Graham

Deleted User wrote: »

Truth is client is telling us she wanted a wordpress not html

Regardless of the opinions and merits of html/WordPress it all comes back to one question.

Did the client request a WordPress based solution?

Deleted User wrote: »

Hence I've asked her to produce this request.

I think that's the road you need to go down El Rifle.

[Deleted User]

I agree with you Graham.

I just want to maintain pride levels also

sheesh

New company came back and gave her a story about we didnt deliver a custom website because its not in wordpress, and that she originally wanted a Wordpress site, and we have somehow wronged her with this.

they are wrong wordpress does not equal custom website it is a content managment system sounds to me like they want her to get the website changed to a wordpress site and then charge her for maintaining it.

If it is so long ago nobody has an email specifying wordpress then wordpress probably was not mentioned.

My understanding was html is a more pro website setup to deliver custom sites, and wordpress is more basic for bloggers, and cheap templates and stuff.

you are wrong it has been the standard for at least 5 years that regularly updated content means better search engine rankings these days it is more about connecting with your customers via social media directing them back to new articles on your site about your great new products and offers.

There was a time that putting up a flat html website would have been acceptable esp when design and look was the main factor in the site.

I think that you need to explain to the client that being able to update the website was not part of the brief and you would have quoted for a content managed website if asked, but she didn't.

the problem with the above argument is that you were the person charging for the service and you should have advised the Client better.

In this case I would be looking for recommendations for a cms other than wordpress as an FU to the new guy who seems intent in dropping you in it. :pac:

Fussgangerzone

Deleted User wrote: »

During the site design we knew changes would need to be made later for content and stuff that wasnt ready yet, videos, better photos and so on and some textual changes here or there, but not structural changes to the layout of the site
To confirm one thing - you say we havent delivered a customisable site. Why is this the case, is it not v easy to edit and manage a html site? doing the changes we planned?

A customisable site, in my opinion, is a site that a user can change without knowing any html or breaking any pages. Typically, this means they can change text in the page, have control over different bits of content, all without breaking the site or losing prior work carried out by a developer.

As for the situation you describe, where your work was done but the client didn't have the final content ready, this is not a case that explicitly requires Wordpress, or any other CMS. Indeed, it it's only a small site, Wordpress could be more trouble than it's worth.

Oh and next time: have a functional spec that the client agrees with in a documented manner, such as email, before a line of code is written!

[Deleted User]

sheesh wrote: »

the problem with the above argument is that you were the person charging for the service and you should have advised the Client better.

In this case I would be looking for recommendations for a cms other than wordpress as an FU to the new guy who seems intent in dropping you in it. :pac:

Lol, some chinese program perhaps?

Yeah I should have handled the whole thing better. I told the guy, design me a site that looks beautiful, and that its possible to edit easily and that was that.
I should know better by now.

[Deleted User]

Fussgangerzone wrote: »

A customisable site, in my opinion, is a site that a user can change without knowing any html or breaking any pages. Typically, this means they can change text in the page, have control over different bits of content, all without breaking the site or losing prior work carried out by a developer.

As for the situation you describe, where your work was done but the client didn't have the final content ready, this is not a case that explicitly requires Wordpress, or any other CMS. Indeed, it it's only a small site, Wordpress could be more trouble than it's worth.

Oh and next time: have a functional spec that the client agrees with in a documented manner, such as email, before a line of code is written!

Thanks its all a bit clearer now. It was a big job rebranding/packaging with a lot of other elements and I just put the site in other peoples hands assuming it would handled.
I will say 10 hail mary's for my penance.