WP Creative Dev Standards

1. Global Standards

WP Creative will:

  • build the site on our dev server unless otherwise specified
  • use the latest stable version of WordPress at the time project is started
  • create CSS files that are well organized and commented
  • set all static external links to target=”_blank”
  • disable comments from settings page unless otherwise specified
  • discourage search engines from indexing the site on the staging server
  • use the fonts that are in the PSD files we receive (premium fonts are required to be purchased by Agency and provided before development starts or similar fonts from Google fonts will be used)
  • use default font or Open Sans from Google Fonts in situations where clear direction about fonts are not provided
  • QA test the sites for the following browsers: latest editions for Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Edge or IE11- use lightshot application to collect feedback screenshots during the website review phase
  • move site at completion using a free version of WP All in One plugin. If the plugin is not compatible with chosen hosting environment WP Creative will provide up to 2 hours migrating the website. If the migration takes more than 2 hours, WP Creative will charge for each additional hour based on the hourly rate or provide a zipped version of the website for the agency to deploy. All migrations require validated FTP credentials and access to cPanel is preferred (cPanel access required for instances where the plugin can not be utilized)

WP Creative will not:

  • create a child theme as each theme developed is custom-built for a specific project. Unlink premium themes or theme from the wordpress.org these themes do not auto-update.
  • style comments form or comments thread views unless directed by final PSD files and priced specifically in proposal
  • allow any search engine to crawl sites on our development server
  • write/modify plug-in source code (functionality) unless specifically discussed and agreed to with the agency
  • make significant changes to the functionality of a premium theme at a fixed price
  • won’t perform SEO or performance optimisation of the website unless specifically requested in the original specifications during the quoting stage
  • not use the customizer for any setting other than the defaults available unless specifically requested during the quoting stage
  • create a logo or favicon unless specifically requested and quoted beforehand
  • consider platform other than Cpanel during migration. The platform must be discussed and agreed upon before the project starts

2. Website Header & Footer

WP Creative will:

  • link the logo to the homepage
  • use customizers default logo section to upload the logo
  • create global options/theme setting using ACF Pro
  • copyright, Contact info, Social Links, etc will be part of the theme setting

3. Navigation

WP Creative will:

  • use WordPress’s default menu system to manage the menu
  • properly name the menu according to the location like Primary Menu, Footer Menu, etc
  • follow normal responsive mobile nav design unless a specific design file for the menu is provided

WP Creative will not:

  • implement Megamenu of any kind unless specifically requested and quoted beforehand
  • implement Breadcrumb unless specifically requested and quoted beforehand

4. Theme

WP Creative will:

  • create the theme based on underscores.me for consistency
  • use a consistent file structure across all the projects.
  • use ACF local JSON feature to ensure the fields sync across all platform (local, staging & live)
  • set any archive pages to follow default blog design unless a design is provided in PSD.
  • hide ACF menu in staging and live environment
  • provide a description for all the ACF image fields including the recommended size in pixels.
  • will use the field clone feature for flexible sections
  • setup git repo for version control

WP Creative will not:

  • setup vendors and node_modules folders in the repo

5. Plugins

WP Creative will:

Include the following Plugins by default

WP Creative will include the following plugins if some functionalities are required from the below plugins:

  • Gravity Forms
    If used, we will deliver the initial website with our developer license key in place. Later you can update it with one these solutions: 

    • Remove the license key (the forms will still work.) Note that the updates to the plugin will cease and pose a security risk if not replaced with a substitute key or plugin.
    • Replace our developer license key with your own to have full control of the license key and remove any dependency on us – recommended.
    • Keep WP Creative developer license key. The only trace back to us will be a generic email address tied to the license key (Would only appear if the license expires.)
  • ACF Pro
  • Gravity Forms ACF

6. Security

WP Creative will:

  • recommend using a premium Wordfence security plugin. That offers the following features to secure the website –
    • Real-time Malware scanning
    • Brute-force login protection
    • Protection against hacker recon techniques
    • A WAF with regular rule-set updates
    • Rate based throttling and blocking
    • Two-factor authentication
    • Password auditing
    • Advanced blocking techniques etc.
  • set up WPS Hide Login to change the URL of the login form page for extra security.
  • use a strong password containing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters on all admin accounts.
  • disable the WP REST API, if you aren’t using it.
  • use SSL and HTTPS on the website
  • make sure the wp-config.php file is not accessible by others
  • enable Two-factor Authentication (2FA) (if required)
  • disable file edit via wp-config.php
  • prevent directory listing via .htaccess
  • change the default database table prefix
  • use a strong password containing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters for the database user
  • keep WordPress core, plugins and themes up-to-date on a regular basis (if you are under a maintenance plan)
  • schedule a regular backup of the files and database (if you are under a maintenance plan)
  • scan the website for viruses, malware, and security breaches on a regular basis (if you are under a maintenance plan)

6. Ecommerce

WP Creative will:

  • use Woocommerce plugin by default
  • quote client-provided design templates for checkout, cart, shop, and single-product pages. Any template not provided by the client will use Woocommerce’s default template
  • set the default payment gateway to PayPal (sandbox)
  • set default shipping standards of
    * Free Shipping
    * Flat Rate
    * Local Delivery
    * Local Pickup
  • Any customisations and additional functionality add-ons must be requested by the client during the quoting stage in order for WP Creative to provide an accurate quote. Any new feature or request made during or after development will be flagged as Change Request and will be separately quoted. This also affects the project timeline.

7. Elementor

WP Creative will:

  • use existing Elementor’s widget as much as possible for creating blocks
  • provide an option to show/hide any sections
  • create custom widgets as per requirement. These custom widget may be specifically built for a single page or if possible be used across other pages

WP Creative will not:

  • consider a pixel perfect design when implementing Elementor if the design is not aligned with the Elementor grid
  • provide an option to overwrite certain custom widget’s behaviour or layout