KayaIsmail

You're best solution is to combine two products in order to run a forum and a store. Which isn't much of a problem, really. You'll want a social networking/community platform (SocialEngine, BuddyPress, Ning, PHPfox, SocialGo) And an eCommerce platform to integrate with your homepage/forum (Ecwid, FoxyCart, SnipCart, Selz). Those eCommerce solutions are designed to be used within an existing website, as opposed to Shopify/Prestashop which provide the entire website for you.

Hi there! I'm the Editor of CMS Critic so I'm interested to know more. We have a comprehensive CMS Directory which you might be interested in joining. However, your link doesn't seem to be working. Is the project still in development?

An age old question, but I hate to break it to you guys. There is no "Best" CMS. Mike Johnston, the founder of CMS Critic, write something extremely relevant regarding this argument: WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are NOT the Best CMS. He focuses on WordPress, Joomla and Drupal in the article, but it's clear that the same applies to all content management systems. Each project is unique, and thus requires its own approach. Sometimes WordPress fits, sometimes Shopify fits, sometimes Hippo CMS fits. It's all very relative. It's more productive to have a long list of CMS that do cater to their niche well. Then you'll always have a library of systems to use no matter what project you have in mind. Relying on one CMS for all project times? A recipe for disaster.

Hi all, I’m currently in the middle of designing a new landing page: Internet Marketing Services in London - Employ the Internet It looks good on desktops and iPads, but horrible on iPhone 6+ and below when on Portrait mode. Is there a way I can force desktop view when visitors come to this page (and this page only) while on Portrait mode? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Try fiddling with the viewport meta tag https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Mozilla/Mobile/Viewport_meta_tag

Overall, I like it. But here are my issues: In the footer, the link that says "read" should say "read more". The website feels as if it should allow me to scroll, even if its only for a little bit. Maybe think about adding that footter bit below the header image. That way, people can scroll down to see it, and they dont have to click a button for it to pop up.

If you want my advice, I'd opt for learning how to deal with one or two CMS' in great detail (it will streamline things for you, especially when you have multiple clients), and market yourself locally (friends, family) to begin with. WordPress is a must, but I'd also recommend LightCMS because of their Partner Platform, which allows web designers to create multiple websites for their clients using their (pretty awesome) website builder. They charge you $19 p/m for one unlimited website, and allow you to automate client monthly payments through them for a higher fee, earning you profit. I like their features and their overall setup, and I'd probably use them if I were to enter the realm of web design on a full-time basis. At the moment, I do it as a side-gig, so WordPress suffices.

What you're looking for is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) advice. There's no quick fix for this, everybody want to be top of Google for certain keywords.

Can't fault you for trying to do it without plugins! Fair play, sir.

I prefer silence. Or Netflix. Silence or Netflix.

Contact Form 7 isn't heavy and yet is still very customizable, check it out.

If you have FTP access, I'd download the entire site and re-upload it to my own test site. Then you can work on it, solve the issue, and apply it to the live site with confidence.

Could you list the domains? I'd still recommend throwing up a website with them listed somewhere.

Advise him that an exact clone is copyright infringement, and a semi-clone could still land him in trouble if he;s in the same industry. Then, offer him a WordPress theme solution

Hey Nick, awesome man, glad you like the site see you around the forums! Point number four is extremely interesting. In fact, I may just write something on the topic. Website Builders vs Website Design Agencies. Thanks for giving me the idea, and feel free to expand on what you'd like to see me cover For your other points: 1. Yes, Wix doesn't allow you to just switch themes (like you can do with WordPress). Once you start adding content to one particular theme, it can't be migrated to another one, unless you add it all over again. This is one of Wix's biggest downfalls. 2. This is subjective. You can build a very minimal website with Wix, making it fast, or you can overload it with images, videos, fonts and graphics, making it slow. 3. Again, if you know how to design a website well, Wix gives you everything you need. You CAN build good looking Wix websites. Can you also build an ugly one? Sure, if you are inexperienced. Thanks for all the feedback Davep, that was a genuinely useful post!

I'd go with something like this. If it's a long term project, make employing you long term worth while with discounts.

Starting off with friends/family is a tried and tested route. Word of mouth is still a thing, believe it or not! You could also try online job boards. That's how I got started as a freelance blogger.

You guys can find me over at @EmployTheNet

Yeah WooCommerce is the best eCommerce WordPress plugins as far as I'm concerned. Built and maintained by WooThemes, a company with a solid reputation (and good themes).

Pixabay is another good site. Some pretty good photography on there, not great when it comes to vectors, etc.

Hi, I believe Website Builders Critic, a website builder tutorial site founded by Mike johnston (Founder of CMS Critic) and myself would be a good resource. We have video tutorials about how to build blogs, portfolios and buisness websites in around 5 minutes, using tools like Squarespace and LightCMS. It's for the less tech-savvy, but anybody could benefit.

A relatively new but promising product called CloudCannon can help. It's a CMS for static websites, has FTP and Dropbox support. http://cloudcannon.com/

I too can vouch for Yoast. their SEO plugin is great and I use it on most (if not all) my WordPress projects.

If I'm not mistaken, LightCMS allows you to password protect areas of a website. Double check that though because I'm not totally sure.

Hey, Kaya here! I live in London, and this looks like a nice UK-based spot to talk about web design and such A Bit About Me: I've been writing for CMS Critic for quite some time now, and have recently teamed up with the founder, Mike Johnston, to launch Website Builders Critic. We created Website Builders Critic to show the less-tech savvy from among us that good looking websites can be built quickly and easily, if you use the right tools. Our focus is on reviewing and comparing a handful of website builders, as well as providing video tutorials on how to do things like build a blog in 5 minutes. Even today, there are far too many people with ideas and businesses without websites, and we're looking to help change that. So, I look forward to getting involved in some discussions with you all! See you around the forums.