Upskillwise

Bespoke WordPress theme development for high-traffic website

What we did
  • Front-end development
  • WordPress integration
  • Multi-lingual support
  • Performance optimisations
Year
2023
Project length
4 months
View website

Upskillwise is a website dedicated to producing high-quality content that helps readers discover online tools and resources that help increase their skills and expand their knowledge.

Josep and Catherine, co-founders of Upskillwise and Upcashwise, approached 16by9 looking for a new bespoke WordPress website.

Out with the old, in with the new

The old site had served them well, but it was time to redesign. They hired a branding and UI designer who created a beautiful new design in Figma and asked us to bring it to reality.

Marc was highly recommended to me as an outstanding WordPress developer by someone I trust and who is knowledgeable about websites. As a result, I had high expectations, which Marc (and Adam) not only met but exceeded.

– Josep Garcia

We were tasked with creating a bespoke WordPress theme based on the supplied designs. We built the site using responsive best practices to ensure it performs well across various screen sizes.

Technical requirements

The theme was designed to be applied across two websites—Upskillwise and Upcashwise—using WordPress’s child theme system. This approach enabled both sites to share a common base theme, making updates quick and easy and allowing customised functionality per site.

Another important goal was for the site to load as quickly as possible. We built the site using lean HTML, SASS and Javascript and used Laravel Mix to compile and concatenate assets. Google was happy with the results:

The site included multi-lingual support via WPML. We built several custom features, such as a User Reviews system that allowed visitors to share their experiences.

Search Engine Optimisation was another important consideration as the site was built. We implemented custom markup schema across the site.

On managing a large project

We itemised everything that had to be done and then split that work into 10 development sprints. A sprint is a week-long intensive session, focused on an agreed upon set of tasks and goals. We had zoom calls before and after each sprint to discuss what was accomplished, any issues or bottlenecks, and to collect feedback.

Regular communication, especially while working remote, is key when working on such complex projects.

This approach meant we were able to build the site in a systematic fashion, keeping momentum while ensuring nothing was missed.