De tal palo, tal astilla.
It is a natural progression. Indeed, one could almost call it organic. First, WordPress, the most popular CMS on the planet, outsmarts the traditional Content Management System affectionados by removing the mystique, minimizing the jargon and maximizing the SEO impact. And now it offers you breakfast.
Daylight Websites was founded one morning over a cup or three of fresh ground coffee in late 2009. C. Jane Taylor and I had served a four year tenure in the traditional web design industry. Jane is an accomplished SEO Tactician and Copywriter and I have been writing code since the days of punched cards (anyone remember Hollerith Code?).
We realized that a new SEO-tuned website could be created in just a morning using the WordPress capability of installing, thematically designing and functionally customizing – in sometimes just a few mouseclicks. When we stirred-in the uniquely powerful ability of WordPress to literally call the search engine spiders to every new posting, we realized we had a recipe worth attempting.
Our first public tasting of the concept resulted in that stunningly motivational sound of a check being torn out of a check-book – before the sales meeting was even over! We had our first client. A short while later, their first Google Analytics report showed an astonishing 700% increase in traffic!
Modern web design and development is perhaps not such a far cry from the kitchen after all
As with any new idea, there were lessons to be learned. Using a theme is not always the easiest route if the proposed design is non-traditional. Fortunately, certain WordPress themes are highly customizable: the default Twenty Ten allows you to change header, menus and sidebar content; Arjuna and Atahualpa offer far greater flexibility but demand a higher level of technical ability; the increasingly popular Thematic requires the use of child-themes; the list goes on …
Our favorite quickly became Suffusion. This free WordPress theme allows Daylight Websites to quickly produce customized websites by manipulating the settings in its comprehensive setup pages.
We’ll share some more of our discoveries in the weeks ahead, but for now its time for breakfast, several clients are waiting and FoodPress is tempting us with an array of early-morning treats.
In this series, Tim Twinam will continue to explore the history and culture of the Internet and the impact of modern day tools such as WordPress. Subscribe to his WordPress Series by email.
Early blog readers enjoy a cuppa
I pledge allegiance to Local and the Local Movement is as strong as the smell of manure in early summer here in Vermont. And so it was only fitting that once I acquired the taste for coffee (I wont tell you how long ago that was because it is not fashionable to be this old online), I drank a Vermont brew.
Grab a cup of Dark Roast, brewed to perfection at the Bristol Baker
I started with Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s Harvard Blend, it made me feel smart. You should try it. But then I discovered the darker roasts.
Once I tried espresso and cappuccino and there was no turning back. I’ll never forget my first cappuccino, it was at the Cafe Reggio (but that’s a different story). Back in Vermont, I experimented with Speeder and Earl’s Black Forrest Blend. It has Bavarian chocolate overtones. It is wonderful, but it is a flavored coffee, which means it is a different animal.
Then I found the real thing: Vermont Coffee Company‘s Dark Roast. Accept no substitutes.
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