Did you know that how many new WordPress websites come online regularly? Approximately 50, 000! We think it’s quite a big figure to announce. But, it’s true. So, how are you going to stand out of this big crowd? Obviously, by making your site better, enhanced and fully-optimized for the web. And, you can do it by taking the assistance of WordPress development. WordPress has the ability to meet all the custom needs of the businesses. This is the clear reason that even after this great demand, WordPress is accommodating it so fast and with professionalism.
WordPress provides a variety of development to meet the needs coming from all sides. Among them, PSD to WordPress theme conversion has been demanding a lot by clients.
PSD files are the images prepared to create a new website. These are provided by the clients in order give developers an idea to initiate website development. Converting the PSDs is like reframing the web layout again to meet the requirements of modern generation. The conversion is most probably demanded by the website owners who don’t have a responsive website. On the other hand, entrepreneurs who own a traditional website which is static and not having smart work to attract visitors want this conversion for their optimized web presence.
We know that how much this PSD to WordPress conversion needed. But, have you ever thought that how it practically takes place and instantly converts the appeal of an old website.
Let us aid you in it!
Have a look at the detailed steps that contribute major role in converting PSD template to WordPress theme:
Step 1: Start With The PSD Slicing
Once you get your PSD files, pick the initial one and start breaking it into pieces. Before slicing, you also need to check that which part if the image is the most important to be sliced up. Slicing PSD is crucial as the entire image seems big in size and takes time to load. Also, make sure to associate different behaviors of the slicing with each segment of the image.
Many developers and users have the wrong perception for image slicing. They think that slicing of an image allows them to cut the image from anywhere randomly. But, on an opposite note, you need to logically make pieces of the images so that each of your layer seems complete in itself. For instance, cut the images in such sense that header will appear in a different part, footer will be sliced separately and similarly the buttons, menus & background. Developers use image slicing tool to get their task done with finesse.
Step 2: Proceed With HTML (index.html) & CSS (style.css) File Creation
This is the major step of PSD to WordPress theme conversion which lets you enter the programming world. Here, developers begin the coding part to lead conversion in a healthy manner. To do this, they initially create a web page using HTML & CSS and assemble all the well-sliced images to give them a fine look. You can name the files as index.html and style.css for further reference.
Dreamweaver and fireworks are the software packages that are mostly used to accomplish this work without any trouble. Working on these tools requires little knowledge of implementing HTML and CSS codes. So, follow a few tutorials and make yourself sound in the same.
After the coding phase, it’s the time to place all the images and sliced up elements to the right place by using index.html and style.css files. You can simultaneously work on bringing responsiveness to the site to provide it a uniform look on different types of screens. For more clarity in codes, developers mostly work within the div tag. It’s a better tactic to attain fine code and visibility.
Step 3: Segregate HTML Code Into WordPress Theme Files
After completing the previous step, you will be rewarded with a basic design template. Now, you need to integrate this basic template into the suitable WordPress theme. So, are you ready to move your sliced and assembled template to WordPress environment? Wait! Before proceeding with it, have a brief about how WordPress executes things in real. WordPress holds a specific structure which every developer needs to follow. Breaking down the HTML files into WordPress theme generally is a process of uploading code to the favorable theme. Here, the CMS works seamlessly so that all the required features and plugins are integrated quite professionally. Thus, go through the WordPress structure to make sure that you are going to a right track for the website conversion process.
Divide your index.html files into different subfiles as per WordPress structure. For this, you need to distribute the code into the pre-defined set of HTML file that are sidebar, footer, header and many others. Don’t get stressed for this task as it is simply a cut-paste job. You need to cut the code from the main index.html file and put it to the relevant sub-index file.
See, the other files you can create to distribute your main website code:
footer.php
archive.php
category.php
index.php
page.php
Search.php
Header.php
single.php
comments.php
sidebar.php
style.css
404.php
Step 4: The Time To Integrate WordPress Tags & Functions
Now, the time has arrived for what you have gone through all the way from slicing to segregating the sliced files. Here, you need to convert your all the segregated PHP files into WordPress theme files. To accomplish this with ease, you need to add WordPress tags to each of the separated files. But, can you get this done? Simple, with the integration of WordPress built-in functions. The platform is robust and provides a great number of functions that you call and add easily without any hassle.
For example, you want an automated post list on your homepage which gets updated when the new post is published. However, the criteria to add these type of function is by creating the PHP function to fetch post information from the database to make it appear on the homepage. But, with the WordPress built-in tags, you would no longer get troubled by writing long codes, rather using wp_get_recent_posts($args, $output) will make your path easier. It helps you see the list of posts to the homepage.
Step 5: Add Other Functions As Per Website Need
You have got your WordPress theme! You can run it flawlessly on browsers. If you still have any doubt left in your mind regarding functionality, there is an option to add custom additional functions to the website. There are many other necessities that should be integrated to the website. Search and error 404 are the basic functions among them. So, if you want to add them to the website, creating custom PHP files is the appropriate way.
Ending Notes:
The aforementioned steps will let you run a dynamic and fully-functional PSD to responsive WordPress theme. Most of the website owners look for the free services getting their PSDs converted into the WordPress theme. Undoubtedly, they got the ideas for that. But, there is no guarantee that the conversion works for long. Instead, if they hire a WordPress web development company for this, the conversion would be A grade and guaranteed.
