wordpress – Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com By Web Designers for Web Designers Mon, 15 Jan 2024 20:26:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://webdesignledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cropped-Web-Design-Ledger-512x512-Pixel-32x32.png wordpress – Web Design Ledger https://webdesignledger.com 32 32 5+ Best WordPress Plugins to Try Out [2024 edition] https://webdesignledger.com/5-best-wordpress-plugins-try-2024-edition/ https://webdesignledger.com/5-best-wordpress-plugins-try-2024-edition/#respond Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://webdesignledger.com/?p=52711 The WordPress directory has 50k+ free plugins that were developed so you can extend a WordPress website with functions and features far beyond your imagination. Additional thousands of WordPress plugins are available from various marketplaces. No matter how much you might have a need for a specialized plugin or two, would you really want to […]]]>

The WordPress directory has 50k+ free plugins that were developed so you can extend a WordPress website with functions and features far beyond your imagination.

Additional thousands of WordPress plugins are available from various marketplaces.

No matter how much you might have a need for a specialized plugin or two, would you really want to spend a full workday on reseraching? Probably not.

So, what, if anything, can you do? We have an answer to that.

We tested tens of WordPress plugins and selected the 8 best WordPress free and premium plugins for a range of both popular and lesser used functions.

These plugins focus on important functionalities that you won’t typically find in a WordPress theme. They address web designer/developer needs for:

  • problem-free building of landing pages that catch the eye.
  • management and displaying of financial, commercial, scientific, statistical, and other data, as well as of substantial amounts of data.
  • visual storytelling that enhance UX.
  • automating and streamlining appointments bookings.

These 8 best WordPress plugins for 2024 are available in trial, free, or premium.

What key qualities do these top WordPress plugins have?

Support – We reviewed product development teams’ responses to problems and questions and recommended only those products whose teams have a history of answering support issues within 24 hours.

Reviews by users. We extensively read product reviews and testimonials that specified both ‘Have’ and ‘Have nots’ of these plugins.

Features – We scrutinized each plugin to ensure its advertised features would meet the goal the plugin was designed and built to satisfy.

Free version – All 8 have free versions with a large number of features.

Compatibility – We made certain each plugin was fully compatible with the latest WordPress and PHP versions, and has been updated within the past two months.

8 Best WordPress Plugins for 2024

These 8 WordPress plugins are excellent in their areas. And we have made your job easier by doing time-consuming work for you.

Below, you will read about each plugin’s key features, how their customer evaluated them, and we will give you links to test them out or find out more info for yourself.

1. Amelia™ WordPress Plugin — Appointment Booking WP Plugin

Amelia is the best WordPress plugin for a service-oriented business looking for an automated booking system.

More than 70% of Amelia’s users agree that Amelia’s standout feature is its powerful multilingual Notifications system that enables users to seamlessly manage their appointment and event bookings via SMS, email, and/or WhatsApp messages.

Product qualities users realize once they begin using Amelia:

  • effortless navigation and ultramodern backend and frontend interface attributes.
  • the ability to tailor Amelia to meet their specific needs.
  • a user-friendly design that is free from unwelcome surprises together with the value inherent in transparent functionality and pricing.

A service-oriented business like the one shown in the barbershop template can take advantage of Amelia’s new and improved booking form, organize an appointment flow that best suits their business model, and receive appointment requests online  24/7.

Product rating: 4.8/5 on Captera.

Customer Insight: 
Pros: “
Amelia is one of my favorite plugins because: 1. Easy to install and use. 2. Reliable and professional quality. 3. Full of great features – better than any others I have used. 4. Great layout, versatile and works seamlessly with clients 5. It is always updated and improved. 6. Support help and communication is fast, friendly, and excellent. 7. Not just a flash in the pan. It has been around for a long time.”

Cons: “Nothing I can think of or have had to be concerned with.”

Instant Support: Documentation, Videos on YouTube and a Discord Group.

Find out more here

2. wpDataTables: The Best WordPress Table & Chart Plugin

wpDataTables is the best WordPress plugin for organizations or individuals tasked with creating tables and charts from complex and/or massive amounts of data.

wpDataTables’ key feature is its Multiple Database Connections capability. This groundbreaking feature is a data management breakthrough that allows a table to set up independent connections to MySQL, MS SQL, or PostgreSQL databases and become a versatile data hub in the process.

Product qualities users quickly become aware of:

  • a user interface that does not require technical ability to effortlessly create tables or charts.
  • wpDataTable’s blend of powerful features that handle complex data structures with finesse.
  • effortlessly show informative tables by seamlessly incorporating data and information sourced from diverse origins.

wpDataTables is excellent for statistics data tables that are responsive. Other uses include:

  • fixed headers and columns that ensure that key columns and headers remain visible while scrolling and make data analysis more straightforward.
  • Shortcode for single cells: helpful for useful adding multimedia, links, or other dynamic elements to a table.
  • The ability to populate tables with data from various APIs.

Product rating: 4.83/5

Customer Insight: “Really great for tables using csv or Excel. Solved a very difficult content issue for me. Thanks so much!”

Instant support options: Excellent documentation and on point YouTube videos.

Use WpDataTables for free.

3. Brizy: Best Website Builder

Brizy is the ideal WordPress website builder for those looking for a White Label solution to market their own brand.

Brizy’s standout feature is its White Label option. You can brand the Brizy builder as your own and encourage clients to create websites using “your” builder.

Product qualities users discover as they use Brizy Builder:

  • You will never have a problem editing in place whether you are clicking on a text, an image, or any other kind of content.
  • Content is never created in a disjointed sidebar, as is the case in some competing builders.

Tailored features for agencies and resellers in addition to the White Label option, include Billing, Reseller Client Management, Multi-language capabilities, and Marketing integrations.

Brizy Builder is ideal for building creative websites and landing pages in the Brizy Cloud or when used with the Brizy WordPress theme. “Petits” Brizy’s pet website template is ideal for a pet shop in addition to having a wide range of  other uses.

Product rating: 4.6/5 on Trust Pilot

Customer Insight: “In many way a very satisfying pagebuilder, with a generous and fantastic free version. Especially the way of working with pictures is really nice. However, sometimes experience that Brizy is a little unstable, some things that in between do not flow as they should. But can warmly recommend it, not least for beginners.”

Support capabilities include the Brizy support manual and YouTube videos.

Click here to check out  the Brizy Builder plugin.

4. Slider Revolution

Slider Revolution is the best WordPress plugin for those looking to incorporate a WOW factor into their sliders without any need for coding.

Some say it’s the knockout effects for WordPress that turn them on. With others, Slider Revolution’s top feature is the one that enables them to create sliders visually. Both are right.

Revolution Slider has a host of design options for every category of user:

  • Web shop builders will tell you that the WooCommerce sliders are especially useful.
  • Businesses and small agencies find the one-page portfolio templates particularly helpful.
  • The images and cool scrolling effects in Slider Revolution’s mesmerizing Brewery Website slider template will tempt you to take time out for a cool one. It’s great for a wide variety of uses.

Users quickly take note of the features that allow them to easily upgrade a WordPress website visual in mere minutes.

Product rating: 4.6/5

Customer Insight: This is a stunning tool. There are great templates that are easily modified to suit you. There’s a learning curve which should come as no surprise once you recognize its potential (and therefore yours.) I don’t know one line of code.

Support: Slider Revolution’s support manual and YouTube videos provide instant support.

Click for a preview of the Slider Revolution plugin.

5. LayerSlider: #1 WordPress Slider Plugin

LayerSlider is the best WordPress plugin for web designers looking for an uncompromising approach to making amazing web content with gorgeous visual effects.

LayerSlider is not only for building responsive sliders and popups but is also excellent for creating more complex websites. LayerSlider’s top feature is, in fact, a scroll effect in which a hero image magically animates as visitors scroll through the page, as is the case in the Fairy Magical Company example with its scroll scene, scroll transition, and pinned layers.

With respect to templates, the Wood Sculptor website template shows a great example of LayerSlider’s capabilities.

Qualities that only its users will notice include:

  • A Project Editor that matches professional desktop applications in terms of performance and usability.
  • A complete suite of visual content creation online services without leaving the UI.
  • Built-in transitions and effects that can be applied instantly.

Although LayerSlider’s popup and banner-creating capabilities and popular animation features are excellent for marketing purposes, LayerSlider is “tailored” for use on any website niche.

Customer Insight: “Powerful features and a flexible slider for many effects. Makes a very professional looking slider.”

Support: A support manual comes with the package, plus built-in help for almost everything inside the LayerSlider Project Editor.

Click for a preview of the LayerSlider plugin.

6. Essential Grid

Essential Grid is the #1 WordPress gallery plugin for creating galleries guaranteed to capture visitors’ attention.

The grid skin options and 50+ unique grid skins are clearly Essential Grid’s top feature.

Users can easily plug and play these customizable templates to complete projects in no time at all, plus Essential Grid’s visual skin editor enables users to create as many skin variations as they want.

  • Essential grid created galleries load with a rocket-fast speed and are responsive to display the content on all devices in the most perfect way.
  • It’s also possible to do search engine optimization of an Essential Grid gallery using deep linking and pagination to achieve a higher ranking on Google.

Team, blog, portfolio, and You/Tube Vimeo channel stream grids are popular among target client categories. The Portfolio Grid example features a image-based portfolio grid layout with pinned text layer and hover effects.

The developers of the wildly popular Slider Revolution plugin, which also appears on this list of best plugins, created Essential Grid as well.

Product rating: 4.7/5 on Trust Pilot

Customer Insight:It’s rare in today’s world to find support that is competent and responsive, but Theme Punch’s Essential Grid support is AMAZING!!! My issue was resolved on the first contact, and within an hour of submitting a ticket.”

Support: Look to the support manual and YouTube videos for instant support.

Preview Essential Grid.

7. Web Stories – WordPress plugin

Web Stories helps users create powerful narratives and fast-loading full-screen experiences.

The top feature of this WordPress storytelling editor is how smoothly it blends a selection of story creation capabilities into a WYSIWYG creation tool. WebStories also provides an impressive selection of templates. Bike Shop is simple, straightforward, and also one of the most popular eCommerce themed templates.

Other popular features include even more beautiful page templates to help get story creation activities underway together with:

  • a visually rich and intuitive dashboard that makes it easy to navigate through the entire story creation process.
  • drag-and-drop capabilities designed to make composing beautiful stories as easy as possible.
  • access to the WordPress media library through the plugin’s dashboard.

Product qualities that Web Stories’ users discover when they begin using the plugin include:

  • fast loading times that keep visitors engaged and entertained.
  • sharing and linking stories on the open web.
  • tracking and measuring stories for monetization.

Product rating: 4.1/5

Customer Insight: On our website, we personally love the web story platform! It’s SO beautiful and customizable, we can create different posts that fit our media outlet, and our public likes it a lot. It isn’t that easy to make in the beginning, but once you get it, you can produce a lot!

Instant support option: Solid documentation.

View the Web Stories plugin.

8. Tablesome

Tablesome is the best WordPress form automation plugin for those who need to efficiently transfer information from submitted forms into tables.

Tablesome’s top feature is easily its WordPress Automation feature which enables users to automate certain data management processes when people have submitted forms such as:

  • storing the form entries in a table.
  • saving the form entries to Google Sheet.
  • sending the form entries in an email.

Tablesome’s users appreciate what Workflow Automation does to make their work easier. As they become familiar with Tablesome they gain a better understanding of the tasks it can do, and also become aware of the significant reduction in the number plugins needed to carry out those tasks.

Tablesome can also be used to support building of or improving data-centric websites thanks to its integrations with MailChimp, Google Sheets, Slack, HubSpot CRM, OpenAI/ChatGPT, and WordPress.

Product rating: 4.7/5

Customer Insight: “I was searching for a simple responsive table plugin that allowed Excel file imports in the free version, and after testing all the so-called popular table plugins, I realized that none of them offered excel imports in the free version or if they did, they were not responsive. Then I found Tablesome, and it worked perfectly! Within minutes I had the table setup from the existing excel sheet. Thank you to the authors of Tablesome, and I highly recommend it to everyone!”

Support: YouTube videos and Tablesome’s user manual are best for instant support.

Preview Tablesome.

***** 

Which plugins or plugins you might use in 2024?

It’s understandable you would not need every one of them, but having one or two could add significant value to your projects. With so many free and premium WordPress plugins to select from in the 4 areas that we covere, we saved you a great amount of time.

Each of these best WordPress plugins is:

  • super-fast, solid, and has excellent UX.
  • free of restrictions or limitations within its area.
  • a huge time saver thanks to its prebuilt demos that make creating web projects efficient and enjoyable.
  • designed for looking excellent on both desktop and mobile.

And customer support for each of these plugins is on point, responsive and pro.

Check out these free and premium wordpress plugins, take them for a spin and go premium if you need the extra features.

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Great WP Multipurpose Themes that designers and design teams should start using https://webdesignledger.com/great-wp-multipurpose-themes-designers-design-teams-start-using/ https://webdesignledger.com/great-wp-multipurpose-themes-designers-design-teams-start-using/#respond Wed, 13 May 2020 07:05:34 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=49948 One could easily put together a list of good reasons for choosing a multipurpose WordPress theme. Reasons that apply to web designers and website owners alike.

The approach we’ve taken is to present you with this list of 8 top-tier multipurpose themes. We give you the opportunity to let any one of them speak for itself. These themes are well-established best-sellers with each one. Also having its unique base of highly satisfied customers.

Browse the list, check into one or more of these themes and you’ll quickly discover the theme in question can not only do a wide variety of things, but do them exceptionally well.

The adage “Jack of all trades, master of none” does not apply.

Quite the opposite. Any of these themes is more than capable of taking your business or web design proficiency to the next level.

  1. BeTheme – Responsive Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme

The list of BeTheme’s core features is long. There are 40+ of them in fact. Individually and in combination they enable first time users to not only get a project off to a quick start, but to successfully complete it in a relatively short time.

BeTheme will also prove to be a blessing for the website builder who dreads starting from scratch or is simply in need of a helping hand or a little inspiration to get started.

A BeTheme highlight is its selection of 500+ professionally-designed pre-built websites.

  • They cover 30+ industry sectors, all website types, and a wide range of small business niches and creative endeavors
  • They are responsive, highly-customizable, and have built-in UX functionality

These core features give users virtually limitless design flexibility; while eliminating any need for coding.

They include:

  • The Muffin Builder editor/page builder, Options Panel, and Shortcode Generator
  • Layout Generator plus a variety of grid, header, and footer options
  • Portfolio and Blog page layout options
  • A host of other design aids

Click on the banner to learn more.

  1. Total WordPress Theme

Powerful, versatile, and flexible are three must-have multipurpose theme characteristics. Add ease of use and responsiveness and you’ve struck gold as not too many themes can claim to satisfy all 5 attributes. Total does, and with respect to ease of use, it does so with a vengeance.

  • Users can edit from the frontend and the backend
  • Total’s building block approach featuring 80+ builder modules makes website design especially easy
  • Building blocks supporting Revolution Slider, LayerSlider, Templatera, and WooCommerce are included
  • The package also features 40+ pre-made demos and more than 500 styling options
  • You’ll find unlimited colors, header styles, a mega menu, and custom fonts and icons as well
  • Total is 100% developer friendly thanks to selections of custom hooks, filters, and snippets

Click on the banner to learn more about Total.

  1. Avada Theme

Avada is the #1 selling theme of all time. It’s super-fast and fully responsive and the intuitive front-end editing makes it ever so easy to use. Avada’s superb selections of pre-built websites, design elements, demos, and partial demos gives you the flexibility to build anything you want.

  • Fusion Code, the “heart” of this theme, gives you access to the tools that enable you to take full advantage of Avada’s flexibility and capabilities.
  • Avada’s Theme Options allows you to build even the most complex websites without coding.
  • To get a project off to a fast start simply pick a demo, import it, and customize it to your needs and specifications.
  • Custom settings put you in the driver’s seat by giving you full control over every page in your website.

There’s much more of course. Click on the banner to explore Adava’s many features.

  1. Uncode – Creative Multiuse WordPress Theme

If you’re a creative type this multipurpose theme is certainly worth a good, hard look. Uncode’s pixel-perfect concepts and easy front end editing are key selling points along with other features that are too many to list here.

The best way to see what Uncode is capable of is to click on the banner, visit the site, and browse Uncode’s impressive and inspiring showcase of user-built website.

  1. Kalium

Kalium is another all-time best-seller. This creative multiuse theme is especially well suited for portfolios.

  • Kalium’s full eCommerce support also makes it an ideal theme for online shopping experiences.
  • Kalium is responsive and GDPR compliant.
  • All the better-known WordPress plugins are supported and some of the most popular plugins like Elementor, WooCommerce, and WPBakery Page Builder are included.

Click to learn more about what Kalium’s 30,000 clients like about this theme.

  1. TheGem – Creative Multi-Purpose High-Performance WordPress Theme

Aptly called the Swiss Army Knife of website-building tools, TheGem is a beautiful and customizable WordPress theme with 400+ pre-built websites that is chock-full of design tools, elements, and aids.

  • Unique feature TheGem Blocks contains more than 300 pre-designed section templates to speed up your workflow
  • Multi-purpose WooCommerce templates are included for creating online shops
  • The WPBakery page builder allows easy and intuitive front-page editing
  • A 45,000 strong customer base attests to TheGem’s excellent performance and five-star support.

Click to learn more.

  1. Movedo Premium WordPress Theme

Movedo is responsive, extremely flexible, and easy to use; three good reasons for choosing this multipurpose WordPress theme.

A fourth good reason is one that’s hard to resist – especially if you’re occasionally tempted to stray outside the envelope when designing a website.

Movedo-built websites capture and engage visitors using movement, created with:

  • Dynamic scrolling
  • Unique animations
  • Ultra-dynamic parallax effects

Movedo rocks! Your websites can also. Click on the banner to learn more.

  1. Hongo – Modern & Multipurpose WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Hongo is a modern, multipurpose eCommerce oriented theme. This highly flexible and customizable theme is also well suited for creating company websites and blogs.

Out-of-the-box eCommerce features include:

  • Product search, compare, quick view, and videos
  • Wishlist and catalog mode
  • Filters for product categories, pricing, and other attributes

The package includes 11 ready store demos together with a host of creative design elements and templates. Hongo is well documented and offers top-notch support.

Click to learn more.

***** 

Multipurpose themes are designed to enable you to create any type of website you have in mind.

Not all multipurpose themes can deliver on that promise however. That is why you should search extra hard for a theme that is guaranteed to deliver.

To make your search easier, we compiled this list of top-tier multipurpose WordPress themes; themes that will never let you down.

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Tools For Web Professionals You Can’t Miss This Spring https://webdesignledger.com/tools-for-web-professionals-autumn/ https://webdesignledger.com/tools-for-web-professionals-autumn/#respond Fri, 11 Jan 2019 21:09:44 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=32462 This autumn we figured we’d give you an early Halloween treat and share with you our list of the best tools and resources available for all web professionals, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, working in a large team or free lancing. The following tools are guaranteed to make your […]]]>

This autumn we figured we’d give you an early Halloween treat and share with you our list of the best tools and resources available for all web professionals, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, working in a large team or free lancing.

The following tools are guaranteed to make your life and your work a lot easier.

1. Muffin Group – Be Theme

betheme wordpress

The Muffin Group is a passionate team of creators who produce web applications and WordPress templates. They are not only creative minds, passionate about they work, they also have a lot of experience under their belts. The best proof is their BeTheme for WordPress, which boasts more than 150 ready to use layouts and 19 customizable header styles.

This is by far the biggest theme ever created. Packed with goodies and intuitive, BeTheme can be used for a vast number of purposes. BeTheme isn’t called the biggest WordPress theme ever for nothing. It boasts a one click installation, it works wonderfully for E-commerce websites, it has unlimited menus, and a wide variety of pre-defined demos. You no longer need coding skills or programming knowledge to start up your own website. Leave it to the Muffin Group to make your site look stunning and professional.

The BeTheme has a top of the line admin panel, a layouts configurator and is constantly receiving updates. Designed for speed, it works flawlessly with any browser and is compatible with WooCommerce, MailChimp, bbPress, Contact form 7, W3 Total Cache and basically all popular plugins. If you need any help starting up, you can take a look at the comprehensive BeTheme user guide or contact Muffin Group support forum for any issues.

2. Jupiter WordPress Theme

jupiter wordpress theme

Emphasizing visual perfection, the creative minds behind Artbees produce top of the line design assets, stunning WordPress themes and excellent icon designs. All their products encompass thorough research, a well-crafted strategy and customizable features. This is obvious in one of their most popular products, the Jupiter WordPress theme.

This tool has helped over 20,000 users create and maintain their websites. But Artbees weren’t content to leave things as they were so they put in a lot of time and work into improving Jupiter and, as a result, this November will bring Jupiter V5. From a programming standpoint Jupiter V5 come with deep codebase refactoring, a complete theme re-structuring and massive performance enhancements.

As far as design and visuals are concerned, Jupiter V5 brings to the table: more header stiles, shape dividers, shape icon boxes, gradient coloring capability for page elements, blending effects doe page sections, more Google fonts, fancy title ornaments, new buttons and a lot more. You’ll also be able to integrate your website with social media easier than before with Twitter, Instagram and Quote blog posts. But these aren’t the only new features of Jupiter V5, be amongst the first who get it this November and find out for yourself how much it can help your website.

3. Argento

Argento theme

Argento is not like any other template – it was especially created from the ground up based on the best E-commerce stores practices and according to the guidelines for Magento developers. Argento, a Magento template, comes packed with more than fifteen popular Magento extensions and a sleek, fluid layout right out of the box. Based on CSS3, with CSS and JSS files created on a clean code that can be merged and minified with the default Magento minifier, Argento also impresses with its speed.

If you want to make sure that your website will look just as great on all devices, Argento is the perfect choice for you, as it was built to work on iOS, Android and BlackBerry. This means that you will save money by not having to invest in another template or the use of a mobile application. Even more, Argento provides your online store with a improved HTML structure, resulting in better SEO performance manifested in the correct usage of SEO important tags and HTML attributes. To top it all off, the Magento professionals will have your new Magento responsive template installed within a day, for free.

4. Metronic – #1 Selling Ultimate Bootstrap Admin Theme

metronic theme

Keen Themes is a talented team of professionals that deliver premium quality themes. The Jango Frontend Theme is a Bootstrap HTML5 template that is fully responsive and user friendly. The Conquer Theme is a Bootstrap Admin theme boasting an advanced mega menu and all-purpose layouts.

We’ve left the best one for last: the Metronic Theme, also known as the most famous multi-purpose Bootstrap admin theme.

With more than 32,000 sales, the Metronic theme can boast AngularJS 1.3 support, Twitter Bootstrap Framework, one of the most powerful frameworks for responsive web applications and an unlimited array of colors. On top of all of that, Metronic has super clean code and more than 700 templates pages. Dubbed ‘not just a theme’, Metronic has 7 ultimate admin themes and will save you over one thousand hours of UI coding, not to mention costs for development. Multi-purpose, highly efficient, precise and responsive, this admin dashboard theme is sure to supply your every need.

5. actiPLANS

actiplans

If you’re still using Excel spreadsheets to keep up with your employees’ leave time, then you definitely need actiPLANS. actiPLANS is a powerful tool that is here to rid you of unnecessary paperwork and late nights. With an intuitive interface and a user friendly work schedule for each member of your team, you’ll find that keeping track of everyone’s leave time requests doesn’t have to give you a splitting headache anymore.

actiPLANS makes everything easier both for managers and for employees. The former have all the essential info right at their fingertips. No more being taken by surprise by an employee’s holidays and missing deadlines because of an understaffed team. All employees have to do is to request leave time in one click and wait the notification whether the request is approved or rejected. actiPLANS comes with flexible rules for PTO, easy to customize leave types, comprehensive charts and reports, as well as a leave time history for every team member. Starting this November, it also comes with a mobile app that allows you to send a leave request or notify co-workers when you’re running late on-the-go.

6. actiTIME

actitime

If you often lose track of your time spent working on different projects, then you need actiTIME – simple and flexible time tracking software. Dubbed ‘Timesheet for smart decisions’, this incredibly intuitive tool will help you keep tabs on all the hours you spend working on a task or a project. In addition to this, it will also register leave time and allow you to add comments to your time-track. Keeping an eye on budget and deadlines has never been this easy before. actiTIME enables its users to set deadline reminders and budget control notifications.

This nifty program knows everything about boosting performance and keeping expenses under control. If you’ve never been able to manage your working hours properly, actiTIME will do it for you. Used by more than 9,000 companies around the world, this time tracking tool offers comprehensive reports on staff performance, cost of work, overtime, expenses and many others. What’s more, a user-friendly mobile app for iOS and Android keeps you up to speed with your progress and expenses at all times.

7. BugMuncher

BugMuncher webapp

We’ve all heard countless times that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is something that holds true about web screenshots of bugs as well. However, a screenshot isn’t always as comprehensive as a developer might like, and this is where BugMuncher comes in.

It has a simple, intuitive interface that will help anyone submit detailed user feedback reports containing all the information a developer needs in order to act on them. This awesome tool can be added to a website just by adding a Javascript snippet; then, everything will be taken care of by the BugMuncher servers, which means that the website’s speed won’t be affected in any way.

BugMuncher will provide bug reports that include a screenshot of what the user actually sees, without requiring an extra browser plugin. In addition to this, you will also receive details about the browser and operating system of your client or coworker, details of any Javascript errors that occurred, screen size and resolution, which browser plugins they have installed and even the path they took through your website. BugMuncher can integrate with a number of third-party tools including Trello, Zendesk, Jira, GitHub and Zapier. Fixing a bug has never been easier.

8. Icons8

icons8 logo

A website’s icons can really give it a distinct feeling and set it apart from others with a similar target audience. If you want to make sure your website (or even your mobile apps) always looks sharp and elegant, then you need to get your icons from Icons8.

The minimal application for Windows and Mac, Icons8 App, provides you with a great selection of icons, with themes ranging from business, city and computer hardware to food, gaming and social networks.

With these icons, your website will look flawless, as they match the style of the operating system’s native icons. These icons are compatible with Windows 10, iOS 9 or Android 5 Lollipop. Within the app you will also find other cool features such as icon recoloring, fast search, export to Photoshop, Xcode, etc., recoloring and resizing, as well as the possibility of choosing format (SVG, PNG, PDF or EPS).

9. Daily Hosting

daily hosting

In need of a cheap, yet efficient web hosting provider? Daily Hosting provides you with the best web hosting reviews that tell you everything you need to know. You will find exhaustive information about all the criteria you need to factor in before choosing a web hosting plan for your website.

Daily Hosting keeps you up to speed with the latest web hosting offers that will meet all your requirements and won’t burn a whole in your pocket. The free hosting guide allows users to look at several hosting companies and compare them in order to choose the best offer that suits their needs. With dozens of reviews, Daily Hosting helps you make an informed decision. Their blog contains even more details about web hosting that will transform any newbie into a well-informed buyer.

You don’t have to take a leap of faith when you invest in a web hosting solution. To make sure you make the best decision, head over to Daily Hosting, and look over their reviews for pros and cons.

10. Fire Checkout

magento checkout fire

The best way to increase your site’s conversion rate is to keep your customers happy. Fire Checkout will help you do just that. The name is self-explanatory. Your buyers won’t have to spend time filling in 6 pages of useless info just to place an order. Instead, this Magento one step checkout will help them finish this last step quicker than ever before.

Fire Checkout is fast, intuitive and incredibly flexible. With a minimalistic 3 column layout and Ajax based Coupon code support you’ll be able to increase your sales effortlessly. Fire Checkout allows you to add two custom content blocks, locate your customers’ country and city and create as much as 5 custom fields. Ready to watch your sales figure sky rocket? Fire Checkout delivers fast results thanks to its cutting edge features. Optimized for all types of devices and created with user experience in mind, this tool is available in 12 languages and is 100% open source.

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The Best Website and Page Building Tools You Should Rely on in 2018 https://webdesignledger.com/the-best-website-and-page-building-tools-you-should-rely-on-in-2018/ https://webdesignledger.com/the-best-website-and-page-building-tools-you-should-rely-on-in-2018/#comments Wed, 14 Feb 2018 19:31:21 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=43621 It’s not difficult to get confused if you set finding the best possible website builder as an objective. It’s hard enough to define what “best” is since there are so many top-quality products on the market. If you’re looking for the best tools that also happen to be free, your search could become even more […]]]>

It’s not difficult to get confused if you set finding the best possible website builder as an objective. It’s hard enough to define what “best” is since there are so many top-quality products on the market. If you’re looking for the best tools that also happen to be free, your search could become even more frustrating.

The good news is, you’ve just come across a post that’s spot-on. It will show you the best tools for your 2018 website-building undertakings. These tools also happen to be free.

These are the most advanced and trusted free web-building products on the market. All you need to do to find the best one is to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Be prepared to be more than a little surprised as to what you’ll find here, versus what you already have.

 

  1. Mobirise Website Builder

            Mobirise is easy to work with, the sites you build with Mobirise are 100% mobile-friendly, and since it’s an offline builder, Mobirise is yours, and you have total control over how you use it. You can publish your website on a local drive, on Google Cloud, on Amazon S3, or elsewhere.

Last, but not least, Mobirise is free; both for commercial and your personal use. Visit the website, look for the Windows and MacOS Download buttons, and away you go!

This website builder is easy to work with since it’s all drag and drop with no coding necessary. You have more than 300 attractive and trendy website blocks and templates to work with in the free version (and, an additional 500 if you opt for a premium version) plus a huge library of icons, Google fonts, and free images.

Thanks to its Google AMP/Bootstrap 4 framework, it’s performance is lightning fast.

We encourage you to keep going down the list; but if you stop here, and download your copy of Mobirise, you’ll still be ahead.

 

  1. Visual Composer Website Builder

Visual Composer has been around for quite a while in one version or another, but the Visual Composer Website Builder is a completely new animal when it comes to WordPress builders.

Forget everything you knew about WPBakery Website Builder, as this product is not an upgraded version of it. It is a tool that is made entirely from scratch. Like other builders in this list, it comes in both free and premium versions.

The Visual Composer Builder is a drag and drop builder. You design your page layouts by selecting among a set of rich content elements and dragging and dropping them to your page. Coding isn’t necessary, and a selection of professional templates is available to help you get started.

There are plenty of other features as well, plus you can use the Builder with any WordPress theme, you get Google fonts support, special effects, and it’s responsive.

 

  1. Portfoliobox

Portfoliobox was designed with professional creatives in mind. This includes photographers, artists, designers, and yourself. Since it’s an online tool and is not theme-based, you’re not forced to use a standard theme, and you can in fact use any style you choose for any page; allowing you to create a website and portfolio that genuinely reflects your work, or that of your client’s.

Portfoliobox also offers free and pro plans. With the free plan, you get hosting of up to 30 images, 10 products, and 10 pages. If you decide to move over to the pro plan (it’s recommended that you first try the free plan on for size) you get hosting for more images and unlimited products and pages.

More than 400,000 unique websites have been created with Portfoliobox. Sign up for your free account today!

 

  1. Elementor Page Builder

Elementor is a free drag-and-drop page builder that’s super-fast with great UX & UI. It is also the easiest way to design WordPress websites. The editor is flexible, easy to use & intuitive. Zero coding is needed, making the design process more enjoyable than ever before.

Create any web page with pixel perfect design, speeding up your workflow with features like mobile editing, template library, import/export templates and more.

5.Themify Builder

Themify Builder’s combination of 40+ pre-designed layouts and comprehensive styling, including the ability to arrange layout grids virtually any way, offers unparalleled flexibility as a website builder. You can also style your layouts for desktop, tablet, and mobile, thanks to Responsive Styling feature.

This drag and drop layout tool also features a live preview capability, and the layout parts you create can be saved and reused. With Themify Builder, you also get a collection of 60+ animation effects.

 

  1. uKit

If you see a need fora small business website on the horizon, whether it’s yours or a client’s, uKitis an ideal pick, especially if that “horizon” is staring you in the face. You can literally have a website up and running in minutes with this super-flexible, responsive, and SEO friendly drag and drop builder. 200+ templates come with the package to get you started. Sign up for a free trial.

 

  1. Pixpa

While you can use Pixpa for almost any type of website, this all-in-one web-building platform is especially suited for creative professionals in need of a portfolio website. Pixpa also features a built-in eCommerce store, and client-proofing and blogging tools.

With its affordable pricing (you can get started for free), best-in-class hosting, and 24/7 customer support, Pixpa has become the platform of choice for many.

 

  1. IM Creator

IM Creator is a drag and drop website builder with a twist. While you have 200+ templates to get started, the approach you use involves creating your site by choosing among its selection of stripes and polygons to drag and drop onto your pages.

IM Creator is super-simple to use, it doesn’t require coding, it comes with eCommerce and blogging capabilities, and its fully responsive and Google-friendly.

 

Conclusion

These 8 website building tools might be described as being “free and easy.” This is aside from their many other features and capabilities.

It isn’t every day you get a chance to select among the best of the best website building tools. So, when you find the one that’s a perfect match for your needs, and it also happens to be free, do not miss a chance.

Make your day by going through the list, and trying one, two, or more of the Best of the Class of 2018.

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Are You a Freelance Web Designer? Improve Productivity with These 3 Techniques https://webdesignledger.com/are-you-a-freelance-web-designer-improve-productivity-with-these-3-techniques/ https://webdesignledger.com/are-you-a-freelance-web-designer-improve-productivity-with-these-3-techniques/#comments Wed, 24 Jan 2018 19:25:07 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=43511 Productivity, or the lack of it, seems to be a major issue for many freelancers. Simply working harder may be one way to increase productivity. But it has its limitations and some definite drawbacks. Working smarter makes more sense. However, only when one knows what “smarter” really involves. If you’ve already tried several approaches, without […]]]>

Productivity, or the lack of it, seems to be a major issue for many freelancers. Simply working harder may be one way to increase productivity. But it has its limitations and some definite drawbacks.

Working smarter makes more sense. However, only when one knows what “smarter” really involves.

If you’ve already tried several approaches, without a lot of success, not to worry. We’ve compiled this productivity guide to help you along. It’s a compilation of three easy-to-follow techniques, and you can start right away!

Productivity Technique #1: Use Be Theme’s pre-built websites to finish a client’s job in 4 hours

There’s no better way to start than with Be Theme. This is a premium, multipurpose WordPress theme. It features a gallery of more than 300 pre-built websites, the largest selection of its kind on the market.

With Be, you can forget about any need for wireframing. Also, there’s no need for coding. And, you won’t be wasting valuable time searching for a suitable theme to get your next project started. You’ll be able to find a theme that offers the perfect solution to your website needs in minutes. Once you’ve located it, you can install it with a single click.

When it comes down to actually building your website, Be Theme is exactly what you need. Be’s collection of powerful core features and tools will do all the heavy lifting.

At the same time, Be will give you all the design elements and options you’ll ever need. You can, in fact, pleasantly surprise a client. How? By creating an attractive, high-performance, one-of-a-kind website in as little as 4 hours.

That is not it! Once you’ve selected your pre-built website, you can, if you wish, give a client a quick preview of what he/she can expect. Some clients expect this, any client will love it.

Here’s what several Be Theme users have to say:

Here are 10 Be Theme pre-built designs you can use to create a full website in a few short hours

You could pick almost any Be Theme pre-built website, and get a good indication of the head start its design layout, content structure, and embedded functionality will give your web design project. Even better, check these 10 out:

Be Salmon

  • Building a food-oriented website? Using large images like these to entice users is a must. This pre-built website also offers an interactive menu and a customer testimonials section.

BeDetailings2

  • To score with visitors, a website for a business of this type needs to have a bold, professional look, and feature examples such as before and after images, and pricing, to help sell the services rendered.

BeMeeting

  • This pre-built website features a standard menu for meetings and events and a clean design that makes navigation easier. A bonus: a countdown clock for a major happening.

BeManicure

  • A soft, luxurious design like the one featured in this pre-built website is a must for the health and beauty niche. Setting up an eShop? An eShop is already integrated.

BeDenim

  • Bold imagery & color combinations speak to the audience this pre-built website targets. It also features an integrated eShop, and the intuitive icons make navigation as easy as can be.

BeHipHop

  • A hip design is the best design when it comes to attracting the young crowd. This pre-built website design is anything but sedate, with the integrated video and audio player adding to the good vibes.

BeCafe2

  • Give your restaurant-owning client a pleasant surprise in the form of an award-winning website highlighted by these large images inside the online menu. Top it off with a gallery of images showing off the establishment.

BeDrawing

  • An impressive gallery highlights this pre-built website destined for a creative, or creative agency. The overall design is simple and straightforward, and an integrated presentation video caps it all off.

BeTraining

  • The standard intuitive menu for eLearning platforms and the large thumbnails combine to help the user find his/her way. This design can easily be customized to perfectly fit any type of training or coursework structure.

BeClinic2

  • The sharp, simple design, clean structure, and well-organized content make navigation easy in this pre-built website for a clinic. Note how the professional look is perfect for a niche of this type.

Productivity Technique #2: Be more flexible instead of forcing yourself into a strict schedule

Being focused firmly on the task at hand should not be daunting. It doesn’t mean following a nose-to-the-grindstone approach to your work.

You want to work to a schedule, and you want to have a set of tasks or objectives in place. However, a disciplined approach that’s overly strict can be counterproductive. It can even have a stultifying effect on your work ethic.

Try these out instead:

  • When you hit a difficult spot, take a breather. This could be taking a walk around the block, taking a walk in the park with your dog, or having a cup of coffee with a friend. Doing so will work wonders for your brain; which will probably continue to work the problem.
  • Make a to-do list – a general one. To-do lists are important. Yet, if they get too lengthy and detailed you’ll often find yourself trying to do too much at once. List a task or two that could easily be carried over to, or finished, the next day if necessary.

If you insist on working to a tight, detailed schedule, you might as well be commuting to and from an office.

Productivity Technique #3: Calculate how much productivity costs you every day

You could keep track of the time you save as you work to become more efficient. Or, you could track your daily output to measure your productivity gains. However, there’s a much easier, and more effective way to motivate yourself.

Whether you charge by the hour, or by the task, you should be able to estimate what your average hourly earnings are. Now, start keeping track of hours you are wasting each day.

Note: Taking a break, walking your dog, etc., doesn’t count. In fact, you should follow the recommended practice of taking a 5 to 10-minute break every 50 minutes or so. And, you don’t want to include those breaks either.

Add up the wasted hours and multiply them by your hourly pay, and you’ll see how much that wasted time is costing you. Write it down on a sticky note, to keep in front of you. That note will prove to be an excellent motivator and productivity enhancer.

Conclusion

Putting these 3 simple techniques into practice will definitely help you a lot. They can work wonders to increase your productivity as a freelance web designer. and you don’t have to turn your lifestyle inside out to follow them.

  • Use Be Theme to put together a website in 4 hours. Be Theme provides an efficient, effective way to create websites and saves you a ton of time in the process
  • Work to a more flexible schedule. Don’t force yourself into a strict schedule as a challenge. You’ve nothing to prove.
  • Calculate how much procrastination is costing you. Once you know the answer, you’ll do something about it!

These simple, straightforward methods can be used by anyone to make the most out of their time.

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Top Design to WordPress Services You Should Consider Using https://webdesignledger.com/top-design-to-wordpress-services-you-should-consider-using/ https://webdesignledger.com/top-design-to-wordpress-services-you-should-consider-using/#comments Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:00:41 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=42202 Your design is signed off, and there’s just one step remaining. Afterward, you will be ready to introduce your website to the world. You could finish the project yourself if you had the expertise to do so. Even if that was the case, it promises to be a tedious, drawn-out task you’d rather avoid. It […]]]>

Your design is signed off, and there’s just one step remaining. Afterward, you will be ready to introduce your website to the world.

You could finish the project yourself if you had the expertise to do so. Even if that was the case, it promises to be a tedious, drawn-out task you’d rather avoid.

It makes sense to hand your design over to a reliable design to WordPress service. Let the professionals do the work!

You still have to choose a service that will do your design justice. How to find a good one? Look for those, who provide the error-free, responsive, and SEO optimized HTML/CSS code. They should do so at a reasonable price and in a reasonable time frame.

These top design to WordPress services will work their magic to build a product you can take pride in:

Design to WordPress – PSDgator

The multi-talented PSDgator team does many things well, including taking your PSD, Sketch, and AI design files, and delivering fully-functional, easy to navigate WordPress themes. The green gator team even accepts PDF files, and should you present them with a file format that could best be described as somewhat obscure, they do their very best to unlock the code and proceed with development.

You can expect to receive semantic, hand-coded HTML/CSS that’s cross-browser compatible, responsive, and optimized for performance. You can also expect the work to be done quickly.

If you have an existing WordPress theme that could use an upgrade, they’ll do that as well, whether it involves some tweaking, or a complete re-slicing or redesign. PSDgator can also enhance WordPress plugins, or design new ones based on your specifications.

Whatever your needs, just send them your design files and specifications. They’ll look them over, get back to you if they have questions, comments, or suggestions, and give you a free quote.

PSD to Manythings

PSD to Manything’s team of talented and experienced professionals can provide the front-end solutions you’re looking for to meet your design to WordPress needs. They’ll collaborate with you to make sure they fully understand your requirements before proceeding, and they’ll get the job done at a reasonable price.

It’s always a good feeling to work with developers that are totally transparent about the way they go about their business, and PSD to Manythings is such a team. You’ll always be able to track your project’s status, ask questions, or make changes should the need arise.

Providing design to WordPress solutions are only a part of what this team can do. Whether you are a freelance designer, or you represent a design team or agency, feel free to consult with the PSD to Manythings team. They live up to their name.

Xfive

Xfive first made a name for itself under the XHTMLized brand a little more than 10 years ago; switching to the present brand name relatively recently. Headquartered in Australia, with main offices in Europe and the USA, this development agency has established a reputation as a business that cares for its customers, and their projects.

Xfive will be only too happy to show you how they go about their business of converting your design files to error-free, responsive, and SEO-friendly HTML/CSS code. They’ll show you step-by-step, including insights into the coding standards they work, too.

Whether you have a single project or multiple projects, or whether you are an individual designer, a design team, or represent multiple teams, Xfive has the solutions you’re looking for. They can give you a fixed-price quote, a quote for hours required, or one for a term rental.

Goodie

Goodie is not your typical development agency. Having your new website launched the Goodie way involves choosing the member of their development team you want to work with. They specialize in launching websites, including one-page websites, for small businesses. Since they’ve been at it for more than 10 years, you can rest assured your design to WordPress project will be in good hands.

The Advantages of Using Design to WordPress Services

  • Your new website will have a modern, distinctive look.

Professional development agencies, like those described here, prefer hand-coding to automated coding. Thus, you won’t have to accept look-alike websites that machine-coding tends to produce. Your new website’s layouts will definitely have a one-of-a-kind look to them.

  • Your new website will have faster load time.

When professionals do their job, it results in a website that exhibits faster load times. The reason for this is that these developers do not insert unnecessary or redundant code.

  • You can expect superior workmanship

Professional developers take pride in pleasing their clients by doing things right.

  • The code you receive will be easy to read and maintain.

Hand-coding, using semantic HTML code, is easy to read. Consequently, errors are easier to detect and resolve, as they tend to stand out. When you have a need to make changes to your website, it will be easier, and less expensive, to do them.

  • You’ll be pleased with the UX your new website offers.

There is one key reason to choose a professional Design to WordPress developer. They take pride in creating websites that provide visitors with a pleasurable experience.

A website that provides an impressive UX is a website that will experience more traffic. Consequently, conversion rates will rise.

Conclusion

Investing in a tool that will perform development tasks for you may seem to be a less expensive approach. However, the results you get cannot be compared to what a professional developer can deliver.

Is your goal to launch a website that stands out among the rest? If the answer is yes, then allowing a design to WordPress development service to do it for you is by far the best option.

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Is a 4-Hour Workday Your Dream? Get To It With 260+ Pre-Built Websites https://webdesignledger.com/4-hour-workday-dream-best-way-make-reality/ https://webdesignledger.com/4-hour-workday-dream-best-way-make-reality/#comments Tue, 18 Jul 2017 13:00:43 +0000 http://webdesignledger.com/?p=41321 You might think that you have the needed skills to get by financially on a 4-hour workday.  Yet, it can be challenging to figure out how to get started down that path. As it is at the moment, even 8-hour workdays aren’t always enough to meet your deadlines. Also, keeping you clients happy and satisfied […]]]>

You might think that you have the needed skills to get by financially on a 4-hour workday.  Yet, it can be challenging to figure out how to get started down that path. As it is at the moment, even 8-hour workdays aren’t always enough to meet your deadlines. Also, keeping you clients happy and satisfied is another concern.

Most likely, it’s neither your skills nor your talent that’s the problem. It’s the approach you take to your work or the tools you’re using, that keep you shackled to a standard 8-hour workday.

It’s easier to make the switch than you might think.

  1. Be Theme Can Remove 4 Hours from Your Schedule in 1 Second Flat

Be Theme is one of Themeforest’s top selling WordPress themes. With this theme, you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish in 4 hours.

How about building a website from scratch and delivering it, for example? The secret lies in having ready access to over 260 pre-built websites. You can install any one of them with a single click; then customize it to meet your client’s needs. This cool 40-second video demonstrates how easy it is to get a 4-hour work session underway.

With Be Theme, you won’t waste time looking for the perfect match for a client’s niche. You will be able to customize the content of a pre-built website in a breeze.

  1. 10 Most-Common Types of Clients You’ll Win Over with Be Theme

For Clients That Sell Online Courses: Be eLearning

Building an eLearning website need not be challenging. This responsive and easy-to-customize pre-built website guarantees you’ll give your clients exactly what they want and need – an e-learning platform that will entice customers to keep coming back for more.

For Small Businesses Owners: Be Craftbeer

Be Craftbeer has all the ingredients to get your website design and development off to a great start for a client selling handcrafted products. This pre-built website, with its cool JavaScript effects and large images will, in fact, serve you well when you need to build a website for almost any small business.

For Interior Design & Architecture Industry Clients:  Be Tiles

You may not fully understand an interior architect/designer’s business model, but delivering a website based on Be Tiles will make you look like an expert on the subject. Be Tiles’ high-quality images and design elements provide the base you need to make any product stand out.

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