First site for client

  • I just completed my first WordPress site. Because it was for myself, I set up a local server and then migrated it. Now I have a client who has specifically asked for a WP site but I am unclear on a few things.

    In doing a site for a client, where do you build it? Obviously they’re going to need to view it before it’s live. Do you have a separate domain set up specifically for development? Or a sub-domain? And, how do you set it up so that when the client logs in, they don’t see the admin panel? Is there a way to keep the site private before an official launch?

    Thanks for any help you can offer.

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

  • I normally setup the site on the live server

    Typically, I set up a dev subdomain on my domain for development. When they visit the site, they’ll be able to view it through the subdomain as a visitor so they won’t see the admin dashboard. You can remove the admin bar from the site in the settings as well. Just make sure you use a robots.txt file in the subdomain to keep robots from indexing the site (so it doesn’t show up in search results). Also, if you truly want to keep it private you can password protect the folder that the subdomain resides in. That way, the only visitors that will be able to see the site are those who have the password you supply them. I hope this helps!

    Thread Starter LisaM17

    (@lisam17)

    Thank you, Tim, that is really helpful!

    I should have mentioned that this is a replacement site.

    Even still, when you are ready to move the site into it’s place you can easily migrate it. I still do this so the customer can view the site while in development and once the site is finalized, migrate it to it’s replacement. I hope this helps!

    Thread Starter LisaM17

    (@lisam17)

    Very helpful, thanks!

    I’m glad I could help you! Let us know how it works out for you.

    Thread Starter LisaM17

    (@lisam17)

    Now that the project is going forward, I have additional information. Currently, the site is hosted on their own server. They will keep this live while I’m designing a new site. The new site will be hosted externally with a hosting provider. My new question is: What’s the best way to work when I will not be able to use the existing domain name? Should I work in a subdomain of my own site?

    You could work on a subdomain of your own site, or some hosting providers will give you a temporary URL, that is not domain specific. MY hosting provider does this, so it allows me to work on a live site using a temporary URL.

    Thread Starter LisaM17

    (@lisam17)

    Again, I thank you!

    Tim S

    (@tim-s)

    No worries! I hope I helped.

    Thread Starter LisaM17

    (@lisam17)

    I’m not familiar with setting up a robots.txt file. I would like to block all robots while in the creation phase. Could you help me with this?

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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