Wordpress Development, Email Marketing Australia, Magento Development, Facebook Design and Development

At DzineClub we work with multiple CMS platforms to make sure that we are in touch with all the latest technologies. We have dedicated staff who work with platforms such as Magento, Joomla, Drupal and WordPress.

Our CMS of choice is WordPress (for websites) and Magento Commerce (for Online stores) and it consists of our bigger team of development. The reasons we pick WordPress  and Magento is because these platforms are easier to install, develop, deploy and improve on.

This means that as a client you get speedier development, lower total cost of ownership, Quicker updates and integrations. If you need a design refresh in a few months, you don’t have to worry about the content, it will just be a matter of putting a new skin on top.

That, a CMS that is a perfect fit today might not be the best in a few years. This was the case with Joomla a few years ago and now WordPress has taken the crown from our prespective.

Some of the things we look for in a CMS before developing are:

• How easy it is to install
• How easy is it to update
• How easy will it be for the client to use
• How easy is it to put a skin/theme on top
• How far can we push the flexibility of the CMS
• Can the CMS handle meta data and multiple content types (pages, posts, news, whitepapers, images, events, videos)
• How does the CMS handle SEO straight out of the box
• How easy is it to integrate new technology onto the platform
• How does the CMS handle multiple editors and their roles
• Is there a defined roadmap and will it stick around in the future
• Is there a good development base and are there lots of users who support this platform
• What is the security behind the CMS

Based on this, we make a recommendation for a CMS for a client.

We just came across this infograph by the guys at Devious Media on the 3 open source platforms. Our summary follows after the graphic based on the infograph.  Please note that we wont be discussing Joomla as we don’t see a definite future with Joomla.

Drupal:

• More used by Heavy/Large Enterprise companies
• More used by complicated companies
• Decent Developer community
• Good Client List

WordPress:

• Faster Updates
• Twice as many updates than Drupal/Joomla
• Twice as many plugins and themes
• Larger number of developer and user adoption (upto 10 times as much)
• More social
• More Cost Effective
• Lower Total cost of ownership
• Stronger SEO straight out of the box
• Easier to learn to use

Summary

We recommend using WordPress for most sites and have worked with a large number of sites where we have customised WordPress to work as per business needs. Please view our list of sites we have customised for WordPress here:

http://www.dzineclub.com/blog/2011/01/wordpress-development-wordpress-design/

WordPress for Medium to Large Clients

We still recommend using WordPress for Medium to Large Clients because of the level of customisation that can be done in WordPress and how quickly it can be changed and new plugins being added. What Drupal can do for such size clients can easily be accommodated using Plugins in WordPress.

WordPress or Drupal for Heavy Enterprise Clients

For sites such as the main Government site, user payments and memberships, forums, connections to ERP platforms, WordPress is probably not the right option right now. The best solution would be to customise Drupal or use a paid CMS Platform. However if you are developing your site in 6 months or a year’s time, WordPress should be a worthy competitor.

Have you got a website that you are looking at developing and are not sure which CMS is the best to use?

Flick us an email at info@dzineclub.com and we’ll recommend a solution based on our expertise.

We have just started working on SEO with a client in Sydney who run day trips to the Royal National Park.  We are using WordPress and Joomla to generate content to get visibility across main keywords on the website. We are then using tools to get properly indexed by Google and Bing to maximise visibility on both the Search engines. The third process is going over Facebook and creating a good presence there. Then its all about using online tools to create better customer service.

Here is a bit of information about Understand Down Under. There is a bit of information about the two most popular trips that UDU run for visitors as well.

Day Tours from Sydney – Understand Down Under

UDU commenced in 2006, after over three years of planning.  Its main focus was providing an experience of a lifetime, and everyone who has been on an UDU our will tell you that’s exactly what it is.  UDUs first eco tours where it’s guided bushwalks, a challenging adventure through wilderness and remote beaches.   UDU now has day tours from Sydney that allow people of all ages and abilities can understand the Royal National Park’s hidden beauty.

The Royal National Park is Sydney’s hidden secret. More than just bush & rainforest, the Royal boasts beautiful coastlines.  It is only 30km South of Sydney; so instead of sitting on a bus, UDUs travellers relax or swim at the beach.

Here are the two most famous UDU tours:

1 Day Royal National Park Eco-tour

UDU’s day tours are a great mix of active discovery & serene relaxation.  The highlights of the itinerary are:

• Discovery Eco-walk – exploring the magical Wattamolla, learning how to live in Australia’s bushlands & hear dreaming stories
• Garie Beach – plenty of time to swim, play Aussie beach games, relax or sunbake.  For the more adventurous, climbing to the cliff-top for a breathtaking panoramic view
• Throwing boomerangs & spears, alongside the Hacking River
• Tranquil bushwalk through temperate rainforest
• Afternoon tea with awe-inspiring views from Bald Hill; home to Lawrence Hargraves, Australia’s pioneer of flight
• Grand Pacific Drive – taking time to see this incredible area, including the distinctive Sea Cliff Bridge.  

Sydney Moonwalks- Sunset to Sunrise

For memories that are out of this world!  After a candlelit dinner, as the sun sets and the full moon rises over Wattamolla lagoon, join in on adventure of a lifetime. Get your glow sticks on and get back to nature, where you will learn all of the Royal National Parks natural wonders, and become a first class night photographer. 

Book Sydney Day Tours

To book a Sydney Day tour, please click here to view available dates:

Improving your Joomla SEO to increase visitors

We are currently involved in doing some SEO work for a new client in Sydney. Usually most Joomla sites are setup and used to push out content. You usually tend to use extensions to do  outside most of your out of the box functionalities.

As we are working through their site, here are some things you should do from a SEO perspective if you have a Joomla website.

Search Friendly Urls in Joomla

Make sure you have search friendly Urls. You can use multiple plugins or use the generic Joomla functionality to create hits. By default this is not enabled and you have to go in and enable this manually.

Use tag Clouds

Use tags and have a tag list or a tag cloud. This gives search engines more ways of indexing your data.

Use Menus, Categories and Aliases properly

These are not just for identification, these are also to make sure that Search Engines know what kind of content you have. So take full advantage of these

Integrate Web Analytics

Integrate a better analytics solution than what Joomla provides. Something like Google Analytics which is a free tool.

Create a Sitemap

Without a sitemap, you are relying on Search Engines to go through each and every one of your links. Make it easier by creating a xml standard sitemap and having it post to Google and Bing.