Turn overwhelm and indecision into confident action with WordPress development planning principles you can apply to any project
No overly confusing tech speak & burying concepts under 6 ft of jargon
Start making development decisions with more confidence right away
Concepts that are applicable to whatever way you build in WordPress
You're a smart developer. You know how to code. You can build a WordPress website. You have no problem customizing themes and blocks, and clients are generally happy with everything you do.
But unbeknownst to clients, projects are a bit of a mess behind the scenes, and it creates stress, frustration, and maybe a bit of panic that you’d rather live without.
It's okay. You're not alone and we've all been there.
If you’re like me, you first tried solving these WordPress development issues in other ways, searching for the perfect tutorial or the build tool that will instantly solve your problems.
But instead, you found:
An overwhelming number of development possibilities that just create more questions than answers on how to approach WordPress development.
Development experts pushing their page builder of choice or a plugin they like, making you think your tools are the issue & leading to constantly testing new solutions and not focusing on client work that generates revenue.
Frustrating development tutorials that make assumptions about your level of knowledge or lack the explanation of why the solution works, so you don’t learn anything beyond copying and pasting a snippet of code.
You probably like your process for building WordPress websites. You're familiar with your tools and you're not interested in being told by some random developer that the way they prefer to build in WordPress is the way you have to build in WordPress.
Trust me, I get it. Whenever a developer tries to convince me their personal preference is the only acceptable solution, my eyes instantly roll so far back in my head they almost get stuck.
You want the development process to be smoother and avoid potential challenges and the sticky build situations you’ve experienced in the past.
I won't tell you that you need to build your WordPress websites the way I build WordPress websites to solve these problems because there isn't one right way.
I will show you how to build better WordPress websites your way by adjusting how you think about development and what you do before you start building.
From a site's architecture to its code, theme, and plugins, this course will have you considering the WHY behind your development decisions. It will get you thinking smarter about what happens before you write a single line of code so you make fewer mistakes and enjoy smoother, stress-free builds. Every web designer and web developer, regardless of their experience level or the tools they use, can up their game with the lessons and insights Kristin shares!
Module 1
If the underlying structure of your WordPress website isn’t approached strategically, projects can suffer from flaws that make them hard to manage, challenging to use, and difficult to scale, and may put you in the tough spot of being forced to start over. Learn how to avoid these costly structure missteps by better understanding the core components of WordPress, allowing you to confidently make structure choices in your future projects.
Lessons: Planning WordPress Architecture, Performance Implications of Structure Choices, The Power of Custom Post Types, Expanding Post Type Applications, How Taxonomies Improve Content Structure, Logic & Layout Determine Custom Fields, Planning Blocks & Patterns, Avoiding Issues by Planning Structure
Module 2
Every developer has had the experience where they're just not sure the best approach for a client's requests. It's okay to not immediately have all the answers – no one does. When you find yourself in this tough spot, how do you get unstuck and get the traction you need to continue to move planning forward? Boost your problem-solving abilities and learn valuable techniques for tackling challenges in WordPress development.
Lessons: Starting With What You Know, Researching Solutions Effectively, Talking Out the Problem (and Solution!), The Downside of AI, Don’t Be Afraid to Try
Module 3
Plugins are a fundamental part of developing websites with WordPress. They're helpful tools that can simplify adding complex functionality, optimize project budgets, and expedite development timelines. But if they're not carefully planned for before development begins, plugins can also cause a lot of headaches. Learn strategies to avoid plugin pitfalls, make informed decisions between custom solutions and plugins, and communicate these decisions clearly to clients.
Lessons: Introduction to Plugin Planning, Plugin Myth Busting, The Case for Premium Plugins, Pitching Premium Plugins to Clients, Plugin Planning & the Pitfalls of Experience
Module 4
A well-rounded WordPress build pays the same care & attention to the editing experience as it does the front-end. Done well and it elevates any project. But by neglecting the careful planning needed to simplify this experience for your clients, it can instead be the source of a lot of dissatisfaction. Learn strategies for transforming a potential point of frustration into a highlight of your project, empowering clients to actually use the site you're building for them.
Lessons: Optimizing the Editing Experience, Building Client Guardrails, Simplifying Editing Workflows, Simple Tips for Boosting Admin Clarity, Benefits of Clear Editing Workflows
Module 5
The design dictates so much of what happens in development. Showing up as a development expert for your design partners means being able to not just execute the design, but to speak to implications of various choices and what it means for a project's budget and timeline. Learn how to quickly spot areas of development concern, identify design partners who best complement your own skillset, and overall create an environment where both sides shine.
Lessons: Preparing for Development During Design, Recognizing Design Issues that Impact Development, Finding the Right Design Partner, Detail-Oriented Development, The Designer/Developer Relationship
Lessons Made for Different Learning Preferences
Also Includes BONUS Technical Tutorials
Extending Plugins with Hooks • WordPress Troubleshooting Guide • Disabling Formatting Controls with Theme.json • and more on the way!
Start planning WordPress websites with more confidence today!
Save $50 to get the course for only $97 through 5/31 with code LAUNCHSPECIAL
$147
One-Time Payment • Immediate Access to All Course Materials • Lifetime Access for Future Updates
Get lifetime access to this course for only $97 through May 31st with promo code LAUNCHSPECIAL (reg: $147). If it saves you from even just one development misstep in WordPress — and it will! — it will have already more than paid for itself.
Upon enrollment, you'll get immediate access to all individual lessons and existing course bonuses. The course includes over two hours of video content, written content, and also has an audio MP3 of each module's lessons. This is a self-paced course so you can move through the lessons as fast or as slow as you want, and in any order you want.
Additional technical bonuses will be available on the following dates: The One-Click Magic of Block Styles (4/26), The Power of Patterns (5/3) and Locking Down the Block Editor (5/10). Purchasing the course gives you lifetime access to all future content and course updates.
Absolutely! You can check out the first lesson in the structure module here!
No, this is not a “how to code WordPress websites” course. This is a course on strategic development thinking when it comes to WordPress websites. It’s best suited for those with a base-level understanding of building WordPress websites, who want to elevate their website planning and development approach while boosting their confidence as a developer.
Yes! While you may get more out of certain bonuses if you use Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) or the WordPress block editor, the core course curriculum will fit however you prefer to build websites with WordPress.
While this course is primarily geared towards those who develop WordPress sites, anyone involved in the website-building process can benefit from the lessons!
The concepts covered in this course are explained in clear, simple terms and without technical jargon (as much as possible). It will help you better understand the development side of website projects and the choices made that will impact the entire website-building process. Designers will gain a more clear picture of how their design choices impact development and project managers will gain confidence in navigating communication about strategy and with developers.
Still on the fence? If you have any other questions about what this course covers or whether it's right for you, shoot me an email @ hello@wpfieldwork.com and I'm happy to help!
Website Planning for WordPress Developers is a must for any dev who has been searching for a way to raise their game to the next level with less effort. This course weaves together strategic thinking with practical tips and approaches that have changed the way I plan builds going forward. Beyond the wealth of knowledge and experience Kristin brings to the table, I love her down-to-earth conversational teaching style that draws me in to keep learning more. Had I taken this course earlier in my career, I would have been far more effective building sites with less stress and ultimately making more profit per project.
With impatient and eager clients and looming project deadlines, it's tempting to bypass planning and dive right into code. It took me years of learning very expensive lessons the hard way to realize how much I was dooming my projects from the start by doing just that.
As it turns out, having a plan for your development in the beginning is far better than flying by the seat of your pants and hoping it comes together in the end. Who could have guessed?
Unfortunately, knowing that planning is important and knowing how to plan projects well are two very different things, and you can't do the latter without a solid understanding of core WordPress development principles.
That's why you don’t need another development tutorial you'll use once and forget about. What you need is the WHY that powers smart, strategic, forward-thinking development. Because once you understand the WHY, you can build better WordPress websites and:
Hi! I'm Kristin Falkner.
For more than 15 years, I’ve built WordPress websites for agencies and businesses of all sizes, from local small businesses to global brands like AT&T and NBC Universal. Even with deep experience building complicated solutions, I repeatedly return to the same foundational development concepts to ensure I don’t waste my time or clients’ budgets.
But I see a persistent problem in the development space: Most development training is focused on technical execution because technology (and how you build a solution with it) is in a constant state of change. What doesn’t change, however, is the strategic thinking and planning that drives successful website development projects — and there are nowhere near enough developers talking about that critical pre-development phase of projects and why you can't afford to get it wrong.
On every development project, big and small, you must know why you make the choices you do — otherwise it can bite you in the butt big time. It’s exactly why I created this course.
Yes, this WordPress development course is built on the principles that have stuck with me for years — development concepts I still rely on in every project. It covers what you need to know, understand, and think through before writing a single line of code. I learned many of these lessons the hard way. My hope is that by sharing my experience and knowledge, you don’t have to.