Background
State of Grace Yoga and Meditation is a yoga business based in Colorado that has recently started offering wellness retreats for women. They initially approached me to help edit content on their existing website, which was created using a custom CMS developed by their previous developer. However, the previous developer was hesitant to grant me FTP access to make necessary modifications. Since the developer was retiring and I had previously worked with the owner, we decided to create a new website to replace the existing one.
Requirements
The main requirements for the new website were as follows:
- Create a visually appealing site that conveys a sense of peace and tranquillity and serves as an online presence.
- Enable retreat bookings and process payments.
- Allow yoga class bookings and payments.
- Facilitate physical merchandise sales.
- Implement contact forms.
- Include a blogging feature.
Implementation
To keep costs low and ensure ongoing support, we chose to use WordPress as the content management system (CMS), WooCommerce as the e-commerce solution, and Elementor as the page builder. WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with WordPress and is a well-supported e-commerce platform that can be customized to align with the company’s branding. It provides the necessary functionality for both selling physical merchandise and handling reservations.
We carefully selected stock images that evoke a sense of tranquility and also provide contrast with the chosen colour palette. The client personally chose meaningful quotes, which we incorporated into transitional blocks between the stock images on the home page.
The development of the website took several weeks, and I provided the client with a one-hour training session on how to add or modify content on the site. Although the site includes the ability to book and schedule yoga classes, the client found that their schedule was not consistent enough to offer classes in that manner. As a result, we deactivated the booking system on the site, but it remains in the codebase so that it can be easily reactivated if the client decides to offer classes in the future.