David’s TV Tonight is one of Australia’s most trusted TV blogs, delivering the latest news, programming updates, reviews, ratings, and industry insights. Powered by WordPress, the site provides a highly efficient content management system that makes updating and organising posts seamless. The responsive design ensures that readers enjoy an optimal browsing experience across desktops, tablets, and mobiles.
Design & Development
When designing David’s TV Tonight, my primary focus was on creating a clean, intuitive layout that prioritises user experience. I wanted to ensure that readers could effortlessly navigate to key sections like News, Programming, Reviews, Ratings, and the TV Lounge. To achieve this, I implemented a responsive framework that adapts perfectly to any screen size, ensuring the site performs well across all devices.
For the backend, I used WordPress as the CMS, which allowed me to build a custom theme tailored to the blog’s specific needs. Elementor templates were employed to streamline page design and ensure brand consistency. I paid close attention to writing clean, maintainable code, keeping scalability in mind for future growth. To simplify content management for the client, I integrated Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), making it easy to update posts and pages without technical know-how.
Functionality
- TV Lounge: I added a community forum using a robust WordPress discussion plugin. This feature encourages user engagement by giving readers a dedicated space to discuss TV shows and industry news.
- Contact Forms: Using Gravity Forms, I developed customised forms for the “Write to the Editor” and “Contact” pages. These forms are designed with built-in email notifications and spam protection, ensuring they work seamlessly for both users and the admin team.
- Advertising Integration: ad spaces are inserted using Ad Inserter Pro, balancing monetisation with user experience. The ads are designed to be non-intrusive and maintain engagement without disrupting the flow of content.
Content Structuring
The site was structured to support the regular influx of new content while maintaining accessibility:
- A clear taxonomy for categories such as News, Ratings, and Reviews.
- Custom post types for specialised content like Ratings or Advertising opportunities.
- Tagging and hierarchical categories allow users to quickly find related articles.
Search Engine Optimisation
Every post and page was enhanced with SEO best practices, using plugins like All-In-One SEO to ensure search engine visibility. Schema markup was also implemented for improved rankings and rich snippets.
Performance Optimisation
Fast Loading Times
Page speed was a top priority to ensure an enjoyable user experience:
- Images are optimised using Jetpack Image CDN for fast loading without compromising quality.
- Caching was handled with WP Rocket, ensuring swift page delivery.
- A Content Delivery Network (CDN) was implemented to distribute assets globally and reduce server load via Cloudflare.
Server & Database Optimisation
The WordPress database was optimised to handle high traffic volumes with minimal latency. Queries were refined to reduce unnecessary load, ensuring the site performs well even during peak times.
