Written by: Jordan Sprogis
Edited by: Lillian Castro
Reviewed by: Cristian Lopez
TL; DR: IT Monks is a web development company specializing in creating custom WordPress and WooCommerce websites. With decades of experience and a focus on innovation and continuous improvement, the IT Monks team takes pride in building visually stunning, fast, and performance-oriented websites for any business in any industry. We spoke with Alex Osmichenko, the Founder of IT Monks, about the importance of staying competitive in the modern marketplace and the factors that online businesses should consider when creating their websites.
I am rarely surprised to learn that a website is built on or with WordPress. WordPress is among the most versatile and customizable content management systems — and it powers around 43% of all websites on the internet.
But considering the intensely growing competition in the digital world, especially for small businesses, getting noticed is getting harder. Many experts within the marketing space will be the first to say there’s a first step everyone should take: If you want to take on an online presence that puts you in front, then build a dynamic, custom-built website.
When 48% of users say web design is essential in determining a website’s credibility, there’s almost no question about it. The team at IT Monks knows this well: As a dedicated WordPress web design agency, IT Monks builds custom-made WordPress or WooCommerce websites from the ground up.
IT Monks is not your average WordPress designer, though. It doesn’t rely on premade themes or prewritten code; its goal is to give each client a unique product.
“Marketing, analytics, social media, and implementing technologies scalable enough to adjust to our client’s future growth are the vital elements we emphasize,” said Alex Osmichenko, Founder of IT Monks. “We never stand still. We are always learning, mastering new skills, and adopting new technologies.”
Stand Out With a Custom Site
You might be surprised to learn that 3 in 10 business owners do not have a website. When asked why, they cited a lack of time, resources, and knowledge as the main reasons.
But if you’re anything like me, you’re a firm believer that a business website is a minimal requirement to thrive in any market. People like to learn about a business or product first so it doesn’t feel like they’re diving right into the deep end.
“To stay competitive, businesses must adopt services that allow them to focus on their core operations,” Alex said.
Often, businesses choose premade themes, but they have limitations; for example, a beautician may want a rolling gallery feature to display her work, but there’s a chance that a theme she loves doesn’t support that feature.
IT Monks provides managed hosting, access to around-the-clock technical support, regular performance reviews, and compliance checks with industry standards and regulations (such as PCI-DSS for eCommerce sites handling credit card information).
IT Monks begins by setting clear business objectives, such as building brand awareness, lead generation, or eCommerce sales, and specifying the target audience, especially their demographics, interests, and behaviors.
“Content strategy and SEO should go hand-in-hand; SEO is not dead, as many mistakenly believe. The approaches and strategies that worked a few years ago are no longer relevant,” Alex noted. “Today, we have new algorithms that have changed how we see and interact with search results.”
Staying Sharp in a Competitive Space
The IT Monks team includes developers, UI/UX designers, QA experts, project managers, SEO specialists, and content creators. It recently received the WordPress VIP Silver Agency Partner award for 2024.
But the team’s origins were humble.
“We’ve come a long way to become who we are today. For over 15 years, our team has been growing, improving its skills, and mastering new technologies,” said Alex. “Our team works hard to deliver custom WordPress development services for publishing and eCommerce clients.”
One thing that’s stayed consistent is IT Monks’ client-centric approach. Their websites stay high-performing thanks to advanced caching techniques, CDN integration, firewalls, DDoS protection, malware scanning, and regular security updates.
“We’re a big fan of transparent communication,” Alex said, adding, “This includes regular updates and collaborative project management tools to keep clients informed and engaged throughout development.”
IT Monks has two main departments: One works directly with customers, and the other provides web services to agencies under a white-label model.
Here’s a look at IT Monks’ full services:
- Custom web design
- UI/UX design
- Custom WordPress development
- WooCommerce development
- Plugin development
- API & integrations
- Landing page development
- Corporate web design
- eCommerce web development
- Information web development
- Frontend development
Check out IT Monks’ portfolio to see how it works in real time.
IT Monks plans to implement headless development and omnichannel integration, which will separate the frontend and back end of clients’ websites.
Alex also mentioned that IT Monks is working on creating progressive web apps (PWAs) to enable offline functionality, push notifications, and faster load times, providing users with a seamless app-like experience on the web.
The team is also developing no-code/low-code tools to empower users to create and manage websites without extensive technical knowledge.
Alex noted that drag-and-drop interfaces are evolving. With IT Monks’ no-code/low-code website builders, clients can leverage intuitive interfaces, prebuilt templates, and customizable modules to tailor their websites to meet their needs.
The SMB Essentials Checklist
IT Monks believes that much of its clients’ success rides on following a type of SMB essentials checklist. Some key steps include:
- Fundamental steps: Setting clear business objectives, defining primary goals, and target audience
- Content strategy and SEO: Modern SEO practices and content optimization
- Technical infrastructure: Reliable hosting, website speed optimization, and security measures
- Marketing and analytics: Incorporating scalable technologies for business growth
- Good UI/UX: Responsive, visually appealing, and easy-to-navigate designs are essential for first impressions and design-oriented user experiences
“Our UI/UX designers keep every project clean, simple, intuitive, and well-optimized for all devices,” Alex said. “High-quality images, compelling CTAs, trust badges, personalized recommendations, and the content displayed based on user behavior and interest are only some of the essential variables of the eCommerce web designs that we make.”
Alex added that, unfortunately, accessibility is an aspect that often goes unnoticed in UI/UX, but IT Monks works hard to make its eCommerce sites accessible to all users by following WCAG guidelines.
If you’re looking for a partner that will bring your business to life with WordPress or WooCommerce, IT Monks handles every step — from planning to execution and continuous monitoring. Submit a brief or schedule a call with these WordPress experts today.
