Welcome to my blog! If you’re reading this, chances are you’re curious about who I am, what I do, or why I even started this blog in the first place. So, let’s dive in. Who Am I? I’m Vernon Howard, a freelance WordPress developer and the founder of VSHoward LLC. I specialize in building and…
People don’t quit companies. That line gets repeated so often it has lost most of its meaning, but the reason it stuck is that it’s mostly true. Someone takes a job because of the company. They stay or leave because of the person they report to. I managed people for a long time, starting in…
Someone told me recently that I can sometimes come across as harsh. Not wrong or unclear. Just harsh. The comment came from someone in the Midwest, which probably explains the gap more than anything else. What “harsh” actually means On the East Coast, direct communication is normal. You say what you mean, you get to…
It’s been a while since I posted. I accepted a full-time job as a full-stack developer with an agency last May, and it’s been a whirlwind experience ever since. Mostly good, but also a sense of mourning, leaving behind the life of a freelancer that gave me so much time to grow, learn new things,…
I don’t hate plugins. But I’ve seen enough WordPress sites break, slow down, or spiral out of control because of plugin overload. So I try to avoid them when I can. Not because I think plugins are bad. I just prefer building functionality into the theme when it makes sense. Let me explain. The Problem…
I’m not going to lie. The past four months have been rough. December is usually slow because of the holidays, but things normally pick up in January. This year, they didn’t. I’m still not sure why. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s the uncertainty everyone seems stuck in. Then came surgery in March, which knocked…
Most websites still show everyone the same content. That’s fine for some things. But if you want to keep people around longer, or get them to take action, you need to make your content feel more relevant. That’s where dynamic content comes in. What is dynamic content? It’s content that changes depending on who’s viewing…
One of the first things people ask when they reach out about a new WordPress site is: “How much is this going to cost?” Fair question — but like a lot of things in web development, the answer is: it depends. The price can vary a lot depending on what kind of site you need,…
I started building websites in 1997, back when the internet was young and boring. Everything was tables and spacer GIFs. Flash was just starting to catch on. If you wanted to change a font, you were basically asking for trouble. But I was hooked. Since then, I’ve seen the web go through a lot of…
Web design in 2025 is more practical than flashy. It’s less about trends for their own sake and more about building sites people can actually use. You’re seeing leaner layouts, smarter typography, and accessibility baked in from the start. Motion is used sparingly. Navigation is visible again. And yes, hero sliders have finally been put…
Let’s talk about money for a second. Specifically, deposits. I charge 50% upfront for every project I take on. Not 10%, not 25%, and definitely not “we’ll pay you when it’s done.” Half up front, always. Why? Because I’ve learned the hard way. When I first started freelancing, I was hesitant to ask for a…
