A custom WordPress site for spy novelist Xander Richards featuring a dramatic animated homepage and a WooCommerce setup for direct book sales. The design used a background explosion GIF synced with the homepage slider so book covers “fly out” in time with each slide—tailored for the spy thriller niche.
Project Summary
I built and launched a WordPress site that balanced high-impact visuals with clear paths to discover and purchase books. Using free Elementor, custom CSS, and a slider, the homepage animation was layered so each book reveal aligned to slide timing. WooCommerce handled product pages, and I customized the cart and checkout to match the brand. Shortly after launch, the author became ill and retired, so the site was sunset before long-term performance data could be gathered.
The Problem
The author needed a modern, genre-appropriate website to showcase series titles and enable direct sales. The previous presence lacked visual impact, clear product presentation, and a seamless checkout.
The Solution
- Homepage animation: explosion GIF behind the slider, timed so each book cover appears to emerge from the blast in sync with slide transitions.
- Product discovery: book landing pages with cover art, blurbs, and purchase links.
- WooCommerce: configured products, and customized the cart and checkout layouts for a cleaner funnel.
- Mobile/responsive: ensured animation, layout, and product pages worked smoothly across devices.
Technical Breakdown
- Platform: WordPress with free Elementor.
- Animation: Layered background GIF + slider; timing aligned via slider delays; optimized GIF size and lazy loading.
- WooCommerce: Template overrides and CSS for cart/checkout styling; checkout field tweaks and button states.
- Performance & UX: image compression, deferred scripts where possible; considered
prefers-reduced-motionfor accessibility. - SEO basics: structured headings, meta and OG tags via SEO plugin, clean URLs.
Status
The site was launched and functional, but the author retired shortly afterward due to illness. As a result, the project was placed on hold and later sunset without running a long campaign.
What I’d Add Next (If Resumed)
- Mailing list + launch automation for new releases.
- Series hub pages with reading order and cross-links.
- Lightweight motion alternatives for low-bandwidth visitors.
