I try to enforce Zend Framework for every new project started. If not in the requirements section of my quote, it is not that hard to convince a client of its advantages.

Tell a client how Zend Framework

• improves stability,
• lowers development time

and in particular

• makes them less dependent on you as other ZF developers can pick up projects you started a lot easier.

Now, please don’t start to think about job security. Just don’t.

But, Zend Framework has a fairly high PHP version requirement. Since version 1.7 Zend has quietly changed the requirements to PHP 5.2.4. In respect of a client’s (shared) hosting, this can be the most difficult part.
This was probably a logical thing to do since the requirements mentioned PHP 5.1.4 until ZF 1.6.2 and pre-5.2.4 versions miss some great features and contain nasty bugs (in reality some ZF components didn’t even run on PHP 5.1.4).

In Belgium however, it is difficult to find a hosting company that supports PHP 5.2.4.

Last month I developed an online bikini store for a design company based on Zend Framework and some jQuery widgets. It wasn’t only a fun subject - the site also performs very well. Both on organic search and on conversions.

One thing that I found to be a life saver: use caching for Zend_Currency.

$cache = Zend_Cache::factory('Output',
                             'File',
                             $configFrontend,
                             $configBackend);
Zend_Currency::setCache($cache);

Or another caching mechanism of course - this will visibly speed up page loading.
Edit: also do this for Zend_Translate but you could have thought of that yourself.

Besides that the finishing touch is a local touch: Clickini loves your country (if they are shipping to you that is). Thanks to my flexible hosting company (who installed Maxminds PHP GeoIP extension) & the world’s favorite icons, that was easy to accomplish.