Blogs have become more and more common over the past few years. Many people are choosing WordPress for publishing their blogs. WordPress is great, but it may also be overwhelming for beginners. Read on for some awesome tips on using this platform.
Be sure to stay on top of updates! Many updates to add-ons or WordPress are security-based, meaning your site could be compromised if you don’t update the software. If it’s telling you a new update is available, install it as soon as possible to protect your site from harm.
Check out add-ons to find simple tools which will make your site or blog better. For example, you could add a calendar to your side menu bar to share events that would be interesting to your readers. You can also find many great add-ons that control advertising, turning your site into a revenue maker.
Remember that the title and description of each page on your site are what many other sites will use to categorize your link and share it with the world. For example, it will be what Google shows when someone searches for a site like your own. Fill them with SEO key phrases and make sure there are no typos.
Don’t forget to use spellcheck. It may seem obvious now, but many people forget to do it. When using the WordPress editor to post to your blog, make sure you take advantage of its spellcheck function. Even if you have already proofread your post, quick and simple spellcheck couldn’t hurt.
Images make your blog look beautiful; however, the images can also help your site rank higher among search engines. One of the easiest ways is to add keywords to your title tag and alternate tags. Both of these tags should contain precise keywords to rank your site appropriately.
Make sure that your wordpress site loads as fast as possible for your visitors. This is vital, as a site that crashes or takes too long will discourage your users from visiting it. A fast site will put your users in a good mood when they come there daily.
Control unruly spam by not turning off comments but installing the right plugin. Aksimet’s anti-spam plugin is exceptional at keeping your site up and up. You can also add Recaptcha, which adds a captcha to the comments box on your site, ensuring no bots can leave a message.
Always keep your library of media organized. It’s tempting to upload pictures into the library directly. However, things can easily get disorganized. Instead, create folders and place your images in the appropriate folders. Later, you will be able to find an image you want to use much easier.
So, what is the difference between tags and categories, and why should I care? Categories are broad and house many posts which fall into the same genre, such as “cleaning tips.” Tags are more targeted, detailed words that describe a post’s content, such as “removing blood stains” or “getting out grass stains.”
If you need to work on your site, be sure to turn on a maintenance mode so that visitors aren’t surprised by the current state of your website. There are lots of maintenance mode plugins out there. And best of all, they are typically free. It’s a quick button push to toggle maintenance mode on and off.
Some visitors may want to share one of your posts with friends or family members through their email. Unless you have a plugin specifically for that purpose, the user may not find the process very easy. Therefore, install one ahead of time so that your visitors are not frustrated.
Use the Comments tab in the WordPress dashboard sidebar to keep tabs on who is posting what on your site. This will save you the hassle of getting an email every time someone says something in reply to a post. In the end, you don’t have time for that!
Want to create a new link in your post? There is no need to click the link icon any longer. Use ctrl-shift-A instead to start the link creation process using the keyboard and not the mouse. When you create many links within your content, this can shave time off the creation process.
When searching for great plugins, make sure to read the reviews. Remember that anyone with some programming know-how can build these plugins. It would be best if you stayed away from plugins full of problems. Look for ones that have high ratings and have been heavily downloaded.
Do you want to get rid of the WordPress clutter? Try turning off buttons you don’t use. This can be done by using “screen options” near the top of your WordPress window. Click this option, which enables you to choose which boxes you want.
Are the pictures on your site too big? Or, are you concerned that your visitors cannot see them? Click on “settings” and then on “media.” You will be able to adjust the default size of your pictures. Spend a little time playing around with this to see what suits you, and your site, the best.
The only way to learn WordPress is by practicing it. You can sign up for a free account on WordPress.com and start experimenting with its many features. Change images, background color, font sizes, etc. The more you get your hands on it, the more comfortable you feel about using it.
Your first WordPress plugin install should be Jetpack. The plugin extends the usability of WordPress in a lot of important ways. For instance, it gives you some basic analytics on the main page of the dashboard. It also increases your social media options for your website and adds in contact form options.
Conclusion:
You now have, hopefully, a lot more knowledge about WordPress. It is surprising to discover how commonly the tool is used and how few folks understand it. This article should be of great assistance as you begin to navigate WordPress.
