WordPress is one of the most powerful and flexible tools out there for bloggers. When you choose to use WordPress, you have at your fingertips a vast array of features you can use to customize your blog. To learn more about these options, you should read the advice in the following article.
If you plan to start a WordPress blog, make sure that you offer readers more than just content. Even if you say many useful things, it may be quite difficult to engage readers with text. It would be a great idea to implement videos and pictures since this is a great attention grabber.
Allow all of the users that visit your site the ability to comment using Facebook. This is a very important tool that will get your name across to hundreds of thousands of people. The Simple Facebook Connect plugin can be used if you want to install this feature on your site.
Most templates come with a landing page built in, so make use of it. This stripped down page allows you to focus their intention on exactly what you want them to look at, be it a sign-up form or a “Buy Now” link. This ensures they take the actions you want them to.
Make use of a landing page. Instead of coming directly to current posts, users will pass through this landing page first. You can use this for a variety of reasons, whether for promoting a product or promoting yourself. Many themes feature a landing page; however, there are also paid options.
If you don’t like your theme, change it! There are thousands of free themes available online which allow you to quickly and easily change the look of your site without having to know much about HTML coding. Be sure to choose themes from reputable sites to ensure they don’t affect the security of your software.
Don’t forget to spellcheck your WordPress story. WordPress makes that easy through a spellcheck button on the editor itself. Look for a button that has the letters “ABC” on it. It’ll then scan your post for spelling and common grammatical errors. Check any word or phrase that has a red squiggly line under it.
If you upload changes to your WordPress site, but they don’t appear to have taken effect, try to refresh from a clear cache. Hold shift as you click the reload icon in your browser, or hold shift-ctrl-r at the same time. This will give you a clean version of your site which should be updated.
Security is something a WordPress site needs, and that’s why you need to keep passwords secret. In addition to that, you need to get your plugins from reputable sites and you need to go over reviews prior to installing them. Otherwise, your site may run into a virus.
Keep WordPress updated to the latest version. There are security patches included in updates that will eliminate any vulnerabilities. If you use an older WordPress version, it opens your site up to attacks of malware. To keep your site secure, use the newest version of WordPress.
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 which describe what is in the content of a post, such as “removing blood stains” or “getting out grass stains”.
If you are new to WordPress, explore the dashboard of your WordPress installation asap. It may feel daunting the first time you see that dashboard, but with just a little time you’ll get it down. Don’t be afraid to type in a few test posts and pages to see how things work.
If you need to work on your site, be sure to turn on a maintenance mode so that visitors aren’t surprised with 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.
Make sure that you keep any plugins or themes you are using on your blog up to date. Exploits and general weaknesses in the security of a plugin or theme are almost always found eventually. Updates will keep them running smoothly and securely, but it’s important that you remember to keep them updated.
Rather than simply downloading a WordPress plugin as soon as you find it, look for reviews on that plugin first. Anybody who understands how to program can create these plugins. Do not use a plugin with many issues associated with it. Plugins that have been downloaded in great volumes are generally safe.
Getting started with WordPress is not difficult. The program is easy to use, and anyone can start blogging in a few minutes. However, some of the program’s more powerful features may take some more time to learn. Use the advice that you have read in this article to get the most out of WordPress.