Have you been thinking of starting a blog but feel you are too technologically challenged to do so? Well, have no fear because you have come to the right place. The following article will point out the most important things you should know when working with the most popular content management system – WordPress.
Be sure to stay on top of updates! Many updates to add-ons or WordPress itself 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.
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.
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, a quick and simple spellcheck couldn’t hurt.
Sidebars are generally packed full of useless information. To help streamline them and only include information that your visitors want, navigate to Appearance & Widgets. Remove everything from your sidebar that does not get more people on your list, make visitors take an action or make you money. By paring down your sidebar, your WordPress site will become successful.
The posts you make always appear in chronological order, unless you specify otherwise. First you must modify the date, then you can rearrange the list. Do this by opening a post. You’ll see the date in the top right. Change the date after clicking on it to get it moved from the original position.
Have an easy to find library. Time is money and you don’t need to check tons of folders to find one thing. It is easier to find things in your WordPress theme when everything is in one integrated folder. This makes searching through your Media Library much easier since it only involves inputting a keyword for what you’re looking for.
Make sure that your plugins remain up to date. One of the best ways to have a strong presence is through well-made, up-to-date plugins. However, they are updated just as other types of software are. Make sure to install the updates so you can keep the plugin running smoothly.
Include your SEO-based keywords in the titles of your posts. In fact, make them the first few words of the title. For example, if your key phrases is “best pizza in Toronto”, you could create a title such as “For the Best Pizza in Toronto, Only Spring Water Will Do!”
To keep tabs on comments, you don’t need to visit each post separately. Instead, use your dashboard’s comments section to see what has been posted recently. You should check this page daily so that you know what people are saying and can reply if anyone requests more information or asks a question.
When you upload images into the media gallery, try to keep the image file sizes down. Large image files take much longer to upload. When you use an image like that in your website, it will delay the load time of your page. This may discourage your visitors to stay and browse.
Try to manage your comments. No one wants to look at spam. Don’t let the spam in your blog’s comment sections get out of hand. Try to eliminate spam entirely or, at least, keep it to a minimum. Install a plugin that can cut down on spam. Delete any spam that slips through in your comments.
Are the pictures on your site too big? Or, are you concerned that your visitors cannot see them clearly? 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.
Make sure that your blog is compatible with mobile phones. By failing to make your blog compatible with mobile phones, you will be missing out on a lot of traffic. Make sure that your page layout will work with mobile phones or use a plugin like WPtouch for the job.
Do not keep the default sidebar. Go in and customize both the titles and sections in the theme directory. This will ensure that your site is unique. In addition, while you can have different sidebars on different pages of the site, you may want to consider keeping everything uniform for your visitors.
The article you have just read covered a lot of very valuable information about using WordPress when creating a blog. Hopefully you learned enough from it that you now feel empowered enough to get out of your comfort zone and tackle WordPress. Take the knowledge you now have and let your creativity flow.