Blogs Articles
Developing Plugins for WordPress MU - ...ent/plugins/, which you’ll recognize, or in wp-plugin/muplugins/. The latter is something of an autorun for plugins; if you drop them there th...
Wordpress Plugins and Functions PHP - ...ippets into the theme. And sometimes the plugins will output or activate the functionality by use of the WordPress hooks, which in essence means...
When to Use Wordpress functions php - ...to either recreate it in the new theme or abandon it altogether. This effectively disqualifies functions. php from any kind of use that controls o...
Are you using WordPress as a CMS - ...e various problems and decisions you need to make when you want to use Word- Press as a more traditional CMS, powering non-weblog sites with the...
Trimming WordPress to the Essentials - ... sure that there aren’t too many options to confuse the user.
The first and foremost trimming action you can perform is to limit the use...
Making Widgets a Little More Dynamic - ...mages when it is suitable.
You can do this with widgets, and with the revamped widget API that WordPress 2.8 brought with it, this is now ev...
Running a Web Shop on WordPress - ...provision. In fact, if you bought this article by following a link from any of my sites, I made a little extra. Thanks!
However, when most o...
Designing a Portfolio with Wordpress - ...owever, I also wanted to make sure that any new writing gigs got some exposure when they came up, so that was something to consider as well. There...
The most Essential WordPress Plugins - ...se they have reached the users, been thoroughly tested, and fill a need.
This chapter is dedicated to just a smattering of the marvelous...
The best Administrative Plugins - ...g up on your own posts just because you’re linking internally, then this is a must-have plugin. In fact, it should be in every WordPress insta...
Blogs
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How blogs deliver organic search visitors to a website (10/19/2011)
(...) In case of distracting people in the sales and conversion process, business website has a tendency to restrict their outbound links. However, blogs often link freely to additional resources, information and sites.
Blog posts are a superb platform for keywords. (...)
Considering a combination between blogging and social media (03/22/2011)
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In reality, microblogging has more in common with social networking than it does with traditional long-form blogging. A microblog is exactly what results whenever you separate the short text messages or status updates from a social network into a separate feed. Microblogs, typified by Twitter and Tumblr, exist solely to distribute short text posts from individual users to groups of followers. (...)
Going beyond basic web analytics for your blog (03/21/2011)
(...) For this reason, you need to track backlinks and achieve this for each of your posts individually.
Comments
When you want to increase the interaction with your customer base, the best way to measure this is via the comments left on your blog posts. A post that has a large number of comments has obviously touched a nerve with your customers. (...)
Include blogging in a search engine marketing strategy (03/19/2011)
(...) Google, for example, accustomed to not display blog results on its main search results page, instead choosing a separate Google Blog Search page and results.
Now, however, Google displays blog posts within the same search results because they do web pages. It's what Google calls universal search, although it's really universal (or unified) results, but who's to argue?
The thing is, when you maintain a fresh and relevant blog, you increase your chances of popping up in those search results. (...)
Guidelines for writing good blog posts (03/19/2011)
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It goes without saying that power words should be a part of your title-writing arsenal. You can't go wrong by including words like "free," "bargain," "new," "discover," "easy," and so on in your titles.
You also need to include your most important keywords in your title. (...)
How you can get bloggers to notice and mention your site (03/19/2011)
(...) Discover what they like and don't like, that is easy enough to do by reading their blog posts. Get a judge of the temperament, what gets them excited, the things they really hate, and so forth and so on. Get inside their minds. (...)
Write valuable content to make your blog more popular (02/17/2011)
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For opinion-based posts, the value is in the opinions themselves. If you have an editorial voice that holds interest, a novel angle, a well-articulated view point or an entertaining voice, then you're likely to deliver the value that has readers returning to hear what your take is on a given subject.
Delivering value is possible in all varieties of blogs. (...)
Types of articles that will bring more traffic to your blog (02/17/2011)
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If you want to do an interview, ask lots of questions, chase every avenue of questioning, and if you find you want to ask something tough, just do it. If you can't do that, your interviews will lack the substance that makes those published by the traditional press interesting. While the traditional press may be failing due to its business model, they still know what makes compelling content. (...)
Making money from evergreen content posted on your blog (02/17/2011)
(...) Content that is useful forever continues to turn one-off search engine visitors into regulars for years to come.
I believe a piece of quality evergreen content, sometimes referred to as pillar content, has the following characteristics:
It is relevant forever
It never, or at least rarely, needs to be updated.
It is written to do well in the search engines, without compromising on human readability. (...)
Ways to use images and diagrams in your blog posts (02/17/2011)
(...) You don't want to smother your article with images, but a great tactic is to make sure an image is always on the screen so that long tracts of paragraphs are frequently broken up by some color. Most people recoil in fear at the sight of unbroken text; it's just too hard to keep the eyes focused on it for long.
That doesn't mean you should insert a new image in your post every two paragraphs, but set up your post so that once you've scrolled down far enough that the first image is no longer visible, a second one is coming into view. (...)
Keep a record of your best headline formulas (02/17/2011)
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It's important to know where you're going from the start, and writing the headline first helps you define your angle and the content you'll cover. It keeps the article on target.
While as a blog owner or editor you may not be writing the content, giving your authors a title to work with can yield good results. (...)
How to use Google Analytics to increase traffic to your blog (02/17/2011)
(...) Consequently they arrive and immediately leave, totaling just one pageview per visit. While this happens for some users no matter what site you have, it shouldn't be the average as that should be taking into account people who explore deeply through the site.
A typical pageview per visitor ratio is about 2 or 3 pages per visit. (...)
Generate traffic to your blog using simple techniques (02/17/2011)
(...) Earning a link in one of their posts means a lot more to readers than the link on your name in the comment area.
Developing your social media profile
This comes in handy for traffic generation much later on as you develop a following, but in the meantime, it's a way to meet contacts and make friends. Some of those people might be starting blogs of their own with similar readership levels, publishing content relevant to yours, and therefore you can exchange links to share with your readers. (...)
Social media sites that can help you promote your blog (02/17/2011)
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StumbleUpon
The StumbleUpon service allows you to explore new sites randomly within your areas of interest. Stumblers then press a thumbs-up or thumbs-down button to let StumbleUpon know what they thought of the site. The more positive reviews a site gets, the more likely it is that StumbleUpon will send their users there when they press the "Stumble!" button. (...)
Generate traffic for your blog through guest posts (02/17/2011)
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Who to approach
Some people say that you should start small and work your way up to the bigger blogs once you have a reputation that precedes you. I say send out your best work for the big blogs first. While it can be nice to give content to peers who are also starting off fairly small, targeting the biggest movers and shakers in your niche puts you in front of the most eyeballs the quickest. (...)
Traffic buying and StumbleUpon may boost your blogging efforts (02/17/2011)
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The fact that you don't need to get the user to click on an ad before they get to your site is precisely why I've listed this service before the advertising options available to you. It's buying traffic in the purest sense.
Another cool thing about StumbleUpon advertising is that you get feedback on your campaign. (...)
Generate traffic to your blog by giving things away for free (02/17/2011)
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More value generates more return
Naturally the more value you provide in a giveaway, the more interest you will generate from readers. This is why a complete giveaway of digital goods works so well because you are literally giving something for free to one and all. Consequently the value is high because everyone gets to participate. (...)
Leverage your social network to increase traffic to your blog (02/17/2011)
(...) If you've bothered to reach out to them before you needed their help, you should have pretty good luck here.
Next, you want to make an announcement on forums you've already built credibility in. Do not publicize your site on a forum where you are new and un-established. (...)
Blog traffic: Link out to generate and keep traffic (02/17/2011)
(...) Set a frequency of posting and stick to it. Decide which social sites you'll use to build a following and stick to it until you've built a network that's easy to maintain before becoming active on even more sites. Find a writing style and approach that your readers like and stick to it. (...)
Simple rules of optimizing your site for search engines (02/17/2011)
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With this in mind, one of the big keys to search optimization is to build links back to your site. Of course as a blogger, that's your main goal anyway! So rather than dwell on this aspect of SEO, I'll just say that as you produce more and more great content, the amount of links directed your way will increase, and your search ranking will follow suit.
Site Structure
Consider the structure of your site carefully, and design it so that there is an appropriate segmentation and encapsulation of different types of information. (...)
Making money with your blog and common terms used in advertising (02/17/2011)
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The second hurdle is having an audience that advertisers want to reach. For some blog niches, even Google Adsense can deliver reasonably high returns, while others are simply too broad, or too unappealing for advertisers. A great example that shows no one is immune to these issues, is the problem YouTube has in generating ad revenue across its very wide range of content. (...)
Blog monetization: Using affiliate programs to earn from sales (02/17/2011)
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Most affiliate systems have specific terms of use that you should read and follow. Typically the terms prohibit certain uses including spam emails and practices like registering domain misspellings of the product and using URL forwards. In other words, you should only be sending referrals in a sensible, honest way!
Most affiliate programs are what's known as single-tier, meaning that you refer someone and then you receive a commission. (...)
How to get an ad service going (02/17/2011)
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Offer limited free advertising
Getting advertisers when you are charging for listings is difficult, but finding them when the service is free is pretty easy. Consider running the service for free for the first six months until it gets a reputation and then switch over to the paid model.
You'll have some chafing from advertisers, but hopefully if you made it clear that the free period would not last forever, then it shouldn't be too bad. (...)
A strong visual identity will set your blog apart from the others (02/15/2011)
(...) For example, if you have an interesting icon, you should have relatively straightforward text set in a classic font, and vice versa.
If you're unsure of how simple is good, have a look around at logos of magazines, famous blogs, and even common retail brands. If a logo is too busy, it tends to look really amateurish. (...)
Hire freelancers for your blogging business (02/15/2011)
(...) Trying to hire employees overseas creates numerous issues around complying with local government business and tax regulations. Working with contractors generally avoids these issues.
Ultimately, you will probably want a mix of freelance and salaried staff, with the salaried roles particularly suitable for editors and more permanent and regular writing positions. (...)
Things to consider before employing staff for your blog (02/15/2011)
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Management
The more staff you have, the more you will need to manage them. In many ways these are problems that will crop up as you grow and you probably don't need to worry too much about them early on, particularly if you aren't planning on having many employees.
Nonetheless keep in mind that your staff needs management, and if you wish to be hands-off in your business, that means employing a manager or giving managerial duties to an employee such as your editor. (...)
Find a figure that suits both parties when hiring people for your blog business (02/15/2011)
(...) As you get more experience with fair numbers, you can then just let people know what you pay, and they can choose to take the job or not.
You get what you pay for
It is important to pay fairly as underpaying tends to under-deliver. Freelancers and employees who aren't paid fairly will naturally cut corners, treat the job with less care, and be less loyal. (...)
Blogging for money requires you to focus on results (02/15/2011)
(...) If you can find someone who can do in an hour what other people do in eight hours and then charge you as if it took four, that's still a great result!
The reality with remote staff is that there are no controls on how they work, and trying to add them is probably not a very effective pursuit. Instead you should concentrate on two things:
Set clear parameters
First you must always give your staff clear and defined parameters about what you need them to do. If it's important to have someone checking comments daily so that discussion can flow, then that's a parameter you need to communicate. (...)
Keeping people feeling good about their work on your blog (02/15/2011)
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Setting an example
As the business owner you will set an extremely important example to people working with you. Companies generally often end up reflecting their founders and managers so if you work hard, you can expect to draw people who work hard. If you set the right priorities, you can expect your staff to do so too. (...)
Difference between web designers and developers concerning a blog business (02/15/2011)
(...) Typically a designer handles:
Branding
Designing a logo, brand, and overall visual identity is something many web designers can do. Although you can actually hire specialized branding designers, often a web designer can produce a decent visual identity at potentially a much lower cost.
Website Design
The bread-and-butter of a web designer's job is to design the visual layout of your site. (...)
A web developer is someone who writes the code for your blog (02/15/2011)
(...) Your developer will be able to assist in selecting a company that has a good track record, provides good value, and will give you the space to grow should you need it. Here are some things to consider when setting up your hosting:
Do you need to be able to manage the server?
Many hosting packages will come with an admin control panel of one variety or another. These can help you set up email addresses, reboot the server, and do a variety of different tasks (depending on the server) that can even include installing WordPress and other packages with just a click or two. (...)
Typical jobs a web developer might do for your blogging business (02/15/2011)
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Create or customize plugins
If you need specific functionality on your blog, your developer may create or customize plugins or small applications to help you achieve that. They will usually need to tweak your site's theme and install them for you as well.
Search optimization
Optimizing a site for search engines is generally a very specialized job with an entire industry catering to it. (...)
Blog development can get quite complicated (02/15/2011)
(...) Trying to add these late into a big project that was locked down already is called "scope creep" and it tends to make projects late, over budget, and badly prioritized.
On the flip side it's very difficult for a developer to accurately gauge how long a big job is going to take right at the beginning. Development jobs often have hidden complexities making it almost impossible to accurately quote. (...)
Blog on a topic in which you have much interest (02/14/2011)
(...) If you aren't, it won't be a problem to get involved.
Given the profusion of available topics, unless you have seen an incredible opportunity that's too good to pass up, it's probably best to stick to something you are interested in. If you're worried that the topic is too narrow, then try opening that topic up to a broader view of the same area. (...)
Business blogging: A gap in the market is a strategy for any startup (02/14/2011)
(...) Look for missing elements and evaluate them as potential key differentiators.
Ask!
Ask other readers what they would like to see. You can do this on forums, in comments, in a blog post if you have a small test blog, or informally by contacting people you know are interested in the niche. (...)
What your blog will look like after choosing a theme (02/14/2011)
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Opinion
Opinion content ranges from reviews of products like gadgets and games, to opinions on the news, to opinions on life. Opinion-based blogs work best with a strong editorial voice and are often driven by individual personalities. Virtually all blogs will have at least a dose of opinion blended in; the choice is really more about what quantity. (...)
Registering the domain name you chose for your blog (02/14/2011)
(...) Make sure that if there are multiple levels of user accounts, and you need to give access to someone else, that you keep yourself as the primary contact. If you don't have multi-level access, and you let someone else in, be sure to update your login details afterwards.
Consider not giving domain access to anyone, instead doing any domain work yourself – under direction if necessary. (...)
Use blogs and home pages to find information (08/28/2010)
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A blog written by a specialist in a particular field can serve as excellent "radar" that can rival or even outdo expensive online alerting services. The most useful blogs allow you to keep up with the latest information on subjects you care about. What makes these sites so valuable is that the best ones often find material that is fresh and cutting edge. (...)
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