Archives for May 2020

10 WordPress Tips and Tricks that Work

WordPress is the most widely used Content Management System (CMS) that allows you to be able to create and modify the code to your preference and needs. It is built with the user in mind utilizing simple coding structures and creates a user-friendly approach to the concept of web design. WordPress provides several benefits to the users and they include unlimited options of scaling for your needs and a global community of volunteers that grow the platform every day.

There are many things you can do to make your WordPress site perform and stand out amongst the crowd. Here are 10 of my top things to do with every site.

Optimizing your website for accessability

Technology is continually changing and, with it, the introduction of new features and new ways for people to interact with websites. New technologies have introduced a different approach to how we use voice assistants for helping people who are blind enjoy being online. Also, utilizing options like captioning for videos assist those who need hearing assistance. Today, you can optimize your site to integrate accessible options for everyone in the world. There are a number of plugins and websites that can help you to make your website as accessible as you can. Accessibility technology gives you a competitive edge and helps to boost your business.

Do not brush off the Backlinks.

In matters of building the authority of your page, backlinks are one of your most significant options. Backlinks have consistently been present in SEO as a means of marketing and building influence. The reason why you should not brush off or ignore the backlinks sent to you is quite simple. When an established site or company on Google sends a backlink to you, Google interprets this as a bonus for your website. Google analytics always trace the sites linked to trustworthy companies. It understands this as your business or site being of value.

Some of the other strategies you can use to develop quality backlinks are through the use of info-graphics, guest posting, or email outreach.

Get an SSL Certificate

Seriously, why wouldn’t you these days? A SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificate is one of the easiest ways to help ensure that your website is protected and you take your site visitors security in mind. Security is an essential aspect of online communication today on all avenues. The digital media and sites also need protection due to the nature of the information shared.

SSL certificates makes sure that the connection between the web browsers and the web pages are encrypted. It helps in protecting you and the information that you share on your website. The advantage is that visitors to your pages are assured of their security, hence will boost their confidence while increasing your view rates. Plus Google will dock your ranking if you do not have a SSL certificate on your website.

Modify and Create Custom Permalinks

Permalinks are a part of the internet or web address that usually follows the domain name. Whenever you create any new page on your WordPress website, it leads to the automatic generation of a new permalink. The permalinks are default, and you need to customize them. These permalinks bring clarity and help your content tracing much easier through search engines.

When you modify the permalinks, you not only customize it to your preference, but you also help the visitors to your page to understand what the page entails. In the settings option, you can access the permalinks button and change the post name to customize your permalink.

Avoid using too many plugins.

Plugins are the features and functions when are building a website using WordPress. The flexibility and features they have allow you to integrate within the site gives an infinite room for scalability. However, limiting the number of plugins that you have on your website helps to de-clutter, enhance performance, and keep your site more secure. The problem of having too many plugins on the website is that it slows down, the codes the plugins come with make it bulky, and even a deactivated but installed plugin can cause security vulnerabilities.

It is imperative to only keep essential and activated plugins on your site at any give time. Please review your plugins to ensure that they are what you need on the site, are still being maintained, and functioning properly. It is also a good idea to audit them every so often to ensure that they are the best ones to do the job.

Compress the images on your site

Images take time to load on sites and the bigger they are, the more it will slow a site down. Having several uncompressed pictures will slow down the website performance the same way as the several plugins and sometimes even videos. You can always retain your images on the site if you decide to compress them.

There are several WordPress plugins and online-based tools that will compress the images that you want to add to the website. We all know that photos make the sites more engaging however, make sure that you compress them before using them on the website.

Google Analytics.

If you are very serious about your site, the views, and the ratings, you probably are already familiar with a number of Google Analytics plugins. You need to understand the WordPress independently cannot give you all this information. Google Analytics plugins like Monster Insights helps you in knowing and understanding the performance metrics of your site.

These plugins allow you to have access to the reports on audiences and content reports. The behavior reports will help you have a clear insight into how the customers are behaving on your pages.

For quick stats on your site visitors, I am fond of using Koko Analytics as it is privacy friendly and can be used with GDPR rules.

Install a SEO Plugin

For the success of your website, you need to install an SEO plugin. The Search Engine Optimization plugin helps in boosting your site in terms of ranking, especially in the search results. This plugin will help you in the analysis of your content and help in the technical management of your site.

There are several SEO plugins that you can be able to pick from, yet the best in the market that is highly recommended by most people is Yoast SEO. The plugin has a great reputation, highly supported, and used my many.

Create Regular Site Backups

The information stored on the sites is very vital for organizations. It is, therefore, crucial for you to have some kind of backing up being done of your website. The database and the site files always needs to have backups performed periodically. This strategy helps you in the eventuality of loss since you can be able to retrieve those backups that you have and restore them.

There are many numbers of plugins that can do the job for you. If using a plugin, make sure you send the backups to some place other than the server. Great places to send the backups is to a S3 storage at Amazon Web Services, Dropbox, or a Google Drive folder.

Many hosting companies have backups built into their hosting environment. Check with your hosting provider to see if they offer free backups and how long they keep the backups for. You want to have them at least keep 30 days worth of backups.

Monitor the speed and performance of your website.

Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool can be very helpful in testing the performance of your website. The Google search engine has extensive use, so you should check your website performance using this tool. The tool can give you the ratings and suggestions on how to improve the speed of your website.

This tool also gives you suggestions on the types of files that are slowing down your site with suggested links to them. It helps you to manage the website effectively and free it up to improve performance.

If you are looking to test your site speed, I would suggest using a site like Web Page Test or GT Metrix. Both run more than 1 test at a time and then combine the results so you can have a more accurate view of how fast your site is performing.

Hopefully these tips and tricks give you at least one new idea and can help optimize and manage your website better.

Please leave a comment below on what your favorite WordPress trick is to make your site stand out better than the rest.

WP Weekly Spotlight – Sarah Rennick

Sarah am a self described “information sponge” who loves learning and teaching!

Michele: What do you do in the WordPress ecosystem?

Sarah: WooCommerce Support (AKA I am a WooCommerce Wizard)

Michele: How did you get involved with WordPress?

Sarah: I was first introduced to WordPress by my Mom, who started using it when she was looking for a new blogging platform. From there I started using WordPress, tinkering with themes, and then started attending WordCamps – and I’ve been using it ever since!

Michele: Please tell me one story of someone who has inspired you within the WordPress Community?

Sarah: Not just one person, but a group – at WordCamp US in November, there was a panel with Dina Butcher, Ema DeRosia, Emily Lema, Sophia DeRosia, Olivia Bisset and Natalie Bourn on the future of WordPress. It was an awesome panel and I was so inspired by everything they talked about – it really made me realize that we need to be pushing for the next generation to be using WordPress.

Michele: What does the Open Source Community mean to you?

Sarah: The open source community to me is about collaboration. It’s amazing that all of these people all over the world can just contribute to the same project, to make their own and other’s lives better

Michele: Please name some of your favorite plugins.

Sarah: WooCommerce, WooCommerce Subscriptions, AutomateWoo, WP Crontrol, Contact Form 7, WP Mail Logging, WP Staging, Say What?

Michele: Do you have a favorite theme or framework you like to use?

Sarah: The HTML5 Blank framework is one I use if I need to use a framework. For themes, I really like Twenty Nineteen, Twenty Sixteen and Storefront

Michele: If you could change one thing in WordPress, what would it be?

Sarah: I would probably add more customization options for themes – there are a lot of people out there who want to get started with a site, but don’t want to learn how to code CSS just to make simple font/colour changes on their site. It could be nice to add some more options there!

Michele: What is your most memorable WordPress moment?

Sarah: There are a lot of them, but I think it’s a toss up between attending my first WordCamp in Montreal in 2010, or getting my first job working with WordPress in 2017. Both were awesome!

Michele: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone just getting started with WordPress?

Sarah: Don’t give up! Everyone in the community is very helpful.

Michele: What do you think is in store for the future of WordPress?

Sarah: I think we are going to be seeing a lot more blocks in our future 🙂

Michele: Just for fun, share one memory that makes you proud to be a part of the WordPress Community.

Sarah: The thing that makes me most proud to be in the WordPress community is the people. I have genuine friends I have made through WordPress, and it really goes to show how special this community is!

You can find Sarah Rennick at SarahRennick.net

If you find these interesting and would like to be spotlighted yourself, please see our interview form.

Does your business website need a blog?

Spoiler alert: IT DOES!

Blogs have been around for years because they’re a dependable source of new traffic and becoming more popular every day. Since website owners are always looking for more ways to generate leads, many must decide whether to add blogging to their growing list of marketing tactics.

Unleash the Power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Blogs built on WordPress do a fantastic job of helping gain search engine traffic. Most blogs run on the popular WordPress platform. It is an industry-standard CMS with a number reliable SEO plugins that can help you out. That means the blogger can focus on keyword research and creating compelling content without spending too much time on SEO.

The backend of the site, is taken care of by the WordPress core files and gives you an easier opportunity to be able to modify the blog and add to it. This standard system works well for tens of millions of bloggers and is the primary reason the platform maintains its position at the top. At this time, 35% of all websites are ran on WordPress.

With WordPress, there are few barriers to preventing communication. The format is easy to use for new bloggers, but the plugin system has all the advanced functionality that even a large enterprise would be able to use. Such power enables the company to create specific pages that drive traffic and revenues.

Blogs allow for custom content creation and a human aspect.

Custom content creation is powerful because it helps businesses tailor specific messages for customers and prospects. Blogs are all about fresh posts, and these should aim directly at solving customer’s needs and answering prospect’s questions.

The blog will also contribute tot he human aspect of the company. It can showcase the people working for the company and also its customers. Blogs can also showcase what the company is doing in terms of community service, growth, and changes.

A Blog is an excellent tool as it lets the company shine a spotlight on its principles and values. Blogging offers any business to break down their marketing in a digestible format that appeals to modern web users.

Grow Your Audience

Many companies attempt to communicate with the public but fall short if not all venues are utilized. A blog gives an extra way for all levels of customers from potential, to current, to prior an option to interact with the company.

You can also utilize calls to action and mailing lists with your blog and blog posts. This can also help you to grow your audience by keeping then engaged with email engagement later down the road. Give your blog readers an opportunity to have your new posts go straight to their inbox.

Blog posts are an excellent source of social media shares. It is a big circle of engagement between social media and the blog on your website. As you make new blog posts, share them on social media. Those social media posts drive the readers back to your website. Those visiting your website because of social media are more inclined to convert to customers. Consistent, high-quality content is always in-demand, mainly when it contains a unique viewpoint.

Consider the Benefits of a blog

Businesses that successfully and consistently blog on their website, share it on social media, and engage with its readers can see great benefits.

Custom-tuned SEO. A blog built on WordPress provides ample opportunities for practicing advanced SEO. You’ll never have to settle for less than stellar results.
Appeal to a broad audience. A static website doesn’t provide many opportunities to gain traffic, except for the primary keyword concepts. Blogs open up the potential to new content and are a source of fresh inspiration.
Produce fresh and engaging content for shares. Social network sharing requires sending the audience back to your business website. Without high-quality content on social media which includes your blog posts, it’s nearly impossible to get consistent shares, likes, and retweets.
Grow your website traffic and website revenue. Ultimately, people use WordPress blogs to drive tons of people to their sites. Once there, they purchase products or services and become customers.
Establish expertise and authority. Blogs help businesses stand out from their competitors. They allow you to use your unique voice and to become credible experts in your market.

The Best Time to Start Is Now

It’s never too late to add a blog to your website. Starting one now will expand your engagement and visits to your site significantly. Even if you’re concerned about being a rookie, begin! It’s only with practice that you’ll gain experience and proficiency. Remember the old saying, “In thirty days, you will thank me.”

WordPress is extremely affordable website option and is simple enough to maintain a blog on it as well. You’re able to update on your schedule, so feel free to make as many, or as few, posts as you deem necessary. (Just remember to have backups on your site before making any changes.) Businesses often follow an editorial calendar that keeps them on pace to churn out a steady stream of content. It can be as fancy as one of the content software programs or as simple as a. Google Sheet. You will probably want to get input from your marketing department or look to a third party to help develop a proper keyword strategy. There are many SEO options out there to help you get started.

You Have Options

Even if you do not have a business website at all, one of the best things about WordPress is that it’s powerful and flexible. You can start small with essential features and then work your way up to a glorious website. The ecosystem of developers is active, and there are solutions for every possible business problem. If you do hit the point you need help finding WordPress experts, you’ll find it’s never an issue. Find a company that understands what you’re hoping to accomplish and assist you in leveraging the power of the platform. Rest assured, no matter what your ambitions or level of knowledge, they’re achievable with WordPress and a little help.

It’s also worth pointing out that WordPress is a robust CMS that will also host static pages if that’s what you want. It may be worthwhile to migrate your current site to WordPress if you are not already using it, especially if you want a better design, more robust SEO, and easier to edit. Add in the ability to post consistently, and you see why so many businesses go this route everyday.

Start your blog today for your leads will have something to read tomorrow, so they will become customers the next day.

What to do on the Weekends when you Work from Home

When working from home, you will always have your work sitting on your desk, staring you down and making you feel guilty if you let it. Let the weekends be time to reconnect, refocus, and regroup for your body, mind, and life.

Disconnect from the grind

My absolute favorite thing to do on a Friday after work is to click that little minimize button on my Chrome browser as I do all of my “Thrive Agency” work on my Chrome browser. It does not get reopened until Monday morning. The only time I may look at anything Thrive related is if a customer sends an email that states their site is broken or hacked. Everything else can and will wait until Monday at 8:00am.

If your brain is 24/7 on your job, burnout can happen at warp speed. You have to give yourself time to be away from it. If that means muting notifications, not having certain work apps on your phone, or having a separate laptop or computer for work and play, then so be it.

Some people have also found that disconnecting from social media during the weekend and not being digital at all helps them. This can be good to. Some do use social media as a way of connecting to people, especially during social distancing. Make sure though that whichever you choose is the best for your physical and mental health.

Make yourself a priority

This should happen every day but often we get so busy that we often put our health on autopilot until we hit turbulence. On the weekends, make time for self-care, exercise, mental health, and whatever else makes you healthier both inside and out.

As Elle from Legally Blonde said; “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t.” Keep those endorphins up to keep you happy in life whether you have a husband or not.

Decompress

Take a nap. Read a book. Do whatever it is that relaxes you. Time alone can be a great thing on the weekend as well. I know for me that Saturday morning time when my husband and minion are both still asleep where I can simply sit on the couch with my Kindle, read, and listen to the sweet sound of nothing is one of my favorite times of the week.

Dedicate time to your home life

Weekends are a great time to finally get that bookshelf put together, get the groceries, or paint the deck. Most of the time after the eight hours of work are done, the last thing we want to do is cook, clean, or take on a home project. Make the home “work” your weekend work. Plus dedicating the housework to weekends, gives you more time on the weekday evenings to spend with your family.

Start or do a hobby

Maybe you have always wanted to paint. It could be that you enjoy photography. On the weekends, do what makes you happy. One thing about the hobby to keep in mind though is make for it is for fun. Once a hobby becomes something that is demanding or a strain then it is time to stop.

Have an adventure

Okay right now may not be the best of times to plan or go on an adventure. However you can still have “adventures” in your back yard. If your parks are open, go on a hike, take a drive while the gas prices are down to a new place and find some cool local restaurant to pick up lunch from.

Plan for the next week

Make sure you hit Monday morning off on the right foot. Get your planner set for your goals, appointments, and to-dos. If you are a meal planner, ensure that you have all the food for your meals or that your meal prep is done by the time you go to bed Sunday night. Starting the week off prepared will set you up for success.

No matter what you choose to do on the weekends, make it fun and remember that your work will be there for you come Monday morning.

WP Weekly Spotlight – Katie Richards

Katie Richards is a Community Coordinator at Pantheon who spends her time working with and advocating for the amazing folk of the Pantheon Heroes project. She admits she is a type-A person who enjoys creating systems and structure and has decided to use those skills for the good of the open web, first at PostStatus.com and now with Pantheon. Katie can be found procrasti-cleaning when she needs a moment to get her thoughts in order.
When not working, Katie is wrangling three wild boys, hanging out with her husband (and favorite person of all time), Brian, evangelizing on behalf of cheese, and reading (nothing self-improving).

Michele: What do you do in the WordPress ecosystem?

Katie: Managing Pantheon’s advocacy program, Pantheon Heroes!

Michele: How did you get involved with WordPress?

Katie: I got roped into WordPress through my husband Brian. I left my full time job after our oldest son was born and we realized I had the freedom to travel to WordCamps with the baby, so I did.
I started to meet people and joined Twitter through Brian’s encouragement. Every week got an email from Twitter telling me of accounts I should be following and every week it was a list of 5 or 6 WP people. We thought that was really funny since I did almost nothing with WP at the time but we’d ping the list and tell them to follow me anyway. I eventually met a TON of amazing people who’ve become my good friends since then.
Now I work at Pantheon on the community team and spend my working hours talking to and helping out the amazing folks of the WP (and Drupal) communities.

Michele: What does the Open Source Community mean to you?

Katie: Being part of an open source community means we have a goal that we’re work toward together: improving our project to make the web more reliable, safer, and accessible to everyone across the globe. We don’t always agree on _how_ to get there and which parts of the project should be prioritized, but for the most part, having a common goal gives the community a solid basis to build those relationships that further the project, our relationships, and our businesses.

Michele: Please name some of your favorite plugins.

Katie: Not being a developer, I don’t have particular favorite plugins but as a user, and huge data nerd, I love Metorik for WooCommerce

Michele: What is your most memorable WordPress moment?

Katie: It isn’t just one moment but every time I log into one of my favorite Slack instances, the Ladies of WP, and realize that I have an incredible support network of talented, passionate, and caring women who have my back. So many warm fuzzies 🙂

Michele: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone just getting started with WordPress?

Katie: Get to know people in your local WordPress community. Get to know people online. I cannot tell you of how many times a connection with another person in the WP ecosystem has solved a problem I’ve encountered.