Category Archives for "WordPress"
WordPress is the world’s greatest content management system (CMS). Learn all about how to set up and use WordPress for internet marketing, blogging, and content marketing.
WordPress is the world’s greatest content management system (CMS). Learn all about how to set up and use WordPress for internet marketing, blogging, and content marketing.
I hate April Fool's Day. So many pranks, and most of them aren't funny.
But I can assure you that what I'm about to tell you is not a prank or a joke.
I create dozens of websites a year. I only use WordPress now. It's all about speed of implementation and speed to market.
I've used my share of themes, too. And most of them are “just okay.” Some, of course, are great.
And others are, well, not so great. Bad, in fact. Really bad.
My theme framework of choice is Genesis. And I love their child themes (StudioPress).
I use them exclusively now. The only times I don't use them is when I'm working with clients who just have to use something else.
Despite my protestations.
StudioPress themes coupled with Thrive Content Builder (for building kick-a$$ landing, sales, and squeeze pages) is my go-to combo for building great-looking (and, more importantly, in my not-so-humble opinion, great-performing) websites.
I can quickly get a website online (less than 5 minutes), install the theme, set it up, and have a brand new online business up and running in a couple of hours.
I wouldn't use anything else. And trust me — I've explored a whole lot of alternatives.
While you can purchase the Genesis framework by itself and then purchase themes one-at-a-time, if you're like me and build dozens of websites a year, it's best if you buy the whole she-bang at once.
That's what I did, years ago.
Here's the non-April Fool's joke: Rainmaker Digital (makers of Genesis and StudioPress themes) is changing their pricing model.
On April 1, their “Pro Plus All-Theme Pack” will change from a single payment plan to an “activation + recurring annual payment” plan ($499.95 + $99.95 per year).
Up 'til then, however, you can just pay the $500 and be done with it.
Either way, this is what you get:
There really isn't a better package of WordPress themes around. Give StudioPress a look before it's too late.
I recently gave a presentation at the Internet Marketing of the Bay Area Meetup that showed how to speed up a WordPress website in 3 easy steps.
The presentation is below, shared on SlideShare.
In a nutshell, here's how you increase your loadspeeds on a WordPress website:
Optionally (and these are biggies but they take a LOT more time):
Optimize your images before you upload them to your WordPress site (obviously, to do this right, you have to take down your existing images, run them through Photoshop to decrease the filesize, and then re-upload them).
Use as few plugins as needed, no more. Really evaluate how much you need those 32 plugins 🙂
Seriously, just do this: Go to tools.pingdom.com and run the test with all of your plugins activated, and then re-run the test with all of your plugins deactivated.
Marvel at the results.
The good folks at WordPress just released Security Update 4.0.1 that fixes a host of security vulnerabilities. Go get it now.
https://wordpress.org/news/2014/11/wordpress-4-0-1/
4.0.1 fixes the following in 4.0, and fixes a LOT more from previous versions.
ALWAYS keep your WordPress up-t0-date. WordPress.org doesn't release Security Updates for nothing.
Have you ever stumbled across a website where you said to yourself, “Wow, I wonder how he did that?” Like the theme was pretty killer or there was a plugin that did something you hadn't seen before, but you know you just need it, as in right now?
If you want to find out what's installed on a WordPress website, click the Twitter button below (it's content unlockable by simply tweeting).
[wpsharely id=”17669″]http://www.wpthemedetector.com/[/wpsharely]Now, truth be told, it doesn't capture every single plugin a site may be using. I think that's because not all “footprints” of a plugin are used on every page load. But I'm not a developer, so don't take my word for it.
“We have a feature called WordAds that lets WordPress.com bloggers with moderate to high traffic and appropriate content turn on ads and earn money from their blogs.”