WordPress is an incredibly valuable platform, largely because of the amazing accessibility it provides to a wide range of potential bloggers. Its ease of use is truly remarkable, but that is not to say that some amount of education is unnecessary before putting it to work. Use the information below to get a good grounding in WordPress so that you can get started blogging today.
With WordPress you have lots of choices in themes so you can have a really good looking blog. Take plenty of time to peruse all of your choices so that you can select just the right one to suit your style and your topic. For a truly unique theme, select a premium theme. This will really help your blog stand out from the crowd.
If you want to easily be able to search through the media you upload, such as videos or photos, put it all into a single folder through WordPress. To do this, go into Settings & Media and then uncheck the box which sets WP to sort your media into folders based on the date.
When you are done with your site, check out how it looks from a visitors standpoint. Did you get across everything that you wanted? Go to your site from someone else’s computer to get their point of view and write down the changes that you will need to make to continually improve the aesthetics.
Learn about WordPress before you install it. It’s best to start WordPress when you have an understanding of how it works and a general idea of which plugins will work best for you. Search engine optimization is another thing you want to be concerned with.
Delete comments or content that add no value to your site. This makes your site more appealing. Akismet is one of the better plugins for filtering out spam.
Encourage your users to share your site with their friends, family and loved ones on the top social media sites. Twitter and Facebook are the most optimal sites that come to mind, as this can get your name across to millions of different people. A social sharing plugin can be used to facilitate this.
WordPress has many keyboard shortcuts which make working with posts a snap. For example, ctrl-c allows you to copy text, while ctrl-x lets you cut it. Ctrl-v will paste it somewhere else. Ctrl-b is bold, ctrl-i is italic and ctrl-u is underline. These basic keyboard shortcuts will save you a lot of time if you memorize them.
Want to change authors on a post? Just edit the post and click on “Screen Options”. Next, choose Author and then choose whomever you want to become the author of the post. Next, click “update” or “publish” to finish the change and have it go live on your website and you’re done.
Control unruly spam not by turning off comments, but by installing the right plugin. Aksimet’s anti-spam plugin is exceptional at keeping your site on the up and up. You can also add Recaptcha which adds a captcha to the comments box on your site, ensuring no bots can leave a message.
Use targeted titles and descriptions. These are the first impressions that your readers see. This makes these aspects very important. You can use Scribe, which will help you control this on WordPress. You can then edit some of these items to make sure more people come to your site.
Be sure to back up your site often! The best way to do this is to have your host back up your site every day for you. If they don’t offer this service, instead back it up yourself. There are plugins which will do the job for you, or you can just download it to your own computer.
Always back your files up! Update it regularly. There are some WordPress plugins available for this purpose, such as Xcloner. Be sure to back your blog up in multiple spots. Losing your entire blog would be unfortunate.
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.
The only way to learn WordPress is by practicing it. You can sign up for a free account in WordPress.com and start experimenting with its multitude of features. Change images, background color, font sizes, etc. The more you get your hands on it, the more comfortable you will feel about using it.
The plugin Broken Link Checker makes finding broken links on your site an easy task. Why don’t you want broken links? They make your content appear dated, and that can lose your reader’s interest. When you update or remove broken links, they’ll never realize how old your posts might be.
Looking for a way to increase your page views? Pick up a plugin in or widget that shows related posts. When your visitors are reading your current post, they’ll be treated in the sidebar (or the end of the post) with a few related articles that they may love as well. This definitely increases your readership.
Always extensively examine your blog before and after adding a new theme or plugin. New plugins can have some nasty and unintended side effects. Identify these before they cause you any issues. After installing a new theme or plugin, look your site over carefully. Make a few test posts to ensure that your blog is functioning as it should.
There is little debate about the tremendous appeal of WordPress among bloggers of all types. It is terrific way for beginners to get their foot in the door, but it can also be used by more advanced bloggers as well, to great result. Keep the tips found above handy, and WordPress can become a versatile tool that will be employed for years to come.