Most bloggers know about WordPress. For some, however, this amazing tool continues to go overlooked. The following information discusses what you need to know about WordPress in order to use it most efficiently.
If you are doing a Wordpress blog for professional or search engine optimization purporses, don't let Wordpress actually host your blog. Put your blog on a different host and then just use the Wordpress application there. Blogs at Wordpress' website are sometimes deleted for being too commercial or deemed spammy in content.
Allow all of the users that visit your site the ability to comment using Facebook. This is a very important tool that will get your name across to hundreds of thousands of people. The Simple Facebook Connect plugin can be used if you want to install this feature on your site.
Get rid of special characters in the URLs of your WordPress blog posts. They give search engines difficulty when they are spidering your site, so try to eliminate them altogether. It is also wise to make all URLs as short as possible. Only use the key words to avoid overwhelming those who visit your site.
Remember to make good use of the footer area at the bottom of your WordPress blog pages. In this area you can include additional information about yourself and/or your copyright. You can also add a link to another page if you wish. Different themes give you more use of this area, so choose your themes carefully to maximize the value of your page footers.
Images make your blog look beautiful; however, the images can also help your site rank higher among search engines. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add keywords to your title tag and alternate tags. Both of these tags should contain precise keywords in order to rank your site appropriately.
Get to know your Wordpress WYSIWYG editor. When you write a new post, you'll see a small bar that goes across the text input area. This is your WYSIWYG editor - meaning whatever you push will happen to whatever text you have highlighted. If you choose bold in the editor, the text you have chosen will become bold. It's similar to using Microsoft Word.
Know that you can write posts and send them in the future via WordPress. All you need to do is change the post from "Publish Immediately" to a specific date and time in the future. This way you can write posts and have them set up to go out even while you are on vacation!
Don't forget to spellcheck your WordPress story. WordPress makes that easy through a spellcheck button on the editor itself. Look for a button that has the letters "ABC" on it. It'll then scan your post for spelling and common grammatical errors. Check any word or phrase that has a red squiggly line under it.
Use images properly on your WordPress site. They can add everything from beauty to interest to your pages. Use their alternative text tags and title tags properly. Don't settle for generic descriptions. You need to make them specific so that your visitors know exactly what they are. This also helps them figure out what your site is about.
Using the most current version of WordPress is very important. Updates often contain security patches which eliminate any vulnerabilities. Using an out of date WordPress version will leave your site vulnerable to malware attacks. That's why you should always download WordPress updates, to make sure your website is secure.
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.
You can set up an automatic schedule for your posts to appear in WordPress. You can set it up so that they will be posted at very specific times. Find the 'publish' box under the edit options. You should then see a box that says "Publish immediately." If you decide to schedule the publishing of your posts, you need to use military time. Then you just select "okay." Read through your "Schedule For" screen, then select "Schedule" if everything is right.
If you need to work on your site, be sure to turn on a maintenance mode so that visitors aren't surprised with the current state of your website. There are lots of maintenance mode plugins out there. And best of all, they are typically free. It's a quick button push to toggle maintenance mode on and off.
Does your Wordpress dashboard look like a cluttered mess? Want to clean it up? Use the Screen Options link on that page to choose which boxes you want to appear and remove those which aren't helpful to you. This will ensure that your dashboard experience is streamlined in the future.
Do you find it difficult to post when you say you will or when you intend to? Write your posts when you want and set the time when it should be posted. Future publication is an option any time you open a page for a new post. Now you can write when you can and post when you need.
When linking internally, you don't have to enter your domain name into the URL field. Instead, just include the information which comes after the first /, such as /index.html. Don't forget to also insert an SEO keyword-rich title so that you can get even more bang for your search rank.
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.
WordPress is hardly a new phenomenon. But users are sometimes unaware of the actual potential that WordPress wields. The information and tips in this article will ensure that you are successful with your WordPress website.