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.
Be sure to stay on top of updates! Many updates to add-ons or Wordpress itself are security-based, meaning your site could be compromised if you don't update the software. If it's telling you a new update is available, install it as soon as possible to protect your site from harm.
Do not let your theme get stale. The first thing you should do if you notice a decrease in traffic is check and see when you last changed your theme. As your site grows and changes, the theme should as well. Make sure that it accurately reflects your brand, and you should see a rise in traffic.
Use the "ABC" button to spell check your posts before they go live. Many people overlook this ability, but Wordpress can spell check your work for you. This ensures that you continue to give off a professional look with your posts and yet you don't have to use a separate program to do so.
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!
Your username should never be "admin". You are risking bot attack if your username is something generic like administrator or admin. This is a major security risk. Eliminate admin type user names altogether. Use something else.
Make sure that your wordpress site loads as fast as possible for your visitors. This is vital, as a site that crashes or takes too long will discourage your users from visiting it. A fast site will put your users in a good mood when they come there on a daily basis.
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.
Have an easy to find library. Time is money and you don't need to check tons of folders to find one thing. It is easier to find things in your WordPress theme when everything is in one integrated folder. This makes searching through your Media Library much easier since it only involves inputting a keyword for what you're looking for.
You can insert media into your posts just by pasting the URL where you'd like the media to appear. For example, paste in a YouTube video just by putting the URL within the text where you want the video to play. Be sure that the URL doesn't turn blue - if it does, highlight it and click the unlink button.
Use the Comments tab in the Wordpress dashboard side bar to keep tabs on who is posting what on your site. This will save you the hassle of getting an email every time someone says something in reply to a post. In the end, you just don't have time for that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy1rGtzLCwM
Constantly work on improving your permalinks. As WordPress becomes more popular, your traffic may decline. Change the URLs of your WordPress articles and incorporate higher quality keywords. You can minimize the amount of keywords as long as their value increases. This can be a nice boost to the traffic you see.
Back up your content on your WordPress blog. Sure WordPress is a very well-known and stable platform, but things still do go wrong from time to time. You don't want to be caught without a content backup if somethings gone the wrong way. You can simply copy and paste your articles into Evernote or another notes platform.
Use the "Read More" button for lengthy posts. If your front page is covered with text, it can turn off readers. Allow visitors to click to read more if they choose to. Not doing this could cause the blog to appear messy and overwhelming.
Do not keep the default sidebar. Go in and customize both the titles and sections in the theme directory. This will ensure that your site is unique. In addition, while you can have different sidebars on different pages of the site, you may want to consider keeping everything uniform for your visitors.
Use the Author Highlight plugin to make your comments stand out from those of readers. This is a simple way for people to find answers to questions so that they don't end up asking the same thing over and over again. While this may boost your comment count, it can become tedious.
In your wordpress blog, try to take advantage of all blank areas for advertising purposes. Focus your advertising towards the subject matter in your blog posts. Search out for reputable companies to become an affiliate marketer for. Make use of every single inch of real estate on your wordpress blog.
If web site you want to use Wordpress, be sure to buy your own domain. yoursite.wordpress.com is easy and free, but you don't get the ability to make the same customizations and additions you would if you had a site on your own server and with your own domain, cramping your potential for success.
It may be that you have been a long-time Wordpress user who thought you already knew everything there was to know about it. However, the above article has likely demonstrated the fact that there are many great things you may not have realized about Wordpress, which you can start putting to use right away. Best wishes as you keep improving your online presence.
