Download - Dustin Hartzler
13 WordPress Mistakes to AvoidYou’re Doing it Wrong
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About ME
Dustin Hartzler from Dayton OhioHeavily Involved with WordPressDeveloper (HartzlerDM.com)Podcaster (YourWebsiteEngineer.com)Instructor (ConquerYourWebsite.com)
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DustinIsLive.com
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Today’s GAME PLAN
Most Common MistakesSolutions to the MistakesQuestions
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Shortcut Your Way to Successfully Using
WordPress
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Mistake #0 USING WRONG TYPE OF WORDPRESS
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.orgThis presentation will focus on self-hosted WordPress
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Mistake #1 NOT REMOVING INITIAL SETTINGS
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Mistake #1 NOT REMOVING INITIAL SETTINGS
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How to FIX
Customize your Title & TaglineEnable post name permalinksSet your time zone
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Mistake #2 ABSOLUTELY NO BACKUP
Rollback if your site gets hackedRestore point if an update crashes your siteDon’t lose years worth of content if your server crashes
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How to FIX
Install a pluginBackupBuddy or BackWPup
ConfigureForget about it!
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Mistake #3 NOT USING BETTER WP SECURITY
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How to FIX
Install Better WP SecurityConfigure all 21 itemsEnable Limit Login Feature
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Mistake #4 NOT TRACKING TRAFFIC FROM DAY 1
Set up a Google Analytics AccountOr set up a WordPress.com account for JetpackDo this early and verify it’s working
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How to FIX
Sign up for an accountgoogle.com/analytics or wordpress.com
Install & configure pluginVerify it’s working after 3 days
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Mistake #5 A EXTREMELY SLOW SITE
A WordPress site is dynamicIt’s resource intensiveLong load times without a caching plugin
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How to FIX
tools.pingdom.com or gtmetrix.comInstall W3Total CacheConfigure to optimize your site
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Mistake #6 NOT TARGETING EXACT KEYWORDS
Google likes WordPress sitesBut you need to say what’s on each pageWhen each page is optimized, your site will rank higher in search results
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How to FIX
Install WordPress SEO by YoastConfigure site wide defaultsOptimize each page and post
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Mistake #7 NOT COLLECTING EMAIL ADDRESSES
The money’s in the listA direct way to communicate with your fansAutomate this with a service like MailChimp
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How to FIX
Sign up for a free MailChimp AccountCreate a listInstall MailChimp pluginAdd plugin to sidebarCreate a freebee to encourage sign ups
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Mistake #8 NOT STAYING UPDATED
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How to FIX
First create a backup restore pointUpdate WordPress as soon as it’s releasedUpdate plugins and themes as necessary
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Mistake #9 INSTALLED BAD PLUGINS
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Mistake #9 INSTALLED BAD PLUGINS
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How to FIX
Look for plugins with cover imageMake sure they’ve been updated recentlyLots of downloads
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Mistake #10 USING HUGE POORLY NAMED PICS
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How to FIX
Resize images before uploadingGive images a descriptive nameInclude Alt Text so Google and screen readers know what is being displayed
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Mistake #11 Content Isn’t Shareable
People will share content if:It’s great contentIt’s easy to share
This will bring more traffic to your site
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How to FIX
Easiest: Install Jetpack plugin and enable sharingInstall one of the thousands social sharing plugins
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Mistake #12 NOT USING THE POWER OF 24/7
Your website is running 24/7If you have items to sell, add them to your siteMake things extremely automated
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How to FIX
To sell items, add WooCommerce pluginSet up a PayPal accountIn WooCommerce, set payment gateway to PayPal
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How to FIX
People want instant gratificationIf you offer a free ebook, make sure it can be downloaded instantly
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Mistake #13 NOT USING A CONTACT FORM
You want to make it as easy as possible for people to contact youHave a dedicated page called “Contact”
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How to FIX
Install Contact Form 7 or Gravity FormsCreate a simple form:Name, email, message box
Verify it’s working
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To RECAP
Mistake #1: Not removing initial settingsMistake #2: Absolutely no backupMistake #3: Site vulnerable to hackersMistake #4: Not tracking visitors
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To RECAP
Mistake #5: A slow loading websiteMistake #6: Not targeting keywordsMistake #7: Not capturing email addressMistake #8: Website is outdated
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To RECAP
Mistake #9: Installed bad pluginsMistake #10: Too large of imagesMistake #11: Content isn’t shareableMistake #12: Not using the 24/7 powerMistake #13: Not having a contact form
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Any Questions?