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August 2011

WordPress Instructions

This document demonstrates the basic functions of the WordPress Publishing System. It starts off giving an overview on how to get started editing your site’s pages and uploading images. The main focus is on how to create search engine friendly Blog Posts.

As WordPress can be customised and different add-ons and versions are available, the screen shots in this document may not look exactly the same as yours, however the basic functionality is the same.

Contents About WordPress WordPress Admin Dashboard Pages Plug Ins Posts

o 1. Add New Posto 2. Post Titleo 3. Permalinko 4. Post Copyo 5. Excerpto 6. SEO Informationo 7. Categoryo 8. Saving and Previewing Posts

Adding Categories Comments Approving Comments Comment Spam Replying to Comments Trackbacks and Pings Blog Topic Ideas Tips on Blog Writing Further Reading

If you have questions regarding this document, please feel free to contact Steve on 03 365 2336 or [email protected].

Web Site Design Web Site Development Web Site Marketing Web Site Hosting

© 2011 Avatar Ltd PO Box 13300, Christchurch, New Zealand +64 3 365 2336 www.avatar.co.nz [email protected]

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WordPress Blog Instructions, August 2011 2

About WordPressWordPress was designed as a personal publishing tool to help individuals create their own blogs, and has evolved into a full content management system (CMS) enabling businesses to use it to manage a full website. There are hundreds of plug-ins / add-ons, widgets and themes available, making WordPress an extremely flexible and customisable system. However, the core functions of WordPress are the same and are explored in detail below.

WordPress AdminAccess your WordPress Admin page (usually by adding /wp-admin in your web browser after your website address) then enter your Username and Password and log in.

DashboardWhen you log in, the first page you should see is the Dashboard. The components displayed here depend on how your site is configured and how many plug-ins (additional bits of software to add functionality) have been added:

The example above is for a site that uses WordPress for its main site content and to organise their blog articles, so they have a few plug-ins and other options on display that your Dashboard might not. The key items that you need to know about are below.





The icons at the left hand side of the Dashboard provide quick access to key areas:

Access your Posts (your blog/articles)You can edit an existing post, add a new post, or add tags or categories to sort your posts into meaningful categories.

Access your Media (images etc)Here you can add to or edit your images and other media such as videos that you may have on your site.

Access your Pages (for sites using WordPress for its main content)Some sites use WordPress as a content management system for their main site content, so any web pages will be stored here. As with Posts, you can easily add a new page or edit existing ones.

Access any CommentsWhen a Post is published, readers can leave comments or link to your post. Approve any comments that you’re happy to publish, and respond to any questions. If it is inappropriate you can delete it. You will also receive notifications of any links and trackbacks to your Posts – you don’t have to approve these.

Either click on the icon and then one of the options, or click directly on one of the links below it to jump straight to that action.

Another way to access your key areas is the Right Now box, which is usually to the right of the main menu:

Here you can quickly access your Posts, Pages, Categories Tags and Comments.





PagesMost websites will have their main editable content located in the Pages area of the WordPress system.

A good link with an overview on how to update your main content is on the main WordPress site:http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started

It includes:1 Step by Step Instructions 1.1 Login1.2 Review the Dashboard1.3 Review the Pages Section 1.3.1 How do I add a page?1.3.2 How do I insert an image, video, audio clip or other file such as a PDF?1.4 Review the Posts Section1.5 Review the Users Section1.6 Glossary Terms1.7 Pages

General questions are answered at:http://codex.wordpress.org/General_Questions_and_Training

Plug Ins (Plugins)If you need help with your plugins, the first step is to search at WordPress.org or Google for the plugin main site and then look for the help section of their site. Find some useful links for common plugins we use below.

Shopp – shopping cart pluginhttp://shopplugin.net/ - main sitehttp://shopplugin.net/tour/ - tour of key featureshttp://docs.shopplugin.net/ - login to get useful help docshttp://shopplugin.net/support/ - you can post a support question for free or pay for faster service

NextGEN Gallery – photo galleryhttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nextgen-gallery/ - features and FAQs

All in One SEO Pack – search engine optimisationhttp://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/ - features and FAQs

cforms II – form page enhancementshttp://www.deliciousdays.com/cforms-plugin/ - features and support




http://www.deliciousdays.com/cforms-plugin/

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nextgen-gallery/

http://shopplugin.net/support/

http://docs.shopplugin.net/

http://shopplugin.net/tour/

http://shopplugin.net/

http://codex.wordpress.org/General_Questions_and_Training

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Pages

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Glossary_Terms

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Review_the_Users_Section

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Review_the_Posts_Section

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#How_do_I_insert_an_image.2C_video.2C_audio_clip_or_other_file_such_as_a_PDF.3F

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#How_do_I_add_a_page.3F

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Review_the_Pages_Section

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Review_the_Dashboard

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Login

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started#Step_by_Step_Instructions

http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started


PostsIf you are using WordPress for a blog, you will need to use the Posts component. To see your current list of posts, click on Posts in the Right Now box or click on the Posts icon in the main menu. You will see a list of published and pending Posts and the Categories and/or Tags that they have been assigned to:

Click on the Post title to edit an existing post, or click on Add New in the main menu to add a new post to your blog.

There are a number of elements that you need to complete when writing a blog post.





1. Post TitleThe first box, underneath Add New Post (outlined in red above) is for your Post Title.

Tip: Use a short, succinct Title incorporating a keyword phrase that is related to your post and which users would use to find your article. This will also form your post’s web link (Permalink – see below) and will also be shown in search results, so avoiding prepositions such as ‘in’, ‘at’, ‘and’ etc. or ‘the’ wherever possible can help keep the link and title concise.

2. PermalinkYour post will automatically be given a Permalink (or permanent link) based on your post Title. It will contain hyphens between each word and is the same as a page URL on a regular web page. A Permalink enables your post to be linked to from other sites and other pages on your website, so keep it short by avoiding prepositions such as ‘in’, ‘at’, ‘and’ etc. or ‘the’ where possible.

Tip: If the Permalink is very long, or contains prepositions etc that you need in the post title but not in the link, you can change the link by clicking the Edit button next to the link.

Note the yellow area shows the post’s permalink, which is truncated only for viewing purposes.

After editing the link, click Save (or Cancel if you don’t want to save your changes) when you are done.

3. Post CopyDepending on your version of WordPress and how many other plug-ins you have, your editing area should look similar to this:





The main editing area is for your blog article. There should be two rows of buttons at the top of this box, which allow you to format your copy, such as adding bold text, headers and adding links etc. They are fairly similar to Windows icons and should be fairly self-explanatory:

Use the first button on the second row of the toolbar to adjust the format of your text:

Select Heading 2 for a sub-heading if you need one, otherwise, leave the format set to Paragraph for the main copy.

Tip: If pasting copy from Microsoft Word use the Paste from Word icon to prevent the WordPresseditor from messing up the text formatting:

Tip: You can also increase the size of the main editing area to better view your full article by dragging the right corner downwards, creating a larger editing area.





Click on Save Draft periodically to save a copy of the post. You can continue editing the post or close it and come back to it later.

Adding LinksTo add a link to your article, highlight the text you want to use (this is known as the Anchor Text) and making sure that you haven’t highlighted any spaces either side of this text, click the Link icon to insert a new link:

This will open up an Insert/edit link pop-up box:

Link URL: the web address of the page you want to link to.Target: you can set the behaviour of the link e.g. to open within the page or in a new window.Title: provide a keyword related title for the link. This will show a label in some browsers when a user hovers over the link but it’s also a useful optimisation tool.Class: ignore this – not required.

Linking to a page from your websiteIf you’re linking to a page at your own site, use the folder icon to browse to the page you’re linking to. This is better than typing the link in as any changes to the landing page url will update your blog link. Set the Target to open in a new window, or if you’re happy for users to navigate away from the post, set it to open in the same window.

Linking to an external websiteIf you’re linking to someone else’s website, enter the entire link, including the http:// part. If you don’t want users to navigate away from your blog, set the Target to open in a new window.

Adding ImagesTo insert an image into your post, click the first icon next to Upload/Insert above the main editing area:

The easiest way to add an image is from your computer, which is the default setting:





Click Browse and locate the image you want to add from your files:

Click on Open to add the selected file, then click Upload. This will open an Add an Image pop-up box:





Title: The system will automatically use the image’s file name here. Replace this with a short descriptive Title using relevant keywords. Use Title Case.Caption: Provide a very short Caption, which will appear beneath the image and will also form the Alternative Text, which is good for optimisation.Description: Provide a concise Description using relevant keywords.Alignment: Decide where you want the image to be positioned within the post.Size: Ensure you only upload small images — max 300 pixels wide. If your image is larger than this, resize it before you upload it, otherwise it won’t fit properly within the blog page.

When you have completed the required information, click Insert into Post.

4. ExcerptThis will be positioned somewhere below your main editing area. Excerpts are a summary of your post and must be concise and descriptive. Some sites will show this alongside your post title as a description of the blog post, so it needs to represent the article and entice people to click on your post. Remember to use keyword phrases that will help search engines and users find the article.

Some Blogs are set up to use the Excerpt to show the first paragraph of the article on the Blog homepage, so if this is the case, you will need to copy the first paragraph or initial couple of





sentences here instead. Your main Blog page will show the first paragraph of each blog with an automatically generated ‘Continue Reading’ link instead of showing the entire blog post:

This makes your Blog homepage compact and encourages readers to open each blog post, where they will be able to bookmark / link to the post from their own sites or add a comment — two important functions of your blog. If your main blog page shows each post in its entirety and you would like to change the set-up to show summaries, please let us know as we can change this for you.

5. SEO InformationDepending on the configuration of your blog, this is the section will either be called the All in One SEO Pack or the Custom Field Template and will be positioned somewhere below your main editing area. Regardless of the name of this section, the main features are the same:





It is vital for the optimisation of your post, enabling search engines to find and index the post, and also provides a title and description that will be displayed in the results of search engines.

Tip: You can drag this box and the Excerpt box higher up the page to directly underneath the main post editing area to remind you to complete these important sections.

TitleKeep this short and descriptive, again incorporating key phrases/keywords. It will likely be similar to your post’s title – think about what search phrases you want the post to rank well for.

DescriptionThis is a summary of your post and is similar to a meta description on a regular web page. It is what will be shown in the search engine results, so it needs to entice the reader to click on the link. Keep it concise and descriptive, and include keywords related to the content that you want to rank well for.

KeywordsUse this to provide variations on your keywords related to the post. Separate these with a comma, and use lower case. You can add short keyword phrases as well as single words, e.g. business advice, consultancy, etc.





6. CategoryIf you don’t have any Categories set up, your posts will just be archived by month. However, you can add Categories to help organise your articles into relevant topics or groups. You can select Categories to the right of the Edit Post area:

7. Saving and Previewing PostsOnce you have completed your post, click Preview to view the post in your web browser and test the links etc. Once you’re happy with it and want it to go live, click Publish. You should be able to view your new post at your blog.

Adding CategoriesAs mentioned above you can categorise your posts under different Categories. As you build up your blog posts you can arrange them under different topics by adding new Categories and assigning your posts to a relevant category. This makes it easier for users to find articles of interest, though your latest posts will always be listed at the top of your main blog page.

For example, you might want a Travel category for posts about holidays or travel in general, or Offers for posts exclusively about deals and special offers – it’s completely up to you what topics you chose but try to keep them concise and keyword relevant.





To edit or add a new Category, select Category from the Right Now box in your Dashboard, or click on the Categories link under the Posts menu:

Adding a new Category is simple, just complete the Category Name and click Add Category. You can edit or delete existing categories by accessing the category you want from the right hand side of the screen:





CommentsOne of the benefits of having a blog is that it opens up a conversation between you and your readers by way of Comments. Readers are able to leave a comment about a post they have read, but in order for these comments to be published for everyone to view, you will need to Approve them. You should receive an email when someone leaves a comment, but it is also worth logging into your WordPress administration to see if there are any new comments.

In the Dashboard, click on the Comments link:

The button should have a number beside it if there are new comments to approve. This will take you to the Edit Comments screen:

With each comment, you can see the author’s name, their email address, plus the date they submitted their comment and the post they commented on.

In the example above, the bottom two comments are genuine, one is asking a question about a competition and another is responding to a post asking for information about a mystery museum artefact. These would be worth approving as they are adding to the ‘conversation’ and in the latter case, providing the answer to a question the Blog administrator had asked the public.





Approving CommentsTo approve or delete a comment, simply hover over the comment and some options will appear:

Key ActionsApprove If you’re happy for everyone to see the comment, click Approve and it will

appear under the post it is responding to.Spam If the post is selling something or is completely off-topic, it could be spam. Click

Spam to assign it as spam and it will not be published.Delete If you want to get rid of a comment, Delete it.Edit If you’re happy with most of the comment but you would like to edit part of it,

click Edit. You can also send an email or visit their site from this screen.Quick Edit Quickly edit the comment within the comment screen.Reply This sends a private reply that is not published on your blog. Unapprove Once a comment has been approved, the option to Unapproved it will become

available.

Comment SpamUnfortunately, you will probably receive spam comments from time to time, like the yellow message above, as some users either try to sell to you, or think they can gain some of your site’s link authority by leaving generic comments at lots of different blogs. As you have the power to moderate your blog’s comments, you can choose not to publish them. Any comment that seems off-topic, ‘salesy’ or not related to the post in any way could be spam, so click Spam and they will not be published.

Replying to CommentsYou can also reply to any comments and it is good etiquette to do so as quickly as possible — either publicly or privately.

Private ReplyIf you want to respond to the comment but you don’t want everyone to read it, click Reply to leave a response. Alternatively, to email them directly, click Edit and then click on send e-mail and this should open a new message in your email system.





Public ReplyThis is preferable in most cases as it continues the dialogue with your readers and provides answers to questions others may have asked in a comment. The best way to reply publicly is to go directly to the live blog, click on the related blog post and leave your reply in the reply area below the comments. Ensure you have logged into the WordPress admin first, otherwise you will have to approve your reply, which adds another step to the process.

Comment from a reader and a reply from the Blog administrator

Trackbacks and PingsIf someone links to one of your blog posts from their own website, social network or blog, your will receive a comment notifying you of the link. You can usually distinguish these from regular comments as they will usually contain a web address instead of an email address and the comment will be surrounded by […]. The spam example above is also an example of a Trackback. You don’t need to Approve these, but it can be handy to keep them in your WordPress admin so you can see who is linking to your blog, or simply delete them.





Blog Topic IdeasYou can post on a huge variety of topics, from serious articles and advice to light-hearted insight into your company and staff. Some ideas include:

News about the company (e.g. new products & services, new contracts won, events, staff information etc) Insightful or funny behind the scenes info e.g.

a day in the life of a particular staff role info and photos of your teams employee outings funny customer requests (keep it anonymous)

Employee profiles & interviews (e.g. you could interview one key member of staff each month and introduce them on your blog) Industry tips and insider guides — try to answer common questions or provide solutions to problems and think about how you can become a ‘thought-leader’ in your industry and be sought after for your expert advice/insight Write about special occasions e.g. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, ANZAC Day etc, include exclusive offers, promotions or special events Jobs and employment opportunities Sponsorships and community work, participation in local events, eco-friendly practices Competitions and offers (try to include some unique offers/comps to blog readers) Seasonal information e.g. an article about different holidays and seasons, whether it’s advisable to book in advance etc

You can also add photos, videos, audio and games etc to your blog to make it more interesting and interactive — if you optimise them using relevant keywords they are also likely to get picked up by search engines. Include a link to your website and if someone shares them you could grow the number of links back to your website.





Tips on Blog WritingWriting a blog is a lot different than writing for your website, so here are some tips to get you started.

Use a clear headline (title)This the first thing readers will first see, so it has to grab their attention (without being misleading). Make your title short and snappy, and incorporate a relevant keyword phrase that is related to your post and which users would use to find your article. Also, think about how your post will appear to readers if they found it on another website or blog — it’s best to put the title into context.

Use relevant keywords in your contentThis will help you stay on topic, and help search engines to pick up your blog, enhancing your rankings. You don’t have to repeat the exact keyword phrase throughout — search engines are more sophisticated nowadays so you can include derivatives, e.g. bicycle and bike are both acceptable.

Link often Adding links in your posts to pages on your website is key for increasing your link popularity and for helping your rankings. Linking to other blogs and websites also helps you build a network of associates who will hopefully link to your blog in return.

Write with the reader in mind Try not to write for yourself. Put yourself in the reader’s position and think about what they might want to know. Also, keep in mind the rule of 5 W’s: who, what, where, why and when.

Make it valuable and worthwhileMake sure you are adding value — providing something interesting, compelling and original. You can share other people’s articles (using links or a small excerpt) but add your own insights/opinions. If you’re stuck for ideas, consider doing an interview, providing behind-the-scenes info or writing a review and inviting feedback.

Keep it short and simpleMost people are scanners so get to the point quickly. Publishing short posts frequently is better than publishing lengthy articles every few weeks. Also, write clearly — use short sentences and only introduce one concept per sentence. Avoid jargon.

Optimise your imagesIf you provide images in your post, make sure you use relevant keywords in the file name and add a description and alternative text (alt tag) when you upload the image. Adding a caption below the image containing relevant keywords can also help optimise your image and help search engines find your article.

Proof-read Check for typos and grammatical errors. It’s easy to adopt a more casual attitude when blogging, however, you are still communicating with potential clients, so sloppy work can be detrimental.

Blog regularlyMany people create a blog and post lots of articles at first, then tend to go off the boil a bit and the time lag between posts gets longer and longer. Keep up the momentum and keep posting regularly, otherwise your readers will lose interest and search engines will stop indexing your posts.





Encourage commentsThis is one of the key benefits of blogs, and getting regular comments will also help to keep your site growing and regularly updated. Encourage comments by asking your readers a question at the end, or write something to stimulate responses (nothing too controversial though!)

Respond quicklyMake sure you respond to comments and questions as soon as possible. If you disagree with a comment, this is fine, and as long as no one is disrespectful, it is fine to have a lively discussion on a hot topic.

Further ReadingFor help and advice about blogging and writing blog posts, visit some of these resources:

WordPress Org - Introduction to Blogging Five Ways a Blog Helps You to Market Your Business 7 Steps to Better Blog Entries Top 10 Blogging Tips 35 Ways to Market Your Blog


http://blog.junta42.com/2010/09/ways-to-market-your-blog/



http://www.bloggingtips.com/2008/10/06/top-10-blog-writing-tips/

http://www.site-reference.com/articles/Website-Development/7-Steps-to-Better-Blog-Entries.html

http://www.site-reference.com/articles/Internet-Marketing/Five-Ways-A-Blog-Helps-You-To-Market-Your-Business.html

http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

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