Category: WordPress
Enhance Your Site Using WordPress Plugins
Welcome to the world of WordPress. This Content Management System (CMS) is ideal for anyone—whether you want to have an online journal or you’re looking to build an online business.
So what makes this system so spectacular and your website so functional?
The main reason is because of plugins. Plugins add functionality, convenience, and much more to your site. While they are usually created by several different individuals and companies, they all have ratings and feedback that you can find on wordpress.org to help you determine if it’s right for you.
The types of plugins you will be interested in depend on the purpose of your site.
What Your Website Is Missing
It seems as though many small business owners have the mindset of “If you build it they will come” in regards to website traffic. Essentially, a website’s success is subject to the sales generated from its visitors, as well as an ongoing interaction with current customers. This list of tactics and suggestions will help you put your best foot forward when it comes to your online presence.
To start interacting with customers on your website, you first need to create a reason why a user would give you their email address in order to start interacting to your clients and/or potential clients. Ideas to gather email addresses and information include sponsoring an online sweepstakes or coupon giveaway where users can opt-in by signing up on your homepage.
Website owners can also collect contact information when visitors are converted into customers. If you are active on social media sites, you can prompt visitors to ‘like’ your Facebook page or follow you in Twitter. Once you have a ‘like’ on Facebook, you are in. Your posts will show up in their feed and you are then able to create a dialog. Continue Reading
A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Multisite
WordPress Multisite is a special configuration of WordPress that enables webmasters to launch several websites off of the main WordPress installation. This simply means that one deployment of WordPress with the Multisite mode enabled may host many WordPress websites.
With earlier versions of the WordPress platform, the Multisite feature was only available with WordPress MU. WordPress MU was the “multi-user” iteration of the platform. However, as of the rollout of WordPress 3.0, the multi-user feature was combined with the standard installation of the platform. In current versions of WordPress, the multi-user features is included, and may be enabled or disabled by the WordPress platform administrator.
WordPress.com
Perhaps the most notable deployment of WordPress Multisite is the WordPress.com blogging platform. WordPress.com allows users to create their own blog site on the hosted platform. WordPress Multisite has been enabled to create this functionality on WordPress.com. Each blog site that is created is its own entity.
University and Blogging Websites
University websites that provide web space for various departments and colleges are another possibility for implementing the WordPress Multisite feature. Websites that offer bloggers the opportunity to create their own blog sites, such as “Teach For Us,” are also good candidates for the use of WordPress Multisite.
WordPress versus WordPress Multisite
WordPress functionality includes the administrator security role. The administrator is able to access the WordPress dashboard to add and edit pages, as well as make changes to the site structure. This role also has the ability to add, manage and delete users. WordPress Multisite includes a “super administrator” role. This role has “god rights.” In other words, the super administrator role includes administrative rights for each site. In addition, the super administrator role is able to manage every aspect of the entire WordPress deployment. These rights include the ability to create new site administrators, or to remove them, as well as the ability to add or delete sites from the platform.
The super administrator level of access may also administer network-wide settings for the platform. For example, themes and plug-ins are managed by the network administrator role in WordPress Multisite. Plug-ins and themes are installed at the network level and made available to all sites deployed within the Multisite platform.
Deploying WordPress Multisite
Though Multisite is included with WordPress 3.0 and above, the feature must be correctly configured in order to function properly. Because Multisite requires more server resources than the standard deployment of WordPress, a shared hosting account is not recommended for deployment of Multisite. Check with your web hosting provide to determine if the host supports deployment of Multisite. Some hosts will and others will not.
Obtain a copy of the WordPress Codex named “Creating a Network” (http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network). This guide provides the step-by-step process of enabling the Multisite feature. The codex instructs the webmaster to insert a code snippet into the wp-config.php page. This code snippet provides the network administration features. Once the network administration features are enabled, the on-screen instructions walks the webmaster through the remainder of the setup process.
One decision the webmaster will need to make during the setup process is whether to use subdomains or subdirectories to delineate the subsites. This decision is not reversible so be sure that you are prepared to make this determination during the setup process.
Once Multisite is configured by stepping through the instructions provided in the network administration interface, Multisite is deployed and ready to use.
As with a standard WordPress deployment, plug-ins are available to add functionality to the Multisite platform. Plug-ins include the WordPress Blog Replicator, Gravity Forms and User Registration and WordPress MU Domain Mapping.
WordPress Multisite is a great feature for webmasters for deploying platforms that will host subsites under one domain. For example, if you have a domain named www.mywordpress.com, subsites set up as subdomains might include user1.mywordpress.com as a subdomain where “user1“ is User #1‘s own website. WordPress Multisite extends the functionality of WordPress to enable one installation of WordPress to perform as a hosting platform for a collection of additional WordPress sites.
The Importance of WordPress Plugin Updates
Any WordPress administrator will tell you that many tabs are on the admin dashboard. Sadly, some things go unnoticed when they shouldn’t. This includes plugin updates. Whether you have a hundred plugins or just one, it’s very important that you always update your plugins the day an update comes out. If you don’t have this habit, here are some reasons why you should:
#1 Security Flaws
All plugin developers aren’t created equally. Some can create flawless code while others can’t. Since most work on their code daily or listen to the community feedback, there are times when flaws can be found. This is just a way of life. It’s important to update this right away because if the wrong person finds out about your old plugin version, you could put your website at risk.
#2 Function
It’s no secret that WordPress updates its version every few weeks. There’s probably a good chance that you update your WordPress every time an update comes out, right. If you don’t, it’s important to do so. If you update your WordPress version but you don’t update your plugins, you could put the functionality at risk. To make sure that everything is running smoothly, it’s advisable to update your plugins before you update the version.
#3 Features
Sometimes a plugin doesn’t offer an update because of function or flaw reasons. Instead, the developer may have added some features that can make your life a lot easier. Most reputable developers will offer an update documentation sheet before you update. On this documentation, it will state what was updated and what will be included. Most of the time, these features are added due to the feedback from the users across the web.
#4 It’s Fast
If you’re using the recent WordPress version, you should know by now that updating your plugins literally take a few seconds. For those who are lazy, you can be assured that you can update all of your plugins with one click. Back in the day before this nifty feature was around, you had to manually upload the update to your server. Thankfully, those days are long gone. If you’re using laziness as an excuse, you should probably review that.
#5 Performance
Today, a slow website can harm your search engine rankings and really annoy visitors. While many plugins are fast, some can drag your website down over time. What developers fail to realize is that they don’t notice this when they release the plugin. Instead, they wait for the community to tell them. So, if your website seems like it’s taking a generation to load, it could be due to a slower plugin.
#6 Spam Attacks
Similar to the security flaws mentioned above, some faulty plugins can lead to spam attacks, especially if you have a comment-related plugin. What automated bots can do is pick out a line of code from your website or a footprint that each plugin has. With that information, they can then spam your comments or even attempt a backdoor hack.
Updating a plugin is very easy. In fact, you probably could have updated 50 plugins by the time you have read this article. The next time you see a number next to the update section on your admin panel, don’t ignore it. Instead, take a few seconds of your time to update it. By doing so, you can keep your website safe.
WPHub.com Provides Premium WordPress Resources In One Convenient Place
Specializing in reviewing premium WordPress themes, plugins, and hosting providers, (as well as producing engaging WordPress tutorials), WPHub is your one-stop resource for all things WordPress. WPHub was created to serve the WordPress community by providing access to premium WordPress resources in one convenient place (there’s no area on the official WordPress.org website for premium themes and plugins). WPHub offers resources for themes, plugins, tutorials, and hosting. Be sure to check back often, as new content and resources are constantly being added!
Themes
You’ll find 577 premium WordPress themes in WPHub’s Themes section, all from top developers like WooThemes, ElegantThemes, ThemeForest, and StudioPress. Finding the perfect theme for your WordPress site is easy with WPHub’s search filters, which allow you to search by color palate, category, company, features, layout, price, and width.
Plugins
WPHub works with some of the best WordPress plugin developers on the web, constantly testing plugins for usefulness and compatibility. Whether you’re looking for e-commerce solutions, dynamic website forms, or anything else, WPHub has the perfect premium plugin for you!
Tutorials
Besides offering plugins and themes, WPHub also provides comprehensive WordPress training on a number of different topics, including how to use query_posts correctly, how to create a WordPress admin page plugin, and more. The folks behind WPHub have worked in the WordPress industry for years, and their expertise really shines through in their easy-to-follow, yet thorough, tutorial videos.
Hosting
WPHub works with some of the best WordPress hosting companies around to make sure users can get up and running quickly. Hosting companies that receive the WPHub seal of approval all work right out of the box, meaning they’ll set you up instantly with no configuration needed so you can start building your WordPress site right away. Finding the right WordPress hosting provider is easy thanks to WPHub’s handy comparison chart and pricing guide.
