Most of the websites I have worked on over the last couple years have been built using WordPress, one of the best Content Management Systems available. It is extremely flexible and powerful, with great tools for Search Engine Optimization already built in. For a new user, however, it can be a little overwhelming once they log in for the first time. The WordPress backend is a little bit heavy and offers so many tools that it can be confusing for those new to the system. At first I was spending a lot of time on the phone talking clients through the same basic issues over and over. How do I add a new post? How do I create a new category? While these were new issues for them, I had to repeat myself over and over. So I put together a document that provides basic instructions for using WordPress and I have
Tagged with: ‘web design resources’
The Basics of Editing your New WordPress Site
November 6, 2009
BlogStarter Version 1.1
May 27, 2009A couple weeks back I released BlogStarter, a free WordPress theme, actually two themes in one created as a starting point for easily building custom WordPress themes. After putting it to the test with my last couple WordPress sites, I was able to make a few quick improvements. You can find all the details about the BlogStarter theme for WordPress developers. Or just get the newest version here: DOWNLOAD Both Themes (.zip) Changes: Version 1.1 (released 5/27/09): Fixed and cleaned up some CSS Added a theme settings page to the admin area (easily taken out or edited to fit your new theme). For now it is only a couple links, eventually I will add a message about whether there is a new version available. Dropdown menu in the OneColumn version works better - lists archive in a dropdown, categories in a drop down, and the blogroll in a dropdown.
WPJumpStart – Build WordPress Themes Faster
May 12, 2009WPJumpStart is a collection of tools and instructions that will drastically speed up your WordPress theme development or blog design. WPJumpStart is: A system of tools that will improve theme design workflow. Built especially for designers and developers with experience building themes for WordPress. A helping hand for those with intermediate knowledge of WordPress themes. WPJumpStart is not: Meant for those new to HTML or completely new to WordPress. A complete guide or manual to the inner workings of WordPress. What Exactly is it? WPJumpStart is a compilation of resources that will improve your workflow and allow you to create cleaner designs, build themes faster and optimize WordPress itself. Bring your WordPress projects to a more professional level and decrease the time you spend on projects. BlogStarter - An emptied out blog theme, ready to be quickly styled into a custom theme. BlogStarter is now actually two themes - a Two-Column simple blog layout, and a wide One-Column layout complete with
Latest and Greatest WordPress Plugins
May 12, 2009This is a list of WordPress Plugins that I use and recommend for almost every WordPress site I work on. I will try to keep it up to date with the best that I can find in each category. There are plenty of great plugins out there, but I find myself using these ones over and over again. If anyone knows of better options or can add ones that I missed, please leave a comment below and I will try to add them in. Best Plugins for Spam: Askimet - One of the default plugins. It has been all I have needed for spam so far. Activate this right away. Best Plugins for SEO: All in one SEO Pack - Lets you control metadata on everypage and post. Google XML Sitemaps - Automically generates a sitemap and submits it to Google, MSN, and Ask.com. KB Robots.txt - Easily control your robots.txt file and help search engines
Optimize Your WordPress Site
May 12, 2009WordPress has become one of the most powerful and most-used blogging and Content Management Systems in the world in part due to its incredible flexibility and ability to be customized. So it is surprising to learn that the default installation is lacking in a few ways. But because of the great flexibility of WordPress, this is easy to fix in just a few minutes. After any WordPress installation, there is a series of steps that I take in order to optimize the site, before I even think about what it will look like. Remove or edit the Placeholder Content There is a placeholder post titled 'Hello World'. DELETE that, or edit it to be your actual first post. There is a placeholder page called 'About'. DELETE it or edit it to say what you want it to say. Delete the user 'admin' If you used a one-click installation or had someone do it for you, you
BlogStarter – Free WordPress Theme for Developers
May 11, 2009With this post I am announcing my very first WordPress theme. It is called 'BlogStarter' and is made specifically for WordPress developers (like myself) who are looking for a quick and easy way to get a new blog theme going. It is actually two seperate themes, a two-column verion with a widget-ready sidebar and a one column verison, complete with working dropdown menu at the top. VIEW LIVE DEMO - BlogStarter Two Column Version VIEW LIVE DEMO - BlogStarter One Column Version DOWNLOAD Both Themes (.zip) If you are interested in reading about why and how I created the theme you can go here: BlogStarter - Behind the Scenes. The Basic Features: Two Column Version has a Basic Two-Column blog layout One Column Version is ideal for quickly making photography blogs, with lots of space for photos. 960px wide (easily adjusted) no background colors or images (so you can quickly add your own) Highlights: WordPress 2.7.1 compatible (including threaded comments) Includes wp_head()