Cardeo » Wordpress

5 plugins every new WordPress blog needs

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 03:47:43 +0000

Installing WordPress is just the first step for starting a successful blog. Sure you could simply set it up and start posting, but I rely on a few plugins for optimizing every WordPress blog I run. These plugins will make your life easier, save you potential headaches down the road, and optimize your blog for search.

Plugins

There are a few critical plugins that every good WordPress blog should have. The first one is the Google sitemaps plugin. Install the plugin then head to Settings > XML-sitemap and run the plugin. It will automatically generate a sitemap and submit it to Google for you. This will help your search ranking as your new blog grows. It works in the background and you can leave it be after creating your sitemap.

The next plugin I install is the All in one SEO plugin. I’ve tried a couple SEO plugins, but this one is by far the best. Once you install it, head over to Settings > All in One SEO to activate it. There are a number of options you can pick from to configure you plugin. It’s a good idea to leave most of them as is. However, I prefer to check off the option that automatically converts any post tags to meta keywords. To use the plugin, start a new post and scroll down to the bottom. You’ll see some fields there that you need to fill in: one for a title, and one for a description. I usually copy my post title into the title field. Then I enter a good description about the post content. Make sure you do that on every one of your blog posts.

Another useful plugin I’d recommend installing is maintenance mode. This plugin allows you to throw up a splash page if you are, for example, working on your theme and you want to hide your blog from the public.

The next plugin I install on every new blog is the WordPress database backup. Believe me, this is very handy if your database becomes corrupted down the road, or you need to recover your posts for another reason. Install the plugin and head to Tools > Backup. Once you’re there, configure the plugin to email you a backup once a week. Then just keep your backup files somewhere safe, incase you need them.

The last plugin I recommend activating is Akismet. This plugin comes bundles with WordPress, so you simply have to activate it. You’ll have to get an API key from the Akismet website, and if you say your blog is for personal use, you can get one for free. I highly recommend using this plugin to filter out spam comments. I had a client recently launch a blog I designed for them. They didn’t activate the plugin and after a month they had over 1,000 spam comments which brought their blog to screeching halt! Not to mention the poor person who had to go through and delete them all. You’ve been warned! :)

If you’re planning on offering free downloads from your blog, I’d recommend signing up for a free CloudApp account. It’s not a plugin but it’s quite handy for hosting files, and it gives you a simple way to offer downloads to your readers. It also includes a count of how many times each file is downloaded which is handy. That’s about it for plugins that I would recommend installing for all new WordPress blogs. What do you think? Do you use any other plugins that are a must for your WordPress blog?

WordPress Snippets

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:42:07 +0000

Recently, I came across this super handy WordPress Snippets website. I’m Loving the minimal interface that gets you to the content really quickly. Some snippet highlights would be: Facebook share, Twitter share, change admin logo, and more. Make sure you check it out.

Customize Your WordPress Dashboard

admin — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:08:59 +0000

Ever wonder how to customize your WordPress dashboard? If so, check out this post over at digwp.com. It’s a great resource for adding a number of customizations to your own blog’s dashboard.

Envato WordPress Bundle, $250 in files for only $30

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:13:21 +0000

Yowza! Envato is currently offering a special WordPress Bundle. For a limited time (a little over 6 days), you can pick up $250 of ThemeForest & CodeCanyon files for only $30! That’s a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Check out a list of what’s included after the jump.

Envato WordPress Bundle $250 in files for $30 | Buy Now

What’s Included

Here’s a list of the themes and plugins included in the bundle.

Envato WordPress Bundle $250 in files for $30 | Buy Now

Free WordPress Theme: MiniCard

admin — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 05:30:26 +0000

MiniCard

Here’s another great little theme that you can easily use for a resume website, or a lifestream. There’s a free or premium version available. If you opt for the premium version, it will cost you £25. It includes some ajax stuff and some different color options.

Preview | Download

Free WordPress Theme: BebackWP

admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:55:02 +0000

BebackWP by Wordspop

I came across this handy theme recently and thought I would post a link. It’s a slick, coming soon theme for your WordPress blog. Super easy to just turn this sucker on while you are working on updating your theme or doing other blog maintenance.

Preview | Download

Envato Birthday Bundle: Over $400 in Envato Files for $20!

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:15:06 +0000

If you like a good deal, then I have a doozie for you. The good people over at Envato are celebrating their 4th birthday, by offering an Envato Birthday Bundle of files from all of their stock websites. You get over $400 worth of files for only $20!. Now that is a pretty sweet deal. There’s only once catch, the offer is only good until Tuesday August 24th. Make sure you head over there now and download the bundle.

$400 in files for only $20! | Buy Now

What’s Included?

Here’s a list of everything included in the bundle:

ThemeForest.net Files
WordPress Themes, Website Templates, Photoshop Templates

CodeCanyon.net Files
Javascript, PHP, Plugins, .NET, CSS

GraphicRiver.net Files
Graphics, Templates, Textures, Backgrounds, Vectors, Icons, Fonts

$400 in files for only $20! | Buy Now

VideoHive.Net Files
Video Project Files, Motion Graphics, Stock Footage

3DOcean.net Files
3D Models, Textures, 2D Concepts

ActiveDen.net Files
Flash Files

AudioJungle.net Files
Music & Sound Files

Net.Tutplus.com
Premium Tutorials

Extras

On top of all those files, there are a couple additional extras thrown in:

$50 voucher for MediaTemple.net.
$10 voucher for RockablePress.com

$400 in files for only $20! | Buy Now

15 Simple Ways to Integrate Facebook into Your Website

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:17:09 +0000

Have you ever wondered how to integrate Facebook into your blog? If so, there’s a great post over at web.appstorm.net explaining 15 Simple Ways to Integrate Facebook into Your Website.

Preview of Topics Covered

Facebook Like Button
Disqus
Echo
IntenseDebate
WP-FacebookConnect
Facebook Dashboard Widget
Fotobook
Gaboinked!
WPBook
Drupal Facebook Connect
Joomla Facebook Fanbox
Facebook Buddy Module
KA Facebook Fanbox Pro
Facebook Connect Wizard
Facebook Wiki

Read Article | 15 Simple Ways to Integrate Facebook into Your Website

Adding A Facebook Like Button To Your WordPress Blog

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:35:37 +0000

Ever wondered how to add a Facebook “Like” button to your WordPress blog? It’s actually quite simple using the Facebook Like Button For WordPress Plugin.

Facebook Like Button Plugin | Download The Plugin

Further Instructions

Simply download the plugin and install it on your server. Activate it from the WordPress Admin, then configure it under the Settings tab. If you have any questions on how to configure the plugin, please leave a comment.

Adding A Google Buzz Share Button To Your WordPress Blog

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:21:48 +0000

There’s a great little tutorial over at savedelete.com on how to add a Google Buzz share button to your WordPress Blog.

“The Share button is actually a Google Reader Button and if you have added Google Reader in your Buzz connected sites, then only it will share the item in your Google Reader + Google Buzz.”

Check it out