Content Management and Workflow

WordPress: As a full-featured CMS, WordPress excels at providing an intuitive, user-friendly interface for managing blog content. The WordPress admin dashboard gives bloggers a centralized hub for writing, editing, organizing, and publishing new posts. The visual editor allows for rich formatting, embedding media, and other advanced content features. This makes WordPress well-suited for blogs with frequent updates, complex content structures, and a need for an efficient editorial workflow.

The WordPress ecosystem also includes thousands of themes and plugins that extend the platform’s functionality. This allows WordPress blogs to take on more advanced use cases beyond basic blogging, such as e-commerce, membership sites, forums, and more.

Static Site Generators: In contrast, static site generators rely on a more technical, code-centric workflow. Content is typically written in Markdown or similar markup languages, and then compiled into HTML pages. This requires a bit more upfront effort compared to the WordPress admin interface, but results in a very fast, lightweight website.

The content workflow for static site generators usually involves writing posts in a text editor, managing content in a version control system like Git, and then running a build command to generate the final HTML pages. This approach is better suited for bloggers who are comfortable working with code and prefer a more developer-oriented workflow.

Static site generators excel at basic blogging features like Markdown writing, SEO optimization, and automated deployment. However, they generally have a more limited ecosystem compared to WordPress, with fewer pre-built themes and plugins available.

Performance and Scalability

WordPress: As a database-driven CMS, WordPress sites need to generate pages dynamically on each request. This can result in slower load times, especially for sites with a lot of content or traffic. WordPress performance can be improved through caching plugins and hosting optimizations, but it will always have some inherent overhead compared to static sites.

Additionally, the dynamic nature of WordPress means that server resources (CPU, memory, database) can become a bottleneck as traffic increases. This can lead to performance issues and the need to scale up infrastructure, which adds complexity and cost.

Static Site Generators: In contrast, static sites generated from text files are generally faster and more scalable than WordPress. The pre-generated HTML pages can be cached and served efficiently by a content delivery network (CDN), with no need to generate pages dynamically. This makes static sites a great choice for high-traffic blogs that prioritize speed and performance.

Static site generators also have a smaller attack surface compared to WordPress, as they don’t require a database or server-side processing. This can result in better reliability and uptime, with fewer points of failure.

The tradeoff is that static site generators require a build step to generate the final HTML pages. This means that updates and new content won’t be immediately visible to users until the site is re-built and re-deployed. However, modern static site generators have features like incremental builds and deploy previews to minimize the impact of this workflow.

Security and Maintenance

WordPress: As the world’s most popular CMS, WordPress is also a frequent target for hacks and malware. This is due to its large attack surface, with the core software, themes, and plugins all potential vectors for vulnerabilities.

Keeping a WordPress site secure requires regular updates to the core software, themes, and plugins to address security issues as they are discovered. This ongoing maintenance can be time-consuming, especially for complex WordPress sites with many customizations.

WordPress sites also need to be monitored for malicious activity, and may require additional security measures like firewalls, malware scanning, and two-factor authentication. Failing to properly maintain a WordPress site can lead to it being compromised and used for spam, phishing, or other malicious purposes.

Static Site Generators: In contrast, static sites generated from text files have a much smaller attack surface compared to WordPress. Since there is no database or server-side processing, the risk of vulnerabilities is greatly reduced. Static sites also don’t require regular software updates or plugin management, reducing maintenance overhead.

The static nature of these sites means that even if a vulnerability is discovered in one of the underlying tools or libraries, the impact is limited since there is no dynamic code execution. The worst-case scenario is that the site may need to be re-built and re-deployed with the updated dependencies.

Additionally, static site generators often integrate well with modern security practices like Content Security Policies, Subresource Integrity, and HTTPS. This can help harden the security of the site without requiring extensive manual configuration.

The tradeoff is that static site generators may require more technical expertise to set up and maintain compared to a WordPress site. However, once the initial setup is complete, the ongoing maintenance burden is typically much lower.

Customization and Extensibility

WordPress: One of WordPress’s key strengths is its vast ecosystem of themes and plugins. This allows WordPress blogs to be highly customized and extended to meet a wide range of requirements. From simple blog designs to complex e-commerce or membership sites, there’s likely a WordPress solution available.

The WordPress plugin repository contains over 50,000 free and premium plugins that add functionality like contact forms, SEO optimization, social sharing, and much more. This makes it possible to build a WordPress site that is tailored to your specific needs without having to write all the code from scratch.

WordPress also has a large and active developer community, with many resources available for learning how to build custom themes and plugins. This can be especially useful for bloggers who want to create a unique, branded experience for their site.

Static Site Generators: While static site generators don’t have the same level of pre-built theme and plugin ecosystem as WordPress, they can still be highly customized through custom code and third-party services. Many static site generators provide robust APIs and extension mechanisms that allow developers to build custom functionality.

For example, static site generators often integrate well with external services like Disqus for comments, Netlify for hosting and deployment, Algolia for search, and various analytics platforms. This allows bloggers to assemble a tailored tech stack without having to build everything from scratch.

Additionally, the code-centric nature of static site generators means that bloggers who are comfortable with web development can create highly customized designs and features using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The tradeoff is that customizing a static site generator typically requires more technical expertise compared to using a WordPress theme or plugin. However, the flexibility and control offered by this approach can be worth the additional effort for bloggers who have the necessary skills and resources.

Hosting and Deployment

WordPress: Hosting a WordPress site requires a web server that can run the PHP and MySQL components of the CMS. This can be done through a traditional web hosting provider, a managed WordPress host, or by setting up your own server infrastructure.

Deploying updates to a WordPress site usually involves logging into the admin dashboard, uploading new files or database changes, and possibly clearing caches. This process can be automated to some degree using tools like Git, deployment scripts, and plugins, but it still requires more manual intervention compared to static site deployment.

Static Site Generators: Static sites generated by tools like Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby can be hosted on a wide range of platforms, including content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud storage services, and static site hosting providers. These hosting options are often simpler and more cost-effective than traditional web hosting, as they don’t require a full web server infrastructure.

Deploying updates to a static site is typically a matter of re-building the site and pushing the generated HTML files to the hosting platform. This can be automated using continuous integration (CI) tools, which can detect changes in the content repository, re-build the site, and deploy the new version. This results in a streamlined, hands-off deployment process compared to WordPress.

Some static site hosting providers like Netlify and Vercel even offer built-in CI/CD features, making the deployment workflow even more seamless. This can be especially beneficial for bloggers who want to focus more on content creation than infrastructure management.

Top 5 Static Site Generators as Alternatives to WordPress

1. Jekyll

Overview: Jekyll is one of the most well-known static site generators and is often credited with popularizing the SSG movement. It’s written in Ruby and integrated seamlessly with GitHub Pages, making it an excellent choice for developers already using GitHub for version control.

Features:

• Simple and easy-to-use templating with Liquid
• Extensive plugin ecosystem
• Markdown support for content creation
• Built-in support for blogging with category and tag functionality
• Free hosting on GitHub Pages

2. Hugo

Overview: Hugo is renowned for its speed, being one of the fastest static site generators available. Written in Go, Hugo can generate thousands of pages in a matter of seconds, making it ideal for large projects and websites that require frequent updates.

Features:

• Lightning-fast build times
• Robust theming system
• Support for multiple content types
• Flexible taxonomies and custom content types
• Multilingual support out of the box

3. Gatsby

Overview: Gatsby leverages React and GraphQL to create highly dynamic and interactive static websites. It’s particularly popular for its performance optimizations and ability to pull data from various sources, including CMSs, APIs, and databases.

Features:

• React-based for dynamic components
• Rich plugin ecosystem
• Powerful data layer with GraphQL
• Progressive Web App (PWA) capabilities
• Image optimization for faster loading times

4. Next.js

Overview: Next.js is a powerful framework built on top of React, known for its server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation capabilities. It offers a versatile environment where developers can build static, dynamic, or hybrid applications.

Features:

• Hybrid static and server-side rendering
• API routes for backend integration
• Incremental static regeneration
• Automatic code splitting for faster page loads
• Built-in support for CSS and Sass

5. Eleventy (11ty)

Overview: Eleventy is a simple and flexible static site generator that aims to provide a zero-config experience. It’s highly customizable and supports a wide range of templating languages, making it a favorite among developers looking for flexibility without complexity.

Features:

• Support for multiple templating engines (e.g., Liquid, Nunjucks, Markdown)
• Zero-config setup
• Fast build times
• Simple data files for content management
• Incremental builds for efficiency

Choosing the Right Approach – WordPress vs SSGs

Ultimately, the choice between WordPress and a static site generator for your blog will depend on your specific needs and requirements. Here are some key factors to consider:

Content Management and Workflow:

• If you have a complex content model, need rich formatting options, and require an efficient editorial workflow, WordPress may be the better choice.
• If you prefer a more technical, code-centric approach and don’t mind a more manual content management process, a static site generator could be a good fit.

Performance and Scalability:

• If your blog has high traffic or needs to be extremely fast and responsive, a static site generator is likely the better option.
• If you’re willing to invest in performance optimizations and can manage the infrastructure requirements, WordPress can still provide a fast and scalable solution.

Security and Maintenance:

• If you want to minimize the ongoing maintenance burden and reduce the risk of security vulnerabilities, a static site generator is the lower-maintenance choice.
• If you’re comfortable with the WordPress update and security management process, and have the resources to properly maintain your site, WordPress can still be a secure option.

Customization and Extensibility:

• If you need access to a wide range of pre-built themes and plugins, or plan to build complex, custom functionality, WordPress is the more extensible platform.
• If you have the technical skills to build custom features and are comfortable working with code, a static site generator can provide a high degree of flexibility and control.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer – the right choice will depend on your specific blog requirements, technical expertise, and development resources. Many successful bloggers have found ways to leverage both WordPress and static site generators, using the approach that best fits their needs at different stages of their blog’s growth and evolution.

The post WordPress vs. Static Site Generators for Blogging appeared first on Tech Tips.

The Shift Towards Static Site Hosting from WordPress and other CMS software

Traditionally, web development has been dominated by dynamic websites, where the content is generated on the server-side and delivered to the user’s browser. While this approach offers flexibility and interactivity, it can also come with increased complexity, higher hosting costs, and potential performance issues, especially for sites with a large number of visitors.

However, the rise of static site generators, such as Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby, has revolutionized the way websites are built and deployed. These tools allow developers to create content-rich websites using a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which can then be pre-rendered and served as static files. This shift towards static site hosting has brought about several benefits, including:

1. Improved Performance: Static sites are inherently faster than their dynamic counterparts, as the pre-rendered content can be served directly from a content delivery network (CDN), reducing the need for server-side processing and database queries.
2. Enhanced Security: Static sites are less vulnerable to common web application attacks, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), as they do not rely on a server-side language or database.
3. Reduced Hosting Costs: Hosting static sites is generally less expensive than maintaining a dynamic website, as the hosting requirements are often simpler and require fewer resources.
4. Easier Scalability: Static sites can easily handle spikes in traffic without the need for complex server configurations or load balancing, making them an attractive option for high-traffic websites.
5. Simplified Deployment: With static site hosting platforms, the deployment process is often as simple as pushing changes to a Git repository, allowing for faster and more efficient updates to the website.

Cloudflare Pages Free Static Site: A Comprehensive Static Site Hosting Solution

Cloudflare, the renowned content delivery network and security provider, has entered the static site hosting arena with its Cloudflare Pages platform. Cloudflare Pages offers a comprehensive solution for developers and businesses looking to host their static websites, providing a range of features and benefits that make it a compelling choice.

Seamless Git Integration

One of the standout features of Cloudflare Pages is its seamless integration with popular Git hosting platforms, such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Developers can simply connect their Git repository to Cloudflare Pages, and the platform will automatically build and deploy their site with every push to the main branch. This streamlined workflow allows for efficient collaboration and rapid iteration, as team members can preview changes before they go live.

Advanced Collaboration and Preview Capabilities

Cloudflare Pages goes beyond just hosting static sites; it also offers advanced collaboration and preview features. With shareable preview links for every commit and pull request, team members can easily review and provide feedback on changes before they are deployed to production. This collaborative approach helps to ensure the quality and consistency of the website, reducing the risk of errors or regressions.

Unparalleled Performance and Scalability

Cloudflare’s global network of data centers and edge servers powers Cloudflare Pages, providing users with lightning-fast load times and exceptional scalability. The platform leverages Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN) to serve static assets from the nearest edge location, reducing latency and improving the user experience. Additionally, Cloudflare Pages can handle sudden spikes in traffic without compromising the site’s performance, making it a reliable choice for high-traffic websites.

Comprehensive Security Features

Security is a top priority for Cloudflare, and Cloudflare Pages inherits the company’s robust security features. All sites hosted on Cloudflare Pages benefit from automatic HTTPS, protecting user data and ensuring secure connections. The platform also provides protection against common web application attacks, such as DDoS, through Cloudflare’s industry-leading security solutions.

Flexible Pricing and Generous Free Tier

Cloudflare Pages offers a range of pricing tiers to accommodate the needs of different users. The free tier includes 500 builds per month, 100 custom domains, and unlimited static requests and bandwidth, making it an attractive option for personal projects, small businesses, and startups. For more demanding requirements, the paid tiers provide increased build limits, custom domain support, and additional features.

GitHub Pages: A Trusted Open-Source Solution

Alongside Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages has long been a popular choice for hosting static websites. As a part of the GitHub ecosystem, GitHub Pages leverages the platform’s powerful version control and collaboration features, making it a natural choice for developers and open-source projects.

Seamless Integration with GitHub

The integration between GitHub Pages and the GitHub platform is a significant advantage. Developers can easily create and manage their static websites directly within their GitHub repositories, taking advantage of features like branching, pull requests, and collaborative code reviews. This tight integration streamlines the development and deployment process, allowing teams to work efficiently on their projects.

Robust Open-Source Ecosystem

GitHub Pages is built on top of the open-source Jekyll static site generator, which provides a vast ecosystem of themes, plugins, and community resources. Developers can leverage this ecosystem to quickly set up and customize their static websites, without the need to start from scratch.

Cost-Effective and Scalable

GitHub Pages offers a free hosting solution for static websites, making it an attractive option for personal projects, small businesses, and open-source initiatives. While the platform may not offer the same level of advanced features as Cloudflare Pages, it provides a reliable and scalable hosting solution that can handle a significant amount of traffic without additional costs.

Simplified Deployment and Maintenance

Deploying and maintaining a static website on GitHub Pages is a straightforward process. Developers can simply push their HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to a designated GitHub repository, and the platform will automatically build and deploy the site. This simplicity reduces the overhead associated with managing a hosting infrastructure, allowing developers to focus on creating and improving their websites.

Other Notable Static Site Hosting Options to host your blog for Free

While Cloudflare Pages and GitHub Pages are two of the most prominent static site hosting platforms, there are several other options worth considering, each with its own unique features and benefits.

Netlify

Netlify is a popular static site hosting service that offers a range of features, including automatic builds, continuous deployment, and serverless functions. Netlify’s integration with popular static site generators, such as Gatsby and Hugo, makes it a compelling choice for developers working with these frameworks.

AWS Amplify

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amplify is a comprehensive platform for building and deploying full-stack web and mobile applications. While it supports dynamic content, Amplify also provides a robust static site hosting solution, leveraging the scalability and reliability of the AWS infrastructure.

Vercel (formerly Zeit)

Vercel, formerly known as Zeit, is a cloud platform for static site hosting and serverless functions. Vercel is particularly well-suited for Next.js applications, offering seamless integration and deployment capabilities for this popular React framework.

Firebase Hosting

Firebase Hosting, part of the Google Firebase platform, is a static site hosting solution that integrates seamlessly with other Firebase services, such as Firebase Authentication and Firebase Firestore. This integration makes Firebase Hosting a compelling choice for developers working within the Google ecosystem.

Render

Render is a modern, cloud-based platform that offers static site hosting, as well as support for dynamic applications and serverless functions. Render’s focus on simplicity and ease of use makes it an attractive option for developers looking for a straightforward hosting solution.

Surge.sh

Surge.sh is a lightweight and straightforward static site hosting platform that offers automatic HTTPS and custom domain support. While it may not have the same level of advanced features as some of the other options, Surge.sh is a great choice for small, personal projects.

Fleek

Fleek is a decentralized hosting platform that leverages the IPFS network to provide a secure and censorship-resistant solution for static websites. This platform is particularly appealing for projects with a focus on decentralization and Web3 technologies.

Stackbit

Stackbit is an all-in-one platform that combines static site hosting with visual editing and content management tools. This solution is well-suited for non-technical users and small businesses looking to create and manage their static websites with ease.

Adaptable

Adaptable is a cloud-based hosting platform that offers a range of features, including automatic builds, custom domains, and SSL support. While it may not be as well-known as some of the other options, Adaptable is a solid choice for developers looking for a reliable and user-friendly hosting solution.

Railway

Railway is a cloud platform that provides hosting for both static and dynamic applications. While it may not be exclusively focused on static site hosting, Railway’s ease of use and scalability make it an attractive option for developers looking for a versatile hosting solution.

Comparing the Top 10 Static Site Hosting Platforms

To help you make an informed decision, here’s a comparison of the top 10 static site hosting platforms:

1. Cloudflare Pages

• Seamless Git integration
• Advanced collaboration and preview features
• Unparalleled performance and scalability
• Comprehensive security features
• Flexible pricing with a generous free tier

1. GitHub Pages

• Tight integration with the GitHub platform
• Robust open-source ecosystem with Jekyll
• Cost-effective and scalable hosting
• Simplified deployment and maintenance

1. Netlify

• Automatic builds and continuous deployment
• Serverless functions and edge computing capabilities
• Strong integration with popular static site generators
• Free tier with generous usage limits

1. AWS Amplify

• Scalable and reliable hosting on the AWS infrastructure
• Supports both static and dynamic content
• Integrated with other AWS services for a comprehensive solution
• Suitable for larger, more complex web applications

1. Vercel (Zeit)

• Optimized for Next.js applications
• Seamless deployment and hosting experience
• Edge computing and serverless functions
• Free tier with generous usage limits

1. Firebase Hosting

• Tight integration with the Google Firebase ecosystem
• Scalable and secure hosting
• Simplified deployment and management
• Suitable for projects using other Firebase services

1. Render

• Emphasis on simplicity and ease of use
• Supports both static and dynamic applications
• Serverless functions and edge computing capabilities
• Free tier with generous usage limits

1. Surge.sh

• Lightweight and straightforward static site hosting
• Automatic HTTPS and custom domain support
• Free tier with limited usage
• Suitable for small, personal projects

1. Fleek

• Decentralized hosting on the IPFS network
• Seamless integration with Web3 technologies
• Emphasis on privacy and censorship resistance
• Suitable for projects with a focus on decentralization

1. Stackbit
   • All-in-one platform for building and hosting static sites
   • Integrates with popular static site generators
   • Offers visual editing and content management tools
   • Suitable for non-technical users and small businesses

When choosing a static site hosting platform, consider factors such as your project’s specific requirements, the level of performance and scalability you need, the importance of security and collaboration features, and your budget. By evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your website’s needs and your development team’s preferences.

Additional Notable Static Site Hosting Options

While the top 10 platforms covered earlier represent the most prominent and widely-used static site hosting solutions, there are a few other notable options worth considering:

Adaptable

Adaptable is a cloud-based hosting platform that offers a range of features for static site hosting, including automatic builds, custom domains, and SSL support. It’s a solid choice for developers looking for a reliable and user-friendly hosting solution.

Key Features:

• Automatic builds and deployments
• Custom domain support
• Automatic SSL certificates
• Scalable hosting infrastructure
• Intuitive dashboard and management tools

Railway

Railway is a cloud platform that provides hosting for both static and dynamic applications. While it may not be exclusively focused on static site hosting, Railway’s ease of use and scalability make it an attractive option for developers looking for a versatile hosting solution.

Key Features:

• Supports static and dynamic applications
• Seamless deployment and management
• Scalable infrastructure with automatic scaling
• Serverless functions and edge computing capabilities
• Free tier with generous usage limits

Fleek

Fleek is a decentralized hosting platform that leverages the IPFS network to provide a secure and censorship-resistant solution for static websites. This platform is particularly appealing for projects with a focus on decentralization and Web3 technologies.

Key Features:

• Decentralized hosting on the IPFS network
• Emphasis on privacy and censorship resistance
• Seamless integration with Web3 technologies
• Automatic HTTPS and custom domain support
• Suitable for projects with a focus on decentralization

Stackbit

Stackbit is an all-in-one platform that combines static site hosting with visual editing and content management tools. This solution is well-suited for non-technical users and small businesses looking to create and manage their static websites with ease.

Key Features:

• Integrated hosting, editing, and content management
• Intuitive visual editing tools for non-technical users
• Seamless integration with popular static site generators
• Automatic builds and deployments
• Suitable for small businesses and personal projects

These additional platforms offer unique features and capabilities that may be a better fit for certain use cases or developer preferences. When evaluating your options, be sure to consider the specific needs of your project and the level of support and features you require from a static site hosting provider.

The Future of Static Site Hosting for free

The rise of static site hosting platforms like Cloudflare Pages and GitHub Pages has ushered in a new era of web development, where speed, security, and simplicity are the driving forces. As the demand for efficient and cost-effective hosting solutions continues to grow, these platforms are poised to play an increasingly important role in the web development landscape.

Looking ahead, we can expect to see further advancements in static site hosting, with platforms offering even more robust features, tighter integrations with popular tools and frameworks, and continued improvements in performance and scalability. The open-source nature of some of these platforms, such as GitHub Pages, will also likely lead to a thriving ecosystem of themes, plugins, and community-driven innovations.

For developers and businesses seeking to establish a strong online presence, the choice of a static site hosting platform has never been more crucial. By leveraging the power of these platforms, you can create fast, secure, and scalable websites that deliver an exceptional user experience, all while minimizing the overhead associated with traditional web hosting solutions.

As the web continues to evolve, the importance of static site hosting will only grow, making it an essential consideration for anyone looking to build a successful online presence in the years to come.

The post Top 10 FREE Static Site Hosting Platforms – Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages and Beyond appeared first on Tech Tips.

How do you boost your site’s usability? Here are a few guiding tips for you.

Work on the site’s readability

One of the things that visitors will focus on is the readability of the website. Nobody wants to spend a lot of time trying to understand the content. If there are readability issues, the visitors are likely to get bored and opt to move to the next site, meaning that you will end up losing potential customers. One of the keys to boosting the readability is by using whitespace. This makes the content more legible and also allows the readers to focus on the content and other elements surrounding it. The next tip is to use subheadings and paragraphs for different sections. You may also use bullets and other design elements such as banners and sideways, but make sure that they are not too distracting.

Focus on the speed on the site

The other key aspect that will determine how long visitors stay on your website is the speed.  The goal of online shopping is to save time and enjoy conveniences, and that is precisely what you should offer the visitors. You should not make them wait for minutes before the site loads so they can view the products and make their orders. This is such a turnoff, and again, you will lose most of them to your competitors.

You can maximize the speed go your site by reducing plugins, investing in a dedicated server and reducing the number of images used to display texts, to mention a few tips

Make the site easy to navigate

Again, you do not want to waste the visitors’ time as they try to navigate through the site. We are in the digital era, and most individuals now use their phones to shop. Make the website easy to use and navigate on mobile devices by selecting a suitable layout. Try and do away with the horizontal scrolling as it can be tedious for mobile users.

Keep the pages consistent

By this, you should make all the elements pages match all from the font, heading sizes, spacing, colors, and button style. You should have a theme in mind and then incorporate it in all pages.

Having a user-friendly website is the secret to increased traffic and conversion rate. Follow these tips to boost your website usability and watch just how much it will help in taking your business to the next level.

The post 4 Tips for Boosting Your Website Usability appeared first on Tech Tips.

TOP FIVE PLUGINS

Alfie WP Weather

Its summer and its burning hot, while I do check weather forecast whenever I plan on visit inside country. I couldn’t find anything better than Alfie WP weather plus it kind makes your website look cool plus gives you hour to hour forecast which is great for someone like me who travels a lot. The Alfie WP Weather gives you the whole info in one compact little widget in quite comprehensive manner and it uses yahoo news for info on weather forecasts.

Automatic Updater

Have multiple sides to manage and update this one is for you it helps you in managing updates by giving you an update plugin that works by one click. Plus it gives you the capacity to set up auto themes on your WordPress site and let you inform automatically via email in wake of any attempts or changes made in your site. This plugin is great for newbie’s but for pro’s it could mean a lot of trouble as at times you might want settings without any auto updates for plugins and themes on your WordPress Site.

Comments Not Replied To

You are tired of looking all around your website or it takes great amount of time to locate and reply to comments that you missed, didn’t reply for one or other reason. Well I always wanted something that would help me that, something that would make my replying and interaction with my viewers swift and easy and this is it. By utilizing this plugin at your wordpress site it will add another column to your wordpress dashboard showing you the comments that you didn’t reply plus those that you did. Cool han!!

BJ Lazy Load

Okay if you are running a website that use high quality rich imagery or images for that matter you can use BJ Lazy Load, it cuts the loading time to considerable amounts and that’s why I have it on my WordPress website and plus that it also has the customization option from where you can select a particular iframe/image on your side that you want to lazy load.

AddThis Welcome Bar

Social media has revolutionized the internet and gone are the days when you used to do the business or site promotion just based on SEO now social media promotion also plays a great role and to be social with people and to ask them to promote you on their social platforms you can use this welcome bar. plus for anyone that visit your website and you can give them a custom message to sort of have that social bonding with your visitors it’s a great plugin esp when it comes to promotion on social media where it helps you in getting your message across.

Short and sweet

I wonder why somebody won’t reckon my list especially the last three in it but as the famous adage goes “there is no accounting for taste” so yeah in the end it’s my top five list. And if you don’t like it ;p than you better check out something else like the whole world is after mobile phones, android and Iphones so I am sure you will find something more interesting out there.

The post MY TOP FIVE WORDPRESS PLUGINS appeared first on Tech Tips.

Probably, this will give you an idea about its huge popularity. Anywhere you turn your eyes in the digital world, this era witnesses the maximum number of websites based upon WordPress.

The popularity of WordPress is the main reason behind the continuous growth of its plugins, which are estimated to be around 23,500. These plugins are used to make the most out of the WordPress’s website.

Like it or not! WordPress doesn’t respond great with all the plugins available in the market, but few. To make your job easier of choosing the right plugin, here are few of the handpicked plugins, after all the analysis.

W3 Total Cache

I would like to rate W3 Total Cache as the first one in the list. It is almost like a Swiss knife that includes more than one feature and has topped the list. With an idea of improving the site’s performance and reduce the download times, this plugin has been developed and proved to be successful. It also, handles uploads to transparent Content Dlivery Network (CDN).

This plugin is recommended by renowned websites like mashable.com, makeuseof.com and many more, which says the story for itself.

HeadSpace

Undoubtedly, website’s content is very crucial for a decent ranking in the search engines, but SEO practices are equally necessary for this to happen. HeadSpace plugin eases your job of search engine optimization. It is said to be all-in-one plugin that manages almost all SEO tasks—right from creating meta descriptions to activating the disabled plugins in your website pages. It brings the focus to the right track.

WP-DBManager

Most of us get busy with our daily lives and seem to forget that anything may go wrong with our blog’s database. In such a scenario, WP-DBManager plugin proves to be amazing. You do not need to be worried about the database with this WordPress plugin. Upon installation, this plugin will be displayed on the dashboard of your website. It supports optimizing, restoring, repairing and backups of your database.

Out of all its features, my favorite is the e-mail feature that it has got. It can e-mail the entire WordPress database to your mailing address daily, as a backup in your e-mail address.

Thank Me Later

Any opportunity to connect to your commenters shouldn’t be missed. Reaching out to someone in your community always adds up to your score. The job gets easier, when it is automated! Thank Me Later is a little gem in this list of plugins. It sends out a personal message to the person, who has commented in your blog post within the time frame that has been chosen by you.

Customize the personal message that will give an impression of being sent by you personally. This plugin has the power to lure the readers to engage in the discussion further.

SEO smart link

Internal linking is one of the most vital practices of SEO. Of course, there are plugins that can do this work, but those plugins require lots of manual work. With SEO smart link, the entire process has been automated. Trust me! When you’re busy writing one content, this plugin will determine the obvious and related keywords from this content, search for similar content on your website and then, link both the articles. Also, this plugin helps in auto-linking tags and categories.

WordPress plugins are the small programs that can make huge differences to your WordPress websites, in a matter of few seconds.

The post Plugins That Bring Higher Dimension to Your WordPress Website appeared first on Tech Tips.

1. Easy start. All WordPress plugins are lightweight easy to download and install. If you are familiar with WordPress it will present no difficulties to set online store and in no time you will be selling online.
2. Affordable for everyone. You are not going to pay for hosting and additional themes or features are not costly as well. You will not have to hire programmers, as you will be able to handle store management on your own.
3. Keep up with the times. WordPress tries to keep up-to-date providing user with new updates. You will definitely enjoy easy integration with Woothemes which will provide you with modern and elaborate storefront look.
4. SEO friendly. WordPress plugins are optimized for search engines which will naturally help you to increase your sales and traffic rates.
5. As there is about 80 million websites based on WordPress it naturally has a huge community of users and developers who can be a reliable source of information.

Responsive support will help to solve more complicated issues. You will also be provided with powerful knowledge base including various guides, tutorials and documentation.

Shopp
Shopp is a WordPress commercial platform for online store establishment. It doesn’t have free edition, however offers a number of useful features for business development. Among them are multiple payment options, integration with Quickbooks, promotion and marketing tools.
Shopp will allow to control shopping experience and make store management effective. The opportunity to customize design themes via stylesheets and PHP is available. As with any WordPress plugin, with Shopp you will find a lot of documentation and get a helping hand from
community if necessary.

WP eCommerce
WP eCommerce is the WordPress pioneer in eCommerce. Thus, it has come through years of experience and a number of improvements. Now the merchants can enjoy stable platform functionality, numerous payment gateways and plenty of design themes available. WP eCommerce also provides freedom of design customization with help of PHP template tags, shortcodes, and widgets. And all of these you can get for free. Add to this high usability and ease of management and you will get the perfect eCommerce solution for setting online business. However, note that some of opportunities are limited with Wp eCommerce as it is a lightweight plugin with basic features. To extend functionality you’ll have to buy additional modules. WP eCommerc is not quite scalable, and is better for startups rather than big
enterprises.

WooCommerce
WooCommerce is what resulted from cooperation of WordPress with WooThemes design studio. The considerable platform advantages are that first of all- it is brand new, and second – its free. Both have unfortunately, the other side of the coin. As the WooCommerce cart is comparatively young player, some features are still in development. There are not enough localization opportunities. The number of payment gateways is also limited, and there is no support for the free version. The plugin is free, however to develop your online business you will have to invest as most of extensions are paid.

There are some more WordPress eCommerce plugins, however our aim was to give you the general idea on WordPress peculiarities in terms of establishing online store. Considering the advantages and disadvantages you’ll get with each WordPress platform – Shopp, WP eCommerce or Woo Commerce, you’ll come up with the right decision. Make your decision according to the business needs and personal preferences. However, keep in mind that WordPress promises it’s users “beautiful sites of any kind”.

The post The Last Word in WordPress – eCommerce Plugins appeared first on Tech Tips.

How often have you needed a document and have called to get it via e mail or have had to turn around and go for it. This is over if you have a smartphone and the right applications with it to connect any time with your office or home computer to have direct access to your files.

In this article we will focus on the Top Business Android apps that are available these days. Here is a list of 7 top business apps for android:

1. Bump
Bump has been created by Bump technologies for android operating systems. Bump is an application that enables you to share data and business cards through a “coup” using the motion sensors by literally bumping two phones against each other. It is available for iPhone and Android and is absolutely free of cost.

2.  Intuit GoPayment
This application allows users “GoPayment process transactions” for most credit cards over the phone itself. Available on Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm webOS, and Symbian, it is priced at US $ 12.95 per month plus US $ 0.30 per authorization.

3. Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite
This document viewer supports Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and integrates with a variety of services like Google Docs and Dropbox. Available for iPhone and Android, it is priced at US $ 9.99.

4.  Traveling TripIt
It is a special application for businesses. It helps you organize the trip, reservations and even allows you to share the itinerary with family or friends. Available on Android, iPhone and Blackberry, the standard version is free. There is also a Pro version for US $ 49 per year and a Business version starting from US $ 29 per month for 10 users.

5. CRM Sales EZI
With this application you can supervise and follow sales opportunities and make profits predictions for your business. Using this app one can monitor your current sales thereby enabling you to focus on what needs to be done next.
You can also view sales opportunities by next action date or e-mail your opportunities to your manager. It is available for iPhone and is priced at US $ 9.99.

6. Eernote
Evernote is a small office in your pocket. All websites of your interest that you see on your computer or mobile phone will be automatically synchronized between the two devices.

7. My Eyes Only
It is a wonderful personal information storage for any user. This application allows the user to keep confidential or critical data limited to the company. It can be financial information, credit cards info, passwords etc. It is available for iPhone at US $ 8.99.
These are some of the best known apps that are changing the face of businesses by facilitating the ways of business transactions. I am sure this reading leaves you equipped with enough knowledge about Android based business applications. So why is the delay? It is time to search these apps on the apps store to start exploiting what these have to offer to take your business to greater heights and also to make it more convenient and fun.

The post Top 7 Business Apps for Android appeared first on Tech Tips.

Write Top-Quality Content

One of the first and most effective ways to increase your RSS followers is through improving the kind of content you have on your websites. Make sure that your content is top-quality, is focused on what your website is all about and also has the necessary keywords that can help it rank high on various types of search engines. People don’t want to follow content that isn’t any good. For a second, think about the websites you follow. Why do you follow them?

Make Your RSS Buttons Visible

One of the best ways of increasing your RSS followers is through making your RSS buttons visible. There’s absolutely no point in putting your buttons somewhere where your readers will not see it because a lot of readers will only click on the button is their eyes land on it. Remember, none of your readers will search for this button so make sure they find it at a glance.

Email Blast

If you are unable to strategize on the location of your RSS button, then it might be a better idea to send out an e-mail to all of your regular readers. Take that extra step in informing them that you have an RSS feed and encourage them to sign up for it.

Make Your Subscribers Public

For the purpose of possibly encouraging your other readers to subscribe to your RSS feeds, make sure that you show off the subscribers that you already have. This shouldn’t be a problem because no personal information will be disclosed anyway. This is just a good technique to inform other readers that other people are already actively involved in your website. People generally love to follow a list that has thousands of viewers.

Make Your Website Interactive

One way of encouraging people to sign up for your RSS feeds is by providing them with an interactive website. This means that your website is not only content savvy, it also allows people to interact with each other and comments are more than welcomed at all times.

Respond to Comments

Given that your subscribers can comment on whatever topic they wish to comment on, it is also a must that you make them feel that their comments are not left in vain. A good technique is to remind to all comments as engagingly as possible. If you really don’t have anything to say then at least acknowledge that you’ve read it.

Subscribe to Other RSS Feeds

At all times, love begets love so if you want people to subscribe to your feeds, make sure that you subscribe to theirs as well. This way, you are both even and you gain as many followers and subscribers as you wish.

Take all these seven effective ways into consideration and chances are, you will never find any difficulty in making sure that you get an increasing amount of RSS followers every day.

Kathy is from the cost helping resource Howmuchisit. When she’s not writing guest posts, she helps consumers find out what things cost in life.

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Format Your Posts in A Creative Way

If you are one who is looking to catch people’s attention while also standing out in a good way creatively formatting our posts is the way to go. You do not have to do this with every single post however if you do this from time to time you are sure to become known for your posts formatting which in return will have people curious to come to your blog and see it for themselves.

Use Infographics

Infographics are becoming very popular in the blog community. This is because bloggers are finally realizing that infographics allow them to get their message out in a fun and creative way while also allowing them to reach larger audiences. Not to mention the fact that they are easier to make versus writing out blog posts.

Use Your Own Voice

The most popular way bloggers are finding for them to make their blogs stand out from the rest is to use their own voice. Every blog post does not have to sound the same instead use your own voice so your readers can get to know you and see the type of personality that you have to bring to the table.

Take Risks

If you want your blog to be successful you are going to have to take risks. What is meant by this is take a risk when it comes to writing. You can blog about topics that other bloggers wouldn’t dare think about blogging about. Obviously, everyone is not going to like your opinions but who cares? This is not only going to make your blog stand out but it is also going to entice your readers to want to comment on your posts so they can state what their opinions are on the topics as well.

Write For Your Readers

Many bloggers get so caught up in writing for Google that they push away their readers all together because there content is just like all of the other blogs on the web. No matter what your niche may be just always remember, to keep your readers in mind first and Google in mind second.

Get To Know Your Readers

Many bloggers do not take the time to actually get to know their readers. This is something that is so easy to do to. You can make sure that you comment on all of the comments that your readers make on your posts and even interact with them on the various social media sites as well. Getting to know your readers is something that is very important if you want your blog to make it. Not to mention the fact that you will also earn the label of being the coolest blog owner ever.

Use Great Headlines

This is the last tip that we are going to share but it is certainly not the least. Using great headlines is the best way to get your blog to stand out because your headlines are going to arouse curiosity in readers and they are going to be dying to know what the post is about

The post 7 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out appeared first on Tech Tips.

The five “do’s” at the end of the article are things that you should do “as standard.” In other words they are things that you should be doing anyway in order to write and maintain a quality blog. There is no point in spending all this time writing your blog, just so that you can fall at the last hurdle–and produce a mediocre blog post.

1 – Don’t be negative

There are plenty of people in this world who are negative by default. This is because being negative by default is comforting and self-indulgent. Why do anything if you are a victim? Why take responsibility if the world is just so crappy anyway?

You should not play into this mindset. Even if you have a depressive personality or are prone to negativity, you must remove all traces of it from your blog posts. It will put people off. If people want to be miserable they will watch an M Night Shyamalan movie.

2 – Don’t ramble

It’s annoying in real life and it is annoying in blogs. Your readers are already very likely to skim read your blog anyway, so the last thing you want to do is give them an incentive to skim read any more.

3 – Don’t do a mind dump

Your mind may be jam packed with detailed and original content on a certain subject. This is a good thing, but you must not simply pour that information onto a page. It may be very good and it may be very relevant, but it is not going to be read. People are not going to pick through your words and pull out what they need. You need to organize and arrange your information so that it communicates well to the reader.

You need to understand that people have a though process and that people are not good at digging information out of chunks of text. You have to spoon feed it to them. This is especially true on a blog. If you do have a lot of information on a subject then consider doing a mind dump/brain storm and turning that information into a series of posts.

4 – Don’t just rewrite another blog or article

There is nothing worse than seeing ten pages of the same information on your search engine results. Rewrites should be banned from your blog.

5 – Don’t use a misleading title

People use misleading titles to gain attention. The blog is then different from what the title intimated, and so the reader’s time is wasted (and so is yours).

6 – Do put some pictures on your blog

Why don’t more people put pictures in their blogs? You are not writing a journal or a book, there is no need to deny people a little bit of visual stimulus.

7 – Do link to other websites

Use those links to prove your point, to verify your arguments, or to point to people who agree with your blog post.

8 – Do structure your blog so that it is easy to read

You may not be able to give people an incentive to read your post, but you can at least make it easy for them to read if they do decide to read your post.

9 – Do add details, facts, figures, references and research

Many people look upon a blog as a piece of text that is too personal to become an article. For that reason, many bloggers feel that adding details and references is just going make the blog too “good” to be a blog, and convert it into an article. Why not have a detailed blog post thought? What is stopping people? It is especially good if you reference your findings so that people can check your facts.

10 – Do comment on your own blog

This is such an under used tactic which is silly because it is free and simple. If you comment on your own blog then people will read it and reply. Better still you should answer the comments that are made on your blog. If people feel that you are listening then they will come back and comment even more.

The post Top 10 Blogging Dos and Don’ts appeared first on Tech Tips.

Contact Form 7

One of the most time-consuming issues when starting a new website is undoubtedly the implementation of a contact form. Fortunately, it’s now possible to do this almost completely automatically, thanks to the Contact Form 7 plugin. It’s possible to manage a range of different forms and as you would expect, you have complete control over how they appear. Moreover, the plugin implements various filtering options through CAPTCHA and Akismet.

WPtouch

There is no doubt that WordPress provides a superb platform for standard internet browsing. However, when it comes to accessing a WordPress blog on a mobile phone, it could be argued that the situation isn’t quite as flawless and some users will be subject to painfully slow loading times. Fortunately, WPtouch has been established and this converts your blog into a much more suitable format for mobile phone users. Whether a user is using an Apple device, Blackberry or Android, the website will be much friendlier for their phone. Moreover, WPtouch provides many settings that even allow customization of the mobile appearance.

Top 10

This is a fantastically simple plugin for WordPress and while it isn’t quite as popular as others, it has still been received very well by those users who have decided to download it. As some may have guessed by the name, Top 10 arranges your blog posts into a top ten list based on the daily and overall visits to them. As well as this, the plugin will also permit you to display a basic tally of all the visits on each post – even if it isn’t one of the top performing pages on your website.

Google XML Sitemaps

This is another of my favourite plugins for WordPress, mainly because it makes a once-tiresome job much, much easier. Everybody knows the importance of including an XML sitemap for your website, as this makes it much easier for the search engines (especially Google) to pick up your website and index it. This plugin takes all of the hard work out of the situation and it’s not necessary to manually add each new entry by hand. Google XML Sitemaps automatically compiles the sitemap, leaving you with very little to do.

W3 Total Cache

This is one plugin that will be ideal for the larger blogs out there. It is charged with the task of improving the speed of the website, by implementing a caching system. The WordPress community also seem to be big fans of the plugin, with W3 Total Cache managing almost 1.3 million downloads as well as an average rating of 4.6/5.

The post My favourite five WordPress plugins appeared first on Tech Tips.

Within telecommunication, internet Protocol (IP) telephony is one technology, which is widely used by industries for business operations and individuals for personal usage. Of all the telecommunication that happens worldwide, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is ruling the roost. The reason being, easy accessibility and low cost.

Introduction to VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol is a technology, which converts the analog voice signals into digital with the use of the internet. This is done by converting the signals into IP packets, which are transferred to the destination. This is one of the most economical means of telecommunication in the present age. Most organisations that have business dealings overseas use this technology extensively.

What is a Softswitch?

It is the heart of the internet telephone network, which acts as a hub connecting one telephone (usually a PSTN connection) to other. The system uses an advanced software technology for its smooth working. It is not just the software that helps in the working of Softswitch, there are several hardware devices too. These hardware devices help in call routing over the internet.

Working of Softswitch

The purpose of the Softswitch is like a connection between the physical switch and the packets that are sent via the internet. Earlier, only one device was used to achieve this objective. The device has evolved and is modified into two parts, a media gateway and call-agent.

Billing, call services, routing of the call are all primary functions of the call-agent. It regulates media gateways in a particular area using internet protocol system. Media Gateway acts as a medium which carries the voice as well the data packets from the source to the destination. Media Gateway has an interface, which can connect to the conventional Internet Protocol networks. The call agent helps media gateway in connecting the media packets between these interfaces.

The switch has the list of phone number and users stored in it. When a user tries to connect other user, the switch searches the details in its database. If it is unable to find it, then the search continues to other softswitches until the required user is found. Once the user is found, Softswitch finds a new IP address for that particular user’s machine or device. Eventually, the details are sent back via a VoIP phones and the connection is achieved. Softswitches along with other hardware devices help in VoIP communication.

Advantages of Softswitch

All those using this technology have several advantages over the other switch devices. The following are some of the benefits:

• The functionality can be changed due to its flexible nature.
• Several users can be connected using a single Softswitch.
• The switches are rather separate devices from the other hardware devices. This makes it highly compatible with any computer aided devices.
• They can be used for data as well as voice switching between users.
• The commissioning of the system is pretty easy. The setup can also be installed remotely and the entire softswitch system is user friendly.
• Maintenance of this setup is quite inexpensive.
• Additional software applications that can be used for billing and recoding of the calls come along with it.

Future of Softswitch

The future softswitches can be used for voice, videos and fax transmission. Earlier, VoIP couldn’t maintain quality of service and thus, Softswitch technology was effectively launched to overcome the drawback.

The post Softswitch Technology – Changing The Way How Businesses Communicate appeared first on Tech Tips.

Generally, bloggers are considered technologically savvy. Bloggers like trying out new tools, plugins, social media and of course, their smartphones. With their devices they can use their wireless internet to check their Facebook messages and emails. With the wireless internet connection, they can virtually let everyone know where they are, know what people are Tweeting with just one smartphone, which of course goes where they go.

If you are a blogger who is always on the go, knowing the various iPhone apps will help you keep in touch with the virtual world. Here are some of those apps for your iPhone that you must have.

1. BAM Analytics. This iPhone app lets you access information from Google Analytics. It doesn’t just give you the numbers and statistics; it also shows it in graphical form for easier understanding. The app is good for bloggers who are conscious with their numbers. One downside is its probability of crashing especially when you try to get too much info. So, be aware.
2. Awesome Note. This app can almost do it all. It can organize information, take notes and can create a calendar. You can also personalize the app according to your preferences. With the app, you can create folders for various tasks.
3. HootSuite. For most bloggers, social media is really inevitable; it is their lifeline. Most smartphones do come with Twitter and Facebook app but HootSuite is great because it really performs well on phones. It can work as good on the phone as it can on a desktop or laptop. The app has an integration feature that allows you to make a single update as it goes to your accounts on various social networking sites including WordPress.
4. PayPal. This app should come in your smartphone especially when you make your payments and get paid using the service. The service is really very user friendly even for non-bloggers. Despite the small tax that you have to pay for the service, its ease and security works well and is one of the best ways to manage the financial aspect of your business or blog.
5. Feeddler RSS Reader. A blogger must stay connected to the most recent updates. With a wireless internet and Feeddler, this is rather easy. It is an RSS reader that lets you open articles as text or using the web. It also allows you to mark entries as “read” for efficient organization.

These apps are the best for bloggers who work with their iPhones while on the road. For those who have other Andriod phones, there are still apps for maximizing your blogging experience even while on the go. Find apps that are for: analytics, organization or note taking, finances, social media and RSS reader. Most of these apps costs around $1 – $3 but you don’t have to worry because they can give you your money’s worth. The apps can help any blogger keep in touch with the blogging world so you don’t fall behind the latest updates.

The post Best iPhone Blogging Tools appeared first on Tech Tips.

1. To lessen spam comments. Previous blog posts may invite a lot of spam comments and it really takes time to moderate all of these. With this, the best thing that you can do is to close blog comments for those older posts that generate lots of spam comments.
2. To manage posts that are actually done and over with its original purpose. This is to ensure that you will not be receiving comments for your blog posts that are highly time sensitive. For instance, you had a previous post announcing a certain contest and inviting everybody to enter the said contest. If you still receive comments and entries for that specific blog post even after the contest is already over, then closing blog comments might be the best option to consider. With this, you will no longer take time to respond for those comments to let them know that the contest is over.
3. To stop a controversial conversation. Sometimes your post may end up controversial not because of the content itself but simply because of the comments it generated. For example, your blog post could launch an unpredictable debate on issues such as political upheavals, economic crisis, religious turmoil, or anything that’s actually out of the context of your entire post. With this, your blog post becomes a place for all the nasty and hate-filled comments as well as personal attacks because of the debates it unintentionally generated. To end this problem, it’s best to close blog comments and leave an explanation as to why you need to turn off comments. But you should refer to the blog comment policy so that commenters will know what types of comments are totally acceptable for all your future posts.
4. It’s your choice. Well, it is very understandable that you created a blog post with a specific goal for it. Therefore you can do anything you want with it to meet whatever goal that you have in mind. Since your blog is your official online space, you can control and configure it in any way you want to. Closing blog comments is definitely your prerogative.

At any rate, you have the option to close blog comments indefinitely or for a specific period of time only, thanks to those blogging applications. In your comment settings, you may choose to close comments for all your posts once they reach 90 days from the date these were published online or you may close comments only on selected posts then turn on the comment section back at a later date.

The post 4 Main Reasons for Closing Blog Comments appeared first on Tech Tips.

An open source blogging platform, developers are finding innovative new tweaks all the time that can better your WordPress blog, and this can unfortunately make it tough to find the top tweaks that will optimize your site.

The following great tweaks for WordPress are just a sampling of some of the fantastic things you can do to enhance your blog. You may already have some favorite tweaks of your own, but adding the following five to your repertoire could really give a boost to your blogging.

1.) Use the WordPress tweak plugin.

Tweaks can’t get any easier than this! This well-reviewed plug in is simple and free. This plugin makes tinkering around with the CSS easy as pie. You can’t tweak as much with this plugin as you can manually, but you don’t risk messing your blog up with a slight mess up. Clicking boxes and selecting from dropdown menus lets you customize almost anything.

2.) Tweak your permalink.

Your permalink is a big deal, especially if you are into SEO and getting eyes onto your site. Your post titles probably contain keywords, and you want those keywords to end up in your permalink. The standard permalink isn’t only an ugly jumble, but it is also unhelpful as it doesn’t mean anything to search engines or to visitors. Change your permalink so that the post name is the permalink, and maybe even the category too.

3.) Get the All in One SEO Pack.

Speaking of SEO, or search engine optimization, you probably know that it can be somewhat difficult and time consuming. You can tweak your WordPress blog with the all in one SEO pack to make SEO quicker and easier than it was before. Using this plugin, you simply have to plug in a little bit of information and the plugin takes care of the rest.

4.) Speed it up.

No webmaster wants their site to be slow, mainly because visitors hate slow sites so much that they might end up clicking away and never coming back. To make your WordPress blog load up even quicker, consider a plugin called WP Super Cache, which will make your page load even quicker especially when you start getting a lot of traffic.

5.) Ditch the Spam!

Spam in the comments can be time consuming for you to delete, and it can be a huge turn off to your visitors. All that spam left in your comments makes your site look spammy. The tweak that is the solution to all this spam is silly simple: activate the Askimet plugin. This plugin comes with WordPress and acts as a spam filter, letting actual comments get through and keeping all the spam hidden away.

The post 5 Great WordPress Tweaks appeared first on Tech Tips.

1. Brand establishment

If your blog has a recognizable brand image, you need to ensure that this image is maintained in your current design. Most established or growing blogs have an image which visitors have become familiar with. If you change your theme extensively, your blog might end up being unrecognizable by your audience.

2. Colors

When changing the theme of your blog, you could choose a totally different color scheme, or opt to retain the same colors. This will depend on whether you want to change your design completely or retain the image which your audience is familiar with. If you are not satisfied with your color scheme, it would be advisable to make the necessary changes.

3. Monetization

Nowadays, many blogs have paid text links and banner ads. Before settling for any theme, you need to consider the location of these ads. Think about the dimensions and size of the banner ads you want to include and make sure all the ads fit properly into the design.

4. Subscription options

To attract as many subscribers as possible, you need to ensure that links to your email subscription and RSS feed appear prominently on your pages. Before developing the layout, consider where you would want these widgets and links to be positioned. Make sure the page layout makes provision for them.

5. Readability

Readability is one of the most vital elements of blog design. You need to make it as easy as possible for your subscribers and visitors to read your content. Readability is usually influenced by elements such as text color, background color, typography and fonts, contrast, whitespace and spacing. Make sure the elements you use on your blog don’t hinder the readability of the content.

6. Social media integration

Social media is very important for generating traffic to a blog. You need to choose a page layout which allows you to optimize your posts and pages by including links, widgets and buttons to different social media sites. Make sure these social media elements appear prominently on your pages so as to grab the attention of your readers.

7. Load speed

Many web users are very impatient. If your pages take too long to load, your visitors are likely to click away. To ensure your site loads faster, avoid adding too many large images, videos, widgets and plug-ins. 

The post Guidelines for Changing a Blog Theme appeared first on Tech Tips.

A couple of days ago, while I went to the settings page for the plugin to clear the cache, I was surprised to see that there were 0 pages in cache. I then deactivated the plugin and then reactivated it. Upon reactivating, the plugin gave me an error that asked to move the define(‘WP_CACHE’, true); to the top.

I then checked my wp-config.php file and found that the above line was after some commented lines but still at the top of other codes. Actually it should have worked fine but still i moved the line to the top, i.e. just after the opening php tag and uploaded it. I then deactivated the super cache plugin and reactivated it. Now when i went to its settings page, the error was gone and it started working normally.

Thus if you have encountered this error on wp super cache, just move the define(‘WP_CACHE’, true); line after the opening php code and it should work.

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Tumblr is basically a social networking site that also serves as a blogging platform where you can post blogs easily. Tumblr, released on April 27, 2007 has more than 69 million blogs and over 29 billion blog posts currently. WordPress was launched on May 27, 2003, much before Tumblr was established. WordPress is a very popular CMS (Content Management System) and a free open source blogging platform preferred by many website owners. Now this is not a logical reason to choose either of them. You need to go into the depth of various benefits offered by Tumblr and WordPress.

Tumblr-pros &cons:

Tumblr is more personal and oriented towards social media. It is free and is hosted by Tumblr Inc. So, you need not pay for hosting services. It has a simple and user-friendly platform that allows you to post content and multimedia objects like videos, photos and images. Tumblr allows you to directly post pictures onto your blog from the Instagram application on your phone. So, it is a great attraction for young bloggers who love sharing pictures on their blog. Tumblr’s features can be accessed right from its dashboard interface.

You can quickly sign up for a Tumblr account, select a Tumblr theme that aptly suits your blog category and start blogging. You can also review other posts and follow them. Similarly, other bloggers and readers can like your blog and re-blogit. This will generate a lot of traffic to your blog and increase your chances of becoming familiar online within a short span of time.

While the above are some of the advantages of using Tumblr, it has its own limitations. Tumblr gives various themes and allows you to customize your template to some extent. But it is difficult to add pages, menu bars, search boxes and plug-ins. You might face a hard time working on HTML codes, JavaScript and CSS to make changes to your template. Tumblr doesn’t have a commenting platform, but you can install the Facebook or DISQUS commentingplatform. Tumblr has faced downtimes, which is a major setback to the site, making users doubt its reliability.

WordPress-pros &cons:

WordPress is a good Content management System and allows you to update your blog from any place with Internet access. You can customize your WordPress blog and it comes with a good commentingplatform. There are basically two types of WordPress- WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress.org: It is a free to install software, and you can easily make changes to it as it is an open source platform. You can get a unique server and domain name. This makes it highly flexible and you get better control over your blog. It gives you access to an amazing collection of free themes, plug-ins and widgets. If you want more, you can buy the premium themes from WordPress. You can edit codes in the themes and give it an entire new look. WordPress is suitable for SEO purposes as it has SEO plug-ins. You can import your old blogs on other sites to WordPress.

But the drawback is that it is self hosted, so you have to pay for web hosting services. The problem arises when you don’t upgrade your WordPress to the newer versionsreleased. To enjoy flawless security and the latest features you have to manually upgrade it. Most of the time, you have to reset your theme after upgrading WordPress.

WordPress.com: WordPress.org is the base for WordPress.com. It is free and you can create an account in no time. Your choice of themes, widgets and plug-ins are limited to only those offered by WordPress. Only WordPress is authorized to run advertisements and you can’t sell on your blog. WordPress.com again has some negative sides to it. You have to pay for additional upgrades,getting a domain name, increasing your storage space and making changes to your theme’s CSS.

Conclusion:

Tumblr gives your blogs a personal touch and lets you socialize. So it will be a good choice if you are trying to establish a product or brand name and reach out to the public. But if you are going to talk about your business and want your blog to look more professional, then WordPress will be fine. Both these blogging platforms are good to use and will benefit you in different ways. Your final decision should be based on your understanding of the purpose behind your blogging, the type of blog you are writing and the audience you are targeting.

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The rapid growth of ecommerce space has forced companies to go online and set up their online kiosks. People visit blogs and forums to know about the recent happenings, and these are the prime places where online advertisers place ads related to your blog topic. Online advertisers target high traffic blogs and forums to place their ads, as this is the place where all the sharing happens.So, if you can write a quality blog on any topic, then you are certainly going to attract Internet enthusiasts who like your topic.

I’d like to share a few ideas with which you can make your passionately written blog into a money-spinning business.

• Firstly, you have to create a self-hosted blog. In order to do this, you have to pick a domain name based on the area of interest that your blog is going to be about. Then try getting the preferred domain name along with a hosting package from the many web hosting service providers out there. Then register your domain and install the wordpress plugin, which would enable you to design and customize your website based on your niche.
• Secondly, sign-up with ad networks such as the Adsense program from Google. The Adsense program reads your article and places related ads on your blog page. You will be paid when the person reading your blog clicks on the ad placed in your blog. You can also use other ad networks that pay you based on the total number of impressions. As traffic to your blog increases, these ad networks start to function well.
• Thirdly, work on generating backlinks for your blog. This can be done by integrating social networking options in your blog post, commenting on other blog posts, submitting articles to high-page rank directories, and contributing content to forum posts. All these methods can drive a lot of traffic to your blog, which in turn increases the CPC rate.
• Finally, join affiliate marketing programs like the ones provided by Amazon.com. Through affiliate marketing programs you can refer someone to buy a product and if they purchase that product you would get a percentageof the sale.

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