Tag: wordpress tips

What Everybody Ought to Know About Starting A Website?
What do you know about starting a website?

Starting a website – Everything you should know about!

So you decided to start a website and you want to start it right now. But something is holding you back … you are fearful about the uncertainty in the whole website creation thingy and you have no idea where to start.

NO WORRIES! I am here to help … or at least, let me share some info with you!

Important disclaimer: This article contains more than 3,000 words and 28 tips about starting a website. I know it is extremely long to read this and thus, feel free to bookmark this page and come back for more.

Starting a website may sound easy but why do we often hear many bloggers complain that they are not doing well in blogging?

In this article, we (yes … you and me) are going to discuss on the ultimate do’s and don’ts in blogging. And of course, important facts about which will affect your website building process.

1. Why do you start a website?

You want to start a website … I got it! But have you ever wonder why you want to start one? You see, if you want to start a website, you got to know why you want to start it.

Let’s assume that you have a plan. Sounds good right? Carry on asking yourself what’s the next step, say in the next 3 months or so. Can you answer that?

If you want to be successful, you got to plan. Yes, you read and hear other blogger talk about planning but how many of them actually practise that? Personally, I am facing the same difficulties to get along with my blogging schedule as well!

2. I blog for money. So now what?

Can you really monetize your website?

This term is extremely common among bloggers; make money blogging. You probably heard about others bloggers like Reginald Chan making tons of money from blogging. And … you are tempted like a hungry lion.

Wait … hold on a second.

I am Reginald Chan and I am not making tons of money from blogging. Does this mean that you can’t make money through blogging?

Well, I do make some money from my blog but not that much. You can make money through blogging and that is possible. Now, how much you can earn is another thing. Most bloggers earn few cents a day through Google Adsense and that doesn’t really make the cut isn’t it?

Fact: You can make money through website but don’t expect a windfall in just a short period of time.

You can start making money from your website but it would take time to grow. And of course, there are much more things to do then just “how to make money blogging”.

And if you think that you want to start a website to make money (solely), you are definitely on the wrong track!

3. The relationship between topic, keyword and niche in website creation

Now let’s assume you had done your work with #2 and #3. The next step is the most crucial part when it comes to starting a website.

You need to know what you are going to write. Yes! Now is the time to figure out what genre you are going to write, the keywords and niche for your lovely website.

The trick here is very easy. Let’s say you are starting a website on blogging tips. Here’s a little draft I did as an example:

Main topic – Blogging

Keywords – Choose 10 different keywords (maximum) <– Each keyword contain just one word

Specific keyword – For each keyword, choose 5 different variance of words (example, the word blogging could have specific keywords like make money blogging, blogging tips, creating a blog, blogger and starting a blog.

Once you have the above info, starting a website should be a brief! Yes, now you know how and what to write. Whenever you write, keep in mind these keywords and use them on your blog post. Just make sure you don’t over stuff them up!

This step helps you to figure out what niche and probably the name of your domain name associated to the keyword. Does this ring any bells?

4. Finding the right domain name for your website

Domain name is your website brand and you need to have more than just a good name. Could this be the reason why so many bloggers are puzzled about their domain names when it comes to starting a website?

It is best to choose a domain name which is closely related to your writing topic as it will offer a better chance to rank better on search engines. That’s why #3 (above) is important!

So, how about sites which are self-named like this one? In short term basis, domains with keywords would get ranked faster and better but when it comes to long term, it doesn’t make a different due to SEO and other optimization factors.

Therefore, choose one and stick to it!

For those wondering if you should get a .com or a .net, there’s no difference in it. Google still index them like normal. However, when it comes to human behavior, we are so used to key in .com instead of .net.

You can check the availability of a domain name and even purchase it using NameCheap.

5. Choose the right hosting provider

For me, a hosting provider is more than just a client – customer thing. It is my partner in crime for Christ’s sake! Hosting providers are the only one who is going to determine the speed of your website and as well as the uptime.

Avoid cheap hosting provider as they are dangerous (in terms of website security) and also reliability. I know many cheap hosting providers who claim to have a good uptime but in fact, your site will go down at least once a day!

This is why I only recommend BlueHost or HostGator for shared hosting. If you are looking for a secure and premium WordPress hosting, you must definitely give WP Engine a try.

There is pointless to have a website which is always down and not accessible right?

6. Choosing the right WordPress theme

Rule number 1: Don’t use free WordPress themes

Rule number 2: Don’t forget rule #1

Website theme is the heart and soul of a website. It portraits to your readers what your website is all about and there’s no other reason why you shouldn’t be worried about it.

A good WordPress theme offers complete customization, no hidden backlink or malicious codes and most importantly, website security. These are why you need to consider using the right theme even before starting a website!

There are many premium themes you can choose from such as Elegant Themes and My Theme Shop. If you are looking for a more customizable WordPress theme (plus easy to use), you can also try StudioPress (Genesis framework and child themes) and Thesis Theme as well. You won’t go wrong with any of these.

7. Planning the website layout properly

This part is extremely crucial. You must make sure your readers are not ‘lost in the Amazon’. Placing the right information on the sidebar will help reduce bounce rate and don’t forget that Google crawl sidebars as well.

Footer area is also a great place to add in more information such as contact details and latest blog posts. Bloggers such as Jane from ProBlogging Success said that her sign up rate increases when she place an opt-in form at the footer area.

8. The importance of permalink structure

Search engines such as Google and Bing love to index websites with clean URL structure. Being said that, it is always best to use /%postname%/.

One of the SEO best practices is when you use www[dot]yourdomain[dot]com/%postname%

The logic behind this is easy. Let’s take the image below for example:

Search term: Scribe Content

Now see the above. For instance, if I am searching for scribe content, a clean permalink structure will provide confidence level to the readers to click it.

Also, a good permalink structure is usually short and a clear example is as above. You can basically see everything in one line. This is excellent for search engine to index your site and a possibility of higher website ranking.

It is very important to start this in the early stages of starting a website as changing of permalink at a later time would means a complete ‘overhaul’ of all the site links. This will also affect all the link building you have made in the past!

9. Choosing the right plugin for your website

Plugins are essential when you are starting a website. WordPress is filled with tons of useful plugins. You got to choose and decide which are the plugins that you will install and use. Avoid keeping unwanted plugins in your database as they might pose security threats to your website.

Plugins will affect the site one way or another especially when it comes to website load time. It is always advisable practise minimizing the number of plugins used. There are many free website plugins are coded badly and therefore, always remember that keeping the number of plugins installed to the lowest number is the best practice when it comes to maintaining a website.

Also, uninstalling unused plugin can easily improve website security and at the same time, improve the site speed.

10. Categories make navigation easier

Readers dislike websites with no clear navigation

If you want to reduce the bounce rate or even increase the time a reader is on your website, you need to focus on creating categories. Imagine you have 100 posts of different topics and you definitely do not want to cluster everything into one.

Separate them into several topics with specific names. This makes finding an article or post much easier. Don’t forget that many people doesn’t use the search bar even though it is extremely visible!

11. The ‘about me’ and ‘contact me’ pages

These are two of the most vital things on Earth when it comes to starting a website. You want to make sure your readers are able to contact you if they need to or maybe, read more about you. You need to make it plain simple for this.

Place these links on the top bar or side bar. Make sure it is visible at all time and this is definitely a plus one for reader’s engagement.

12. Determine the writing styles when you are starting a website

When you blog, it is always a good practice to keep thing simple. The tone of your writing should be either coaching or guiding a friend instead of military style.

C’mon mate! How sure are you that your method will definitely work for them?

Portray yourself as a mentor or tutor and you here are here to help. When you write as a low profile blogger, you sounds ‘nicer’ and this increases the possibility of the readers come back for more.

Readers love to visit websites which are able to solve their problems, not about the author to talks great about himself.

Related article: How do you build a WordPress website like a professional?

13. Spelling and grammatical error

Human error?

I totally understand this. How many of us can write really good English? My country has three main languages and even though I studied in an English school, my English isn’t be perfect either.

The point?

Regardless of the reasons, you must always avoid making any errors especially with language. Keep in mind that anyone can visit your website regardless of location and therefore, proper English is vital.

A great blogging tip is to always check your blog post for any spelling errors. We are all humans and at times, we could easily overlook on such ‘innocent’ mistake. A simple spell check can help you in a long, long way.

14. Blogging is nothing when there’s no fun involved

Blogging … most of the time, consists of a wall of text. Yup that’s reality and this is where you need to make your reader’s entertained.

Remember that when a person reads, it is not the same with television where there are advertisement breaks etc. Blogging is probably blasting out 1,000 words with the hope that 20% of your readers will read until the end.

Therefore, bring the fun in now and you will grow your website audience.

15. It pays to be honest

If you want to be popular, stop lying right now. You need to tell your readers that they are reading the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

For example, if you don’t have 10,000 readers, why say so? Lying won’t make you famous but telling the truth will.

Don’t be afraid to tell the truth even if that is going to spark a controversial. Well, I am not saying it is right to do so but it is not wrong either.

If you dare to say that, then prove it with facts. Anyone of us can deny anything we want but when there’s fact, we won’t drift that far away … if you get what I mean.

16. How long should a blog post be?

Forget about the myth. What do you think of this?

You have seen successful bloggers who published many long posts (more than 1,500 words) and some who post less than 800 words. Which will you follow … or should I rephrase … which will be the best way to build a successful website?

Forget about what people say but this is the fact. The length of your blog post is nothing if you have no content. Write a long post if you have enough content to fit in. If not, anything above 500 would be enough.

Guys, there’s no recipe for this and therefore, stop finding for one!

17. Titles and subtitles mean everything for website visitors

If I would give it a guess, I would say 85% of the readers in the world are just skimmers.

Skimmers are people who actually browse through the site looking for keywords that might interest them. And they do not read the whole article if there is nothing attractive. So to say!

Opps, the secret is out. So, what you can do about it?

Headlines are important. You can easily play with H2 to H4 (heading sizes) to attract attention. Here’s some tricks you can start with:

H2 – Main title

H3 – Sub titles

Bold / Italic / Underline – Stressing a fact or keyword

The goal here is to ensure that skimmers stay as long as possible on a page. This is to ensure that the readers are occupied as long as possible at your site.

18. Build an email list the same time you start a website

Start building a mailing list right after you start your website is the best thing you can do

Some call this too early but look around. You need a mailing list and you need one right now. Building a mailing list is an important step for when it comes to website marketing. It doesn’t matter if you start with MailChimp or AWeber. You just got to do it right now!

A mailing list is vital especially when you want to promote a new post, product or even getting your readers back! Remember that with a good mailing list, you can connect with your readers and get to know them better.

Hint: Reader’s engagement!

If you have yet to start one or facing some problem building an email list, have a read on this; How I build my email list from scratch?

19. Recipe to make readers sign up for your website newsletters

So, you decided with build a mailing list. Good for you mate!

But what’s next?

If you think setting up a mailing list is hard, getting readers to subscribe is even harder! Here’s a few tips you can start with:
- Clear reasons why they should sign up for your mailing list
- What you are offering to them
- What the readers will get in return
- Place not one but a few sign up forms on the website with a few Call-To-Actions
Make it as clear as possible (on the advantages of your newsletter) and you will hit the jackpot (literally). Need an example?

[hcshort id=”7″]

20. Involving in the world of search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is techniques or best practices which will affect the website ranking. If you want to be on page 1 on Google, you got to know SEO.

Good SEO techniques are not mainly techniques! Instead, they are focused to understanding and SEO practices which makes websites and articles rank better on search engine result pages (SERPs). The more you understand about SEO, the better you will perform.

You can start reading about SEO with this guide here; The Complete Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Guide for Dummies.

Curious to know about your website’s SEO status? Get yourself a free SEO report here! <– Yes free and no fluff!

21. Start creating link building

Link building is one of the techniques for optimization. You need to start building links (some call it backlinks) immediately after starting a website. A good quality backlink is worth more than 100 bad quality backlinks.

Not sure how to create backlink? I am sure this article will help you get started immediately; The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide In Building Quality Backlinks.

22. Building your authority

Authority is important in the blogging industry and when you are starting a website, you need to think about it. So, the secret to grow your authority? Write ~~good~~ great content.

Readers like you and me love to read articles which are jam packed with facts. So, start building authority with the right content and on top of everything, focus on your quality. You need to be known for sharing quality content and not just sub-pars one.

Wondering why you need to have authority? With authority, people are going to trust you and yes, trust your every word. You may say, talk or blog nonsense but if you have authority, your readers are going to trust you with that. Seriously!

23. Reader’s engagement is extremely important

Readers will come back if they are appreciated. You got to make sure that replying to every comment you received. This is one of the important steps when it comes to starting a website. Sometimes, a simple “thank you for your comment” can go a long way for readers.

I am using CommentLuv plugin which allows me to send automatic emails to readers who leave their comments here. In the short email, I will thank them for their time and offer to connect to them on social media.

For me, I would be very delighted when the admin of the site drop me an email (automatic is fine) to thank me for dropping a reply. How about you?

24. The holy grail of DoFollow and NoFollow

When you are starting a website, you want to make sure that Google and other search engines are not labeling the site as a link juice … you know, a site which link out too much.

This is where the DoFollow and NoFollow comes into play. You can get this done easily by adding rel=”nofollow” to the URL code and crawlers will not link that site.

NoFollow is great when you want to avoid abusers trying to get the best out of your website in terms of backlink.

On the other hand, DoFollow is an excellent ‘tool’ when you are thinking of building links between articles or other sites.

25. Submitting sitemap to Google and Bing

One of the key virtue of starting a website is getting the website indexed. In order to do so, you need to ‘tell’ Google and Bing that the website is ready. You can do so by submitting a sitemap of the website to these webmasters.

Indexing is a process where indexed posts will start showing up on SERP’s. This is where people start clicking and visiting your site.

Just signup for both of them is fairly easy and you just need to submit your sitemap. A sitemap is a directory where it tells crawlers what the website has and it’s breakdown.

Two tools to help you build sitemap are Yoast SEO or Google Sitemap Generator. Once the sitemap is created, submit the URL to Google Webmaster Tool and Bing Webmaster Tool.

*Note: Yoast SEO is a WordPress SEO plugin that have the option for automatic sitemap creation. It is extremely useful as it will auto generate sitemap every time you publish a new article.

26. Enabling Google authorship

Have you activated Google Authorship on your website?

Google authorship is more than just a pretty face beside the website link. It shows authority and on top of that, it provides a great deal of trust as well.

In order to get Google authorship, you need to:
- Have a Google account
- Link Google account with the website
Linking Google account to the website is easy and here are a few steps:
- Verify your email on Google+
- Link Google+ profile to your website or content
- Link your content to the Google+ account
Once these are done, it would take a few days for Google to start indexing it. After that, you will get this:

Google Authorship plays a great role in terms of SEO

Do you see the image beside the post? That’s Google Authorship. You should start linking Google authorship immediately after you start your website.

27. Starting a website and monetizing it?

Starting a website is easy but monetizing it is hard. This is why you need to make sure that you monetize the website the right way. For starters, you should start by doing the ‘slow-mo’ strategy.

This means that in order to monetize the website, you need to do it slowly and with the right method. For starters, you can start by doing small advertising with Google Adsense.

When traffic picks up, you should (or consider) shifting some of your website monetization to affiliate programs. Selling an affiliate product can earn you more than $20 and at times, more than $100.

If you are looking for a good affiliate program, you can sign up for this program which has a very good track record.

28. Maintaining the website after starting it

Starting a website? Anyone can do that! Ask yourself this; How many of you actually maintain their websites?

Maintaining a website is a must if you are planning to start one. Website maintenance varies from:
- Updating website core features and plugins
- Checking, amending and updating the information on old posts to ensure the information stated are up to date
- Removing broken links (and bad ones too)
- Ensuring good load time and speed of website
With the proper maintenance, I’m sure the website will remain its value and at the same time, making sure all your blog posts are in an ‘ever green’ state.

Does the above 28 tips help you in starting a website?

Phew!

I know the article could probably be the longest post in my website but I hope you learn much from it. After reading, do you think that starting a website is more than just ‘that’?

Tell me what you think using the comment form below and if you like it, I would be grateful if you could share it by clicking on the red button.
January 5, 2024
Blog Engage $500 In Cash Prizes Blogging Contest
Recently, I came across a blogging contest organized by Uttoran Sen of Guest Crew. Basically, the contest is opened to all bloggers and even members of Blog Engage. We are not talking about $50 or $100 but it is $500 worth of cold hard cash! The below are the prices for the winners:

1st Prize – $200

2nd Prize – $100

3rd Prize – $75

4th Prize – $50

5th Prize – $50

6th Prize – $25

Yup, there is 6 prizes to grab! This blogging contest runs from 1st July 2013 to 15th August 2013. So, hurry up and join right now!

The judge of this competition will be … no other than Mr Brian Belfitt of Blog Engage.

Wait a minute! Who the !@#$ he is?

Brian is the man behind Blog Engage.

How to join this blogging contest?

1. Write an article on your blog about this contest

During the write up, remember to mention Uttoran Sen of Guest Crew as the sponsor and Brian Belfitt of Blog Engage as the judge.

How to score more points: Simply share, try to get as much traffic and comments as possible for the post. Trackbacks are also allowed.

2. Register an account at Guest Crew (it’s free)

Once you had verified your account, head over to the article gallery and apply for an article at the guest crew.

Alternative method: You can also request for an article from the request gallery and one of the guest bloggers will apply and write an article for you! Just publish the article on Blog Engage as guest post and you are all set!

3. Be more than just a member on Guest Crew Forum. What?!

Yup! You’ll earn points for being active in the forum or helping out others. Very easy right?

Hint: The more active you are, the more points you might get in return. Win – win situation right?

Wait! There’s more!

Once you had done registering for the contest, make sure you drop Uttoran Sen a private message on Guest Crew. Just hit the PM button and give the following details:

Your name

Your email ID

Your PayPal ID

Your Guest Crew user ID

Your Blog Link

Now, you are absolutely on the way to win the contest!

How to score more points?
1. The keyword here is … sharing is caring!
2. You gain more points by:
3. Sharing on social media
4. Drive more traffic to the article
5. Get more trackbacks
I hope this information will be sufficient enough to help you get started on this blogging contest organized by Blog Engage and Guest Crew. So, are you ready to rumble??!

You can also check out my guest post for the contest here: 9 Tips to Effectively Use Email Marketing.
January 5, 2024
Promote Your Website Today For Free!
Promote your website and get free backlink

I am always finding ways to return a favor (or favors) to all my readers, followers and even subscribers. I wouldn’t have made it so far without you. Seriously.

I would have given up within the first one week but thankfully, you guys are here to help, guide and show me the way. I really appreciate that!

You might be asking me so what’s this all about, right? C’mon, I know you are eager to know!

All of you have either retweeted, shared and even liked my articles on social network. I even received some trackbacks too which is great. So, here I am today … offering you a platform where we can exchange social media profiles, spend some time connecting and following each other.

Yes! I mean it. I want to give you free backlinks!

So, feel free to promote yourself, website and even social profiles. All you have to do are the below:
- Your website or article you would like to share (just one)
- Twitter
- Facebook profile or page
- Google+ profile or page
So, what’s the catch?

In order for you to get a DoFollow backlink, you just got to Tweet, Like or +1 this post. Once you have added me, I’ll add you back and let’s start sharing!

If you have yet to follow me, this are a few ways which you can connect to me:

Twitter: @Reginald_Chan

Facebook page: Blogging Moments

Google+ page: Blogging Moments

Triberr: Blogging Moments

RSS feed: Reginald Chan

Subscribe to email list: What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

How to format your comment to promote your website?

I want to make it as easy as possible and thus, you can follow this 🙂 Of course, feel free to leave out any that isn’t relavant!

Personalized comment:

Twitter:

Facebook:

Google+:

Triberr:

RSS feeds:

What are you waiting for? Start joining me right now!

Have you followed me on ANY of the social networks? Hit the reply button now and remember to share it! That’s the only way to get a DoFollow backlink.

Like this article? I would appreciate it if you could share it using the red button below.
January 5, 2024
How To Get Free Backlink From Technorati Blog?
Getting backlinks from quality website is basic SEO 101. It is a long, expensive and time consuming task. What’s makes it more challenging is that every blogger in the world is trying to get good backlinks pointing back to their sites.

Well, if you’re having some backlink woes, you have came to the right spot. I’m going to share with you how you can get a free and high quality backlink from a page rank (PR) 8 website … for free!

Yup, you don’t have spend a dime for this. All you need is just 10 minutes of your time and you can enjoy the free backlink. Of course, assuming that you have a good content blog.

Allow me to introduce to you, the Technorati blog.

What is Technorati blog?

I prefer to describe Technorati as a blog directory. You can submit your blog URL and it helps you to syndicate it on its site.

Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media.[3] The name Technorati is a blend of the words technology and literati, which invokes the notion of technological intelligence or intellectualism. – Wikipedia

With a page rank scale of 8, I bet it is a no brainer to get at least one backlink from there back to your website right?

As good as it may sounds, I know there are still people who dislike it. Well, for most obvious reason is on how they actually calculate your website ranking. Okay, since we’re talking about getting a good backlink, let’s talk about the good part only, shall we?

Setting up your account and claiming ownership on Technorati
1. The first and easiest step is to get yourself an account with Technorati. Yes it is free and it won’t cost you a dime.
2. Next, complete your profile with all the details for others to connect to you.
3. Once that is all set, you need to claim your blog’s ownership.
4. Submit your blog’s RSS and select ‘Claim Ownership’.
5. Check your email for the Technorati claim token.
6. Place the token code on any of your active posts.
An issue that you might face when claiming website ownership

I’m not sure about the rest but personally, I experienced one devastating issue; I wasn’t able to claim ownership for my website!

So, what was the problem?

Basically, when you request for a Technorati claim, Technorati will send you an email and requesting you to place a code on your website like this:

Email from Technorati informing about the website claim.

Now, you need to place the code on your website … specifically in any of your live post and must be available via RSS.

Example:

Technorati Claim Token: 52QT5MQXJN9G

Yes, Technorati syndicate your website using RSS feed. Remember the part where you submit your blog’s RSS to Technorati in the settings?

At times, it takes some time to get your RSS feed ‘sync’ with your posts. Therefore, I would suggest waiting for at least an hour before you proceed to verify your website ownership with Technorati.

For your info, I uses FeedBurner as my RSS and it took me about 6 hours before I finally get my site approved for my Technorati claim. Weird huh?

Go figure!

So, don’t panic if Technorati informed you that they are not able to verify your website ownership. Give it few hours or so and it should be just fine if you’re doing everything correctly.

Help! I’m not getting the free backlink from Technorati!

I know some had issues trying to get backlink from the site. The simple reason could be either you have low quality content or your blog is probably new. This means that Technorati would still need some time to syndicate your content first before anything else.

Now, read the above sentence again.

Did you read the part where I say Technorati syndicate your content using RSS?

Yes! This means that you need to make sure that your website is having a working RSS URL. You can easily sign up for a free RSS address using FeedBurner.

Now, the next step is totally up to you. You’re going to get more traffic and backlinks from Technorati if you start writing quality content. Well, it’s fair right? You won’t get free backlink if you aren’t doing anything good.

Back to you…

Have you registered your website with Technorati? I did recently and my site score is only 23,557. Crazy far away huh? Hit the reply button below and let’s discuss.

If you find this article interesting, I would be very grateful if you could share it using the red button below.
January 5, 2024
12 Most Important Tips To Improve WordPress Security
Recently. WPTemplate shared an infographic on WordPress security issue. The figures were shocking. Each year, thousands of websites are compromised and the figures keep increasing every year.

In year 2012, more than 170,000 WordPress sites were hacked and that’s crazy!

The million dollar question could easily be, “Are you doing enough when it comes to securiting your website security?”

Source: WordPress Templates

So, what you can do to improve your WordPress security?

Did you notice two of the biggest contributor to WordPress security are hosting companies and WordPress themes? And heck, most of thought that WordPress security has always associated with weak security password.

WordPress is one the biggest blogging platform in the world and thus, it is not something new that it is targeted by hackers every single day.

Being said that, you should not take WordPress security for granted and therefore, you should act now.

Yes mate, right now … by doing these easy steps!

1. Practice frequent updates

When was the last time you upgraded your WordPress or plugins? Usually, the latest updates are the one that has security patches or even newer features. If you have yet to get them updated, do it now. It wouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes.

At least, do it for the sake of your website security. Seriously!

2. Perform housekeeping and clean up on your website regularly

Safety first when it comes to website security

Do you know that it is best to delete or uninstall those unwanted plugins you have on your database? Yes, even though they have been deactivated, you should … and by all means remove them immediately. Having lesser plugins also provide a better website loading speed and not to forget, leaving a better experience for readers as well.

The main reasons is because there are many plugins which might pose a threat especially to WordPress. You have to remember that even though you might have deactivated them, they are still accessible in your website database.

3. Avoid using Admin username

This is the same mistake everyone does. You should never use Admin as your administrator ID. I know some WordPress sites advice users to create Admin username without any administrator access. For me, it is best to leave Admin untouched.

The first thing a hacker would try is to brute force login using Admin or Administrator ID. If you are using either one of those username, then you are basically making their life (of hacking) easier!

It is always best to have a mixture of words, symbols and numbers. Of course, you can further boost your WordPress security by adding capital letters as well.

4. Turn off membership registration

Proper ‘security check’ for members is vital to improve your WordPress security

Yes, I don’t allow open registration at all for my sites. Instead, I’ll manually add members myself. This is to ensure that I have complete control over security matters. Small security actions goes a long, long way when it comes to securing your WordPress site.

If everyone is able to register on your site freely, then you might have problem when you’ll find spam bots and potential hackers trying to break the website security.

I truly understand that adding membership manually might be a real pain but it is worth it for those who really cares about security matters. Of course, if you are running a big company, uses WordPress and has a full list of members, Premise might be the best WordPress membership for you.

5. Changing table prefix

This is one hell of efficient method when it comes to WordPress security. Better WP Security plugin makes it sound easy with just a press of a button. No, it isn’t that easy!

You got to learn how to change the prefix correctly or else, you are going to destroy your website … literally. I changed the last round and I accidentally ‘destroyed’ my theme. Ouch!

6. Backup, backup and backup

Nothing goes more important than backup … when it comes to website and stuffs. Lucky for you, there are some seriously good backup plugins and programs that work perfectly for WordPress. Why backup you may ask. Well, imagine you are being hacked or something bad happen to your site today. You can easily restore everything in a very short period since you have a backup file. What happens if you have no backup files? Then you would need to start back from scratch!

Real case scenario. Three months ago, I had several websites running and when ‘something’ bad happened to them, I practically lose hundreds of articles. Yes, I do backup but I only did once a month which is clearly, insufficient! However, it was good that at least, I still have a month old backup. If not, I would be doing everything from scratch … and for over five websites!

7. Security plugins could help

Hello, you’re being monitored.

Let’s say you are less geeky and need help with securing your website. There are WordPress security plugins such as WordFence and Better WP Security which could provide above average security features with just a few clicks of the mouse. Can’t decide which to use? You may find my review here, Wordfence vs Better Wp Security plugin.

Basically, these plugins will boost your WordPress security level and even provide you the well needed security notifications. Definitely worth a shot for those who prefer to be on the safe side.

8. Increase your security features with Content Delivery Network (CDN) services

Heard about Cloudflare and Incapsula? If not, you should definitely use one. Seriously!

Content delivery network or CDN could provide minimal security especially when you are using a free service. Well, some security is always better than no security right? No? 🙂

I always consider CDN to work very well especially when it comes to preventing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and also improving the website loading speed. Personally, if you are using a CDN for security, Incapsula has a very good security background while Cloudflare is much better of with improving website loading speed (with some security features).

9. Know your WordPress plugins

We all talk about WP everyday.

Now, ask yourself a question. How much do you know about your plugins?

I used to download and try all types of plugins last time and without even bother to check the reviews. Now, I do check their reviews first and even a little bit of Google-ing before installing anything. Some malicious plugins could be hacker’s backdoor to your admin area and protected files. So, always have a good grip of what you are installing and decide if they are really worth the time (and your website security).

Nothing is too personal when it comes to website security!

10. The last level of security comes from you

Me? Seriously?

Yes this is true! Who is your best, most accountable and trusted watch guard for your website? It’s you for Christ’s sake! You got to be on your toes and at least, check on basic changes done that you should be worried about. Let’s take a simple example below.

I had Better WP Security installed on one of my niche website and every time changes are done to my site, I”ll receive an email notification immediately. Imagine small changes such as uploading an image to my gallery and it triggers an email notification. Good? Excellent I would say!

Thing is, you got to at least know what’s happening on your website. Well, you might not have the technical skills to know what to do but at least, you’re still able to alert your hosting provider or developer to check on that.

And when you think that are all …

Hold on there tiger! The above are 10 important security tips when it comes to WordPress and I still have two more under my sleeves!

11. Choose the right WordPress theme for your website

Do you know that 29% of security problems originated from using the wrong WordPress themes? There’s absolutely no denial that there are thousands of free WordPress themes out there. My personal advice?

Ditch those free themes for crying out loud! Jesus! Don’t you see it? These themes might have some codes inside which could compromise your security. Not all, but certainly, I know a lot of them who actually are!

I don’t get it … I really, really don’t get it on … you know … free WordPress themes.

If you are willing to buy premium WordPress theme, you have to be careful as well as not all themes are coded properly. Badly codes one will actually affect your website in many ways.

Here are two of the best WordPress themes I would recommend any day; Genesis Framework and Thesis theme.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of Genesis because:
- Genesis 2.0 says out with the old (XHTML) and in with the new (HTML5), and if you want your website to be future-compatible it needs to use HTML5
- Genesis 2.0’s support of Schema.org code — used by Google, Bing, Pinterest, and many others — allows you to incorporate microdata into your site’s code, further enhancing your SEO
- Genesis 2.0 has code that, if you can believe it, is even cleaner and more lightweight than ever before — which means less bloat and faster load times for readers
- Genesis 2.0 is responsive, and thus most of the child theme are as well
- Genesis 2.0 is backwards-compatible (which makes update a brief)
Don’t take my words for that. Check them out yourself and decide which is best using the links below:

Genesis Framework | Genesis Child Themes | Thesis Theme

12. The importance of hosting companies

Last but not least, the infographic provided by WPTemplate proved that hosting companies play a huge role in terms of WordPress security. With 41% of website hacks originated from website hosting, I bet the figure explains it all.

Personally, I know there are so many hosting companies that are offering cheaper than usual hosting packages. I totally get it that hosting is a competitive industry but have you ever thought that cheap hosting might not provide even the slightest security features for your lovely website?

Let’s take some ‘stats’ for example, shall we?
- Yoast SEO, Chris Brogan, Jay Baer and Chris Pirillo uses Web Synthesis hosting
- HTC, FourSquare, SoundCloud and Balsamiq uses WP Engine hosting
- Volkswagen, Samsung, Sony and dribbble uses Media Temple hosting
Now, does all these makes any logical sense to you?

The above are examples of big brands trusting their hosting companies. Do you see why they don’t go for cheaper corporate hosting? C’mon, give me a guess and I’ll wait! Yes, you got it right mate. It’s all about security.

When it comes to WordPress security, it is best to leave it to the pros if you have limited expertise.

Obviously, these brands are having a much bigger package but it doesn’t mean that you can’t join the big boys’ club. There are packages below $20 which could work very well on your budget and most importantly, a piece of mind 24/7.

You may be using a package say $5 per month but you have to do all the job and maintenance yourself. Simply by adding $15 a month, you would can leave all the maintenance work to the pros … for free.

With proper web hosting, you can forget about spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on webmasters who will take care of your websites (no offence though).

Last time, I was with GoDaddy and then, moved over to HostGator. Even though I was happy with my money spend with them, I wasn’t too happy about the support. What can you expect from a $4 or less web hosting package right?

Again (and like what I always say), don’t take my word for it. Go have a look at their websites have to offer.

Recommended high end web hosting companies: Web Synthesis | WP Engine | Media Temple

You may also take a look at my review on why BlueHost is my top choice for affordable web hosting service.

Over to you…

If you think that SEO and all those blogging tips are important, think again. WordPress security is much more important nowadays. Thousands had done them wrongly and I certainly do not hope that you are one of them! Remember that hackers are always out there and you need to be ready for them.

Do you have any other WordPress security tips to share? If you do, drop me a comment below and let’s discuss it over.

**If you find this article interesting, I would be very grateful if you could share it using the red button below.
January 5, 2024
Top 8 Link Building Strategies That Work For Search Engines
Since the last Google algorithm update, there are many rumors about link building and the white hat SEO strategies. I recently wrote about the importance of social engagement in contrast to SEO and it became a pretty hot topic. I believe the biggest question nowadays would be the important the the old school link building method.

Before we go any further, this is a snippet from Google Webmaster Tool:

Previously, Google said …

‘In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.’

And everything changes now with …

‘In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by creating high-quality sites that users will want to use and share.’

Source: Google

Does this really means the end of link building techniques in search engine optimization? Of course not!

This doesn’t prove that link building is no longer in use. In fact, this makes link building even richer and more valuable! And at the same time, this new Google algorithm makes link building … yes, you got it right … harder but definitely not impossible.

Important disclaimer: This article is more than 2,000 words and I dare you to do read it in just one go. If not, bookmark this page right now and come back anytime when you are ready!

What did we learn from the latest Google update?

Oh no! Another Google update?

Every time an update takes place, there are many things Google are showing us … or at least, hinting us. Here are some things that I had learned which are the number of backlinks, using the right link building techniques and even using the right search engine optimization methods. And the only way to learn this is by watching those videos posted by Matt Cutts and his team.

So let’s discuss on the proper link building strategies that work for search engines today.

1. Using the right SEO tools for link building

For those who really into SEO, it’s a very known fact that you probably need at least one SEO tool to help you with those ranking and link building tactics. Seriously.

I know many people who uses paid SEO tools like this one are having crazy time trying to create more quality backlinks to their articles. I would say, maybe they are having the time of their lives! 🙂

You might be thinking that, “Hey, take that you !@#$ paid SEO tools!”. Here’s the reality check. These SEO tools will actually … and still be rocking like any other days.

Yes! Let me repeat; link building isn’t dead but it just got tougher. That’s all.

For those who are using various link building tools, well, you just got to play smarter. You need to change the game plan but slowly.

Why? Google still loves quality backlinks and this doesn’t mean that you can’t get the best out of ‘virtual assistance’.

Thinking of going white hat SEO to be on the safe side? Maybe this tool might help!

One thing for sure is that using SEO tools will not make you any safer from Google updates. You need to use SEO tools the right way and focus in your strategies. Always remember that misusing these SEO tools will actually destroy your traffic and your SEO ranking.

*p/s Looking at this article length, I’m going to write the so call ‘SEO game plan’ on another post.

2. Write articles for readers and not for bots

Optimize your website for your readers and not for search engines

Link building isn’t really link building only. For me, link building also means website marketing and communications. The more visibility people has on your website, the better chances you are going to create the ‘brand awareness’.

And with that (assuming you write great articles), people are going to share your articles even more!

More shares = More love from Google.

There ain’t any trick about link building and content sharing if you ask me. Write good stuffs, get your name out and let the people (readers) do the rest for you.

What you really need to learn about link building is you can’t get everyone to love your writing or even share your articles. Okay, remember that every visitor who comes to your site is a potential ‘buyer’.

Take the opportunity to get them spread the word for you and how you can possibly do that?

It really depends on how generous are you. For me, I do a win-win situation for my readers. I am using CommentLuv for WordPress and what this plugin does is simple. It allows users to share one of their links after they commented.

Wait! That isn’t all.

For those who share my articles on social media, they will automatically get a DoFollow link back. Sounds good right?

You see, blogging is all about giving and just not taking completely. I see absolutely no reason why one should be so secretive about backlink.

3. The relationship between backlink, social communities and tribes

Recently, I’m very active on several sites such as BizSugar and Triberr. I wasn’t actively sharing my links though. Instead, I was commenting and sharing other articles I felt useful.

The effect? One word: Tremendous.

As I had said about in #2, sharing is caring and there’s no better way than helping a fellow blogger to share their articles. Heard about karma or what goes around, comes around?

Whenever you share an article on social networks, you are creating a good chance for others to visit your website in return. And most of the time, they would probably return a favor by giving a shout (hey, that’s free publicity) for you.

Blogging isn’t everything about yourself. Instead, it is all about relationship building and sharing of information. Grow your audience indirectly by doing good to others.

So, stop being a link whore and start linking out to others!

…

…

…

Yes mate. Right now! Don’t worry, I’ll wait!

4. Link building is closely related to sitemap

You have written an excellent article and you published it. After one week or probably a month, you ain’t getting a hit and you are no closer in creating a viral article that drives hundreds of traffic to your website. So, what’s wrong?

Okay. Here’s the deal. You want to build good traffic, link building etc. You probably won’t go far if you are not focusing enough on SEO. One of the search engine optimizations best practices is to have a sitemap.

Google just won’t put you on first page of SERPs if Google is not aware of your existence. This is where sitemap plays a huge role in your website ranking.

So, yes. The first thing is to get your sitemap up immediately … (moments of silence) …

What’s a sitemap? Site what?

A site map (or sitemap) is a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users. It can be either a document in any form used as a planning tool for Web design, or a Web page that lists the pages on a Web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. There are two popular versions of a site map. An XML Sitemap is a structured format that a user doesn’t need to see, but it tells the search engine about the pages in your site, their relative importance to each other, and how often they are updated. HTML sitemaps are designed for the user to help them find content on the page, and don’t need to include each and every subpage. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.

Source: Wikipedia

Makes any sense to you? Maybe this image from Google might help out.

Sitemap usually gives search engines a list of links that you have on your website

If you are using WordPress, you can probably use WordPress for SEO (which comes with Sitemap functions) or Google XML sitemap. You won’t wrong with any one of those.

Creating a sitemap is no hassle and you can do that within 5 minutes or less. Once you have your sitemap ready, head over to Google Webmaster Tool and Big Webmaster Tool to submit your sitemap.

5. Guest posting – The pros and cons in link building techniques

We can’t deny the importance of guest posting especially when you are looking for a quality backlink. Writing good guest post will certainly drive traffic to your website without fail but there’s something you need to know first!

Backlink building from guest posting is a double sided blade. Handle with care at all times.

Google and other search engines understand that many bloggers are actually trying to gain momentum and getting some quality backlinks from good page rank sites. When it comes to guest post, there isn’t any difference.

Don’t get me wrong. Guest posting is definitely worth it considering the quality of backlink. However, you do not want to over do it to avoid any penalty. The easiest methods which I see best fit for guest posting are:
- Writing quality articles
- Use maximum of three links per post
- Taking advantage of the rel”nofollow”
Huh? Isn’t that rel=”nofollow” means zero backlink?

Yes indeed. This is my link building strategy. You don’t want search engines to consider your site as a link juice or link farm. Therefore, if the content in the link doesn’t provide quality information for your readers, it is better off with a no follow rule.

Do you understand why I say it as a double sided blade now?

6. The viral factor and link building under one roof

Go nuts … like Holmer!

Have you heard about viral video or viral content? So, what does the word, viral actually means?

For me, it means an action which is hit the world by storm … unintentionally. Here’s an example:

Years ago, a kid made a video to promote his band and uploaded it to MySpace. Sounds like, “duh” right?

The video was about a kid who ran around the garden smashing two Barbie dolls together, throwing tomato source all over the place and screaming the name of his band in a variation of pitches while his MySpace page flashed at the bottom of the screen.

And, guess what?

He received two million hits to his band’s MySpace … in just two days.

The kid didn’t do much … and probably took around 20 minutes trying to clean up the mess he did plus uploading the video.

Source: Adam Connell

Makes any sense? Probably not.

But does that matters? It certainly do!

Viral content, whether it be images, videos or quizzes – has the potential to drive massive amounts of traffic and generate a large amount of business leads or subscribers.

So, what the heck this has to do with link building?

Take the kid’s case study for an example. Do you think that out of the two million hits the kid got, how many people actually share the video or his band?

I call this … indirect link building since … it’s viral and we can’t really control it, could we? I totally understand that there is no possible way to actually create a perfect viral content.

Math lesson: Let’s say you manage (accidentally) create a viral content and it drives you tons of traffic. Do you know how much website traffic you are going to gain?

Even though there are no proven ways to actually create a viral content, here are 14 marketing tools to help you increase the chance of viral-ing and spread the word!

7. Old fashioned link building techniques. Are they dead?

I read so many articles about changing SEO techniques, so on and so forth. Question is, do you really need the traditional SEO building strategies now?

From what I see it, yes you need them and it is never advisable to ditch them. With all these Google Penguin and Google Panda, it is harder to score points with the old methods. But, each point you earned will worth even more than ever!

Fair deal for you?

We discussed about guest blogging, marketing techniques and SEO tool like this one above. Anyone of these could help you with SEO and this certainly doesn’t prove that ancient SEO methods won’t count anymore. Remember that most search engine optimization methods are based out of the trusted, ancient ‘recipe’.

Since so many algorithms are calculated based on page ranks and number of links, I bet you totally understand where this is heading.

Personally, I would advise you to start changing your game plan. Like me, my approach to SEO is way different than three years back. I even created SEO Blueprints library which consist of every SEO techniques I’m practicing right now.

8. Avoid the BIGGEST link building mistakes

Oh no! Holmer does it again!

For me, the biggest sin you can ever do when it comes to SEO is when you think you had done enough. The truth is … you aren’t able to to completely do SEO.

Why?!

Because SEO is a learning process and it has many implementation phrases. This means that what works today, might not work for tomorrow.

Now, tell me if you have ever (and I really mean e-v-e-r) thought of giving up.

Yes, you thought search engine optimization is too hard and you probably done everything you could. Yet, you’re ain’t seeing the results. People say you need to be patience and you waited for months and still, goddammit nothing happens!

Sounds familiar? Don’t be shy and admit it. It happens to you, to me and nearly every blogger out there. It felt like a never ending war right?

Now, this is the cold hard fact. SEO doesn’t happen overnight and certainly, there isn’t any proven methods for us to judge how far we had done or accomplished.

However, we can always judge by page rank and the number of links that are pointing to our articles but, are those really counted?

Giving up hope is definitely a no-no here. Content, article and website optimization are all, ever growing activities which will always keep you on your toes (and for some, might even make you stay awake at night).

Agree to disagree?

Back to you

Wow! This is a longest post (as of now) which I had written! So, how do you like it? If you had read this in just one shot, I’m going to give you my salute. No doubt on that.

As for the topic, these are the top 8 workable link building techniques that we all can practise to build authority and at the same time, traffic. I used these nearly every day and whenever I’m blogging.

What do you think? Tell me what you think and you can easily do it right below.

*If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the red Google+ button below?
January 5, 2024