Do you want to write a blog? Maybe you currently use a WordPress blog and do not like the way it works. There are several things that you can do to make your blog more attractive to visitors. Use the advice here to create a better WordPress blog.
If you are doing a WordPress blog for professional or search engine optimization purporses, don’t let WordPress actually host your blog. Put your blog on a different host and then just use the WordPress application there. Blogs at WordPress’ website are sometimes deleted for being too commercial or deemed spammy in content.
Make the most of your titles and your descriptions. Any time you share posts on social media sites a description and title may be required. These are important in terms of good search engine optimization, so don’t just toss out titles and descriptions in a random fashion. Give it some thought and optimize with good keywords.
Keep your permalinks clean and understandable. That means you should look at the permalink box every time you put up a new post. Does the title in the URL make sense? Does it help from an SEO standpoint? If not, click on it and alter it until it is perfect.
Don’t forget to use spellcheck. It may seem obvious now, but many people forget to do it. When using the WordPress editor to post to your blog, make sure you take advantage of its spellcheck function. Even if you have already proofread your post, a quick and simple spellcheck couldn’t hurt.
When you use different tags for the topics on your blog, keep in mind that these are strictly for searching the content on your blog. These can’t be used by search engines. If you want your pages to be searchable on Google, you have to install an SEO type plug-in such as Headspace.
You will see your posts in chronological order unless you choose differently. You must alter the date if you wish to reorder the list. Do this by opening a post. You’ll see the date in the top right. Change the date by clicking on it and saving it.
If you haven’t customized your WordPress sidebar, it could be cluttered with useless items that are doing nothing but confusing your readers. Your sidebar should only contain things you actually want visitors to click on. Navigate to Appearance & Widgets to edit the appearance of your sidebar and remove anything there that doesn’t actually benefit you or your visitors directly.
Many people are responding to video blogs, so consider this option. Video blogging is not only becoming more popular, it is also becoming much easier to use. WordPress, in its current version, makes the use of video blogging easy. This can really increase traffic by drawing those who are less inclined to read.
Use Google Analytics to keep tabs on who is visiting your site and where they come from. It is important that you know where you are getting visitors from so that you can work harder to bring in more readers. The more you pay attention to your statistics, the bigger your site will become.
Incorporate a social sharing plugin for your WordPress blog. Integrating social media with your blog will be a great boon to your traffic. Your users can instantly share your article through Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Look for a plugin that will allow liking and sharing, since both will be beneficial.
Take the time to log out of your site every once in a while. Go back and look at it as a visitor. Doing so could allow you to see something that you are missing when you are logged in as an administrator. This step will not take very long, but it should set your mind at ease that everything is functioning the way that it should be.
Differentiate the look of your WordPress blog. It may be tempting to just roll with the standard WordPress themes, but you’ll look like many other blogs out there. Consider a few other themes. Even install them so that you can preview them with your current crop of content. It can make all the difference to audience engagement.
Use the Comments tab in the WordPress dashboard side bar to keep tabs on who is posting what on your site. This will save you the hassle of getting an email every time someone says something in reply to a post. In the end, you just don’t have time for that!
Evaluate plugins carefully before you install it in your WordPress account. Plugin creation is not regulated, and anyone in the world with the right skill can create a plugin and make it available to the public. To make sure that the source is reliable, read the reviews and pay special attention to the negative comments.
If you aren’t into getting comments on your WordPress blog, you can turn comments off on any individual post or page. This is an excellent solution if you are creating more of a promotional website rather than a personal blog. WIth the comments off, you can solely concentrate on your post content without worry of spam.
Look up helpful resources before planning your site on WordPress. Look for groups and forums to advise you on navigating through WordPress issues. Someone on these resources should be able to give you some help.
If you want your blog to be seen and visited by all sorts of users, make sure you can access it on mobile phones and tablets. Some blogs are not readable or do not load on these smaller devices. If you need help making your blog compatible, use WPtouch, a plugin.
There are many factors to consider when running a blog. Knowing the proper plugins and content can help your site stand out from the pack. With any luck, you can learn something here. Now start putting this knowledge to work on your site so more people look at it.