Tips on how to use self hosted WordPress as a CMS to manage not only a blog but a more traditional website.

1. WordPress as a CMS

2. WordPress as a CMS
“WordPress started as just a blogging system,
but has evolved to be used as full content
management system and so much more
through the thousands of plugins, widgets, and
themes, WordPress is limited only by your
imagination. (And tech chops.)”
WordPress.org/about/
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3. WordPress.org / WordPress.com
● This talk will focus on a self hosted WordPress
install (WordPress.org)
● Recommend self hosted for increased control
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4. Quick Overview
● Concept: WordPress / CMS
– Content Types
– Navigation
● Tips:
– Permalinks
– Where to find Themes
– Onsite SEO
– Contact Forms
– Analytics
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10. WordPress is a CMS
● CMS = Content Management System
● Presentation & Structuring of content to create
the familiar experience of a Website
● Simple Example: 'Static' Pages + Blog/News
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11. Posts & Pages
Containers that hold content.
● Posts ● Pages
– reverse chronological – defined hierarchy
– blog – static site content
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12. A tip for Pages
● Pages (generally) don't require comments
● Open up Page.php
● Check for and remove:
<?php comments_template(); ?>
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13. Categories & Tags
Categories & Tags are labels do not impose
structure but provide views of related content
● Categories ● Tags
– A post must be – Tags are optional
associated with at – Pages can be tagged
least one Category
– Tags are unstructured
– Pages - no categories
– Many specific tags
– Categories can be
hierarchical
– Few broad
categorisations
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14. Our site structure
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15. Page Order & Hierarchy
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16. Page Order & Hierarchy
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17. Static Front Page
● Set a page as your home page and specify
another page to be your blog
● Settings > Reading
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18. Permalinks
● Settings > Permalink
● One I use: /blog/%post_id%/%postname%/
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19. Permalinks
● http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks
● Make sure to end your structure with either
%post_id% or %postname% so that each
permalink points to an individual post.
● For performance reasons [...] it is best to start
your permalink structure with a numeric field,
such as the year or post ID.
● Some people just use %postname%
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20. Navigation Hierarchy
● When planning your site – create clear
hierarchy
● Determine best navigation approach
– Top nav + side subnav
– Folding sidenav
– Fly out menus
● Find appropriate theme / navigation plugin
combination
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21. Navigation Hierarchy - My Plugin
● Developed for me by John Blackbourn
– http://johnblackbourn.com/
● WordPress Better Navigation
– Widgetised
– Displays Page Tree
● With or without top level
● Expand children / all descendants of current page
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22. Don't Link to Current Page
● Jakob Nielsen
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20031110.html
● Analytics – Example: up to 20% of users clicked
on the link for the page they were on
● Theme Dependant – check your site
● Plugin:
http://frankprendergast.ie/resources/remove-
link-to-current-page-in-wordpress/
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23. Themes
● Free & Premium ($19 - $150 - ??)
● http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
● http://themeforest.net/
● http://www.elegantthemes.com/
● http://www.woothemes.com/themes/
● Most have a CMS category
● From pure design to all kinds of functionality
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24. xkcd.com
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25. SEO / Headspace
● Headspace 2 – my favourite SEO plugin
● Page Titles – keywords, attention grabbing,
relevant
● Description – elevator pitch to get clicks
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26. SEO / Headspace
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27. SEO / Headspace
For HeadSpace Titles to work as expected -
In header.php find title tag
eg default theme:
<title><?php wp_title('&laquo;', true, 'right'); ?> <?php bloginfo('name'); ?></title>
And replace with:
<title><?php wp_title(''); ?></title>
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28. SEO / Headspace
Post / Page headspace settings
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29. Contact Forms
● Contact Form 7
– Popular, quite simple, fairly flexible
● cforms II
– Quite complex, incredibly flexible
● Gravity Forms (www.gravityforms.com)
– Not free ($39 single license), very flexible, simple &
support available
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30. Web Stats / Analytics
● A good web statistics package gives you
information on how people find & interact with
your site and allows you to improve
● Google Analytics is free & excellent
● Headspace allows you to add Analytics & other
stats packages easily
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31. Analytics
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32. Analytics
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33. What to do...
● Develop clear content / navigation structures
● Create static pages & hierarchy
● Set static frontpage
● Find a theme to suit your needs
● Use Pretty Permalinks
● Do some basic SEO
● Implement a contact form
● Add Analytics
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34. Honourable Mentions
● Maintenance Mode (plugin)
● WP Super Cache (plugin)
● Subscribe to Comments (plugin)
● Feedburner & Email Sub (setup & plugin)
– http://tinyurl.com/email-sub-rss
● Google Webmaster Tools
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35. Where to next?
● Development areas:
– Page Templates
– Custom Loops
– Custom Themes
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36. Thank You
So Much!
xkcd.com