http://coreyfreeman.me/wordcamp-pdx/ The slides from my WordCamp Portland talk where I quickly discuss thoughts on setting up your website now for success later, and introduce the concept of "Terminal Optimization," which involves doing heavy optimization in the beginning to prevent issues in the future.

1. Stop Tweaking
Set Up WordPress NOW for Success Later
By Corey Freeman

2. The Dilemma
You save money with
an “affordable” host.
Put up a “good
enough” theme. And
spend more time
tweaking than
creating content.
Your setup becomes
a complicated mess.

3. The Typical Setup...
Theme that “looks
good” but doesn’t
support content.
Turn-key theme
without branding or
optimization.
“Essential” plugins
installed without
doing the research.

4. A Better Setup
A stable host that
never needs
changing.
A blog design that
makes publishing
easier.
Optimization that
runs beneath the
surface.

5. Terminal Optimization
The point where you no longer have to “tweak”
your website and can just publish content.

6. A Great Host
A step up from
“shared” resources.
24/7 support via
email/chat/phone
Offers monthly
pricing

7. Recommended Host
Media Temple
(mediatemple.net)
Host Gator
(hostgator.com)
Avoid GoDaddy.

8. About Domains...
Register your domain separate from your
host, just in case.

9. Choosing a Theme
Your theme should fit the content, brand
your site and make publishing easy.

10. Design FOR Content
Design to display, content. Not to be shiny.
Optimize for mobile. People are reading from their
phones, tablets, and netbooks.
Use a coherent design that reflects your brand,
not a “Cool” turn-key theme.
Design for speed. Load time is everything.

11. Theme Frameworks...
Do-It-Yourself starting points for custom, high-
performance websites.
Continuous development and support means
more growth potential.

12. Headway Themes
A drag n’ drop framework for all skill levels.

13. Not Into “Do It Yourself?”
If you’re not a DIY enthusiast, hire a professional.
Look for quality and personality.
A great developer and/or designer will set you up
for long-term success and low maintenance.
Pay now so you can avoid paying later.

14. Optimizing Content
Build up habits to make publishing fast & easy.

15. Formatting Content
Consistency Prevents Headaches
Have a plan. How long are paragraphs? How are
headings used?
Style in WordPress, not Word. It keeps your
content clean.
Never rely on your theme to handle any part of
your content. (e.g. themes with shortcodes)
Always spellcheck and proofread.

16. Make SEO a Habit
Write first, work in
keywords later.
Create SEO Titles by
asking “what would
the user search for?”
Heading tags (<h2>)
are your friends.

17. Free Optimization Plugins
You don’t need that many...
Yoast SEO
W3 Total Cache
CloudFlare
Conditional Captcha for WordPress
Redirection

18. The Big Optimization Picture
Build, Design, Then Optimize.
Make optimization a habit.
It’s all about speed.

19. Wrap-Up
Good Foundation =
Great Host & Great
Theme Framework
Optimization Is a
Habit
Reduce Clutter and
Focus on Content

20. Stop Tweaking
Start Creating. Start Publishing. Start Growing.