Liam Dempsey gave a presentation on using WordPress for websites. He discussed WordPress' popularity with over 61 million sites using it, and 20% of top websites using it. He covered themes, plugins, custom post types, and security best practices. Key recommendations included using quality themes from iThemes and plugins like Yoast SEO, Gravity Forms, and Advanced Custom Fields.

1. Making Websites
with WordPress
Liam Dempsey | LBDesign

2. About Liam
§ Run LBDesign, a communications
design consultancy in Philly and
London
§ Working with WordPress since 2007
§ A designer who codes
§ Run the Philly ‘burbs WordPress
Meetup
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

3. What We’ll Cover
§ The state of WordPress in 2013
§ Presenting the case of WordPress as
a CMS of choice
§ Tips on approaching WordPress
projects
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

4. What We Won’t Cover
§ Design or development best practices
§ The nitty-gritty of WordPress
development – no talking code!
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

5. WP: Not just for blogging
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

6. State of WordPress
§ Currently 61,432,297 sites run on WP
§ ~20% of the top 1 million websites run
on WordPress
§ Examples: The NY Times, CNN,
Rolling Stones
§ Supported by Automattic
§ Social is on the horizon: BuddyPress
§ Up next: apps built with WordPress
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

7. Why use WordPress?
§ Easy for content managers to use
§ Loads of quality plugins
§ Flexible
§ Scalable
§ Very popular – so loads of great
designers and developers know it
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

8. WordPress is SEO friendly
§ Customizable permalinks = SEO
friendly URLs
§ Editable slugs
§ Plenty of SEO/content strategy
plugins
§ Even sliders are SEO friendly
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

9. What are themes?
§ Add a mixture of
design and
functionality
§ Three types:
§ Free
§ Premium
§ Starter/Custom
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

10. Thinking about themes
§ Not all themes are created equal
§ Some are more flexible and robust
§ Some are easier to use for end-clients
§ Some are downright scary!
§ iThemes, Woo Themes + StartBox are
reliable and safe
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

11. What are plugins?
§ Software add-ons
§ Plugins address many
needs:
§ SEO and blogging
§ User permissions
§ Events
§ Digital Downloads
§ Membership
subscriptions
§ Podcasts and video
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

12. Plugin considerations
§ Not all plugins are created equal
§ User-interface varies greatly
§ Shody plugins can be inefficient or
present security issues
§ Some plugins don’t play nicely with
others
§ Rule of thumb: Don’t make plugins
first option
§ Don’t be afraid to use solid plugins
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

13. Suggested plugins I
§ SEO: WordPress SEO by Yoast
§ Contact forms: Gravity Forms
§ Social Media: DiggDigg
§ Slider: Soliloquy
§ Digital Downloads: Easy Digital
Downloads
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

14. Suggested plugins II
§ Podcasts: Blubrry Power Press
§ Membership: Paid Memberships Pro
§ Customization: Advanced Custom
Fields
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

15. Custom Post Types
§ Used for any content type with a
need for repeated instances – eg,
Recipes, Staff, Products, etc.
§ The custom post type and fields are
customized
§ Data from CPT can be displayed
across the site with ease
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

16. Why use CPT?
§ Allows content managers to focus on
content – without worrying about
design
§ Can be very SEO friendly
§ Allows for a richer user experience as
content is consistent across the site
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

17. Don’t Skimp on Security
§ Think “Safety first!”
§ Back up, back up, back up
§ WordPress is popular, ergo it’s a
target for hackers
§ Still a very secure platform
§ Pay for good hosting and keep the
software up-to-date
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013

18. Thanks!
Blog: liamdempsey.com
Work: lbdesign.tv
Quirky: chickenmonkeydog.com
Twitter: @liamdempsey
Main Line Internet + Social Media Marketing Group: February 2013