Part 1 – Paying to setup your WP Blog?
Part 2 – The Outside Applications
I started compiling this list when I set up my newest site, http://AreWeConnected.com
WordPress.com says
Takes seconds, costs nada
You can get a blog started in less time than it takes you to read this sentence.
And that’s true.
But to fully get the best results out of WordPress you need so much more. So I put on my consultant hat and thought about what needs to be done and how to do a complete job . Here’s Part 3 of what I came up with.
The Hidden WordPress Plugins
There are many Plugins that bring a WordPress blog to a higher level. These are visible to your blog readers and enrich their experience.
Then there are the hidden plugins. They do their job behind the scenes, unnoticed. Yet these silent plugins are critical to the proper function of every blog.
Here are just four of the absolute essentials:
All in One SEO Pack - Part of the reason you are blogging is for the SEO, right? This plugin (when properly used) brings proper metatags to the party in three flavors, Title, Description, and Keywords.
Google XML Sitemaps - Another SEO silent warrior. Search engines like a sitemap. We’re not talking the kind that some sites have for us humans. This plugin generates an .xml document (map of your complete site) and sends it not only to Google, but to Yahoo, Ask and MSN every time you update your site. It’s like saying "Hey Google! Look over here! Here’s my site, check it out!" Mine is http://AreWeConnected.com/sitemap.xml
TailHitter - Ever wonder just how people got to your site in the first place? I’m not just talking about "They came from Google". Deeper . HitTail is a site that tracks and records the phrase someone typed into a search engine and then clicks on your page in the results. It is invaluable for tracking what keywords people are using and what is working. As an example I recently used the OctoMom’s website as an example for a blog post. Her name is Nadya . I intentionally spelled her name correct in some places and incorrect in others. Using HitTail, I could see how many people reached my site only because they spelled it as Nadia .
WP-DBManager - Over the weekend I had a client who’s blog went dead. It turns out her template design became corrupted. All her posts were there - just not visible. Reality Bites . In the short couple of months here I have 117 posts - database and server errors happen. Some people have been blogging on the same site for years. What if all those posts were suddenly lost? This plugin automatically runs a backup and then sends me a file as an email attachment. Should I wake tomorrow to a blank site, I can easily restore the data with a couple of clicks! I have the file sent to a Gmail address so I can never accidentally delete that. You never think about this stuff until you have a problem. Think of this as the Drivers Side Air Bag for your blog. This may be the most important plugin you ever add, but may never need.
Remember, this is just the tip of the…
Photo credit by nick_russill
To be continued…
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- Google XML Sitemaps And What To Do With It (davidrisley.com)
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- 10 Point Crash Course in Blog SEO (davidrisley.com)
This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
Feel free to ReBlog or ReTweet as you like as long as you credit the source (him).
Did you know? He's for hire! He builds Blogs, Graphic Images and Widgets and Facebook Pages and besides… He knows lots of really cool stuff.
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Mike - thanks for this post. I set up our WP blogs a few years ago and it does have significant seo juisce for me in my market areas. A lot of my fellow agents in our area are starting to follow our lead its seems so it must be a good thing right? lol Thanks Mike Didn't know about all the plug ins though. I am bookmarking.
Bob - We're just into the third session (and I had about 6 more hidden plugins to boot!), I didn't want to make this post too long. I had to break it up into 10 sections as it was. ; )
Mike thanks for the tips on some cool pluggins. Can you ever have tooooo many plugins?
Bookmarked for when I get home.
What's on that iceberg? And I have a WordPress blog, but it's the freebie. It get's pretty good SEO though. It frequently surprises me by showing up, when I'm running a test of search terms =)
Missy - I can go on and on about plugins! If anything new ever comes out (like Facebook's Friend Connect) they'll make a WP plugin for it first!
Lisa - I noticed you were front and center of my TwitPic today! You win two extra internets for that! http://twitpic.com/1o7lp
Mike: This will be hard to believe but I have been setting up a WP blog myself for about 8 months. It is a long story but I am almost ready to go public. It is public per se but I haven't told anyone the address - I guess I am trying to get it too perfect and missing the boat. Anyway, I have added the first two plugins but will definitely add the second and come back and see what others you recommend. As always, very useful!
As always, Mike, you ROCK! This is great. I don't have a Word Press blog myself. But I work with several clients who do and this will be great info to use on their Word Press accounts. Thank you so much!
Mike - oh, I have to add the sitemap plugin. I also had to add a spam blocker (for comments) as I suddenly started received a ton of long spam comments. Thanks. ~Rita
I LOVE HitTail. Along with Clicky, it is one of my favorite things.
And what about Blog Copyright (by BTE)
Thank you, Mike, for such great information. Social networking changes and evolves so quickly that it's hard to keep up. Thank goodness for you! Keep up the good work. It's something we can all learn and benefit from.
Cathy - I hate to ask, but why so long? A complete site should take hours, maybe days but not weeks, months or years to get started.
Heather - You are welcome!
Brian - Akismet is a start for spam but I also like Facebook Connect. That's a topic that is coming up...
Lane - Copyright is great but I have a different take - For others who want the copyright you are right on!
I'm licensed under Creative Commons
See: Did you know?
I feel like an idiot, but I couldn't figure out how to add the Google sitemap to WordPress. I couldn't find the Plugins section on the dashboard. What am I missing?
Are these plugins for WordPress.com or WordPress.org sites? Because I'm being told that WordPress.com doesn't support plugins. You have to upgrade to the WordPress.org site.
I am pretty open to letting people repost with permission and attribution... That is why I have that Zemanta Re-Blog button...
And Heather, WordPress.org would be self hosted. it is a world apart from the .com version.
Mike, have you seen Platinum SEO Pack? I am building a couple of property blogs for new listings and stumbled across this. It is based on All-in-one SEO.
Of course as I say this, I am having trouble installing it...
I have heard of wordpress . I thought it is free. I will check out the links to your posts .Thank you.
I'm really glad I caught this. I am going to check out TailHitter for sure. It's amazing how far I have come, yet how far I have to go to achieve true success.