WordPress for Bussiness
Bloggers
Promote and grow your WordPress blog with advanced
plugins, analytics, advertising, and SEO
Paul Thewlis
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
WordPress for Bussiness Bloggers
Copyright © 2008 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of
the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold
without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, Packt Publishing,
nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to
be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: August 2008
Production Reference: 1300708
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
32 Lincoln Road
Olton
Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.
ISBN 978-1-847195-32-6
www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by Karl Moore (
[email protected])
[ FM-2 ]
Credits
Author
Project Manager
Paul Thewlis
Abhijeet Deobhakta
Reviewers
Project Coordinator
Lee Jordan
Rajashree Hamine
Narayan Bhat
Indexer
Senior Acquisition Editor
Monica Ajmera
David Barnes
Proofreader
Development Editor
Chris Smith
Ved Prakash Jha
Production Coordinator
Technical Editor
Shantanu Zagade
Dhiraj Chandiramani
Cover Work
Editorial Team Leader
Shantanu Zagade
Akshara Aware
[ FM-3 ]
About the Author
Paul Thewlis has worked as a web communications professional in the public and
private sectors. He is currently E-Communications Manager for a multi-national
transport company, headquartered in the UK. He began his web career as a Technical
Editor, working on web design books for a well-known publisher. He has extensive
experience of many content management systems and blogging platforms. He is
an expert in the use of social media within corporate communications, and blogs
about that subject, as well as WordPress and the Web in general, at http://blog.
paulthewlis.com. Paul lives in Birmingham, England, with his fiancée, Zöe.
I would like to thank Matt Mullenweg and the WordPress
development team, as well as all the hard-working members of the
wider WordPress community, who created the plugins featured in
this book. Scott Wallick and Andy Skelton deserve a special mention
for the great work they do on the Sandbox theme. I would also like
to thank my parents, Jack and Margaret, for their unending support,
and my wonderful fiancée, Zöe, for putting up with so many late
nights and lonely weekends during the writing of this book.
[ FM-4 ]
About the Reviewers
Lee Jordan is an avid user of Blogger, Twitter, and other useful web applications.
She designs interactive customer service portals, enterprise-level websites and other
web-based applications and writes web content and user guides. She applies over ten
years of experience designing and writing for the Web to developing interactive,
user-friendly websites, and writing technical guides to popular web technologies.
Narayan Bhat is passionate about wandering the Internet and blogging.
Get Blogger tips from his blogging websites:
Dummies Guide to Google Blogger (Beta)—http://betabloggerfordummies.
blogspot.com/2007/08/hot-tips-on-blogger-profiles.html
SEO Adsense Tips—http://seoblogadsense.blogspot.com/
THE WIDGETS OF BETA BLOGGER—http://widgetry.blogspot.com
Tips for Bloggers—http://tipsforbloggers.blogspot.com
[ FM-5 ]
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: A Blog Less Ordinary—What Makes a Great Blog?
You Can Stand Out from the Crowd
Where Do You Fit In?
Not All Business Blogs Are the Same
Increasing Sales
Adding Value
A Dialog with Your Customers
Raising Awareness
Showing Expertise
Customer Service
Public Relations
Driving Traffic
Add Some Personality
Categorizing Business Blogs
Product Blogs
Corporate or Company Blogs
News Blogs
Expert Blogs
The WordPress Arsenal
Good Design
Maximizing Usability
Promoting Your Blog
Analyzing the Statistics
Managing Content
Monetizing Your Blog
Measuring Success
Google PageRank
1
7
7
9
10
11
12
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
19
20
21
22
23
24
24
24
25
25
25
25
25
Table of Contents
Alexa Ranking
26
Summary
27
Chapter 2: Introducing Our Case Study—ChilliGuru
ChilliGuru—The Man Behind the Blog
Before and After
Goals and Planning
Business Situation
Strategic Goals
The Blog Plan
Tactical Goals
29
29
30
31
32
32
33
36
Implementation
An Overview of the ChilliGuru Makeover
Design
Content
Promotion and Analysis
Generating Revenue
Enabling Growth
Summary
Chapter 3: Designing Your Blog
36
36
37
37
38
40
40
41
43
Blog Design Principles
Layout
Color
43
44
48
Web Color Theory
50
Typography
Usability and Accessibility
Implementing Your Blog Design
A Brief Introduction to CSS
The Early Days of the Web
Content and Style
Looking at the Code
The Style Sheet
Applying the Style Sheet
Tweaking the Styles
Setting Up a Local Development Environment
Installing XAMPP
Setting the 'root' Password for MySQL
Installing WordPress Locally
Case Study—ChilliGuru Design
The Style Sheet Header
The Page Layout
[ ii ]
51
52
53
54
54
55
56
59
61
66
68
69
72
75
78
80
82
Table of Contents
Colors and Fonts
The Header
The Menu
The Main Content Area
The Sidebars
The Footer
Summary
85
86
87
88
90
91
93
Chapter 4: Images and Videos
95
Image Theory Basics
Dimensions
Resolution
File Size
Optimization
Installing 'The GIMP'
Images in WordPress Posts
Thumbnail Creation
Thumbnail Size
Attachment Size
Styling Images
Setting Up an Image Gallery
NextGEN Gallery
95
95
96
96
96
97
97
97
102
104
106
107
107
Creating an Image Gallery Page
114
Using Video
EasyTube
Adding a Favicon
Summary
117
117
118
120
Chapter 5: Content Is King
121
Blog Writing Tips
Killer Headlines
Length of Posts
Post Frequency
Links to Other Blogs
Establishing Your Tone and Voice
The Structure of a Post
End with a Question
A Quick Check List
Categories and Tags
The Difference between Categories and Tags
Using Categories
Using Tags
[ iii ]
121
122
122
123
124
124
125
126
126
127
127
127
128
Table of Contents
Applying Tags and Categories to ChilliGuru
The 'About' Page
About You
About Your Blog
Anything to Declare
The ChilliGuru 'About' Page
Other Static Content
Backing Up
Backing up wp-content
Backing up the Database Using phpMyAdmin
Restoring the Database from a Backup File
Summary
Chapter 6: Search Engine Optimization
The Principles of SEO
How Search Engines Find Stuff
Keywords
Choosing Your Keywords
Using Your Keywords
Permalinks
Installing Dean's Permalink Migration Plugin
Title Tags
Sitemaps
Adding a Google Sitemap
Inbound Links
Robots.txt Optimization
Using Excerpts on the Home Page
Search Engine Submissions
The Big Four
DMOZ.org
Minor Search Engines and Directories
SEO Software and Tools
Web CEO
Google Webmaster Tools
Firefox SEO Extensions
Seeing Results
Summary
Chapter 7: Supercharged Promotion
Syndication
WordPress Feeds
129
134
134
135
135
136
137
138
138
139
142
144
145
145
146
147
147
150
151
152
154
158
160
161
163
164
167
167
168
168
169
169
171
173
174
174
175
175
176
Excerpts or Full Posts
177
[ iv ]
Table of Contents
FeedBurner
178
Setting Up FeedBurner
Using FeedBurner
179
182
Web Slices for Internet Explorer 8
189
Creating a Web Slice
191
Blog Indexes and Search Engines
Ping-O-Matic
FeedBurner's Pingshot
Technorati
Minor Blog Indexes
Using Social Networks
Using Twitter
Setting Up Twitter in WordPress
Social Bookmarking
Adding the Links
Bookmarking Tips
Summary
193
193
193
195
198
198
200
202
205
205
207
208
Chapter 8: Connecting with the Blogosphere
Defining the Blogosphere
Why it's so Important to be Connected
How to Engage with the Blogosphere
The Blogroll
Managing Your Blogroll
Adding Categories and Links
209
209
210
210
212
212
213
Feeding Off the Blogosphere
The Importance of Comments
Fishing for Comments
Managing the Conversation
Moderation
Dealing with Negative Comments
Trackbacks
Comment and Trackback Spam
Installing a Contact Form
Using cforms II to Build a Contact Form
Styling the Contact Form
Preventing Contact Form Spam
Summary
217
220
220
221
222
223
225
227
231
232
236
242
244
Chapter 9: Analyzing Your Blog Stats
245
Key Performance Indicators
Traffic
245
246
Hits
246
[v]
Table of Contents
Unique Visitors
Visits
Page Views
246
247
247
Subscribers
248
RSS Subscriptions
Email Subscriptions
248
248
Comments and Feedback
Search Engine Results
Inbound Links
Web Analytics Tools
WordPress.com Stats
Google Analytics
Using Google Analytics
248
249
249
251
251
258
260
The Dashboard
Visitors
Traffic Sources
Content
261
263
266
269
Not an Exact Science
FeedBurner Stats
270
270
Subscribers
Live Hits
Item Use
Uncommon Uses
270
271
272
272
Alexa Rankings
Summary
272
273
Chapter 10: Monetizing Your Blog
Google AdSense
Getting Started with AdSense
Creating AdSense Ad Units
Using AdSense in WordPress
Affiliate Programs
Amazon Associates
275
276
276
276
278
284
284
Creating an Amazon Associates Widget
Using Your Amazon Widget in WordPress
Affiliate Networks
Direct Ad Sales
Banner Sizes
Where to Place Banner Ads
How Much to Charge
Your Media Pack and Rate Card
Rotating Banner Ads
Rotating Amazon Banners
Paid Reviews
285
286
288
289
289
290
291
292
293
300
301
[ vi ]
Table of Contents
Case Study Review
Summary
302
303
Chapter 11: Managing Growth
305
Keeping Up with the Workload
Going Mobile
Managing Increased Traffic
Installing WP Super Cache
Uninstalling WP Super Cache
Outgrowing Your Web Host
Moving WordPress to a New Server
Bringing In Other Writers
How to Find Guest Writers
Introducing WordPress MU
Installing WordPress MU
Switching ON mod_rewrite
Creating the Database
Setting up a Test Domain and Subdomains
Installing the WordPress MU Script
WordPress MU Basics
Developing a Blog Network
Summary
305
306
307
307
310
311
313
317
317
318
318
319
320
320
320
322
327
331
Index
333
[ vii ]
Preface
WordPress for Business Bloggers provides advanced strategies and techniques to
take your WordPress business blog from average to extraordinary. Whether you
already have a blog, or are still in the planning stages, this book will show you how
to use WordPress to create a highly successful blog for your business.
The release of version 2.6 has confirmed the status of WordPress as the leading
blogging platform. This book has been written for and tested on WordPress 2.6, so all
the screenshots and tutorials are accurate for users of that version of the software.
This is a practical, hands-on book based around a fictitious case-study blog, which
you will build using a development server on your own computer. The vast majority
of tutorials and examples will be applied to the case study blog. The case study
grows chapter by chapter, from installing your local development server, right up
to the finished blog. You will be installing and configuring a selection of WordPress
plugins to improve the functionality of the case-study blog.
You are provided with clear instructions and detailed screenshots, so you can see
exactly what to do at each step of the build. When you have completed the case
study, you will have the knowledge and confidence to apply all the techniques you
have learned to your own WordPress business blog.
The author assumes you have basic experience with WordPress, already know how
to set up a self-hosted WordPress blog, and are familiar with the basics: creating
posts and pages, configuring blog settings, and so on. By the time you have finished
the book you will have moved forward from WordPress novice to an advanced user
of the software in a business context.
Preface
What This Book Covers
In Chapter 1 you will examine many different types of business blogs. You will be
shown a selection of great business blogs and see what you can learn from them.
In Chapter 2 you will be introduced to the case study blog, and taken through the
process of developing strategic goals and your blog plan. You will learn that the
planning process is important, even if your blog is already up and running.
In Chapter 3 you will learn the basics of blog design. You will work through a brief
introduction to HTML and CSS, and see how easy it is to create your own custom
design using the Sandbox theme.
In Chapter 4 you will learn some advanced image and video handling techniques,
including setting up an image gallery and using video from third-party sources, such
as YouTube and Google Video.
Chapter 5 focuses on different techniques and methods required for creating the best
possible content for your business blog.
Chapter 6 covers some of the most important SEO strategies and how to apply them,
as well as how to submit your blog to the search engines.
In Chapter 7 you will learn some advanced blog promotion techniques, including:
advanced RSS with FeedBurner; using Internet Explorer 8 Web Slices; submitting to
the blog search engines, like Technorati; using social networks, such as Facebook and
Twitter; and using social bookmarks, such as Digg and del.icio.us.
In Chapter 8 you will learn the importance of connecting with other bloggers and
playing an active role in the blogosphere to promote your business blog.
In Chapter 9 you will learn how to analyze your blog's performance using tools such
as Google Analytics and WordPress.com Stats.
In Chapter 10 you will be introduced to a variety of strategies to help you generate
revenue from your blog, like using advertising and affiliate programs.
In Chapter 11 you will learn how to manage the growth of your blog by optimizing it
for high traffic and introducing multiple authors by using WordPress MU.
[2]
Preface
Who is This Book for?
This book is for anybody running or starting a business blog using WordPress.
Whether you plan to use your blog for PR and marketing, or want to profit directly
from blogging, this book offers you everything you need.
As we want to get into the specifics of business blogging as quickly as possible,
we don't cover the WordPress basics. So it's best to have some experience with
WordPress before you start with this book.
The book mainly focuses on a self-hosted WordPress installation, but most of the
advice also applies to blogs hosted on WordPress.com.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number styles of text that distinguish between different
kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of
their meaning.
There are three styles for code. Code words in text are shown as follows: "The
tag was only intended to present data in a tabular format."
A block of code will be set as follows:
body
{
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color: #CCCCCC;
color: #000000;
}
When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the
relevant lines or items will be made bold:
A Simple Web Page
[3]
Preface
New terms and important words are introduced in a bold-type font. Words that you
see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes, for example, appear in our text like this:
"clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".
Important notes appear in a box like this.
Tips and tricks appear like this.
Reader Feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about
this book, what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us
to develop titles that you really get the most out of.
To send us general feedback, simply drop an email to [email protected],
making sure to mention the book title in the subject of your message.
If there is a book that you need and would like to see us publish, please
send us a note in the SUGGEST A TITLE form on www.packtpub.com or
email [email protected].
If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing
or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.
Customer Support
Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to
help you to get the most from your purchase.
Downloading the Example Code for the Book
Visit http://www.packtpub.com/files/code/5326_Code.zip to directly
download the example code.
The downloadable files contain instructions on how to use them.
[4]
Preface
Errata
Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our contents, mistakes
do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in text or
code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing this you can
save other readers from frustration, and help to improve subsequent versions of
this book. If you find any errata, report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.
com/support, selecting your book, clicking on the let us know link, and entering
the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be
accepted and the errata added to the list of existing errata. The existing errata can be
viewed by selecting your title from http://www.packtpub.com/support.
Piracy
Piracy of copyright material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media.
At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If
you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the Internet, please
provide the location address or the website name immediately, so we can pursue
a remedy.
Please contact us at [email protected] with a link to the suspected
pirated material.
We appreciate your help in protecting our authors, and our ability to bring you
valuable content.
Questions
You can contact us at [email protected] if you are having a problem with
some aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.
[5]
- Xem thêm -
Chi phí hỗ trợ lưu trữ và tải về cho tài liệu này là đ. Bạn có muốn hỗ trợ không?