Stop TweakingSet Up WordPress NOW for Success Later

By Corey Freeman

The DilemmaYou 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.

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.

A Better SetupA stable host that never needs changing.

A blog design that makes publishing easier.

Optimization that runs beneath the surface.

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

A Great Host

A step up from “shared” resources.

24/7 support via email/chat/phone

Offers monthly pricing

Recommended Host

Media Temple (mediatemple.net)

Host Gator (hostgator.com)

Avoid GoDaddy.

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

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

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.

Theme Frameworks...

Do-It-Yourself starting points for custom, high-performance websites.

Continuous development and support means more growth potential.

Headway ThemesA drag n’ drop framework for all skill levels.

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.

Optimizing ContentBuild up habits to make publishing fast & easy.

Formatting ContentConsistency 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.

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.

Free Optimization Plugins

You don’t need that many...

Yoast SEO

W3 Total Cache

CloudFlare

Conditional Captcha for WordPress

Redirection

The Big Optimization Picture

Build, Design, Then Optimize.

Make optimization a habit.

It’s all about speed.

Wrap-Up

Good Foundation = Great Host & Great Theme Framework

Optimization Is a Habit

Reduce Clutter and Focus on Content

Stop TweakingStart Creating. Start Publishing. Start Growing.