John Hughes | Torque

How to Build a Custom Knowledge Base With WordPress

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

September 11, 2017

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Domain Authority (DA) is a strong ranking factor with search engines, but many site owners don’t take the time to set themselves apart as industry leaders and increase their own DA. As such, you may not be ranking as highly as you could be, which could impact traffic, income, and more. Creating a custom knowledge base with WordPress is a good way to increase your DA. This can improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), while also benefiting your customers by offering vital self-help. Overall, it’s a win-win situation, which can complement your existing content marketing strategy. In this article, you’ll […]

The Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Social Site With BuddyPress

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John Hughes

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Beginners

Published

September 4, 2017

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Building a community around your brand can be a powerful way to engage your audience. However, if you don’t know where to start, the technical aspect of hosting a social site can quickly feel like an insurmountable challenge. Thankfully, there are powerful plugins that can transform a plain WordPress website into a fully-fledged social platform. One of the most long-standing, popular solutions is BuddyPress. It only takes a few steps to get your community up and running with this tool! In this article, we’ll show you how to use BuddyPress with WordPress to host a social site. Let’s get you up […]

How to Implement Two-Factor Authentication on Your WordPress Website

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John Hughes

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Beginners

Published

August 29, 2017

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Security is becoming increasingly important as the digital age continues to mature. If you don’t keep up with the latest security technology, you are leaving your site open to unnecessary risks. One of the standards for website security is two-factor authentication. It is available when logging into the likes of Google and Twitter, for their users’ additional peace of mind. Thankfully, you can easily add two-step authentication to your website using Google’s Authenticator app with WordPress plugins. With the above in mind, in this article we will explain how to use Google Authenticator to tighten security on your WordPress website. Let’s get started! How Two-Factor Authentication Works […]

The Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Theme With Underscores

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

August 22, 2017

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Automattic’s theme division, Theme Shaper, recently announced they will be turning their attention back to the popular Underscores starter theme. Notably, this shift is cited due to the possibilities the new Gutenberg editor brings to future theme development. Underscores is a starter theme (as opposed to a theme framework) designed to cut down many hours of development time when setting up a new custom theme. Before the Underscores project begins to receive drastic changes, it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the project in its current state. If you’re new to starter themes, doing so may help reduce the learning curve. In this article, […]

The Beginner’s Guide to the WooCommerce REST API

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

August 7, 2017

7 Comments

WooCommerce is a powerful ecommerce solution for WordPress, and has a set of Representational State Transfer (REST) API endpoints for custom development. This is a huge advantage for any apps you may build in the future, but to get there you’ll first need to understand the REST API and how to use it. REST APIs enable developers to interact with data in a number of meaningful ways, without being restricted to a front-end interface. By getting to know WooCommerce’s REST API, you’ll also have a complete ecommerce platform to work from in any external application you may build. It can be a […]

5 Must-Have Features to Look For in a WordPress Photography Theme

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

July 31, 2017

2 Comments

As a photographer, the theme you choose can help you display your work in its best light. Given this, there are a number of features you’ll need to look for when choosing one that’s suitable. Unfortunately, many non-photography themes lack what you need to showcase your images. Of course, a dedicated WordPress photography theme can incorporate the features you’re looking for, and more! While much of your desired wish list will be centered around your images, it’s also important to consider functionality that will help enhance the rest of your content too. In this post, we’ll briefly introduce you to the importance […]

3 Ways to Protect Your WordPress Website Without a Dedicated Plugin

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

July 24, 2017

6 Comments

Developers are a resourceful bunch – when an issue arises, you’ll tend to develop your own solutions. Website security is no different, although it may be worth considering the extra liability involved. While there are a number of security plugins already on the market, you can easily update your theme’s functions.php file to add a few levels of extra security to WordPress. However, as you learn more about security and how important it is to fully secure your site, it quickly becomes a full-time job. This means investigating other solutions, especially if it can save you some time. In this […]

A Developer’s Checklist for Redesigning Your Clients’ Websites

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John Hughes

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Community

Published

July 17, 2017

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One of the biggest tasks you can undertake with a client is a complete redesign of their website. However, WordPress has a myriad of moving parts, which can make producing consistent work a challenge. When tackling a redesign project, you’ll benefit from a clear checklist to guide you through the process. Everyone has their own project management style, but you should always maintain a high-quality service. Keeping a quality assurance checklist around will help you hit your goals every time. In this article, we’ll offer you a nine-point checklist to follow in chronological order as you redesign your next WordPress […]

4 Best Practices to Supercharge Your WooCommerce Development

Author

John Hughes

Filed Under

Community

Published

July 10, 2017

2 Comments

WooCommerce is an increasingly popular plugin for adding robust ecommerce capabilities to WordPress. As more and more WordPress stores use the platform, you’ll need to be on the ball to develop quality WooCommerce solutions. As with WordPress, there are two ways to build your own solutions for WooCommerce. You can build custom store themes, or extend its ecommerce capabilities with plugins – and WooCommerce provides in-depth documentation to help you along the way. To keep up with the growing platform while producing custom solutions, you’ll need to stay attentive to coding standards and updates. In this article, we’ll introduce you to […]

9 Crucial WordPress Plugins for Your Affiliate Website

Author

John Hughes

Filed Under

Plugins

Published

July 3, 2017

1 Comment

As soon as you’ve installed WordPress, you’ll probably be anxious to begin making changes. However, while WordPress core does come prepared with the makings of a fully-functional website, it doesn’t immediately include everything you’ll need for a successful affiliate site. Fortunately, there are a plethora of plugins to supercharge your affiliate website and get you started on the right path. These include both free and premium options, and provide additional functionality in a number of key areas, including security, data backups, ad placement, and more. In this post, we’ll first look at plugins in general, then highlight nine crucial WordPress […]

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