After a few days delay, WordPress 4.1 finally arrived. Named “Dinah” after jazz singer Dinah Washington, WordPress 4.1 is the first “minor” release after WordPress 4.0 landed in September. Many of the features added in 4.0 have been improved, and there are some brand new functions, too. Today I want to introduce to you the main changes made to the WordPress platform in 4.1, and to share my thoughts on them. Twenty Fifteen Theme Of course, the main new feature in WordPress 4.1 is the brand new default theme, Twenty Fifteen. In my opinion, it is a huge improvement on […]
13 Holiday Plugins for WordPress
The holidays are fast approaching and that can mean only one thing: presents, food, and, wait for it, holiday decorations! As someone who spends a lot of my time online, I firmly believe that your house isn’t the only thing worth turning into a festive wonderland. In case you haven’t noticed, many websites have been given a Christmas spruce up in time for the holidays — and so should you. Wishing your audience a merry Christmas and a happy new year is a great way to show them you care. In my opinion, it’s a really nice touch. Best of all, […]
A guide to 404 errors and the plugins to fix them
One of the problems of the Internet age is an increasing expectation that things just work. When things go wrong, people (over)react as though it is the end of the world, jumping onto social media to voice their dissent in public. Unfortunately, this is just one of the realities of modern life. With this in mind, webmasters face additional pressures to make sure everything on their website is A-Okay. One of the most common website “breakages” you are likely to face is the dreaded 404 error — though this really doesn’t have to be something you fear. Today I want […]
Turn your WordPress site into an app: Reactor review
WordPress has already conquered the Internet, and is slowly but surely turning its attention towards the world of apps. This is nothing new: there are plenty of impressive services out there promising to turn your WordPress website into a full-blown app, suitable for inclusion on Google Play and the App Store. One of the best of these services is AppPresser, which I discussed several months ago. Well, the people behind AppPresser are back with their revolutionary new app builder, Reactor. This combines nearly a year’s worth of feedback from AppPresser to give WordPress users exactly what they want when building […]
eCommerce Stores: Are You Ready for Black Friday?
Black Friday is finally upon us, and that can only mean one thing: millions of crazed shoppers fighting to grab the biggest bargains. Although it’s the brick-and-mortar stores that receive most of the media coverage, Black Friday is also an important time for eCommerce stores: with an ever-increasing number of online shoppers, there is serious money to be made! Today, I want to help you manage your eCommerce store’s Black Friday by giving you tips for handling traffic, creating promotions, and maximizing sales — I will also be introducing you to several WooCommerce plugins to help you add relevant Black […]
Google Officially Releases Mobile Friendly Labels
Yesterday Google officially announced the latest addition to its search engine results pages: mobile friendly labels. With the number of mobile users constantly on the rise, it is little surprise the latest changes were implemented with mobile users in mind. Creating a mobile-friendly experience is hardly groundbreaking — webmasters have long been embracing responsive designs to cater to mobile users, and Google already penalizes websites that aren’t optimized for mobile devices. However, the latest announcement signals a serious commitment to mobile users, and this could have repercussions for the millions of WordPress users around the globe. What are the changes? […]
Building a loyal community by adding a forum to your website
If you are able to build a loyal following for your website, success usually follows: fans of your site are more likely to share your content on social media, visit regularly, and buy whatever it is you’re selling. As a result, building a community around your website is a good long term target for all aspiring webmasters — which is easier said than done, of course! How do you build this community? Awesome content and a user-friendly website are musts, but you also need to cultivate a higher level of engagement among visitors. Encouraging an active comments section is a […]
Starting a Career in WordPress? These Sites Will Help You Find Your First Job
What started out as a hobby has become a genuine career aspiration for many WordPress users. Building your own thriving website is the dream for most, but unfortunately it can take a long time to make a new website profitable. For many, the fastest way to make a living with WordPress is to get a job. Most WordPress jobs are nothing like your typical 9-to-5, though: because of the online nature of WordPress, many jobs are remote, meaning you are able to work anywhere in the world — all you need is an Internet connection. Of course, finding that elusive […]
Improve Your Blog’s Design with These Style-Enhancing WordPress Plugins
When people ask me what the best thing about using WordPress is, I generally tell them that it’s the huge number of plugins available, which allows even programming-illiterate webmasters to add some awesome functionality to their website. Most WordPress users will choose an attractive theme to handle the design elements of their website. While this is encouraged — the theme provides the framework for your design, including layout, colors, and widget areas — there are also some fantastic plugins out there to make your website look pretty impressive. Today I want to introduce some of the best style-enhancing WordPress plugins […]
How to Add Social Proof to a WordPress Website
Human beings are social animals. We care deeply about our standing in our community, and we try to avoid alienating ourselves by doing the wrong thing at all cost; as such, we observe the people around us for clues to what is expected of us, and we use the results of these observations as the basis of our own actions. This is a concept known as social proof. Social proof is not just limited to the real world. It also exists online, even when the people we are following are strangers, or even anonymous — although the actions of people […]
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