The Ultimate Blog Platform - Lisa Sabin-Wilson

1. WordPress:
Your CMS of Choice
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

2. Lisa Sabin-Wilson
Owner, Author, Designer, Developer. WordPress Fan.
Chief Operating Officer & Co-Owner: WebDevStudios.com
Author: WordPress For Dummies; WordPress Web Design For Dummies
Thanks for being here!
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

3. WordPress Powers
Nearly 25% of the
Web.
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February
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2015

4. 4
WordPress Is The Leading Platform On The Internet Today
W3Techs.com - February 22, 2015
38%
2.9%
2.0%
23.4%
> 70%
Joomla Drupal WordPress No CMS / or
Other
Content Strategy
Content structure, navigation, workflow &
governance
Social Media Integration / Marketing
Integration with social like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
Instagram - own your content FIRST, then share it out.
Photo Galleries & Showcases
Showcase your design work by creating
beautiful, dynamic galleries that are easy to
navigate.
eCommerce & Online Shops
Sell products and services online and accept
payments, subscriptions and memberships with
ease.
Web & Mobile Applications
Create web sites that look beautiful on mobile
devices, too! You can also use WordPess to
create iOS and Android apps.
★ 22 out of every 100 new active domains in the
US are running WordPress.
★ WordPress 4.1 released on December 18, 2014
has been downloaded 9,548,082.
★ The Industry created by WordPress such as
website development, hosting, theme and
plug-in development, security, and support is
responsible for over 1 Billion dollars in
earnings annually.
★ A 2014 survey conducted by WordPress
showed that 25% of WordPress users earned
their income from the platform.
★ WordPress was created in 2003 to fill a void in
the emerging market of managing and
publishing content on the web.
1 in 5 Sites
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

5. 5
WordPress Features
WordPress has been designed to be extremely user-friendly. Whether you are a novice or a skilled user, WordPress’ Dashboard makes it easy to maneuver your website.
Easy to Use.
Easy
Administration
Control Your
Content
Flexible
User Accounts
and Roles
Search Engine
Optimized
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

6. 6
WordPress.com VS WordPress.org
Two different flavors of WordPress
WordPress.com = Hosted Version
WordPress.org = Self-Hosted Version
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

7. 7
WordPress.com = Hosted Version
Hosted service - you can sign
up for a free account
Hosted
Tool used primarily by people
who run a blog only.
Blogging
You have to use the themes
they give you and you cannot
use plugins.
Limited
Customization
There is no software to install,
just sign up, login and start
blogging.
No Software
You can pay to upgrade for
things like your own domain,
premium themes, more space,
etc.
Upgrades
WordPress.com is an excellent way to get a WordPress blog up and running within minutes. If you are interested, primarily, in blogging without any hassle of setting up the software, this may
be the solution for you. You are, however, limited in the design of your site and customizations - the 3,000+ themes and 36K+ plugins found in the WordPress directories cannot be used on
WordPress.com - they limit you to the feature set that they have provided for you. If you want more control over the look and feel of your site, you may wish to consider the WordPress.org
software, instead.
WordPress.com
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

8. 8
WordPress.org = Self-hosted Version
Requirements: a domain and
a web hosting account that
supports PHP v. 5.4+ and
MySQL 5.5+
Self-hosted
The open source platform can
be downloaded at
WordPress.org - it needs to be
installed on your web server.
Software Install
Access and use the
thousands of free themes and
plugins available for the
WordPress platform.
Flexible &
Extensible
Run a blog, a web site, an
online shop, a membership
site, a photo gallery - the
possibilities are endless.
Sky is the limit
As mentioned earlier
depending on your skill level
and experience with web
technology - there may be
costs involved.
Some cost
At WordPress.org, you find the open source content management platform that is so popular today. It is a piece of software, however, so it does need to be installed on a compatible web
hosting services, like WPEngine.com. Once installed, you can use any number of free themes and plugins to customize your web site to suit your needs. You can run a blog, a web site, an
online shop, a photo gallery, a membership site - there are no limits to what you can do. The beautiful thing is that you own, and are in control of, your own content.
WordPress.org
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

9. 9
This talk focuses on WordPress.Org
My session today focuses on WordPress.org because I believe that is the best
solution for any individual or business whose primary goal is to market their
product or services on the internet today.
The software available at WordPress.org offers you the flexibility and
extensibility you need to create a web site that is as unique as you are.
WordPress.org
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

10. WordPress is free….
…as in Puppies
You can get it for free…
but you have to babysit it
and make sure it doesn’t poop on your couch.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

11. Domain Registration
& Web Hosting
To run the WordPress software you need
you own domain name and a web hosting
account so you have a web server to
install and run your WordPress web site.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

12. Theme Design &
Development
Out of the box, WordPress is free.
If you want a custom look and feel, be
prepared to pay a professional to do it for
you - unless you have the talent,
experience and time to make it happen
yourself.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

13. Ongoing
Maintenance &
Support
Your website is kind of a big deal.
Protecting your WordPress investment
is a no brainer.
Think of ongoing security checks,
updates, backups and development
needs.
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
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2015

14. These Business Brands
Are Turning to WordPress
WordPress Showcase
These brands learned how to leverage the WordPress to use the features they love to connect
with customers, track growth, and expand their reach.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

15. Microsoft Europe
US Microsoft News Center
The New Yorker
Sony Music
MTV
WeTV
Beyonce
Playstation
Best Buy
Microsoft Lumina
Rush
TIME, Inc
http://microsoft.eu
http://news.microsoft.com
http://newyorker.com
http://sonymusic.com
http://mtv.com/news
http://wetv.com
http://beyonce.com
http://blog.us.playstation
http://stores.bestbuy.com/890/
http://lumiaconversations.microsoft.com/
http://rush.com
http://timeinc.com
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These Notable Brands Use WordPress
One of the common misconceptions about WordPress is that since it is open source, it may not be good
enough for big brands. To disprove this myth, here is a list of most notable big name brands that are
using WordPress on their websites.
WordPress Showcase
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

16. 16
WordPress Applications for Marketing & Business
Some popular, and useful, applications of WordPress for your company
Special Features
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@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

17. 17
Easily Embed Videos
Videos from services such as YouTube or Vimeo can be easily embedded in any WordPress post or page
WordPress currently allows you to easily embed videos from the
following services: YouTube, Vimeo or Vine.
OR
Upload your own videos and embed them.
Video isn't just for entertainment anymore. It's quickly becoming the preferred medium for marketing teams to communicate with prospects and customers online. Millions of videos are added to the internet each day
and they are making a huge impact on how people market their businesses online. Videos keep your audience interested and its easier to persuade people with video and a lot of times, decision makers don’t have the
time to read a bunch of lengthy text.
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

18. 18
Web Lead Forms
Creating custom forms in WordPress is pretty easy - - you can even connect them to your favorite CRM
Easily create web forms to allow your customers to communicate
with you directly.
——-
Hook those web forms into popular CRM solutions like Marketo or
Salesforce to collect and manage web leads.
Use the Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress to build custom forms that suit your needs: http://gravityforms.com
For Marketo integration - there is a plugin for Gravity Forms that adds users into your Marketo account when users submit the form: https://wordpress.org/plugins/marketo
For Salesforce integration - there is a plugin for Gravity forms that adds contacts into your Salesforce account when users submit the form: https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravity-forms-salesforce
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

19. 19
Photo Galleries & Showcases
A picture tells a thousand words! If I am searching for interior design samples or services - I want to see examples!
Easily create stunning photo galleries to showcase your work with
the built-in photo gallery feature in WordPress - - or extend the
feature by taking advantage of one of many free photo gallery
plugins available for WordPress.
Visual imagery is important in interior design - everyone from the DIY’er to the person who hires you to do it for them wants to see samples of your work and ideas and there is no better way to convey that than to
provide a visually rich experience on your web site to allow your work and ideas to speak for themselves! Luckily, WordPress has built-in photo gallery capabilities allowing you to upload photos and create stunning
photo galleries, out of the box. If you need more than what WordPress offers, there are several plugins available to enhance the experience: https://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=photo+gallery
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

20. 20
eCommerce
Do you sell products and/or services? Sell them on your web site, collect money online and manage your inventory and digital goods in WordPress!
If you sell physical products, digital good or services - there are
plugins for WordPress that make it easy to collect payment,
display your inventory and track sales.
My favorite, and recommended, plugin for eCommerce today is WooCommerce: http://woocommerce.com
WooCommerce is the most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin. And it's available for free. Packed full of features, perfectly integrated into your self-hosted WordPress website. Manage products, payments,
shipping, inventory, reporting, marketing, taxes - everything that goes into creating an online shop on the web is bundled for you in the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress.
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015

21. 21
Social Media Integration
Being social is everything for websites! Your audience isn’t just on your web site - they are on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and more!
Give your web site visitors the ability to share your content on
various social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and
Pinterest so others are able to find you there! Social media
sharing capabilities has become a critical tool for findability on
the web today!
Social media sharing is not just for articles and written content - but videos, photos and photo galleries can also be, individually, shared on social networks. When you give your site visitors the ability to share your
content on the various networks, it increases the possibility that others will find you and your company/brand represented on popular networks, too. Your audience is there - you should be there as well!
The Jetpack plugin for WordPress gives you the ability to provide those sharing tools for content, videos and images: http://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

22. 22
Mobile Apps with WordPress
Social Sharing, Stats, and more
Everything you need to make a great mobile
app
Fast, Beautiful Apps for All
Online stores, restaurants, churches, gyms, bands,
magazines, and lots more WordPress based businesses.
Simple to use
Build your app with no coding, and no hassle
Integrate your WordPress content
Add WordPress posts, pages, products, media and more.
Reactor by AppPresser - http://reactor.appresser.com
Convert your WordPress website into a mobile app, publish on the app stores. It’s easy and affordable.
Allows you to build mobile applications to compliment your existing web site. These apps can be distributed via the popular application
stores for Apple and Android. This is a great companion network that you can distribute your web site content and offerings to
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

23. 23
Search Engine Optimization
WordPress is optimized for search engines, out of the box - it’s a great platform for it by default!
Hundreds of businesses vying to appear on
Google’s first page and in the “7-pack” of
business listings. Designers often have
limited time for online marketing, working
seemingly around the clock to design spaces,
meet with clients, and oversee contractors.
Even so, local SEO is a must-have to ensure
that clients can find you in the first place
SEO is similar to interior design in some ways — elements can be placed within a space, but if placed optimally they work together better and make the space both functional and simultaneously more attractive. As
with an interior space, if a company’s online presence isn’t optimal, it’s less attractive to visitors. The next few slides contain some SEO tips for your business - but as far as WordPress in concerned, you can utilize a
great plugin for SEO called WordPress SEO by Yoast: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/
Special Features
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
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February
26,
2015
• Write better content with Yoast SEO
• Page Analysis
• Social Media Integration
• XML Sitemaps
• Image optimization

24. Market your
Business with the
Best Keywords
Google Trends shows that “Interior
Design” has the most search volume in
the United States. Also mentioning
your specializations or types of
building interiors or businesses that
you focus on
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

25. Company Info on your
Home & Contact
Pages
Include your company name, address, and phone
number in plain text on your site’s home page and
contact pages. Doing this makes it easier for search
engines to crawl your site and verify that it should
be associated with your business listing in their
databases.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

26. Add your Company
Listing in Online
Directories
If your business is new, listing in
online directories is critical because
your information won’t magically get
distributed by itself.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

27. Share Photos on
Pinterest, Flickr, and
Instagram
People frequently browse Pinterest,
Flickr, Instagram, and similar sites for
ideas on decorating, inspiration, and to
find vendors of furnishings or even to
find designers to hire.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

28. Make Site Images
Crawlable
Designers sometimes get too uptight
about allowing others to access their
images, which can result in shooting
themselves in the feet — as far as
marketing — if taken too far.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

29. Post Videos of your
Designs on YouTube
Videos can rank well in search results by
themselves, and they also can include links
back to your business website.
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015

30. 30
Thank You!
Find me on Twitter: @LisaSabinWilson
These slides are available online: http://lisas.co/designbc
design-­‐bloggers-­‐conference.com
@LisaSabinWilson
-­‐
February
26,
2015