This document offers a comprehensive guide on best practices for managing WordPress, covering security measures, architecture, content management, SEO, upgrades, and caching techniques. It emphasizes the importance of regular updates and backups, encourages using child themes for customization, and provides tips for creating engaging content. Additionally, it highlights useful plugins and services for effective site management and performance improvements.

1. 1
WordPress: Tips & Tricks
Jon Bishop"
Kurt Eng
June 1st, 2013

2. 2
Tips & Tricks
• Best Practices
• Security
• Backups
• SEO
• Upgrades
• Child Theming
• Caching

3. Best Practices
• Security
• Backups
• SEO
• Upgrades
• Managing Content
3

4. Security
• Upgrade WordPress core, plugins, and themes!
• Password strength across all entry points (Hosting control panel, FTP,
WordPress admin)
• Don’t use default username “admin”
• Download code directly wordpress.org
• Public WiFi caution: your traffic is probably not secure
• Disable unused/unneeded features (e.g., remote publishing)
• File permissions (FTP)
4

5. 5
Architecture of WordPress
• Posts & Pages
• Comments
• Links
• Options/Settings
• Taxonomy
• Users
• WordPress core
• Themes
• Plugins
• File Uploads
Important for Backups!

6. 6
Architecture of WordPress
wordpress.zip
wp-admin/
wp-content/
wp-includes/
wp-app.php
readme.html
wp-signup.php
xmlrpc.php
wp-login.php
wp-mail.php
wp-config-sample.php
wp-comments-post.php
wp-settings.php
wp-feed.php
wp-activate.php
wp-links-opml.php
wp-cron.php
wp-load.php
wp-trackback.php
wp-pass.php
license.txt
wp-atom.php
wp-commentsrss2.php
wp-rdf.php
wp-rss.php
wp-rss2.php
index.php
wp-blog-header.php
wp-register.php

7. 7
Architecture of WordPress
wp-content/
themes/
twentyten/
mytheme1/
plugins/
akismet/
wp_e-commerce/
uploads/
2010/
11/
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpg

8. Backups
• Use a plugin or service (set & forget)
• BackupBuddy, VaultPress
• Automated backups provided by your hosting provider (but don’t back up to the
same server your site is hosted!)
• Remember: A WordPress site lives in two separate worlds simultaneously
• Files in a folder you can see via FTP (especially /wp-content)
• Data in tables in a database server (you can see and manipulate using 3rd party
tools, often provided by your hosting provider)
• Secure your backups!
• Test your backups!
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9. SEO
• Beyond the benefits provided by a stock WordPress install…
• Theme used & author’s ability to write semantic HTML
• Additional meta data you supply using an SEO plugin
• How you write and organize your content (HTML, taxonomy, etc.)
• Permalinks w/ a good link structure (the default works wonders)
• Google Webmaster Tools (monitor your site’s ranking performance)
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10. Upgrades
• Upgrade often, but maybe not too often
• Don’t wait for minor updates that fix critical bugs or security issues
• Wait a bit longer on major releases (3.0, 3.2, 3.3)
• Follow the WordPress Development Blog: http://wordpress.org/news
• WordPress, themes & plugins are open-source & community developed: embrace
but be cautious
• Keep plugins & themes updated, too
• Be careful & mindful of what files you’ve changed (ideally, don’t change any “core”
files in themes, plugins or WordPress itself)
• Before upgrading, backup your site & check plugin compatibility
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11. Content Tips
• Chris Brogan
• http://www.chrisbrogan.com/40-ways-to-deliver-killer-blog-content/
• http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-writing-practice/
• Boston WordPress Meetup presentation: http://blip.tv/file/4368461
• Chris Penn
• Upcoming WordCamp Session
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12. Content Tips (cont.)
12
• Use paragraphs and lists
• Break up long pieces of content & thoughts in sections
• WordPress will automatically add HTML paragraph tags in the Visual editor
• Lists group related pieces of content together
• Use headings
• Use Heading 2, 3, 4, etc. to label/group sections of content
• Call out important keywords/concepts
• Bold relevant and meaningful keywords and text, but don’t abuse
• Hyperlink to other articles
• Pingbacks build deeper linking & relationships

13. Content Tips (cont.)
13
• Spell-check & proof
• Spell-check plugins
• Post as “pending” and have other preview
• Think before you post
• Beware: ranting on blogs is commonplace today
• Once it’s published, it’s syndicated via RSS, reblogged, tweeted, indexed by SEs
& directories…
• Write about what you like
• Don’t force yourself to write about uninteresting things, enjoy the experience.
• Avoid excess slang and localized terms

14. Content Tips (cont.)
14
• Don’t hide your emotions
• If you have to, remain anonymous but voice your opinions (take a stand!)
• Show your readers your passion & seek to create good discussion
• Consider your readers/audience
• Who’s reading? Is your content useful to that person/group? Is it appropriate?
• How often will you post? Consider your audience’s attention span vs. your average article length?
• Make use of comments (even the nasty ones)
• Feedback can be rewarding and useful, whether it’s praise or constructive criticism.
• Worry about content first, then blog design, features, etc.
• Content is king! Build an audience/readership first. Get visitors to subscribe via RSS and email
(increase repeat visits).
• Your site will likely undergo many design and functional iterations anyway.

15. Content Tips (cont.)
15
• Use rich multimedia (images, audio, video, maps)
• The make your content pages more colorful, break up lengthy copy, and present information in a
visual (and often more easily interpreted) ways
• Keep writing!
• Don’t stop publishing content
• Writer’s block could mean you’re holding back on something
• Browse and subscribe to others’ blogs for inspiration and motivation
• Write everywhere
• You can publish to your WordPress blog from your mobile phone, your iPad, popular
social web apps like Facebook and Twitter, email, and desktop applications

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Child Themes
• Inherit the functionality of a parent theme
• Typically override:
• Styling (colors, fonts, margin/padding)
• Addition or removal of functionality
• Templates
• A good way to modify third party themes without hacking the original
code
• Provide several flavors of a parent theme
• Video of Jonathan May’s presentation: http://youtu.be/t8npHrg-teI

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Example
• A typical theme:
wp-content/"
- themes/"
- twentyeleven/"
- index.php"
- style.css"
(etc…)
- twentyeleven-child/"
- style.css"
- functions.php"
- custom-template.php"
- images/

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Child Theme Files
• style.css
‣ Replaces parent theme’s style.css stylesheet
‣ You must manually import the parent theme’s stylesheet
• functions.php
‣ Loaded automatically, in addition to the parent theme’s functions.php, and
loaded right before it!

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How To (style.css)
/*
Theme Name: Twenty Eleven Child
Theme URI: http: //example.com/
Description: Child theme for the Twenty Eleven theme
Author: Your name here
Author URI: http: //example.com/about/
Template: twentyeleven
Version: 0.1.0
*/
@import url("../twentyeleven/style.css");
h1 {font-size:24px;}
#header {margin-bottom:10px;}

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How To (functions.php)
<?php
function my_name() {
echo ‘James!’;
}
add_action('wp_head', ’my_name');

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How To (templates)
• Any template file with the same name
‣ Overrides parent theme’s template file
• New template files
‣ Made available to website when using child theme
• More specific template files
‣ category.php in place of more generic archives.php

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How To (other files)
get_stylesheet_directory();
vs.
get_template_directory();
Include Templates
require_once(get_stylesheet_directory() . '/new_template.php');
Assets (images, JS, etc.)
<img src=“<?php echo get_stylesheet_directory(); ?>/images/logo.png” alt=“” />

23. Caching
• What is it?
• Practice of storing data in a way so that future accesses are much faster.
• Types
• Server-side: Expensive, repeated operations like large database queries
are performed once, saved in a cache, and served from cache (until data
changes or cache expires)
• Client-side (browser): Images, CSS, JavaScript assets are saved locally on
the visitor’s computer until a specific expiration date or until assets change
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24. Server-side Caching w/ WP
• Why W3 Total Cache?
• Recommended by notable hosts MediaTemplate, HostGator, etc.
• Used by smashingmagazine.com, mashable.com, etc.
• Promises at least 10x performance increase
• Reduce web server load
• Up to 80% bandwidth reduction ($$$!)
• Comes from Boston!
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25. Why W3 Total Cache?
• Server & client side caching tools for WordPress
• Recommended by notable hosts MediaTemplate, HostGator, etc.
• Used by smashingmagazine.com, mashable.com, etc.
• Promises at least 10x performance increase
• Reduce web server load
• Up to 80% bandwidth reduction ($$$!)
• Comes from Boston!
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26. Demo
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27. HostGator
• Cheaper hosting with unlimited storage, bandwidth and domains
• Great if you plan on starting more than 1 WordPress site
• Plenty of support for the server and you don’t need to have WordPress on
it (self-install)
• Lots of software, room to experiment!
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Use code TechDayCamp for 25% discount

28. WP-Engine
• WordPress only hosting
• Cheap, integrated, automatic backups and updates
• Set it and forget it!
• Secure, fast and reliable
28
Use code WPMeetupBoston2013 at
http://j.mp/boswpshop for 1 month free

29. Thank You
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Jon Bishop
Twitter: @jondbishop
http://johbishop.com
Kurt Eng
Twitter: @kurteng
http://kurteng.com