Tim recently visited WordCamp Sydney and shared his experiences with the Joomla User Group Sydney

1. Lessons from the other side
Tim Plummer

2. Gutenberg
Photo graciously stolen from https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2173
Gutenberg is the working title for the new post editor
Will be part of WordPress 5 in core (maybe Sep-Oct timeframe)
Can install now as beta plugin. Will need to install classic editor plugin
now if you don’t want to use Gutenberg when in core.
Wont need to enter shortcodes into content in future, just blocks
Concerns about backwards compatibility with some content (especially
those that current use third party page builders).
Can make your own third party blocks. React. NPM. Webpack.

3. Diagnosing WordPress
• Stream – free plugin to monito changes in WP
• Monitoring tools with Australian presence
• StatusCake
• Panopta
• 80% of issues can be identified in logs
• Centralized log tools
• SolarWinds Papertrail (Saas)
• Graylog (host yourself)
• Query monitor plugin
• gives you more info including database calls
Photo source https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2193

4. Developing a Website Brief
Photo source https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2162
• Western Sydney Business Centre will give 4 hours
free advice to small business
• Get additional 6hrs for $249
• ASBAS – Australia Small Business Advisory Services
• https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/business-and-
industry-in-nsw/businessconnect

5. xDebug
• Docs on xdebug.org
• Don’t use var_dump
• Video on wordpress.tv to watch “Improving
Wordpress Performance with xDebug and PHP
Profiling”
• For front end dev, might be better to use Chrome’s
build in step debugger
• If you change PHP code, it wont reflect in xdebug
until you refresh page.
Photo source https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2144

6. Working by yourself together
• Get social interactions when working by yourself by
meeting up with other remote workers
• Good for mental health
• Some people have daily skype call to get that social
interaction.
Photo source https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2134

7. 5 Years of WordPress app dev
Photo source https://2018.sydney.wordcamp.org/#jp-carousel-2114
• MU Plugin – must use, can’t turn off
• WP Query – use this instead of custom SQL
• Only use custom table when absolutely necessary
for performance issues.
• Clients don’t care about technically superior
solution.
• For estimate, double it, double it again, then add
half.
• The more that you cringe, the more you’ve learnt

9. Familiar = fast

10. SEO
• SEO – Search engine optimisation
• SEM – Search engine marketing
• SMO – social media optimisation
• 91.5% page 1 (google)
• 4.8% page 2
• If you want to hide a body, put it on page 2 of google
Quality content is the foundation of SEO

11. SEO – top things
10. Website security
• https
• EV SSL vertificate (extended validation). Cost around $1000 per year
9. Website design & UX
• Click through rate
8. Brand mentions & social media
• Social media mentions
• Customer reviews
• Branded searches

12. SEO – top things
7. Local Search
• Name, address, phone number – make sure google maps details matches
exactly.
6. Voice Search
• 20% of all google search is voice
• Answer the why of questions, don’t just rely on keywords
5. Mobile Friendliness
• Google index mobile version first
• 57% of people search on mobile

13. SEO – top things
4. Website speed
• No more than 2 seconds
3. Rank Brain
• AI – focus on why not what
• Uses AI to compare similar searches that are completely unique
• Looks at intent of the question
2. Links
• Build links organically but not aggressively
• .gov.au link worth 1000 other links

14. SEO – top things
1. Original well written long form quality content
• Does the article read like it was written by an expert?
• Min 500 words, ideally 2,000
• 100% original content
• Spelling/grammar
• Does it offer new insights
• Does it discuss topic fairly
• Recognised authority

16. SEO
• The long game is the only game worth playing
• 3 months min to get love from google. 6 months in competitive
landscapes.