The document is a guide on enhancing WordPress sites through themes and plugins, detailing what they are and how to use them effectively. It includes information on where to find themes and plugins, tips for selecting and installing them, and features of top suggested plugins for functionality like forms, site backups, and SEO optimization. The guide emphasizes the importance of understanding content requirements and customization options to improve website performance and aesthetics.

1. WordPress Melbourne User Group April 2013
PIMP YOUR SITE
An Introduction to Themes and Plugins
Warren Denley
http://diywebsitecoach.com
https://www.facebook.com/diywebsitecoach

2. WHAT ARE THEMES?
• Control the way content is displayed on your site
• Allow you to easily change the look of your site
• Can add functionality to your site

3. WHERE DO I GET THEMES?
• WordPress repository (wordpress.org/extend/themes)
• Theme Forest (themeforest.net)
• Genesis (studiopress.com)
• Other premium themes (Thesis, Headway, etc)

4. HOW DO I SELECT A THEME?
• Start with your content requirements
• Consider your layout preferences
• What additional functionality do you need?
• How easy is it to customise?
• Can it grow with your site?

5. HOW DO I INSTAL THEMES?
• From your WordPress dashboard (FTP not required)
• Directly from the WordPress repository
• Upload from your computer

6. WHAT ABOUT
CUSTOMISATION?
• Most themes provide an options panel in the dashboard
• Level of customisation varies between themes
• Widgets
• Custom CSS
• Custom functions (hooks and filters)

7. WHAT ARE PLUGINS?
• Simple way to add functionality to your site
• May be as simple as adding a “Pin It” button
• Can be as complex as a full blown e-commerce solution
• Generally don’t change the overall styling of your site

8. WHERE DO I GET PLUGINS?
• WordPress repository (wordpress.org/extend/plugins)
• Code Canyon (codecanyon.net)
• Premium vendors

9. HOW DO I SELECT PLUGINS?
• Be clear about your requirements
• Sometimes it is worth paying
• Check reviews
• Don’t go overboard

10. HOW DO I INSTAL PLUGINS?
• From your WordPress dashboard (FTP not required)
• Directly from the WordPress repository
• Upload from your computer

11. HOW DO I USE A PLUGIN?
• Some plugins require a licence key
• Options pages
• Widgets
• Shortcodes (eg, [button]Click here![/button])
• background only

12. TOP 10 SUGGESTED PLUGINS

13. GRAVITY FORMS
(gravityforms.com)
• Cost: $39 - $199
• What it does:
Simple visual editor for creating and managing
forms on your site.
• Key Features:
Multi-page forms, huge range of field types,
conditional fields, Paypal integration, aWeber/
MailChimp integration, spam protection

14. BACKUP BUDDY
(ithemes.com/purchase/backupbuddy/)
• Cost: $75 - $150
• What it does:
Scheduled and manual site backups. Restore
or migrate your site
• Key Features:
Range of offsite storage locations, backup
scheduling, full site backup or database only,
easy site migration & restore

15. SOCIAL SHARING TOOLKIT
(wordpress.org/extend/plugins/social-sharing-toolkit/)
• Cost: FREE
• What it does:
Add social sharing functionality to your posts
and pages
• Key Features:
Wide range of social media connections,
integration with Bit.ly for link shortening

16. LINK WITHIN
(linkwithin.com)
• Cost: FREE
• What it does:
Show related stories under each post
• Key Features:
Customisable factors to determine related
stories

17. SEEDPROD COMING SOON
(seedprod.com)
• Cost: $29 - $99
• What it does:
Create professional “coming soon” and
“maintenance mode” pages
• Key Features:
email list integration, responsive design, social
sharing, site access controls

18. WORDPRESS SEO BY YOAST
(yoast.com/wordpress/seo/)
• Cost: Free
• What it does:
Helps optimise your pages for the search
engines
• Key Features:
meta data management, page analysis, XML
sitemap

19. SUCURI
(sucuri.net)
• Cost: $90 - $290 per year
• What it does:
Constantly monitors and protect your site
against malware and hacker attacks
• Key Features:
Plugin help “harden” your site, server side
monitoring, malware removal included

20. POPUP DOMINATION
(popupdomination.com)
• Cost: $77
• What it does:
Lightbox style email optin
• Key Features:
Proven customisable designs, page targeting,
A/B split testing, comprehensive analytics

21. WOO COMMERCE
(woothemes.com/woocommerce)
• Cost: Freemium
• What it does:
Turns your WordPress site into a full
eCommerce site
• Key Features:
Multiple payment gateways, product
management, sales tracking, inventory
management, extensible

22. S2MEMBER
(s2member.com)
• Cost: Fremium
• What it does:
Membership site management
• Key Features:
access control, multiple membership levels,
PayPal integration