The document outlines 40 tips for optimizing a WordPress website in 40 minutes. It discusses improving load times through plugins like W3 Total Cache, optimizing content for search engines by using proper titles and internal linking, maintaining the site through backups and spam cleaning, engaging visitors through email subscriptions and comments, and measuring results with analytics tools. The overall message is that optimizing a WordPress site requires implementing these types of techniques on an ongoing basis.

1. WordPress Optimization
40 tips in 40 minutes
Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010

3. Open Source

4. Open Source
Apple

5. Open Source
WordPress Apple

6. Open Source
WordPress Apple
CSS

7. Open Source
WordPress Apple
CSS SEO

8. Open Source
WordPress Apple
Geek
CSS SEO

9. Open Source Theology
WordPress Apple
Geek
CSS SEO

10. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek
CSS SEO

11. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek
CSS SEO
Blogger

12. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek
CSS SEO Speaker Blogger

13. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek Marketer
CSS SEO Speaker Blogger

14. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek Marketer
CSS SEO Speaker Blogger

15. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek Marketer
CSS SEO Speaker Blogger

16. Open Source Theology
IBMS
WordPress Apple
Geek Marketer
CSS SEO Speaker Blogger
Online marketer

17. I work for OrangeValley, a company that develops WordPress websites, does Analytics and
Conversion Rate Optimization and SEO but mostly helps it’s customers make more money.

18. http://yoast.com/
I blog on http://yoast.com/

19. http://yoast.com/
I blog on http://yoast.com/

20. http://quixapp.com/
Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010
And recently created Quix: http://quixapp.com/

21. So even though I’m from Holland, I’m not going to tell you about windmills and wooden
shoes.

22. So usually, I’d copy paste some slides...

23. Be an obnoxious bastard and present it

24. Go and do what I do best

25. There’s an issue though.

26. http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/
Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010
You’ve all probably read this article.

27. Please do ask your questions!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions

28. 42
I’ll try to answer all of them
Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010
I’ll try to answer all of them, usually the answer is 42.

29. Section #1: improve your load times
Make your site load faster!!

30. #1 Install W3 Total Cache
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/ Turned my blog from an Opel into a
Ferrari (speed wise)

31. #2 Use it to combine CSS and JS files
Javascript and CSS should be combined and javascript should mostly be loaded in the footer.
(W3 Total Cache can help with that)

32. #3 Use Sprites
Check out SpriteMe

33. • (WP) Smush It
• Puny PNG
#4 Crunch those images...
Crunch your theme’s images, and auto crunch uploaded images.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-smushit/
http://www.punypng.com/

34. #5 Offload those images and JS and CSS files
Use a CDN (for instance VPS.net’s CDN) or Google’s Javascript Library API or Amazon S3 to
offload images, js, css and other static files, saving your own server.

35. #6 Kill some plugins
And try to replace them for similar ones.
Some plugins are god awful (in terms of javascript).

36. #7 Clean up that sidebar
Do you really need all those badges?
Even more important: do your visitors need them?

37. Section #2: Optimize!
Let’s optimize that site for search!

38. #8 Books are judged by their cover
So are your posts, give them a proper title.

39. #9 Offer (Efficient) Related Posts
http://xavisys.com/2009/06/efficient-related-posts/

40. #10 Internal Linking & Series of Posts
http://justintadlock.com/archives/2009/06/09/series-wordpress-plugin
Check your analytics: which pages are viewed most? Which pages and posts do you have
related to that? Link them!!

41. #11 Tags, Categories, Custom Taxonomies
Through all these cool plugins we often forget how to use the superbly useful internal stuff in
WordPress: Categories, Tags and custom taxonomies. Do your categories still match the blog
you have today? http://yoast.com/wordpress/simple-taxonomies/

42. #12 Give a robot some directions
Noindex wp-admin, login and register pages etc.
using the Robots meta plugin.

43. #13 Don’t auto generate your meta descriptions
Better to have a monkey write them or not write one at all than to have All in one SEO
generate them for you.

44. #14 Create proper pagination
You can’t expect a search engine nor a user to click on more more than 3 times... Use for
instance a plugin like WP PageNavi.

45. #15 Disable paged comments
THEY SUCK.

46. Section #3 Maintenance
Let’s keep that blog nice and crisp.

47. #16 Backup your blog regularly
Both your database AND your FILES!!

48. • Add this to wp-config.php:
define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);
#17 Automatically repair the database
It’s so easy: do it!!

49. #18 Check your blogs queries
Use the Debug Queries plugin to check for plugins or themes gone mad.

50. #19 Clean up spam. Always.
Run Akismet
Use Dave Naylor’s comment referrer check http://tools.davidnaylor.co.uk/

51. #20 Track your uptime
Use Pingdom, or another tool,
but be the first to know when your blog is down.

52. #21 Track and fix those 404’s
Use John Godley’s Redirection plugin and track and fix them.

53. // Remove Really simple discovery link
remove_action('wp_head', 'rsd_link');
// Remove Windows Live Writer link
remove_action('wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link');
// Remove the version number:
function yoast_fix_wp_generator($generator) {
return preg_replace('/s?'.get_bloginfo('version').'/','',$generator);
}
add_filter('the_generator','yoast_fix_wp_generator',10,1);
#22 Remove unneeded meta info

54. #23 Create a good search experience
Implement a Google Custom search engine to create a proper search experience, then start
tracking your internal search: what are people searching for? Are they finding that? Can /
should they expect that on your site?

55. #24 Get a good mobile plugin

56. Section #3: make them come back

57. #25 Email subscriptions!!
I prefer email, because of it’s high response.

58. #26 Twitter
In January, 20% of the yoast.com traffic came from Twitter.

59. #27 RSS
If your readers understand what RSS is, the button can’t be big enough. If they don’t know
what it is, leave it out entirely!

60. #28 Use WP Greet Box

61. Section #4: engage them!
Engage them.

62. #29 Newsletter sign up pages
This is the perfect moment to let people refer your site and mailing list to a friend or their
Twitter followers: “I just signed up for Yoast.com’s newsletter, you should too!”

63. #30 Comment redirect
Someone just commented and showed engagement: use that momentum

64. #31 Ask for feedback & comments
Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create
surveys.

65. #31 Ask for feedback & comments
Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create
surveys.

66. #31 Ask for feedback & comments
Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create
surveys.

67. #31 Ask for feedback & comments
Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create
surveys.

68. #32 Use threaded comments
They keep the conversation intact and allow for a better conversation.

69. #33 Use Gravatars
They keep the conversation intact and allow for a better conversation.

70. Section #5: measuring results

71. #34 Use Google Analytics
Or any other proper web analytics package

72. #35 (Google) Analytics:
- number of pageviews per visit
- new unique commenter
- comments
- submitted feedback forms
Email + FeedBurner subscriptions
Twitter followers
etc. etc. etc.

73. #37 Track those first time comments
Using the comment redirect plugin!

74. #38 Track submitted comment forms

75. #39 Use my blog metrics plugin

76. #40
(bit of a cheat)
All of this is no use if you don’t go out and actually DO it.

77. #40
(bit of a cheat)
Start Optimising!!
All of this is no use if you don’t go out and actually DO it.

78. Feedback? Questions? Need help?
Email: joost@orangevalley.nl
Twitter: @yoast
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