Post on 30-Dec-2015
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Essential WordPress PluginsByte of Texas 2015 Austin Food Blogger AllianceMargaret Dornbusch MadSweetWorld.com
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About Me Started with hand-coding in 1990s
Didn’t really know I was blogging
Used free Greymatter Database not required, output HTML
Couldn’t afford other blogging solutions WordPress in 2003 – free, barebones, no plugins WordPress in 2014 – Wow! Still free! Lots of plugins!
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What are Plugins? Dependent component
Adds features to an existing applications
Enables customization
Some plug-ins have plugins BuddyPress – Provides an entire ecosystem for groups communications
https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/
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Finding Plugins 33,485 plugins available
WordPress plugin search Star ratings in search results Popular or Favorites tabs
Google “best plugins for food bloggers” “best seo plugins”
Recommendations from other bloggers Austin Food Blogger Alliance Austin Bloggers Facebook page Austin WordPress meetup
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Installing Plugins Installing plugins is easy
1. From the Plugins page, click Add New.
2. Search for the plugin you want to add.
3. Click Install Now.
4. Click Activate Plugin (or activate later if you want).
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Configuring Plugins (cont.) Some plugins require adding a bit of code to your template or
uploading a file to your website
Some require adding short codes to your template Bits of code that represent longer sections of code Example: [donate] adds a Donate button
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Absolutely Essential Comment Spam
Sign up with Akismet (Automattic)http://akismet.com/
Activate the plugin Click Get your API key or enter your API key manually
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Absolutely Essential (cont.) Backup
VaultPress (Automattic)subscription backup service
Security Wordfence Security
free security scans
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Yoast WordPress SEO
(requires verification from Google Webmaster Tools)
Google Analytics Google Analyticator Other analytics plug-ins
Share buttons (Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter, etc.) Simple Share Buttons
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Blogging Event Calendar
Google Blog-only
Editorial Calendar Editorial Calendar 3.3 – Manage posts from a calendar view
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Food Recipes
Easy printing Shopping lists Google Recipe Search format
(rich snippets) Example:
EasyRecipe
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Food Nutrition
Enter all data; doesn’t calculate it http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
No Follow for Sponsored Posts Example:
Ultimate Nofollow
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Administration Speed Enhancers
WP SuperCache (Automattic)Generates static html files
Multifunction JetPack (Automattic)
Importers and Cross-posters Import from other WP installations or other blogs Cross post to other blogs/social media
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Miscellaneous Contact Management
Contact forms Email subscriptions Bulletin boards
Donation Form
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Miscellaneous (cont.) Ecommerce
WooCommerce WP Customer Reviews
App Creators Wiziapp Mobiloud
Ebook Creators PressBooks Bookpress Client
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Tips (Recommended) Set up a test installation of WordPress to test plug-
ins before you add them to your blog
Backup your WordPress installation before you activate a plugin
Keep WordPress and any plugins current
Use plugins tested with the version of WordPress you are using
Recovering from the White Screen of Death
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Tips (cont.) Deleting plugins
Deactivate first
How to find out the name of a plugin Online tool
http://www.wpthemedetector.com/ View source code
Search for the word “plugin”
Examine <blogurl>/wp-content/plugins/ to view a list of plugins
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References Austin Food Blogger Alliance
http://austinfoodbloggers.org/
Austin Bloggers Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/austinbloggers/
Austin WordPress meetup http://www.meetup.com/austinwordpress/
How to use shortcodes http://wplifeguard.com/how-to-use-wordpress-shortcode/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/05/01/wordpress-shortcodes-complete-guide/
Google Rich Snippets and Google Recipe View http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/recipes/ https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/173379?hl=en
Margaret Dornbusch madsweetworld@gmail.com