A very big thank you to Kelly for returning this week to talk us through phase 2 in setting up a WordPress blog.
I recently set up a new blog. I set it up quickly and I explained how in this post: If I Could Go Back – WordPress SetUp To Do List. I add posts to my new blog, about twice a week, and am also tweaking a few things in phase two of my blog setup.
1. Plugins
I talked about mystartup plugins in my previous post. There are a few extra plugins that are helpful to install in stage two.
a. Reply Me:Sends an email to commentors when there is a reply to their comment. The beauty of this plugin is notification of replies are only sent on the respective comment, not all comments on the blog post.
b. All in One Webmaster: Is a brilliant plugin that manages the claiming process for a variety of sites, including Alexa.
1. Alexa
What: Alexa produces free analytics for web users, in an effort to provide intelligent and constantly improving data. As a blogger, it’s imperative to claim your blog site as many rating platforms use this information to produce their rankings. Read more.
What to do:
a. First you’ll need to Register for an Alexa account.
b. Then Claim your blog site by typing in your blog address in the space provided and press “claim your site”.
c. The process of claiming your site on Alexa is actually quite tricky. So I don’t follow their instrucitons on this next step. Keep the window open because you’ll need the code at (b).
d. The absolute easiest way to claim your blog on Alexa is by using the All in One Webmaster Plugin.First you need to install the All in One Webmaster Plugin(as per step one above). Under “Settings” on the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard, you’ll find a section for the plugin. Copy the code in step 3 (above) and paste into the Alexa box and press the “Update my options” button.
e. You’ll need to go back to the claim page and click “Verify my meta tag”.
f. Done!
3. Technorati
What: Technorati‘s goal is to aid blogger’s success by collecting, highlighting, and distributing global online conversation trends. Technorati has expanded to a full service media company connecting advertisers to bloggers, in essence introducing blogs to consumers. Read more.
What to do:
a. Join up with Technorati and enter any relevant details. Note: Your feed details are important for claiming on Technorati. Typically your feed will be www.yoursite.com/feed.
b. Go to your account
c. Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter the your blog URL in the “start a blog claim” box and press claim.
d. Fill out your blog details including keywords.
e. You’ll then recieve a token to place on your blog. The easiest way to do this is to copy it and place it somewhere in a current post (at the end so it’s not obvious is a good place) and save. You can delete this code once the blog as been verfied.
f. Go back to your account and scroll down the bottom and press check claim.
g. Verify times may vary.
4. Regator
What: Regatorcollects only the best blogs from around the world. The Regator difference, compared with Alexa and Technorati, is the “human” factor. Every blog is subject to review by editors for well-written, topical content. Read more about how blogs are selected here.
What to do:
If you’ve been blogging for at least 3 months, consider nominatingyour blog on Regator.
5. Join a Forum
What: Blogging forums are a fantastic way to both connect with other bloggers and gain valuable informtion and acvice.
What to do: Digital Parents is a leading Australian Parenting Bloggers forum. Signing up is easy and free. Start here.
6. DMOZ Open Directory Project
What: The DMOZ Open Directory is an open web link directory. This may be helpful for SEO purposes.
What to do:
a. Go to the DMOZ Open Directory page and click through the categories to find where your blog is best suited. Take some time to find the best category as this with assist editors in aproving your link.
b. Once you’ve found the best category layer click “suggest URL” which is located on the top menu bar. Note: If you can’t see the “suggest URL” you’ll need to find a more specific category layer. In other words, you need to go down a few layers for example: Home >>Family>>Parenting>>Mothers>>Weblogs is where I put my Be A Fun Mum blog.
c. After clicking “suggest URL” you will be taken to a page to fill out a description of your site.
d. Press submit. That’s it. Now it’s up to the editors to approve this. Don’t worry about it because it may take some time.
Setting up and growing a blog is a ever changing process, but it can help to know where to start. Some of the most important ingredients about blogging include these things:
* Stay true to yourself
* Know where you’re going (even if you don’t know yet, make it a goal to discover your blog focus)
* Give. Blogging is about relationship and providing someting valuable for readers.
* Learn. Grow. Change. Be a student in life and learn as you live, and as you blog.
I hope you’ve found this WordPress Blog Setup To Do List helpful.
Part 1:
If I Could Go Back – WordPress SetUp To Do List
I’m Kelly! When I’m not running around after my four kids, you’ll find me drinking tea from a pretty cup. I love lying on the grass and the view mountains afford. You can visit me over at my blog Be A Fun Mum. The Be A Fun Mum Blog is all about reclaiming the joy of motherhood in a fast-paced world. It’s about loving the little moments which are like pieces of a puzzle, together creating a beautiful masterpiece.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for Post 2. Amazing what is out there? The difficulty a new blogger has with adding new apps, at least in my view, is the uncertainty of not knowing what a particular app/plugin will ‘actually’ do on the coal face coupled with the fact that an install always seems to be a little more difficult than what the script says. Not only is that a difficulty for newbies but I suggest it is also difficult for client/viewers as well. I am inclined to think that because this media is relatively new to most people, many tend to be a little apprehensive about pressing any ‘button’ (even a like button), because they are uncertain about the implications for them if they do so. The problem to some extent is that there is a whole new ‘language’ with this media and it is a little daunting to come to terms with especially for those of us who are ‘immigrants’ to social media as distinct from the ‘y-geners’ who have been sucking on the dummy since day one.
Cheers from a learner… Brian
Good points Brian. I think it’s true that it can be a bit daunting, and implications vary. With Wordpress.org it’s very user friends (onced installed!) and you can very easily add and take apps (plugins) away. I’ve just moved a client from Wordpress.org to Wordpress.com and she’s thrilled with the various options available.
The good thing too, is Bloggers help Bloggers and you’ll find many will give you advice and help where they can. It’s nice like that.
Good luch with your blog!
Those Wordpress plug-ins sound fantastic. I am so tempted to transfer from Blogger. I guess what holds me back is the steep learning curve and finding that extra time. But in case I get brave, thank you Kelly and Louisa for these great articles!