Plug-ins

WORDPRESS Information, Plug-ins, Templates, Tips

Published June 25, 2017 | By Coastal Web Design

WORDPRESS

Information, Plug-ins, Templates, Tips

WordPress, certainly is a valuable piece of kit for any Business or person wanting a Web presence.

Setup and installation of WordPress is easy, with most Hosting Companies able to do this with the click of a button. Of course, if you want to get your hands dirty and have a little knowledge of how to do this, then the end result can be quite rewarding. Just knowing that you can create a beautiful looking website on your own is a fantastic feeling. Having control over every aspect of the Website you create is even better.

Of course, (if you’re going it alone) then you may need to know how to set up a Database, but installing WordPress does this for you. It certainly helps you learn if you ever need to transfer a WordPress site from one hosting company to another etc.

Let’s talk Plug-ins

There are literally thousands of Plug-ins for WordPress, and not all of them will be compliant with your version of WordPress, that’s why you should always ensure your website is kept up to date with the latest version. Setting WordPress is now automated, just remember to set your current email address and when WordPress has updated, you will receive a confirmation email.

There is some conjecture on the internet about how many plugins you should have on your WordPress installation, obviously having too many active plugins will slow the loading time of your page and increase the chances of one plugin conflicting with another. Plugins can “Break your Website”. Yes, you may end up with a white screen or even rubbish pieces of script or code on your pages where they shouldn’t be. But if you don’t have a large website with a huge Database then you can get away with running quite a few plugins.

I run anywhere from 10-15 to sometimes even up to 30 plugins. Why? well let’s just say that WordPress still does not have all the features a usual Web Designer requires. You tend to find plugins that work for you and stick to them. I am a BIG fan of FREE Plugins, and most will do the job you require. But there are also times when you will need to BUY a Plugin for the extra features. Well worth supporting the Author of the Plugin if it has been written well and has good Support. I tend to shy away from the Plugins Author if they offer limited functions and require you to pay astronomical amounts of $$$ for upgrades each year.

Some Plugins I use I will list here. Remember, it is up to you as to whether you use them or NEED them. I will not list Authors, only the Plugin Name. Do a Search from Plugins | Add New, in the Admin panel of WordPress. I tend to just go for the plugins with the most downloads. However, please ensure you do a little homework here and check the reviews and feedback on ANY plugins BEFORE you install it.

Remember also, that plugins can “Break” your website. So if this occurs you need a BACKUP Plan.

BACKUP – BACKUP – BACKUP.

Yep, you have probably heard it all before, but once you have been caught out, sometimes more than once, because you didn’t learn your lesson the first time. I assure you, you will ALWAYS do a Backup.

Here is a List of some Plugins I have used (not all on the same site) obviously!!! some Free, some Paid.

Advanced Custom Fields: Image Hotspots Field

Ajax Domain Checker

Custom JavaScript Editor

Download Plugin

Extra Short codes

Gravity Forms

Force en_AU

Google Analyticator

Huge IT Slider

Nextgen Gallery

Nextgen Gallery Plus by Photocrati

Quform

Regenerate Thumbnails

Remove Feed Links

Rename wp-login.php

Schema

Schema Default Image

Shortcodes by Angie Makes

Show Hide Author

Stop Spammers

WordPress Exporter

WP Custom CSS

WP Simple Adsense Insertion

WP Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

WP User Activity

Yoast SEO

There are plenty more I have used, this list is not exhaustive. I don’t have any affiliation with any of these plugins or Authors. If you would like my feedback on any plugins I have mentioned, please contact me. I will try to give you my honest and unbiased opinion.

Templates

I tend to create my own WordPress Templates using Artisteer (” no I don’t get a kick back from mentioning them”). Using Artisteer gives me more control over how my pages will look, from Colours, Style, Fonts, Widgets, you name it, heaps of functions to play with. You just install WordPress as normal and Upload your own Template.

Of course, if you prefer, you can opt to purchase Templates which have all, or most of the functions you require, and this will negate the need to install so many plugins on your site. Yes, there are plenty of FREE Templates for use with WordPress, but I have found that most of them lack the extra functions required to really make your Website pop. That’s why I choose Artisteer.

Next month I will elaborate more on Templates.

Regards,

Wayne

Graphic Designer / Web Designer

Coastal Web Design

Contact me if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them (if I can) I don’t profess to have all the answers ONLY my own opinion.

Posted in NEWS | Tagged Information, Plug-ins, Templates, Tips, WORDPRESS

Why you should use WORDPRESS

Published March 28, 2017 | By Coastal Web Design

Why you should use WORDPRESS

Just Because WordPress is Free Software, this does not mean it is an inferior product. WordPress is one of the most powerful CMS platforms on the Internet today.

This is – Why you should use WORDPRESS. We put Hours of Experience into Building the perfect Website for you. Sure you could go it alone, and yes, I encourage you to learn and create your own style. But it’s not for everyone. Let us create your Website, we’ll hand it over to you “Fully Functional”, then all you need to do it keep it updated. What could be simpler than that?

Features

Why you should use WORDPRESS

WordPress powers more than 24% of the web — a figure that rises every day. Everything from simple websites, to blogs, to complex portals and enterprise websites, and even applications, are built with WordPress.

WordPress combines simplicity for users and publishers with under-the-hood complexity for developers. This makes it flexible while still being easy-to-use.

The following is a list of some of the features that come as standard with WordPress; however, there are literally thousands of plugins that extend what WordPress does, so the actual functionality is nearly limitless. You are also free to do whatever you like with the WordPress code, extend it or modify in any way or use it for commercial projects without any licensing fees. That is the beauty of free software, free refers not only to price but also the freedom to have complete control over it.

Here are some of the features of why you should use WordPress that we think you’ll love.

Simplicity Simplicity makes it possible for you to get online and get publishing, quickly. Nothing should get in the way of you getting your website up and your content out there. WordPress is built to make that happen.
Flexibility With WordPress, you can create any type of website you want: a personal blog or website, a photoblog, a business website, a professional portfolio, a government website, a magazine or news website, an online community, even a network of websites. You can make your website beautiful with themes, and extend it with plugins. You can even build your very own application.
Publish with Ease If you’ve ever created a document, you’re already a whizz at creating content with WordPress. You can create Posts and Pages, format them easily, insert media, and with the click of a button your content is live and on the web.
Publishing Tools WordPress makes it easy for you to manage your content. Create drafts, schedule publication, and look at your post revisions. Make your content public or private, and secure posts and pages with a password.
User Management Not everyone requires the same access to your website. Administrators manage the site, editors work with content, authors and contributors write that content, and subscribers have a profile that they can manage. This lets you have a variety of contributors to your website, and let others simply be part of your community.
Media Management They say a picture says a thousand words, which is why it’s important for you to be able to quickly and easily upload images and media to WordPress. Drag and drop your media into the uploader to add it to your website. Add alt text, captions, and titles, and insert images and galleries into your content. We’ve even added a few image editing tools you can have fun with.
Full Standards Compliance Every piece of WordPress generated code is in full compliance with the standards set by the W3C. This means that your website will work in today’s browser, while maintaining forward compatibility with the next generation of browser. Your website is a beautiful thing, now and in the future.
Easy Theme System WordPress comes bundled with two default themes, but if they aren’t for you there’s a theme directory with thousands of themes for you to create a beautiful website. None of those to your taste? Upload your own theme with the click of a button. It only takes a few seconds for you to give your website a complete makeover.
Extend with Plugins WordPress comes packed full of features for every user, for every other feature there’s a plugin directory with thousands of plugins. Add complex galleries, social networking, forums, social media widgets, spam protection, calendars, fine-tune controls for search engine optimization, and forms.

Built-in Comments Your blog is your home, and comments provide a space for your friends and followers to engage with your content. WordPress’s comment tools give you everything you need to be a forum for discussion and to moderate that discussion.
Search Engine Optimized WordPress is optimized for search engines right out of the box. For more fine-grained SEO control, there are plenty of SEO plugins to take care of that for you.
Multilingual WordPress is available in more than 70 languages. If you or the person you’re building the website for would prefer to use WordPress in a language other than English, that’s easy to do.
Easy Installation and Upgrades WordPress has always been easy to install and upgrade. If you’re happy using an FTP program, you can create a database, upload WordPress using FTP, and run the installer. Not familiar with FTP? Plenty of web hosts offer one-click WordPress installers that let you install WordPress with, well, just one click!
Importers Using blog or website software that you aren’t happy with? Running your blog on a hosted service that’s about to shut down? WordPress comes with importers for blogger, LiveJournal, Movable Type, TypePad, Tumblr, and WordPress. If you’re ready to make the move, we’ve made it easy for you.
Own Your Data Hosted services come and go. If you’ve ever used a service that disappeared, you know how traumatic that can be. If you’ve ever seen adverts appear on your website, you’ve probably been pretty annoyed. Using WordPress means no one has access to your content. Own your data, all of it — your website, your content, your data.
Freedom WordPress is licensed under the GPL which was created to protect your freedoms. You are free to use WordPress in any way you choose: install it, use it, modify it, distribute it. Software freedom is the foundation that WordPress is built on.
Community As the most popular open source CMS on the web, WordPress has a vibrant and supportive community. Ask a question on the support forums and get help from a volunteer, attend a WordCamp or Meetup to learn more about WordPress, read blogs posts and tutorials about WordPress. Community is at the heart of WordPress, making it what it is today.
Contribute You can be WordPress too! Help to build WordPress, answer questions on the support forums, write documentation, translate WordPress into your language, speak at a WordCamp, write about WordPress on your blog. Whatever your skill, we’d love to have you!

Note: Above information reproduced from: https://wordpress.org/about/features/

WordPress is an awesome content management system for websites of all shapes and sizes. One of the most common misconceptions about WordPress is that, since it is open source, it may not be good enough for big brands. To disprove this myth, we have added a list of the most notable big name brands that are using WordPress on their websites.