WordPress Tips and Tricks

WordPress is a blogging platform that is preferred by most webmasters and bloggers around the world. Whether it is free blog hosting or self blog hosting, WordPress caters the needs of all webmasters. It is an open source blogging platform, which is developed based on MySQL and PHP. Managing about 22% of all new websites created, it has become one of the most notable and dynamic content management systems available on the web. Founded and developed by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, the first commercial version was released on May 2003. Till date, WordPress has released about 18 versions of the platform, the latest release being the version 3.4 launched on June 2012.

There are numerous reasons as to why WordPress is the most desired choice of webmasters and bloggers. As it is an open source project, you don’t have to pay license fees for using it. Secondly, you have absolute control over all the sections of your website. You can also code any part of WordPress to make it function the way you want it to. There are more 18,000 plug-ins to choose from, which can extend the functionality of your WordPress platform. There are also a myriad of theme and widget options to choose from. Topping all these features, the WordPress blogging platform is SEO friendly with large community following and support.

Few tips to enhance your WordPress platform’s performance:

• As WordPress is an open source platform, it has to be updated frequently for security reasons. Constantly upgrading your WordPress platform will safeguard your website from attacks. 
• Please note that all administrative details of your WordPress site is stored in the wp-config.php root directory. It consists of default secret keys which is the same for most users, so ensure that you change the default secret keys.
• The basic setup for WordPress is the same for most websites, especially if you have used one-step install wizard option. As it is a common setup, make sure you change the prefix of the database as it can be easily accessed by hackers. 
• Though WordPress platforms need to be upgraded constantly, as a precaution it is safe to remove the version identity of your WordPress platform. You can do this by removing the Meta generator of the WordPress site.
• Always limit the number of failed login attempts for your website, as this is fundamental if someone is trying to guess your password.

Few tricks to singularize your WordPress website during search engine indexing:

• Changing the theme of your WordPress website is easy, but changing the theme programmatically will make your website unique. Just update the wp_options table and the change the prefix with a new theme name. 
• If you are a blog owner, then your identity is important to attract target audiences. In order to distinguish your blog from the rest, add the Favicon code in your header.php file, or you can get the source code from the Internet and paste it in the functions.php file.
• By enabling the post thumbnails inside your functions.php file you can use the default built-in thumbnails option in your themes. This option is applicable for all versions launched after WordPress 2.9 version. 
• You can customize the RSS feeds by adding advertisements below each post. This can be done by integrating the RSS Footer plug-in in your website. 
• Google’s Adsense can transform your blog into a money-spinner. So to appease your clients you can give your client the ability to add the Adsense option anywhere in your website by creating your own shortcode.

(Bylines) Travis Ramsy likes writing articles related to Technology News, Gadget Reviews and How To. He also does guest posting for buycharter.com - a site that offers savings and current information on charter internet, as well as charter.com services

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