March 1st, with a partner, I started a contributor based website for parent’s with special needs called Break the Parenting Mold. It all started easily enough; we had a great idea, a built-in web designer (moi), a built-in editor (my fabulous partner) and a lot of amazing bloggers with even better content. What we didn’t […]
WordPress
6 Easy Steps to Create a Drop-Down List of Categories in Your Main Menu
For some reason, one of the things WordPress does not make easy, is creating a drop-down list of categories in your main menu. Here is a quick tutorial on how to do that. Before we start, make sure you are on your Menu page, by going to Appearances>Menu. Now here we go! 1. Make […]
Adding Clickable Images Using Jetpack
Jetpack is one of the most versatile plugins you can use on your WordPress site. I think every blogger can benefit from this plugin. Jetpack does the work of 10-20 plugins in one. And because it is built by Automattic, the folks who build WordPress, you can be sure that it will be compatible with your site. […]
SEO For Bloggers
Last month, I went to a fairly hugemongous blogging conference. Besides getting to meet many blogging friends in real life, which was a lot of fun (read getting to see a bunch of middle age folks singing karaoke like no one was watching) the most valuable thing I got out of the conference was the […]
Optimization, Vulnerabilities, Hackers, Oh My! An Explanation of the Crazy WordPress Events of the Past Month
The WordPress Twilight Zone… It has been a really busy month for WordPress and WordPress users. It’s enough to freak a person out. But don’t. I know how out of control you can feel when you rely on technology to take care of itself, and it’s been doing a really good job of it until BAM […]
3 Easy Steps To Secure Your Blog
One of my favorite jobs, is tweaking and fixing people’s blogs. I love to dig into the code, pick things apart, isolate the problem and then fix it. I love it so much that sometimes I get lost in the looking and the researching and the fixing. But one thing stops me cold every. single. […]
The Easiest WordPress Yoast SEO Plugin Tutorial for Bloggers
As a blogger, you hear a lot of talk about SEO, sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t. (If you don’t, it’s Search Engine Optimization – getting the search engine crawlers to see what you want them to see, determine you are an expert in your field and to stick you up there towards the top […]
3 Ways to Reduce Your Bounce Rate on Your Blog
Bounce rate is how many people come to your blog and leave without clicking on anything. Why should you care? Bounce rate is a metric. Metrics are what search engines use to decide if they should send readers your way. A typical blog has a 70-90% bounce rate. To be successful you should shoot […]
How to Center a Widget
You know what I’m talking about, you have all of these great badges from all of the places you’ve contributed, you stick them in your sidebar and they are all jiggety. You want to show off your accolades, but you want to look professional, right? Well give me a few minutes and I’ll show you […]