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How to’s « MandarinMusing.com

Archive for the 'How to’s' Category

Carry your WordPress Wherever You Go!

Published on December 30, 2007 in Apache, Design, How to's, Linux, MySQL, PHP, WAMP Server, WP, Web development, Weblog tools, WordPress, XAMPP, resources, technology and tools. 2 Comments

xampp iconOne way to work on WordPress without having to be on a live server and connected to the net is by carrying a functional (local) copy of your server software (Apache, PHP, MySQL) on your laptop. WLTC has a 2 part instructions to help you do just that. It might also be of interest to know that there is an even more flexible and possibly more efficient way to accomplish this, to have a copy right in your USB stick, Ralph.fm has the “Know How”, check it out!

How to Upgrade from WordPress 2.1.1 to 2.1.2

Published on March 7, 2007 in How to's, WP, WP 2.1.1, WP 2.1.2, Web technology, Weblog tools, WordPress, WordPress Software and upgrade. 6 Comments

upgrade

You all know why:

  1. Deactivate all the plugins before you upgrade.
  2. Go to ‘Manage’, then to ‘Export’, then click on the button which says ‘Download Export File’.
  3. Upload all the files and folders, except the wp-content, the reason being it has all your plugin and theme files, so there is no need to replace them as it is not corrupted.
  4. Although the files in wp-includes are most susceptible to hacks, the reason why we upload even wp-admin is because wp-admin has upgrade.php file in it.
  5. Go to http://www.yoururl.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php and click on the link that says ‘Upgrade WordPress’.
  6. Activate all the plugins again.

That’s it!

10 Basic Steps for Beginners to Increase Traffic to your Blog

Published on March 2, 2007 in Advertisements, How to's, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Web technology, Weblog tools, WordPress, niche sites, tips and tricks, web sites, web traffic and yahoo. 11 Comments
  1. Talk, talk, talk. Advertise your blog, let everyone know your blog, your family, friends, colleagues, clients, associates, relatives, etc.
  2. Set up a feed on MyYahoo.com. Go to MyYahoo.com, sign in, add your URL feed link and keep checking it everyday. In a while, Yahoo will start spidering your site regularly.
  3. Write intelligent comments on popular and high traffic niche sites in context with your own content.
  4. Use Ping-O-Matic every time you publish a post. If you use WordPress, your post will automatically get pinged.
  5. Every page of your website should have the link to your blog.
  6. Send a link of your blog along with your emails, newsletters, sales reports, other reports, autoresponders.
  7. Print your blog URL on your business cards, brochures and flyers.
  8. At least post one post a day, irrespective of whether your traffic increases. It will eventually increase, don’t give up, enjoy it.
  9. Use Trackback links when you quote or refer to other blog posts.

Related post: Click here for tips on how to improve your site’s ranking.

FREE SEO Website Evaluation: Rank Better now!!

Published on March 2, 2007 in Alexa, DMOZ, Google, How to's, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Technorati, Web 2, Web 2.0, Web technology, crawl, free, increase page rank, keywords, metatags, ranking, tips and tricks and web traffic. 8 Comments

Here’s a quick checklist of tips on improving site traffic (in no particular order):

  1. Submit URLs to search engines and web directories to start the ranking process: Technorati, Google, Alexa, DMOZ.
  2. A good domain name and targeted meta tags can help improve search engine rankings. Keep your tags relevant to your data.
  3. Check your site validation from time to time.
  4. It would not hurt to keep a banner ad of search engines on your website to boost your own ranking.
  5. Trading links and advertisements with other web sites similar as yours will bring you more web site traffic.
  6. Linkbaiting will tempt viewers to place links to your website from other websites. One of the most important features of site engine optimization is to find a way out to attract all potential viewers. Common ways are providing information, humor, or digging in controversy.
  7. Post your ad on free classified advertising sections, free link sites, free yellow pages directories, free bulletin boards, basically use every FREE opportunity.
  8. Pay close attention to the statistics regarding unique/repeat visitors, length of stay of each visitor, number of hits, traffic ranking, search keywords, most popular pages of your site and so on. Restyle and grow your blog/website accordingly.
  9. Search engine spiders are unable to read images. If you have text on an image, make sure it gets highlighted with a mouseover, else the content is meaningless for search engines.
  10. Check how your website looks in different browsers and check for different screen resolutions. Make sure your pages don’t take too long to load. Aesthically pleasing, easy to navigate and content-rich websites are likely to get more hits and repeat viewers.
  11. Start networking, both online and offline through social and business networking sites, online communities and forums, discussion and chat rooms which fit your personality and business models.
  12. Think globally, if your site has a universal appeal, the better. If you are familiar with other cultures and people around the world, use that experience to optimize your links.
  13. If you are a good writer, submit your articles to e-zines: goarticles, ezinearticles, ideamarketers, contentdesk
  14. Show interest in other people’s work and leave comments or feedbacks. Good comments usually open doors to your own site.
  15. If you have a business, do make a newsletter for your clients and keep them updated about your latest offers. Even if you are not a business owner, you need to constantly add to your viewers’ curiosity. Be creative.
  16. Set up a survey/opinion poll on your website. Ask questions which are irresistible and compel your audience to vote. Ask for reviews of your own work and share your opinions with others too. Communicate freely with your target audience.
  17. Observe what your competitors are doing and act ahead of them.

And of course don’t forget to write a blog on this topic yourself!!

How to choose a Web Hosting Provider: 8 easy tips

Published on March 1, 2007 in How to's, Weblog tools, tips and tricks, web host and web hosting. 9 Comments

If you want to move from Blogger-WordPress.com-own domain name, the first thing you will need is a web hosting provider.

Here’s the checklist for choosing the right web host provider for your weblog:

Reliability: This tops the list, because all those who consider to spend their valuable time in visiting your website are most valuable. They could be friends and family,  new or repeat visitors, potential and past customers, and so on.  Besides, if your traffic ranking is high, you are likely to suffer potential losses even if  your host servers are down for a few hours.
Say in case of a major power failure or server breakdown, its important to have a web hosting provider, that assures you a guaranteed uptime and running.

Disk space: The amount of storage space you need versus the amount of storage provided to you by your web hosting service provider.  Graphics and multimedia would eat up a lot of your space, so evaluate your own needs first.

Bandwidth and upload/download speeds: If you have too much traffic, your site needs greater bandwidth.  Keep an eye on your  rate of traffic increase or decrease and choose your hosting provider accordingly. Slow sites and frequently down sites are a big NO. Check your site speed graphs at peak hours and non-peak hours. Web surfers are likely to be impatient and would leave your website pages took too long to load and probably would never return.

FTP Access: FTP access, or the ability to upload your pages by email or browser is mandatory.

Operating System and programming tools: Your website should be uploaded through secure servers using the latest operating system. Most web hosts run on a UNIX based operating system, usually Linux or BSD, supported by various web applications like ASP, .NET, MS SQL, SBS for running your website. For these, you need a Window based host.

Security and backup: If you have an E-commerce website, security is most important for safe transaction and to minimize losses.  Even otherwise, it is important that your web host can monitor any kind of fraudulent activity and provide secure solutions to prevent hacking your personal accounts and of course, data backups in case of any kinds of technical failures.

Pricing and support: Generally, before you buy a product or a service you would like to compare prices and read reviews. Do your homework thoroughly to keep your site up and running while you need it. Low pricing need not necessarily mean bad service, sometimes you good get services at affordable rates. Check the availability of a customer service representative for chat/phonecall round the clock.

Money-back guarantees: You can have your own pick. Many web hosts offer 30, 60 or 90 day money back guarantees for those who try their web hosting services for the first time. Some others allow you cancel your membership anytime with a prorated refund.