Blog Administration: Installation, Customization, Posting, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting

New Blog Installation/Setup

If you need a brand new blog installed and set up, I can install Wordpress, which is one of the most used and recognized blogging platforms available.

Wordpress can be installed directly on your hosting server (where your website lives), or we can create a Wordpress.com blog, which is one that is set up on Wordpress.com's hosting server. If you're not sure which one is right for you, feel free to contact me with questions.

See my tips on Hosting for Your Website or Blog if you are considering having a new blog installed.

Customization

There are hundreds of Wordpress themes available, but perhaps you'd rather have one that reflects your website's look and feel or one that reflects you better. I can work with you to create a custom look for your blog.

Some items you might want to customize are:

• Header/Banner - see a client example.
• Pages - you may wish to create pages on your Wordpress blog, or even to have page links to portions of your website.
• Sidebars - the sidebars are the areas on the left or right (or both) that display links, widgets, RSS subscriptions, and other cool tools.
• Footer - you can house keyword links here, a customized copyright message, Google AdWords, or something else entirely.
• Widgets & Plugins - Wordpress has a number of widgets and plugins you can use to spice up your blog and make it more interesting, optimized for search engines, or valuable to your readers. Here's a list of recommended widgets and plugins for EVERY Wordpress blog.

Posting

Keeping up with a blog is time consuming! I know this from experience. Everyone starts out with the best of intentions, but if your blog is not your primary method of marketing communication, it can be forgotten.

In order for your blog to maintain any significance, it needs to be fresh. Posting weekly or even more than once per week is the goal. I can work with you to get your content posted and formatted, as well as insert images and video where you want it. I can also help you come up with the appropriate keywords and categories for your posts, which are important for search engine visibility.

Maintenance

If you come across a blog and think "I wish I had that on my blog!" you're not alone. One of the best ways to keep up with what's available out there in terms of fun widgets and plugins is to browse other people's blogs!

Once we get a working relationship together, you can feel free to send me links to blogs that have features that you want on your blog, too.

Additionally, from time to time, blog software needs to be updated. I will take care of this for you and make sure that everything is working perfectly.

Troubleshooting

Whoops! Someone made a mistake and your blog is looking a little...well...off. This is common and you don't have to be one of those people with a crazy-looking blog! I am experienced with .php, .html and .css, which are the three technical languages and markups necessary for Wordpress.