Cybher: WordPress hints and tips
- At 16/05/2012
- By JoannaWoodcock
- In Inspiration
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Here is my second blog post about female blogging conference, Cybher. I know that a lot of Fe-line Women blog using WordPress as I do. I learnt some very practical hints and tips about WordPress from Julie Hall, aka Women Unlimited, and Peggy Poyser, aka Perfectly Happy Mum, that I am now going to share with you.
Geek is Chic
Ask a WordPress geek with Julie Hall
Julie’s presentation was mainly around what WordPress Plugins you need to download to make your blog/website look better and optimising it for search engines. These are her recommendations:
- WP Google Font – so that you can have pretty fonts on your blog/website
- WP Touch – to make your site mobile ready
- Contact for 7 – to add a contact form to your site
- Lightbox gallery – to show off your photos in gallery form
- Poll Daddy – to get some opinions on your site
- Track your stats – an alternative stat counter to Google Analytics
- XML Sitemap – to create a site map, good for SEO
- All in one SEO – to optimise your site for search engines
- WP super cache – for SEO
Julie is launching an online WordPress course, Simply WordPress, on 21st May to teach you how to build your own website using WordPress.
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Revamp your blog for under £50 (WordPress) with Peggy Poyser
Peggy taught herself to make a professional looking blog for almost nothing and gave us some hints and tips on how to build a blog that looks good on a budget.
What you need:
- WordPress – Free
- Hosting Account – approx £40 per year
- Atahualph WordPress theme
- Gimp – free editing software
- Graphics
What you need to do:
- Create a mood board for what you want your blog to look like and help you to choose colours and fonts. Use a Pinterest board to help you.
- Choose a colour palette for your blog that will speak your language. Two main colours and a selection of secondary colours. Use Design Seeds to help you.
- Choose a font for your header and logo. Top websites to find free fonts, Search Free Fonts, Font Squirrel, Urban Fonts.
- Create a blog header using Gimp. Free alternative to photoshop.
- Create your own logo using Gimp using graphics that you can download from iStock.
I think it is really empowering that you can build a website for £50 and do it all yourself. Why not give it a go or try out Julie’s online course.
Tomorrow my last post about Cybher, how to get what you want!
Lucy Eckley
Fab tips. Thanks so much for sharing! Especially love the design tips.