WordPress Optimization40 tips in 40 minutes

Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010

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I work for OrangeValley, a company that develops WordPress websites, does Analytics and Conversion Rate Optimization and SEO but mostly helps it’s customers make more money.

http://yoast.com/

I blog on http://yoast.com/

http://yoast.com/

I blog on http://yoast.com/

Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010

http://quixapp.com/

And recently created Quix: http://quixapp.com/

So even though I’m from Holland, I’m not going to tell you about windmills and wooden shoes.

So usually, I’d copy paste some slides...

Be an obnoxious bastard and present it

Go and do what I do best

There’s an issue though.

Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010

http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/

You’ve all probably read this article.

Please do ask your questions!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

42Joost de Valk, OrangeValley - WordCamp Ireland 2010

I’ll try to answer all of them

I’ll try to answer all of them, usually the answer is 42.

Section #1: improve your load times

Make your site load faster!!

#1 Install W3 Total Cache

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/ Turned my blog from an Opel into a Ferrari (speed wise)

#2 Use it to combine CSS and JS files

Javascript and CSS should be combined and javascript should mostly be loaded in the footer. (W3 Total Cache can help with that)

#3 Use Sprites

Check out SpriteMe

• (WP) Smush It

• Puny PNG

#4 Crunch those images...

Crunch your theme’s images, and auto crunch uploaded images.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-smushit/http://www.punypng.com/

#5 Offload those images and JS and CSS files

Use a CDN (for instance VPS.net’s CDN) or Google’s Javascript Library API or Amazon S3 to offload images, js, css and other static files, saving your own server.

#6 Kill some plugins

And try to replace them for similar ones. Some plugins are god awful (in terms of javascript).

#7 Clean up that sidebar

Do you really need all those badges? Even more important: do your visitors need them?

Section #2: Optimize!

Let’s optimize that site for search!

#8 Books are judged by their cover

So are your posts, give them a proper title.

#9 Offer (Efficient) Related Posts

http://xavisys.com/2009/06/efficient-related-posts/

#10 Internal Linking & Series of Posts

http://justintadlock.com/archives/2009/06/09/series-wordpress-plugin

Check your analytics: which pages are viewed most? Which pages and posts do you have related to that? Link them!!

#11 Tags, Categories, Custom Taxonomies

Through all these cool plugins we often forget how to use the superbly useful internal stuff in WordPress: Categories, Tags and custom taxonomies. Do your categories still match the blog you have today? http://yoast.com/wordpress/simple-taxonomies/

#12 Give a robot some directions

Noindex wp-admin, login and register pages etc.using the Robots meta plugin.

#13 Don’t auto generate your meta descriptions

Better to have a monkey write them or not write one at all than to have All in one SEO generate them for you.

#14 Create proper pagination

You can’t expect a search engine nor a user to click on more more than 3 times... Use for instance a plugin like WP PageNavi.

#15 Disable paged comments

THEY SUCK.

Section #3 Maintenance

Let’s keep that blog nice and crisp.

#16 Backup your blog regularly

Both your database AND your FILES!!

#17 Automatically repair the database

• Add this to wp-config.php:define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

It’s so easy: do it!!

#18 Check your blogs queries

Use the Debug Queries plugin to check for plugins or themes gone mad.

#19 Clean up spam. Always.

Run AkismetUse Dave Naylor’s comment referrer check http://tools.davidnaylor.co.uk/

#20 Track your uptime

Use Pingdom, or another tool,but be the first to know when your blog is down.

#21 Track and fix those 404’s

Use John Godley’s Redirection plugin and track and fix them.

#22 Remove unneeded meta info

// Remove Really simple discovery linkremove_action('wp_head', 'rsd_link');// Remove Windows Live Writer linkremove_action('wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link');

// Remove the version number:function yoast_fix_wp_generator($generator) {    return preg_replace('/\s?'.get_bloginfo('version').'/','',$generator);}add_filter('the_generator','yoast_fix_wp_generator',10,1);

#23 Create a good search experience

Implement a Google Custom search engine to create a proper search experience, then start tracking your internal search: what are people searching for? Are they finding that? Can / should they expect that on your site?

#24 Get a good mobile plugin

Section #3: make them come back

#25 Email subscriptions!!

I prefer email, because of it’s high response.

#26 Twitter

In January, 20% of the yoast.com traffic came from Twitter.

#27 RSS

If your readers understand what RSS is, the button can’t be big enough. If they don’t know what it is, leave it out entirely!

#28 Use WP Greet Box

Section #4: engage them!

Engage them.

#29 Newsletter sign up pages

This is the perfect moment to let people refer your site and mailing list to a friend or their Twitter followers: “I just signed up for Yoast.com’s newsletter, you should too!”

#30 Comment redirect

Someone just commented and showed engagement: use that momentum

#31 Ask for feedback & comments

Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create surveys.

#31 Ask for feedback & comments

Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create surveys.

#31 Ask for feedback & comments

Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create surveys.

#31 Ask for feedback & comments

Use Gravity Forms for contact forms and surveys, or Google Docs forms function to create surveys.

#32 Use threaded comments

They keep the conversation intact and allow for a better conversation.

#33 Use Gravatars

They keep the conversation intact and allow for a better conversation.

Section #5: measuring results

#34 Use Google Analytics

Or any other proper web analytics package

#35 (Google) Analytics:- number of pageviews per visit- new unique commenter- comments- submitted feedback forms

Email + FeedBurner subscriptionsTwitter followersetc. etc. etc.

#37 Track those first time comments

Using the comment redirect plugin!

#38 Track submitted comment forms

#39 Use my blog metrics plugin

#40 (bit of a cheat)

All of this is no use if you don’t go out and actually DO it.

#40 (bit of a cheat)

Start Optimising!!

All of this is no use if you don’t go out and actually DO it.

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Feedback? Questions? Need help?

Email: joost@orangevalley.nl

Twitter: @yoast