Tag Archives: how to start a blog

Website Building

How To Customize Options in WordPress

Customize Options in WordPress

customize options in wordpressFor Web Wednesdays, we have been showing you how to take a website from simply an idea to a fully functional website. After installing WordPress & setting your theme. It is time to begin looking at the customize options in WordPress. You can do this by hovering over “Appearance” in the WordPress Dashboard on the left side of the screen. From here, you can click on Customize and you will be sent to the Customization menu for your theme. All themes have different options, but on the WordPress Twenty Seventeen theme, there are only a few customization settings.

The things we will look at in our Customize Options in WordPress video are Site Information, Colors, Header Media, & Homepage Settings. The other items on the Customize menu can be (and will be) tweaked directly through the dashboard.

Site Information will be where you set the SEO name of your website along with the tagline. You also have the option to decline displaying your site information here. You may be wondering why someone would want to do that. The reason is very simple. If you have a custom header with a logo and a tagline already in the image, then you may decline using this option. However, I do not suggest that approach.

You can certainly put your logo in an image, but then you would still want the Site Information displayed in the corner. If your business/site name is only in the graphic image and not overlain as text within the Site Information setting, then Google will not be able to pick up the name of your website and your tagline. Taglines are also good for SEO purposes. When it comes to getting picked up by Google, you need all the free help you can get.

Making Images for Your Site

If you haven’t done so already, I heavily suggest getting Adobe Creative Cloud so you can use Photoshop for making your images. Under Site Information, you are going to have the option to set a Site Image. This image will serve two functions: it will be the icon displayed on a browser tab & it will also be the icon if someone were to save your website to their homepage on the phone. The size of this image is 512 pixels by 512 pixels. It’s very easy to create a simple text favicon in Photoshop by making one letter in a cool font matching your color scheme.

You will also have to create a header media image for your site. This will be the image that people will think of when they remember your website. This means you need for this image (and any text on it) to really pop & stand out. Many people have a very difficult time trying to make text blend in well with a header image. Header images are rarely solid colors because that is boring. People will either use a stock photo or an abstract background with different colors. To create a header image that solves this problem, check out our Customize Options in WordPress tutorial video.

customize options in wordpress

Thanks for reading!

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Social Media Tips

How to Build Reddit Karma Quickly

How to Build Reddit Karma Quickly

how to build reddit karma quicklyIf you are over 30, there is a chance you don’t even know what Reddit is. If you are under 30, then there is a good chance you have used it extensively. Either way, it is a great idea to get to know it better and learn how to build Reddit Karma quickly. Reddit is an awesome platform to be able to get the word out about your business, product, service, channel, or any other cause you would like to advertise. Reddit is build in such a way that it protects its users from spam. If you are looking to spam your way to the top, then Reddit is not the place for you. If you are looking to promote your business with quality content, then Reddit is one of the best places to do so.

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Website Building

How to Install WordPress – Full Tutorial

How to Install WordPress

how to install wordpressDuring our Web Wednesday series, we have been showing you how to create a website from start to finish. We have walked you through choosing a domain name, choosing a hosting package, & setting your nameservers. Now it is time to move on to the next step and we are going to show you how to install WordPress to your website.

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Freedom Fridays

How To Outsource Work With Upwork – Free Up Your Time

Why Outsource with Upwork

outsource with upworkThere is an unseen world when it comes to any digital service. This includes SEO, graphic design, logo design, web design, web development, & much more. Almost every web company on the internet outsources at least some of their work. It’s a problem that comes with being small enough to not turn down any business opportunities and not profitable enough yet to hire additional staff members. Outsourcing can be looked at as the “dirty little secret” of digital services. You would be surprised at just how many of the digital services you have paid for involved situations where companies outsource with Upwork.

Upwork is a large freelancer site. Users can have two different types of accounts there: Freelancer or Client. I will give you my opinion on actually freelancing for Upwork, as I have done it. I don’t suggest it at all. The same reason why we will use it on the client side is the same reason why being a freelancer is not a good deal on Upwork. All of the clients want the most work done for least amount. As a reputable web or graphic designer, that makes for very difficult working conditions. As a freelancer, I found that the expectations of the clients were quite unreasonable. I was basically getting a full-time workload for what would amount to a minimum wage payment (or less). Just a warning: be careful as a freelancer on Upwork.

Outsourcing with Upwork as a Client

The client relationship with Upwork is much easier. If you read the above complaints about being a freelancer on Upwork, then please take that in consideration when you hire people. You are going to be hiring good workers who are diligent. However, it will be hard for them to ever get inside your head to understand what you actually want. Be lenient & communicate well with your freelancers and you will find many of them will go out of their way to try to please you.

As a Client, you can post jobs pretty easily. To see how to post a job, please watch our tutorial video above “Outsource with Upwork”. Once you do this, the key is to find the right candidates for your job. I will reiterate, the most important skill a freelancer will have is communication. Most of them will be able to technically perform what you need… if they understand it. Be very thorough in your vetting process to make sure that the freelancer you hire does, in fact, understand you and communicates well.

outsource with upwork

Be leery of candidates who “over-communicate.” I know that may sound a little opposite of my earlier statement, but communicating well and over-communicating are not the same thing. You want to be able to give your freelancer a job with details included and trust them to complete the job. Of course, some clarification will most likely be necessary. However, if your freelancer is going to call, text, or Skype you 20 times about every task then you might want to consider doing the task yourself. The whole point of outsourcing is to pass the job along to someone else.

We hope this has been helpful for you. Thanks for reading!

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Website Building

How to Choose a Hosting Package

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Website Building

How to Pick a Domain Name For Your Website

How to pick a Domain Name Thumb

Picking a Domain Name on GoDaddy

how to pick a domain name on godaddyPicking a domain name is the first step in your journey toward starting a website or blog of any type. The domain is the concrete that holds your entire project together. If your foundation is not good, then the rest of your brand will suffer. It is extremely important to take your time and get the process right. I always purchase all of my domains on GoDaddy.com. In my opinion, GoDaddy is the best domain registrar on the internet.

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Blog Wordpress

How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost

how-to-start-a-blog-in-15-minutes

How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost

In this post, you will learn how to easily and quickly start a WordPress blog on your own. Blogging is what changed my life when I was fired from my 9-5 job in 2011 and has allowed me to make thousands of dollars a month, doing something that I am passionate about.

The great thing about blogging is that you can start a money-making blog with just a few bucks each month!

I have partnered with Bluehost (The hosting provider I use) and have a discounted price so you can start your blog on the cheap. You will also receive a FREE DOMAIN NAME through the link as well.

Everything I do online is hosted by Bluehost. For only $2.95 a month, Bluehost can help you set up and host your blog/website. Because Porter Media is a Bluehost affiliate partner, our community can use this link to receive a 50% discount off the monthly price AND A FREE DOMAIN

Click here to start a blog on WordPress, then use the step-by-step tutorial below for the easy directions.

If you want to start a WorPress blog for cheap, choosing Bluehost as your hosting solution may be your answer. Bluehost is a great web host, and this is what I use for all of my sites. The best part about BlueHost is their customer service at all times during the day; they are extremely helpful and quick to respond.

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Blog

How To Start A Successful Blog Today

How To Start A Successful Blog Today

The blogging space is full of what I call “Noise.” This just means there are a lot of blogs out there, and very few are valuable. I’m not trying to be harsh it’s just the truth. If you want your blog to be successful, you are going to have to work extremely hard and have patience. If you have GREAT content and a consistent posting schedule you will be fine.

There are a few things you can do the “right way” when you are starting your blog that will help you get a head start on your competition. Below is a list of things that you can do as a new blogger, that will get you on the right path.

1. A Domain Name That Looks Professional

If you haven’t started your blog yet, I highly suggest you get a domain and hosting package from a web hosting service such as Bluehost. It is simple to build your blog with their built-in one-click WordPress install tool. In as little as 5 minutes you can have a FREE professional looking domain name and a hosting service.

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