WordPress Optimization Guide
This guide is specifically designed for clients of my WordPress Install Service and based on some of the best “must have” plugins and options to make the most out of your WordPress blog. If you want your own optimized self-hosted WordPress blog or if you need WordPress blog optimization please click here: WordPress Install Service.
When you log in to your blog or if you activate the Akismet plugin you may see a warning near the top like this:
Akismet is not active. You must enter your WordPress.com API key for it to work.
Click on it and follow the directions to keep the nasty spammers from adding comments with links to their websites to your blog.
If the warning is not shown click Plugins and click Activate on the right next to Akismet. If it is activated then check your API key by clicking Options, Akismet Configuration.
Use the same API key for the WordPress.com Stats plugin found under Options, WordPress.com Stats.
To obtain an API key you must create a free account on WordPress.com. And it can be very confusing for new WordPress bloggers! Here is a post that explains the difference between your self-hosted WordPress dashboard and the WordPress.com Global dashboard: WordPress API Key Global Dashboard Confusion
Your blog has been search engine optimized, has it’s own Google sitemap that automatically notifies Google when any new posts are made. It also automatically pings all the top services so you need not and should not use any other services to ping your blog.
To better optimize your blog, click Options or Settings, All In One SEO, check, change and or add your Home Title, Home Description, and Home keywords. Then click Update options.
You should also update the About page. To edit a page click Pages and then Edit, click Edit under the title of the page or the title of the page itself. Add your details in here and then click the update button on the right.
After your blog has been properly named and the All In One SEO plugin configured you can claim your blog at Technorati here: Technorati.com
All other instructions and guides can be found in the links below.
Did you download the free ebooks I suggested? Both the Authority Black Book and Blog Mastermind are excellent free resources about blogging. I don’t have any association with them and the authors will market to you, but they are worth the time and your email address to get them. The links for them can be found here https://wparena.com/thanks/
Please keep in mind that as WordPress evolves some of the options you see in the posts below may no longer be relevant, or slightly different now. If you don’t have an option or plugin installed on your blog it is highly likely by design.