Wordpress Expert : Steve Watson Online

Catalyst Theme Review

I really must get my act together when it comes to using the new releases that come out. Last week I only just started using OptimisePress which had been released several months ago, and now I have just started using the Catalyst WordPress Theme again released 3 or 4 months ago.

I have been using the Frugal theme (Catalyst’s predecessor) religiously for the past 2 or 3 years and had fallen in love with it and to be honest when Catalyst first come out I couldn’t bear the thought of another learning curve and the time it would take to come up to speed using it.

However last Wednesday I made the decision to go with it when I remembered that as a previous Frugal Developer License owner I could upgrade for free!

I installed another WordPress site on my localhost server (yes a server on my computer, more on that in another post), then installed the Catalyst theme ready to have a play with it.

I’ve been thinking of upgrading SteveWatsonOnline for a while now but could not decide what theme to go with. The main contenders were Catalyst, Thesis & Genesis. In the back of my mind I had chosen Genesis because all the big boys (Pro Blogger, Copyblogger etc.) have recently upgraded to it and I love the simplicity yet sturdy look of their sites. But why spend another $200 when I have a developer license with Catalyst and could achieve a similar sort of look and feel as those guys?

Optimizepress Theme Review

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Ok so I’m a little slow out of the traps with this review because The Optimizepress WordPress Theme was released a few months ago. I have only just started using it, firstly on my own stuff and now for my clients. The feedback I’m getting for it is amazing!

Optimizepress is the brainchild of James Dyson. James has been online since 2005 and makes over a million dollars a year selling his products and services – fair play to him.

So what is Optimizepress? Well it is a premium WordPress theme, premium in this case means it comes with a price tag, but not the sort of price tag you would expect. More on that later. Optimizepress is a theme that you install like any other WP theme but with a whole lot more going on under the bonnet than even some of the best premium themes out there.

Optimizepress makes is ridiculously easy to create landing pages, sales letters, video pages, launch pages, bonus pages and pretty much any sort of page you like. With the addition of Wishlist Member (another WordPress plug in) you can also create membership sites!

11 Online Business Blogging Tips from My Favourite Bloggers

Written by Steve Watson · 4 Comments

I do a lot of web development for my clients, building them WordPress powered websites and blogs mainly for their businesses.

The most common problem new online business owners have is getting discovered, getting traffic & constantly creating compelling content. With those questions in mind I thought I would put together a list of online business blogging tips from some of my favourite bloggers.

Ok here we go:

The First Rule Of Building a Thriving Online Audience

“If you want to build a thriving online audience of fans and customers who will push you to unthinkable heights, there’s one thing you have to get right first, above all else…”

Corbett Barr – ThinkTraffic.net

Where To Find Fresh Blogs and How To Get Your Blog Discovered

“A reader of my digital photography blog asked me how I find new blogs to subscribe to. At first I was surprised at the question, I add new blogs to my feed reader all the time. In fact I really ought to trim it down. It is an important issue after thinking about it…”

Chris Garret – Chrisg.com

Making Real Money Online: Making it Happen

“Making real money online does not happen inside your head, it happens out in the world. If you are like me you will have lots of ideas that never get acted on. We need to go from day-dreaming to doing..!”

Chris Garret – Chrisg.com

Definitive Guide to Becoming Likeable Online

“I want you to think about something. What could be my number one point be in the answer to “how do I become more likeable?” What do you think is the most important factor to becoming likeable online…?”

Glen Alsop – ViperChill.com

22 Action Ways To Be A Remarkable Blogger

“Wishing for an outcome and actually taking action to achieve it are two totally different things. Below you’ll find a list of 22 ideas and actions that you can take right now as a blogger to help you become extraordinary, unusual, noteworthy – remarkable…”

Pat Flynn – SmartPassiveIncome.com

8 Things I Wish I Knew When I Became an Entrepreneur

“Taking a leap into entrepreneurship is like riding a bike for the very first time. Although it can be fun and exciting, there are consequences such as falling on the ground and getting hurt…”

Neil Patel – QuickSprout.com

An Unconventional Guide to Kickin’ Ass in 2011

“Wherever you are in your online goals there’s one thing you NEED to do this very moment to guarantee this next year becomes your BREAKOUT YEAR…”

Murray Lunn – Murlu.com

Boost Your Blog Traffic: A Guide For Bloggers Who Want More Traffic in 2011

“Are you looking for more traffic for your blog? If you answer yes – you’re not alone. In fact you’re in the vast majority of bloggers…”

Darren Rowse – ProBlogger.net

8 Keys to Blogging Success

“Are you considering starting a blog? Maybe your blog isn’t working for you? Blogging is one of the hottest ways to build business online…”

Lori Randall – Social Media Examiner.com

The Bloggers Guide to Facebook

“Over the last month, I’ve been trying to figure out how to best utilize Facebook as a blogger. To be more specific, I wanted to focus on what Facebook could offer me as far as….”

Pat Flynn – SmartPassiveIncome.com

The Secrets to Making Money Online

“I recently had a conversation with a friend who has just started out with making money from blogging. He had been struggling to get over the initial hump of getting things going and wanted to pick my brain on the “secrets” of how to do it…”

Darren Rowse – ProBlogger.net

I would love to hear what challenges you’re a facing at the moment with your online business… Leave me a comment below… thanks

Backup Buddy Plugin Brilliance!

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Finally I have found an EASY way of backing up WordPress and storing the files. Not only does this software back up, it also has a simple step by step script that makes restoring & moving your site to a new server for example a breeze.

Backup Buddy is a brilliantly complete solution and it is really easy to use. I’ve just bought the plug in and thought I would share the great discovery with all my clients and readers.

OK I know “back up” isn’t sexy but it is an essential part of any online business and up until now it has been stupidly difficult for the average user to set up an automated back up system that you can rely on and reinstall yourself without hiring “phpMyAdmin” experts!

All of us who have blogs and websites spend hours and hours creating beautifully compelling content (well we try) and without a decent back up process disaster is only round the corner!

It’s Not Too Late To Plan For 2011

Written by Steve Watson · 4 Comments

Ok the dust has settled and the New Year is well underway

I’m back to business but its going to be a bit different this year, more on that later.

First of all have you created an action plan for your website or online business for the New Year, it’s not too late!

I’ve spent the last few weeks planning what I am going to do in 2011 and going through that process has inspired me to write this post.

Out with the old

The start of any New Year is the perfect time to do a thorough MOT on your website. If you are anything like me there is always something to improve but you have never gotten round to it. What is missing or broken? What needs updating? Are your stats going in the right direction? If not, why not? Do you ask your visitors for feedback to improve the surfer experience on your website? By the way that information is golden and should be at least listened to and most of the time acted upon.

One of the most frustrating things for visitors is dead ends which more often than not will make a reader leave. I like to offer them something new on every page and a clear call to action where relevant.

Another thing to review would be your Webmaster tools account and your sitemap. Do you have any broken links , are there any crawl errors? This is all important stuff when it comes to your sites ranking.

So in with the new then

A new site? Not necessarily, although if you need a new site now’s the time to get it in place. That aside there are loads of things we can do to improve on what we did in 2010.

Planning your content is a great way to get organised with your website and can save you a lot of hassle. Planning a couple of months in advance can be very helpful and luckily there are many tools out there to help you achieve this. The WordPress editorial calendar is brilliant for organising your blog posts. If you do all your own design you can plan the work using tools such as Workflowy or Remember the Milk.

3 Outstanding Blogs & 3 Outstanding Posts!

Written by Steve Watson · 4 Comments

The first one and my favourite out of the three is The Smart Passive Income Blog

http://www.smartpassiveincome.com

In October I started a fitness regime due to tipping the scales at a ridiculously heavy 17 stone and I set about trying to find some great podcasts to listen to on my iPhone. To cut a long story short I found Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income podcast. The podcast currently has 9 episodes and each one is pure gold. They are mainly based around Pat interviewing fellow bloggers who make their living online. The approach Pat uses in his interviews is fresh and he always gets the most out of his interviewees.

The podcast naturally lead me on to reading his blog and the blogs of his interviewees. Reading Pat’s blog has given my enthusiasm for making money online a real boost.

Pat is open and honest about everything he does online; you’ve only got to read his income reports to see he leaves nothing behind.

My favourite post so far from Smart Passive Income is Back Linking A Strategy That Works

An epic post which describes the whole back linking process that Pat uses to get his niche sites ranked #1 in Google within a couple of month. The post blew me away to be honest and it was very generous of him to share all that information. That sharing theme runs right the way through his blog. It really is a goldmine of information.

You must check it out!

The second outstanding blog is Viper Chill: Viral Marketing

http://www.viperchill.com

Glen Alsop is the founder of Viper Chill and he’s only 20 years old. The blog has a big SEO theme running through it and my current favourite post is WordPress SEO: The Only Guide You’ll Need. This is another epic post which explains EVERYTHING you need to know about WordPress SEO.

5 Great Tips On How To Manage Shiny New Object Syndrome!

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If you spend a lot of time working on the internet you almost certainly sign up to many newsletters and “guru” lists. I certainly do, it keeps me engaged with the latest stuff that is going on.

However there is dark side to this which is commonly known as “Shiny New Object Syndrome”

The fast changing nature of the internet and online business means that there is ALWAYS something new around the corner and if you are like me you want (need) to know all about it! I have to fight the urge to buy the next great product that promises to propel my business into the stratosphere every time an offer comes into my inbox.

Just two days ago an email come in from a well know internet marketer. I won’t tell you who it was but it got my attention as it was about tapping into to a market which had buyers but very little competition… Ideal right? I was so taken by this idea that I immediately emailed a well respected colleague of mine to ask his opinion, something I do on a regular basis due to my affliction.

On occasion he has suffered from this awful affliction but has now gotten over it and has very firm boundaries when it comes to NEW STUFF.

He gave me 5 great tips or more accurately 5 questions to ask oneself when an offer comes into your inbox which you just can’t seem to ignore. These were his wise words…

The first questions I ask myself when an opportunity like this turns up are.

1. Does this inspire me?

2. Would I do this if money were no object? (if not, then the chances are I will get bored of it or give up when it gets too tricky)

3. What investment do I need other than the one being stated? (e.g. time, money whilst I’m testing the marketing, outsourcers for the bits I’m crap at or don’t like)

4. What’s the likely return on investment for me? (as opposed to the “headline” figures that the person offering the opportunity has made)

5. Do I possess all the necessary skills to achieve the results being inferred? (if not then how long do I envisage it will take me to learn them / outsource them)

I now find I’m able to delete 95% of the opportunities that arrive in my inbox daily instead of buying stuff that fills up my shelves and my mind!

Great advice there which will help me a great deal to focus on what I need to be doing.

The colleague, who gave me this advice was Paul Fuggle, thanks Paul!

For more inspirational ideas visit Paul’s blog at http://PaulFuggle.com

Content Delivery Network – What is it?

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CDN is a network of servers at that delivers cached content from websites, blogs & applications to the site visitor based on the geographic locations of: a)the user b)the origin of the static content and c) a content delivery edge server.

So what does that mean in plain English? Simply put it means the closer the CDN server is to where the user is, the faster the surfing experience ergo the faster the content gets delivered.

Even more simply put: If you have a CDN account your website will run faster which has many benefits including user experience, faster loading of video and large images and better search engine rankings!

This is how it works (it get’s a tiny bit technical but bare with me)

A CDN utilizes technology standards like Anycast, lighttpd and BGP to transmit the static content files to a network of servers that are spread out at different geographic locations around the world, caching the contents of the file. Click here for a definition of caching.

When a user or website visitor requests a static file that is linked to a CDN, the CDN redirects the request from the originating site’s server to a PoP (Point of Presence) that is closest to the user, then delivers that cached content. The CDN’s edge servers lessen the number of internet hops needed to transmit the file to the end user. The CDN will also talk with the originating server to send any content that has not been previously cached.

So the less hops, the speedier the delivery. Crystal clear yes??

You don’t really need to know or understand how it all works to use it however because it is easy to set up an account and install. More on that in a bit.

Bottom-line? Your visitors get a smoother, faster and happier online experience.

Check out MAXCDN for more information or to set up an account:

As always I am on hand via email or my contact form for any questions you may have on the installation of a CDN