Guest Post

The Problem with Plugins

Published

4 months ago

July 9, 2024

Miguel

I’m sure that you don’t need me to tell you that WordPress is huge. Let’s look at the statistics – at the time of writing, there were just under 65 million WordPress sites in the world, and over 371 million people view more than 4.1 billion WordPress pages every month.

That’s just for WordPress.com – self-hosted WordPress.org sites are arguably even more popular, thanks to their adaptability and the ease of use that the CMS offers. In fact, TechCrunch, CNN and the NFL all use WordPress sites, and it’s likely that WordPress as a CMS will continue to see dramatic growth.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love third-party plugins, they can offer a whole host of new functionality to your website and enable you to do things that you never even dreamed of. But they can also cause problems, particularly if you’re plugin happy and install everything that you can find.

Here are some of the most common problems that WordPress plugins cause, along with a few hints on what you can do to avoid them.

Security vulnerabilities

Let’s jump in at the deep-end – the worst-case scenario is that you’ll install a plugin which opens up a huge security vulnerability, allowing hackers or even the plugin’s developer to access the back-end of your website.

And it’s not always because of a malicious developer, too – take this case from a couple of years ago, when three popular plugins had unwanted backdoors added to them. Luckily, in this case, WordPress reacted quickly to reset all users’ passwords as a precaution and no lasting damage was done.

Of course, some other plugins are designed specifically to try and catch an unsuspecting admin out, and you need to look out for the warning signs. But don’t worry, help is at hand!

What to do: Change your password regularly, and use a separate password for your WordPress site than you do for all of the other sites that you frequent. Also, consider using a .htaccess file that blocks anyone from accessing your admin panel unless they’re logging in from your IP address(es). Make sure that you update your plugins whenever new versions are released (checking several times a week), so that you’re not running outdated software that might not have been patched. And finally, always take a look at the rating of the plug-in on the WordPress.org website – if it has a low rating, other admins have probably experienced problems.

Clashes with other plugins

Unfortunately, not all plugins were created equal – a quick Google search turns up over 550,000 results for ‘WordPress plugin clash’. The sad fact is that, on the odd occasion, two different plugins are completely incompatible, often due to duplicate variables, or two lines of code that get stuck in a loop.

Worse still, many developers aren’t aware of these clashes – there are just too many plugins out there for even the most dedicated development teams to test their work against every other plugin on the market.

What to do: If you can track them down, report the problem to the developers – if they’re still supporting the plugin, they’ll probably fix the bug for future releases. If you can’t find them, or if the plugin is no longer supported, you’re just going to have to avoid using whichever plugin you value the least. To make matters worse, if you really need the new plugin and you’re not sure which of your existing plugins it’s crashing with, you’re just going to have to try deactivating plugins in batches of three to try and narrow down which one is causing the problem. Oh, and have a look around online first to make sure that it is a clash, and that it’s not just a plugin that doesn’t work.

Faulty plugins

As we’ve just established, not every plugin works first time, and quite a few of them no longer work at all. In these circumstances, you’ll find that you’ve installed and activated the plugin, but it’s not having the desired effect. Now what can you do?

What to do: Unfortunately, if the plugin doesn’t work, all you can do is report it to the developers, give the plugin a poor rating on WordPress.org to warn other admins, and move on. See if you can find another plugin that does the same thing, and try that instead.

Unsupported plugins

Let’s presume that you’ve pinpointed a problem and you want to report it to the developers. How do you go about doing that? Well, the first step is to find the plugin’s page on WordPress.org and click on the ‘support’ tab – with a bit of luck, you’ll be shown a list of recent posts about the plugin, and you’ll be able to raise your own issue here.

Alternatively, most plugins have either an author bio alongside them, and you’ll be able to find more information about the developers here. It’s also worth checking any documentation that came with the plugin.

But if you use enough plugins, you’ll eventually find a plugin that doesn’t include any developer information or documentation, and you’ll be left scratching your head and wondering what to do next.

What to do: Have a look around on Google and see if you can find someone else that’s had a similar problem. If it’s a popular plugin, you might well find that someone has already encountered and solved the problem, documenting the process along the way. If not, you’re out of luck – you’ll just have to remove the plugin and move on.

Not specifically designed for the site

Even if you find that your plugin is working correctly, it might not fit the look and theme of your website. This is quite a common pitfall, and one that’s impossible for developers to predict – they design their plugins to work on as many themes as possible, paying particular attention to the most popular ones during their testing, but it’s just not possible for them to guarantee that their plugin will display correctly on whatever theme that you’re using.

What to do: Learn how to use CSS and play around with the plugin’s stylesheets – you might find that you’re able to correct the issue yourself. Depending upon your budget, it’s also worth looking for a freelance developer who may be able to come up with a fix. If all else fails, report the bug to the developers, but they’re less likely to correct an issue with how the plugin displays than they are to correct a problem that stops it from working altogether.

Slowing the load time

Let’s presume that everything is working correctly, that it all displays fine on your modified template and that the plugin does everything you were hoping for. But then you load up your website and spot a noticeable difference in the amount of time that it takes for your pages to load.

This is even more important in the age of Google – they found that when they ranked slow websites in their results pages, people actually used the search engine less frequently. Because of this, they now take loading times into account when they generate their results. It’s not just Google, either – Shopzilla shaved three seconds off their loading time, and experienced a 25% increase in page views and an increase in revenue of up to 12%.

What to do: Deactivate any plugins that you aren’t using, and investigate Google’s Webmaster Tools – they can increase your loading speed by up to 60%, by using a couple of innovative techniques. First off, they’ll pre-load information in anticipation of a user clicking through to the most popular pages. Secondly, they’ll defer the less important information and get it to load after everything else on the page has displayed.

As long as you’re sensible and look out for the warning signs, there’s no reason that you can’t add plugins safely and securely to your WordPress website. There are also other things that you can do, like backing up your database and your website files, to ensure that even if there is a problem, it won’t knock your site out of commission for good.

What WordPress plugins do you use? Have you ever experienced a problem? Let me know with a comment!

Author Bio:

Dane Cobain is a social media specialist for UK-based creative agency fst the Group. He’s also a gadget-lover and tech fanatic, as well as an internet addict.

Guest Post

Adsense Pro Ultimate – Top Selling CTR Worpress Theme Review

Published

7 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Miguel

Adsense Pro Ultimate – Top Selling CTR Worpress Theme Review 12

Classic CTR Themes For WordPress have made it pretty easy to build informational websites using Adsense that can get you awesome click-through rates (CTR). Adsense provides you the ready-made income at home and is a great way to earn money in a short amount of time by placing ads on your website, but usually, these sites let you have a great amount of money on the table because of not very good looking designs and under-optimized ad placements.

If you are seeking out an Adsense theme then Adsense Pro Ultimate Theme (or APU for short) ought to be at the top of your list. Although you will find other themes available as a rule you have to pinch them and add extra icons as well as play with the code like PHP, HMTL, and CSS. In fact, most of the Adsense styles are ready-made Adsense and not Adsense optimized. It is almost like the difference between HD ready and full HD, I would for sure, try to go for the 1080p television because of the higher quality. Though 720p is not that bad it is not the top dog in the town.

The Adsense Pro Ultimate CTR Theme is by and large a WordPress theme that is solely built to get monetized with the Adsense to generate you some extra profit or money. This theme is completely optimized and made for the purpose to get the highest possible click as a result of better ad placement, so that you can have a better income, just with the help of this theme. Google has recommended this Ad placement strategy to be used when for better ad placement and profits.

With the help of CTR themes such as APU, Magnum, and others, you have the ability to turn any site into a money-making machine but then again it can only be done when you have got sufficient knowledge about site-building and maintenance.

Adsense Pro Ultimate CTR Theme really works!

If you want the best Adsense WordPress theme then you need to choose WordPress themes from ctr-themes.com. Unlike other themes which need to be tweaked these themes are already Adsense made and you do not have to do a lot of doodling with the PHP and CSS too.

Most of the Adsense themes are Adsense ready, not Adsense optimized. There are a lot of Adsense templates that focus on placing the ads on the header and some ads on the sidebars, I’m quite sure that you have seen plenty of such websites. Ad placement is quite broad and varied plus you also have the option to fully control the ad placement

When all of this trickles down to showing or hiding ads from the viewers not a single other theme comes in the way of the Adsense Pro Ultimate WordPress theme. You can hide ads with one click so that they do not get displayed when you are trying to get your site listed in the search engines and you always have the option to prevent showing your ads.

How is it different from the Competitors?

When you compare Adsense Pro Ultimate CTR Theme with other competitor themes, you always get the advantage. No other theme is so easy to use than this. There is an administrative panel installed in this theme that lets you change the ads and place them elsewhere without changing the original codes of the theme.

Besides this, it also provides a better and faster loading speed for your site. If you get into any trouble then there is always a panel of highly professional individuals who will help you 24/7.

Results

The result is quite obvious. With Adsense Pro Ultimate your AdSense website can generate more revenue when visitors click on the ads placement using the layout algorithm.

Musab Zain is a web developer by profession, who loves creating stunning Adsense WordPress Themes for his customers. More on his work here: ctr-themes.com

Guest Post

How to Incorporate a Website into Your Website Marketing Efforts

Published

5 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Guest Bloggers

How to Incorporate a Website into Your Website Marketing Efforts 15

In today’s techno-centric culture, you simply must have a business website, no matter how small or “local” your restaurant business is. Consider the fact that the Yellow Pages (yes, that big book that you use to swat flies) has even gone the way of the web. Just as you wouldn’t dream of operating a restaurant without having a telephone number, you shouldn’t miss the boat when it comes to having a business website. Here are some great tips for how to incorporate a website into your restaurant marketing efforts:

The makings of a good website. You don’t need fancy graphics and a complex sitemap to have a good website for your restaurant. Really, you just need to incorporate some basics into your web design to have a site that can effectively speak for your business. At the very least, you should include details about your location, contact information, hours of operation, pricing, and menu items. Ideally, you can also use your website to spotlight members of your team, express your philosophy, detail the history of your business, and show web surfers what your restaurant looks like.

Promotions. You can use your restaurant website to promote upcoming events, seasonal menu items, and special discounts. By highlighting promotions on your site, you encourage your customers to check in regularly for updated information. This is a great way to stay in regular contact with patrons who may otherwise slip off your radar.

Reservations via the website. Most people these days use the Internet to decide on everything from which family practitioner they take their children to to which restaurants they eat in. You can offer them a major convenience (and snag those potential customers who may be just “shopping around”) by allowing them to make dinner reservations via your online interface.

Include your URL on all of your marketing materials. Once you have your website up and running, you need to put it to work for you. That means spreading the word. The best way to make people aware of your website and inspire them to pay a visit is to include your URL on everything from business cards to menus to signage. To really impress patrons with your modernity, incorporate QR codes into everything related to your restaurant; one quick scan from any smart phone will deliver customers straight to your website.

As you can see, there are many exciting ways you can use the web to improve upon your restaurant marketing efforts. Try not just one, but all, of these methods to get the most out of your business website.

About the Author: Brian Rage recently opened his own restaurant. He set up his new restaurant point of sale system, created stunning elegant menus, and finally had his website designed to match his theme. Talk to a marketing expert if you aren’t sure how to create or run a website.

Guest Post

WordPress Tips for Photographers

Published

17 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Miguel

Photography is the art of capturing naturalistic images with the help of photographic cameras. It is the science of framing up visible images along with factors like light. Photography entwines itself with illumination, lighting, darkness, and shadows, much like how nature and spirituality are entwined. Over time, photos and pictures become cogent evidence for the changing aspect of nature and time. The only property in our lives that is untouched by time is the moment captured in a photo. Anything that is unaffected by time in this universe is immortal and divine.

Photographers in a way are artists who capture the aesthetic occurrences of this world. For a successful photographer, it is always a gamble between what he feels is necessary and what he feels is unnecessary. For an avid photographer, vision is his treasure and camera is his Holy Grail. For such a divine profession, storing and keeping track of those captivating moments caught on film is inherent. With the invention of groundbreaking cloud storage technologies coupled with the emergence of the internet as a data storage platform, photographers need not ponder over the issue of photo storage. By utilizing such technologies, photographers can build portfolios, maintain websites, generate leads, and attract prospective clients.

Social networking and photo-sharing websites such as Picasa and Flickr serve the purpose of saving and storing all your photographs online. But when you are looking to generate business leads and attract prospective clients, having your own website with a URL to your portfolio will be an inviting option. WordPress is one of those notable online platforms that help photographers manage their portfolios. Most of us know WordPress only for blogging but of late, it has developed into a reliable content management system. A content management system allows you to upload and store various types of content on your website.

One of the most prominent features of content management systems such as WordPress is that they allow you to change the appearance of your website without altering the content. For photographers, WordPress allows you to update and publish new photos and you can post them instantly. And to top it all off, WordPress can be downloaded for free from www.wordpress.org. Probably the only time you have to spend money is when you select a domain name and choose a hosting package from a website hosting service.

The theme speaks volumes about your website and portfolio. So make sure you select the right theme, there are countless free and premium WordPress themes with which you can customize your website depending on the niche of your portfolio. Here are a few free WordPress Themes in 2012 that will best suit photo-based websites:

WidePhoto – A free HTML5 fullscreen WordPress theme for photographers that want a visually impressive website to showcase photography.
Grid Photo – A fully-responsive HTML5 grid-based theme for photographers and photography fans.
Minimatica – A very stylish, modern, and minimalist theme with a beautiful image gallery slider and an optional blog view.
F8 Lite – A multimedia and photography portfolio theme for WordPress.
Hatch – A simple and minimal type of portfolio theme for designers, photographers, illustrators, or photobloggers.

You may also take a look at these few tips for photographers using WordPress:

1. Avoid images being suppressed every time you change a theme by adjusting your media settings as required by the theme. The Viper007Bond’s Regenerate Thumbnail plug-in automatically resizes your image as per the requirements of the theme.

2. As photographic websites tend to have a huge collection of pictures and the load time of the website is affected drastically. Installing the W3 Total Cache plug-in will enhance the load time of your website.

3. All versions released after WordPress 2.9 have a special option with which you can select featured images for your posts and web pages. Select the best picture in your portfolio to attract visitors and prospective clients.

4. Create readable and descriptive file names for your images as it is important for search engine optimization.

Hope these tips and suggestions will help you to efficiently manage your WordPress-based Photography website.

George Webber writes about Entertainment, Technology, and the Internet. He writes on behalf of www.1800cabletv.com – your gateway to the best cable companies across the nation.

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