Setting Up and Maintaining Your Self-Hosted WordPress Site

Slide 1

Slide 1 text

Setting Up and Maintaining Your Self-hosted WordPress Website Suzette Franck 2014 Phoenix WordCamp Chandler, AZ #wcphx Friday, January 17, 2014 Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple

Slide 2

Slide 2 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ Media Temple ★Born in Hollywood, California Native ★20 Years Coding & Web Development ★Developed over 200 WordPress sites ★2013: 12 WordCamps, 8 states, 2 countries ★WordPress Podcast WPgirlieshow.com ★Reg. Contributor on WPwatercooler.com ★Blogs at: suzettefranck.com ★Slides: speakerdeck.com/suzettefranck

Slide 3

Slide 3 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★3:00 - 3:30 Look or “Skin” of Your Site w/Themes ★3:30 - 4:00 Menus, Widgets, and Sidebars ★4:00 - 4:30 Functionality w/Plugins ★4:30 - 5:00 Maintenance and WordPress Help Agenda

Slide 4

Slide 4 text

Slide 5

Slide 5 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple WordPress Themes A WordPress Theme is a group of template files stored on your server that make up the “look” of your site and can be installed and customized from the Dashboard

Slide 6

Slide 6 text

Best are listed in WP Repository, strict standards, made by volunteers, may not have support, GPLv2, may have “Pro” paid version w/additional features Not listed in WP Repository, no standards, made by anyone, typically do include some support, license varies Types of Themes

Slide 7

Slide 7 text

Slide 8

Slide 8 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Appearance > Themes ★Change Themes ★Customize Themes ★Widgets (sidebar) ★Menus (navigation) ★Header (depends on theme) ★Theme Options ★Editor = No Undo!! Avoid!

Slide 9

Slide 9 text

Slide 10

Slide 10 text

Slide 11

Slide 11 text

Slide 12

Slide 12 text

Slide 13

Slide 13 text

Slide 14

Slide 14 text

Slide 15

Slide 15 text

Slide 16

Slide 16 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple The Customizer for Origin Theme Different options depending on your theme

Slide 17

Slide 17 text

Slide 18

Slide 18 text

Slide 19

Slide 19 text

Slide 20

Slide 20 text

Slide 21

Slide 21 text

Slide 22

Slide 22 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple WordPress Themes ★Contents of themes will vary ★.PHP files add functionality ★.CSS files add styles or look ★Both .PHP and .CSS files are plain text files!!! ★Can be viewed/edited with any text editor: Sublime Test 2, Notepad++, Notepad, Text Wrangler

Slide 23

Slide 23 text

Slide 24

Slide 24 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple When Searching for a Theme ★Not all themes are created equally ★Do not search Google for free themes (malware) ★WordPress Repository is best for free themes ★Avoid Theme Forest (complicated, hard to customize) ★Trusted Premium Theme Shops: Google all the Reviews!

Slide 25

Slide 25 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Recommended Free Themes ★Magazine Basic ★Origin ★Quark ★Swift ★Pagelines

Slide 26

Slide 26 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Recommended Premium Themes ★WooThemes ★Elegant Themes ★Graph Paper Press ★DevPress ★Okay Themes

Slide 27

Slide 27 text

Slide 28

Slide 28 text

Slide 29

Slide 29 text

What is a Plugin? + A WordPress Plugin is a single or group of php file(s) stored on your server that add functionality, features, or applications to your site

Slide 30

Slide 30 text

Slide 31

Slide 31 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Plugins Can Do Anything! ★Change Default Functionality: add an option to admin ★Add Applications: e-Commerce, Social Networking ★Provide Interactivity: Contact Forms, Surveys, Sharing ★Help you Maintain Your Site: Backups, Optimization, Caching

Slide 32

Slide 32 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple You Don’t Need a Plugin For That ★Adding video or embedding media ★Uploading pictures and audio ★Just add URL (YouTube, Flickr, SoundCloud) ★http://codex.wordpress.org/Embeds

Slide 33

Slide 33 text

Slide 34

Slide 34 text

WordPress Plugin Repository ★FREE! GPLv2 (General Public License) ★Will not spam your website with advertising ★Includes readme.txt ★No obfuscated (hidden) code ★Cannot disable functionality or annoy to force you to buy ★No unauthorized collection of data ★No banner or advertising, sponsored links

Slide 35

Slide 35 text

Premium Plugin Sources ★Gravity Forms (gravityforms.com) ★VaultPress (vaultpress.com) ★Code Canyon (codecanyon.net) ★WPMU Dev (premium.wpmudev.org)

Slide 36

Slide 36 text

Slide 37

Slide 37 text

Slide 38

Slide 38 text

Slide 39

Slide 39 text

Slide 40

Slide 40 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Plugin Anatomy ★.php file(s) ★readme.txt ★screenshots ★other files and folders

Slide 41

Slide 41 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple When Searching for Plugins ★Not all plugins are created equally ★Know your sources! ★WordPress Repository is best for free plugins ★Many free plugins have a paid pro or premium version ★Check last updated, compatibility, rating and other info ★Code Canyon is a good source, look for trusted authors ★Trusted Premium Plugin Shops: Gravity Forms, WPMU, etc.

Slide 42

Slide 42 text

Slide 43

Slide 43 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★Developed by Steve Carnam ★3 Test Sites w/Free ★Meetup Discount: 30% off http://serverpress.com/wp-for-artists/ $34.95 with code WP4A Plugins > Add New

Slide 44

Slide 44 text

Slide 45

Slide 45 text

Search by Name or Keyword Browse by clicking on Category & Tag Links

Slide 46

Slide 46 text

Search Results

Slide 47

Slide 47 text

Plugin Details

Slide 48

Slide 48 text

Slide 49

Slide 49 text

Finding a Plugin in the WordPress Repository ★Plugin Name & Version ★Star Rating ★Number of Times Downloaded ★Last Updated ★Requirements & Compatibility ★Authors & Donation Page ★Support Forum

Slide 50

Slide 50 text

WordPress Plugin Page

Slide 51

Slide 51 text

WordPress Favorites

Slide 52

Slide 52 text

Favorites Page

Slide 53

Slide 53 text

Accessing Favorites

Slide 54

Slide 54 text

As few as possible! How Many Plugins?

Slide 55

Slide 55 text

Slide 56

Slide 56 text

Updating Plugins Always keep your plugins up-to-date! Run a Backup first!

Slide 57

Slide 57 text

Update Available Update one-by-one or bulk update

Slide 58

Slide 58 text

Troubleshooting ★Read the readme.txt ★Deactivate all plugins, activate one-by-one ★Rename plugin folder using FTP (will deactivate it) ★Use Support Forum on WordPress.org

Slide 59

Slide 59 text

★Go to Plugins > Editor ★Select plugin from drop-down menu ★List of files on the right, click readme.txt ★View on the left Viewing readme.txt *** NEVER edit an active plugin! *** X

Slide 60

Slide 60 text

WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH RAWR!

Slide 61

Slide 61 text

WordPress Plugin Page

Slide 62

Slide 62 text

Free Plugins for Every Site ★WP-Help (Documentation) ★Akismet (Spam blocker) ★Jetpack by WordPress.com (Everything) ★WordPress SEO by Yoast (SEO) ★WordFence Security (Security) ★WP-Optimize (Optimize your DB) ★BackUpWordPress (Backups) ★Google Analyticator (Statistics)

Slide 63

Slide 63 text

Slide 64

Slide 64 text

Slide 65

Slide 65 text

Slide 66

Slide 66 text

Slide 67

Slide 67 text

Slide 68

Slide 68 text

Best Practices ★Run backups regularly and before updating ★Keep core, plugins and themes updated ★Remove unused plugins and themes ★Every editor should have their own account ★Practice least privilege, remove unused accounts ★Do not access admin from public WIFI ★Do not use plain FTP, use SFTP ★Document everything for later (WP Help)

Slide 69

Slide 69 text

Slide 70

Slide 70 text

Getting WordPress Help ★Community is best resource ★Local Meetups & WordCamps ★Online Groups: LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook Groups ★WordPress Support Forums for Plugins ★Contact Seller or Developer for Themes ★http://codex.wordpress.org ★http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/ ★Your hosting provider’s knowledgebase

Slide 71

Slide 71 text

Slide 72

Slide 72 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★http://wordpress.org/support/ Community Resources @Ipstenu Mika Epstein

Slide 73

Slide 73 text

Slide 74

Slide 74 text

Slide 75

Slide 75 text

Slide 76

Slide 76 text

Slide 77

Slide 77 text

Slide 78

Slide 78 text

Slide 79

Slide 79 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★Follow smart people on Twitter ★Watch and attend their speeches ★Read their books and articles ★Work and collaborate with smart people ★Smart people never know it all ★“The more you know the less you know” Learn from Smart People @chrislema

Slide 80

Slide 80 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple Learning Resources “Even the most resourceful housewife cannot create miracles from a riceless pantry”

Slide 81

Slide 81 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★Videos ★Books ★Online Resources ★Helpful Websites ★Recommended Tools ★Community Resources Learning Resources

Slide 82

Slide 82 text

Slide 83

Slide 83 text

Slide 84

Slide 84 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★http://wpgirlieshow.com - Thursdays at 11:30am PST Video Show Resources

Slide 85

Slide 85 text

Slide 86

Slide 86 text

Slide 87

Slide 87 text

Slide 88

Slide 88 text

Slide 89

Slide 89 text

Slide 90

Slide 90 text

Slide 91

Slide 91 text

Slide 92

Slide 92 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson Book Resources @LisaSabinWilson

Slide 93

Slide 93 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★Professional WordPress Design and Development by Hal Stern, David Damstra, and Brad Williams Book Resources

Slide 94

Slide 94 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★WordPress for Web Developers by Stephanie Leary Book Resources @sleary

Slide 95

Slide 95 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★Professional WordPress Plugin Development by Brad Williams, Ozh Richard, and Justin Tadlock Book Resources @williamsba @ozh @justintadlock

Slide 96

Slide 96 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★The Principles of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beaird Design Book Resources

Slide 97

Slide 97 text

Slide 98

Slide 98 text

Slide 99

Slide 99 text

Slide 100

Slide 100 text

Slide 101

Slide 101 text

Slide 102

Slide 102 text

Slide 103

Slide 103 text

Slide 104

Slide 104 text

Slide 105

Slide 105 text

Slide 106

Slide 106 text

Slide 107

Slide 107 text

Slide 108

Slide 108 text

Slide 109

Slide 109 text

Slide 110

Slide 110 text

Slide 111

Slide 111 text

Slide 112

Slide 112 text

Slide 113

Slide 113 text

Slide 114

Slide 114 text

Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2013 (mt) Media Temple ★http://serverpress.com/ Desktop Server Recommended Tools @steveorevo Stephen Carroll/Carnam

Slide 115

Slide 115 text

Slide 116

Slide 116 text

Slide 117

Slide 117 text

Slide 118

Slide 118 text

@mt_Suzette Questions? Follow Me! Suzette Franck [email protected] https://speakerdeck.com/suzettefranck