WordPress Blog Optimization Check List

Posted by Jeff

on February 15, 2008

So you have a newly installed WordPress blog but now what? Well to get the most from it you should check a few things to make sure it is configured correctly and optimized.

Contrary to what you may have read or been told, WordPress or blogging is not going to be replaced or rendered obsolete by other content management systems any time soon. Yes some systems allow you to easily add pages to your site and make site-wide additions or tweaks within one central location as WordPress does. But when it comes to the blogging community and the viral traffic generation it brings, WordPress and blogging in general, will continue to grow and evolve.

Having a nice website that is easy to control is only part of the equation. Correctly using an optimized blog as part of your site is probably the easiest way to generate traffic to funnel into that nice site you have been working on.

Here are a few things to look for in a WordPress blogs dashboard to make sure it is properly configured and optimized.

From within the WordPress dashboard click Options, check the title of your blog. Is it correct and a unique name? Under that is the blogs Tagline, if it is this: ‘Just another WordPress weblog’ then; Your Blog Is Not Optimized.

Next click Options then Permalinks. If the default option is selected; Your Blog Is Not Optimized.

Next click Manage, Posts and then click edit next to a post to open it. Scroll down below the write post box and see if you can find the upload area that looks like this:

If its not there and you see an error message; Your Blog Is Not Optimized.

If you have an upload option available try to upload a small graphic file with it. If you get a failed to write to disc or any other error message; Your Blog Is Not Optimized.

Next click Options, Plugins, Check for a few important plugins like:

All in One SEO
Sitemap
Subscribe to Comments
Smart Update Pinger
WordPress Backup
WordPress Stats
Some type of social bookmarking plugin.

The most important plugin is for SEO. If you don’t have any plugins installed other than Akismet and Hello, then; Your Blog Is Not Optimized.

This post is just a reality check and not a guide on how to optimize your WordPress blog. If you use some of the resources here on my site and online you will find all the information you need to optimize your WordPress blog.

You can start here: WordPress Optimization Guide

I can optimize your blog for a very reasonable fee depending on what you want done check out: WordPress Optimization Service

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WordPress Guide

Tags: WordPress Guide

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Sorry but due to the spamming of a few all comments are moderated and will appear when approved and all drive-by comments will be deleted!

Comments

Comment by Woney on February 16, 2008 @ 7:22 am

Hi Jeff,

You always bring us valuable information.

Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Tom Lindstrom on February 20, 2008 @ 5:08 am

Good checklist! I ´m also using WordPress and Í like how easy it can be optimized for best performance.Thanks for sharing these tips, I shall return soon for more. -Tom

Comment by Peter Tremayne on February 21, 2008 @ 4:40 am

Hi Jeff,

You’re right, it is so important to optimize your blog properly if you intend to monetize it.

I personally use Semiologic Pro which comes with all the plugins already installed, plus a load more!

It’s a bit pricey for a beginner, but definitely worth considering.

~ Peter Tremayne

Comment by Suzanne Morrison on April 3, 2008 @ 4:49 pm

Hi Jeff,

Very helpful tips as always. I have done a lot of SEO, but I am fairly new to WordPress so it is very useful to read your checklist!

Thanks,
Suzanne

Comment by Varun on June 13, 2010 @ 6:08 am

Hi Jeff,
You always bring us valuable information.
I ‘m also using WordPress and I like how easy it can be optimized for best performance.Thanks for sharing these tip.
Thanks

Comment by Alex Sol on March 14, 2011 @ 9:04 pm

This article is pretty much 3 years old but still very actual and to the point. I used different platform and editors but this point I switched all of my websites to WordPress and I am lovin’ it !

Jeff Replied:
March 26th, 2011 at 8:01 am

Alex thanks for recognizing the age of the post, I haven’t posted on this site in quite some time but still moderate the comments and try to answer some simple questions.

Sometimes there is confusion from people who read the instructions and complain that they don’t see the exact same thing I refer to not realizing that WordPress has evolved considerably since the post was made so long ago.

Drive-By comments will be deleted! Like "Thanks for sharing", "Nice post", or any other text that doesn't contribute to the discussion. If you ask a very specific question about your particular WordPress theme, it will probably be deleted. I can fix your WordPress site but for a price. If you ask a question like "Why don't my blog work right", it will be deleted. If you ask a question about your WordPress site without a leaving a link to it, it will be deleted. The point is to ask questions and or comment on the the actual content of the post, and to please use some common sense. All comments are moderated and will appear when approved. Thank you.