Greetings, fellow bloggers!
If you’re reading this post chances are you have a website or are in the process of creating one. Perhaps you’re still on the fence. If so, I hope this tutorial encourages you to make the leap. Welcome aboard the grand adventure!
This is part two of my series ~ Blogging to Success with WordPress!
Owning a website is a liberating experience. Our thoughts, our work, our designs have a home and we’re eager to share it with the world. Cheers to that! ♥
Realistically speaking, though, it can feel a little intimidating and sometimes daunting trying to figure out the ins and outs of it all. I hear ya. I’ve been there, too.
Fast forward a few years and now I have the absolute pleasure of helping others create and manage their own websites. Creating a website that we’re proud to own is one thing, managing it to maximize reach and outcomes is just as critical, perhaps more so.
Managing WordPress like the Pros
Before we jump in …
Whether your website is hosted by WordPress.com or you’re using WordPress.org (self-hosted) with (ie. Bluehost), the process of setting up the design and function of your website is much the same. However, there is a difference as to what you have access to. For more detailed information regarding WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, please visit ~ Essential tips, tools, and resources for bloggers and website owners!
This website is hosted by Bluehost. I also use Jetpack for daily backups, managing spam, and seamless access to additional features. You’ll notice this reference throughout this Blogging to Success series.
WordPress.com Users ~ The versatility of Jetpack is included with your hosting.
WordPress.org Users ~ If you’re self-hosted (ie. Bluehost), you can add the Jetpack Plugin for free. Additional features are available via their paid plans.
♥
*Disclosure: These are resources I personally use and value highly. So much so, I became an Affiliate member. As an Affiliate, I endorse the products and services I use and love. If you see the value in these products and choose to purchase via my referral links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. ♥
If you’re just setting up your website, feel free to view the first post in this Blogging to Success series ~ A Blogger’s Guide: Blogging to Success with Dashboard Settings in WordPress
In this tutorial, we’ll look at accessing and setting up the following WordPress Functions:
- Creating a User Profile
- Creating our WordPress Profile/Gravatar
- Managing Notifications
- Managing Comments
- Viewing Stats
- Adding Widgets
Ready? Let’s jump in.
Users > Your Profile
We can edit our WordPress User profile under Users > Your Profile. This is great if we have multiple users on our site, especially if they’re publishing content.
We can also add users and assign roles via Users > All users.
In our profile, we can fully customize our WordPress dashboard/interface.
Two keys elements to consider are the Visual Editor and Toolbar. Both will be based on personal preference.
Visual Editor ~ If you’d like to disable the visual editor when writing, you can check it here.
Toolbar ~ AKA Admin bar located at the top of the screen. I much prefer to see and access the toolbar when logged into WordPress. Therefore, I checked the box. It’s only visible when we’re logged into WordPress and it’s not visible to the public.
We can include as much information as we’d like.
NOTE: The username cannot be changed.
The nickname and email fields are mandatory. Our email is only used for administration purposes.
We can add bio information and change our profile image via our Gravatar.
We can also change our password from here.
For more detailed information regarding Users > Your Profile, I encourage you to visit WordPress ~ User Profile Screen.
Creating a WordPress Profile
We can view and edit our WordPress profile by hovering over our name/profile image icon located in the top right corner. Essentially, this is our WordPress Gravatar. This is different from our User profile.
It’s an important feature to fully optimize if you’re a blogger. This information will be displayed publicly on your profile and in Gravatar Hovercards.
When we click on it, we’ll be directed to our profile page and can make further edits and manage our profile. I encourage you to optimize this feature and include your website and social media accounts if you’d like to build connections and fully engage in the blogging community. This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce ourselves. Let’s make the most of it!
We can also manage it while viewing our website if the Admin toolbar is enabled via User Profile Settings.
For tips and suggestions on optimizing Gravatars in WordPress, please feel free to drop by my blog post ~ How to build a blogging community with Gravatar Hovercards ~ a win-win strategy for bloggers!
Managing Notifications
Knowing how to manage and access notifications is essential for successful blogging.
We can view our notifications from our WordPress dashboard via the toolbar if the toolbar is enabled in our User > Profile. Notifications can be viewed when we click on the bell icon on the far right of the toolbar. We can view All notifications or view Unread, Comments, Follows, and/or Likes individually.
When we click on a comment, we’ll see the options: Approve, Spam, Trash, Like, and Edit. Depending on our moderation settings selected under Settings > Discussion the approve/approved will vary. We can moderate (approve) comments here or from the dashboard.
We can also view notifications from our WordPress.com interface, as shown in the image below. The notifications can be viewed when we click on the bell icon on the far right of the toolbar.
Managing Comments
We can moderate/manage comments under the Comments setting via our Dashboard. Although I manage my notifications and comments via the WordPress.com interface, as shown above, I always check for comments via here, as well.
As a blogger, it’s good practice to check our Spam folder, as well-meaning comments can sometimes end up there.
TIP: You’ll want to be cautious of spam and bots. There are Plugins like Jetpack and Askimet Anti-Spam that help with this. I also encourage you to be fully aware of the scope of coverage you’re receiving from your web host. These details matter.
To moderate, reply, trash, etc. we just need to hover our mouse over the comment.
Viewing Stats
Viewing our stats is key to understanding what’s working and what’s not regarding content and so much more.
We can access our website stats in multiple ways.
If the Jetpack Plugin is installed, we’ll see it listed on the left side ~ Jetpack > Site Stats.
Or click on My Sites > Stats.
Here we’ll see our detailed stats reports and insights. The reports are viewed under the headings ~ Traffic and Insights.
There are numerous Plugins to help with website Analytics and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Below are two I’m familiar with.
Analytics:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization):
Adding Widgets
Widgets are blocks that add features (ie. calenders, social media icons, etc.) and functions (ie. menu, subscriptions, etc) to our WordPress site. Depending on our WordPress Theme, we’ll see different widgets already installed and ready to set up. We can add widgets to designated areas on our site. For example, the sidebar is an ideal place to display widgets.
We can view and edit widgets under Appearance > Widgets. Widgets will vary depending on the website theme being used. I’m using the Refined Theme by Restored 316 Designs.
Let’s add a Widget.
If you’re blogging, ideally you’ll have a Blog Subscription option located on your site. This enables readers to follow our blog via email. ♥
If you’re self-hosted, the Jetpack Plugin is free to use and it includes a Blog Subscription Widget.
To add a Widget, we locate the widget from Appearance > Widgets. In the image below, I’m adding the Blog Subscription widget by clicking on it and then selecting where I want to place it. Depending on your theme setup, we can also drag and drop. Where we can place widgets will vary on the theme being used, as well.
My theme offers numerous locations to add widgets. For the Blog Subscription widget, I’m choosing the Primary Sidebar.
When we add the Blog Subscription Widget, it will display as below. We can easily edit and customize the text to personalize it.
We can reorder widgets by dragging and dropping in place.
This is how the widget is displayed in the sidebar on my site.
When readers subscribe, they will receive an email notification when we publish a blog post.
TIP: To optimize email notifications that translate into blog views, configure your WordPress Dashboard via Settings > Reading > and select Summary Text.
For more tips and practical suggestions to optimize your Dashboard Settings, feel free to stop by the first post in this Blogging to Success series ~ A Blogger’s Guide: Blogging to Success with Dashboard Settings in WordPress.
And that’s a wrap. I hope this Blogging to Success Guide proves helpful when setting up your WordPress website/blog.
Next in this series, we’ll look at Customizing our website Theme. We’re getting to the fun stuff, I promise! I hope you’ll join me. ♥
Have a question or tip you’d like to share? Please feel free to share in the comments below.
Until next time … happy connecting, my friends!
Fantastic tips and resource Natalie. Thanks so much for putting this step by step guide together and sharing it here. Love it!
Always a joy to pass along blogging tips, Nicole! Glad you found it useful. Happy blogging and connecting! 🙂
This is such a nicely written and detailed tutorial. Thank you.
Delighted to share blogging tips, Robert. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. It’s much appreciated. Cheers! 🙂
Awesome information, Natalie. I learned a few things!
That’s wonderful, Diana! Always delighted to share blogging tips. 🙂
A fantastic and concise post Natalie. You’ve got it covered. <3
Thank you, Debby! It’s a pleasure to pass it on. Cheers! 🙂