LESSON #35: WordPress Themes and Plugins

By | March 18, 2009
225 Comments

(Part 3 in a series of 4)

In the previous two lessons, we’ve been talking about WordPress. Lesson #33 covers getting started with WordPress. Lesson #34 covers several of my recommended WordPress settings. And now we’re going cover the fun stuff!

(Watch this video…)

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Main points:

  • One of the great things about WordPress is that you can instantly change the look of your site by changing the theme.

    -There are hundreds of free themes at: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

    -A nice thing about selecting a theme from the WP site, is seeing if it is compatible with the latest version, seeing user comments, etc.

    -Tip: If you intend to do very much customization to your theme, you might want to choose one that is NOT heavily dependent on graphical design.

    -Advanced tip: web designers may submit their own theme to WP’s directory (see guidelines first). This could result in exposure from thousands of downloads and back links.

    -There are also thousands of 3rd party themes for sale and for free.

    The best WordPress theme

  • I like to keep a copy of all of my WordPress themes and plugins on my computer, organized in a parallel structure to that on my website.

  • (See video for demo of installing themes and plugins)

  • WordPress Plugins: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

    Plugins that I currently use:

    Akismet
    All in One SEO Pack
    Dofollow
    Ajax Comments-Reply
    Flickr Photo Album
    ShareThis
    UPDATE: I no longer use the ShareThis plugin, and now I use Simple Facebook Like Widget. For more information, see this post about Facebook plugins

  • Adding ads, such as AdSense, to WordPress

    There are three main ways…

    -You could use an AdSense-ready theme (such as an AdSense template, or search the WP themes directory for one)

    -You could use an AdSense WP Plugin, such as Adsense Manager (search the Plugins directory for AdSense). In general, this would be my recommendation.

    -You could add it manually to your theme (for example you could insert your ad code into the header.php, sidebar.php, or single.php files)

    Action steps:

    1) Choose a theme for your WordPress site and install it.

    2) If you’re going to allow comments, activate the Akismet plugin.

    3) Explore the other plugins.

    In the next lesson, we’ll look at how to customize your WordPress theme.

    If you need help, please check out the forums at: http://wordpress.org/support/

    As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 🙂 Feel free to let us know your favorite themes and plugins!

    Have a great day!

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    • 225 thoughts on “LESSON #35: WordPress Themes and Plugins”

    2. stan

      Thanks Eric for the great video.
      1. All in one SEO Vs Platinum SEO pack
      For adsense: adsense manager Vs adsense deluxe
      – which one is better plugin?

      2. would you show how to remove dates in wordpress theme in next lesson?

      3. Please explain how to use: firebug and customize the theme.

      Thanks.

      Reply ↓
    3. Gary Pettit(Instant-Paysites.com)

      Eric,
      What are your thoughts on WordPressDirect? Would you reccommend something like this or would sticking with the free plug- ins be just as good? Even though WPDirect charges, it looks like they have some very good plug-ins that you wouldn’t find for free! I’m trying to decide while looking at all the options! Thanks for any advice and input!

      🙂

      Get 150 *Top Quality* NICHE Websites With Your Paypal ID On Each!

      http://Instant-Paysites.com

      Reply ↓
    5. Eric Post author

      I am not familiar with Platinum SEO pack, but if it looks better give it a try and let us know!

      Also I am not familiar with Adsense manager vs Adsense deluxe, as I generally do not use Adsense on my WordPress sites.

      And I’m not familiar with firebug 🙁

      But I would bet you could easily get answers for all of those questions in WP’s forums:
      http://wordpress.org/support/

      I am not planning on showing how to remove the date, but I will show how to edit the files in the lesson. I basically just opened single.php in a text editor, and removed the date line.

      Reply ↓
    6. Eric Post author

      I do not think it is necessary. WP is easy enough as it is, and there are plenty of free plugins available. I would rather see people learn how to build their own unique WordPress site.

      Reply ↓
    7. Gary Pettit(Instant-Paysites.com)

      It looks like you can build your own WP website(which I’m doing) and then import it to WPDirect so the Plug-in packages and automated software work with it(if I was understanding it correctly)Looks like they have some Premium plug-ins I couldn’t find within the free area of wordpress.

      Reply ↓
    8. Eric Post author

      If you think it’s something that will help you, that’s great! I have seen a few premium plugins (on a different site) that seem to be of good value.

      But I think the thing for most people to keep in mind is that there are thousands of plugins both within, and outside of WP’s official directory… most free, and some cost money. But that doesn’t mean you need to use them. 😉 I’ve seen some bloggers’ lists of “recommended plugins”, and some of these guys have 20 or 30+ plugins on their list! I think the tendency for a lot of WP users is to get carried away with it. The fact is that so many of the plugins are really “cool”, so we think if we add it to our site it will make our site better. But remember, our goal here is marketing, not to have the coolest blog.

      So we need to keep the objective of our blog/WP site in mind (I’ll be talking about this in lesson 37). In general, I would advise to go sparingly on the plugins and be careful not to add unnecessary disctractions for your visitors, or for yourself 🙂

      But I’m certainly open to new and innovative plugins and hearing about how they are helping marketers.

      Reply ↓
    10. Eric Post author

      any time 😉

      and of course it wasn’t directed just at you; I could sense that a lot of folks were going to be asking about all sorts of plugins, so I figured I’d make my opinion known.

      Reply ↓
    11. Bo Tipton

      Thanks for the tips. Even though I have been blogging for awhile I still learn from your post. Good Information
      Thanks
      Bo Tipton
      The Ornery Marketer

      Reply ↓
    12. Mark

      When I am downloading and trying to keep things organized like you, I used fantastico on my cpanel of Hostgator to install my wordpress. How would you organize that?

      I am assuming when I used fantastico I do not have WP anywhere on my hard drive. If that is true do I manually download WP into my website folder and unzip it and then do what you said in this lesson or am I way off base?

      I anyone would help I would appreciate it.

      Reply ↓
    13. La Vie Viennoise

      Eric is right. Don’t overload your sites with plugins.

      We do this professionally and we have a fairly sophisticated set of plugins we use but it has taken time to make sure they all play well together. We add new plugins very reluctantly to this core set.

      And we’ve reduced our core plugins to a minimum.

      For anyone using a lot of images in their posts, I helped build a WordPress WYSIWYG editor with its own built-in images editor which helps SEO your images. Really speeds up work and gets you great traffic from Google Images. Don’t forget to add a lightbox for the automated gallery feature.

      Reply ↓
    14. Bryan hee

      WordPress is the best blog platform due to it user friendly free theme and customisable plugin.

      To Your Success
      Bryan Hee

      Reply ↓
    15. John Henry

      Eric,

      Great tips again as usual, this time to help many others to become familiar with all the themes etc… but what about using other third party plugins (such as those not listed above),
      DoFollow / Ajax etc… how can we all tell which is the best and safest
      (SEO / Google Juice / software) plugin to use.

      Are you planning to include how to embed videos into the blogs in one of your forthcoming tips. If so, please feel free to check out the resource link below on
      EASY VIDEO PRODUCER, which is a viral video monster, but it also helps people to do the videos with a simple click. You may like to check it out both yourself and other readers.

      Feel free and take action guys. These tips from Eric are amongst some of the best you will find on the internet.

      Good Luck

      John

      http://www.easyvideoproducer.com/clickthru.php?id=655

      http://www.bestdamnurl.com/list

      Reply ↓
    16. Innocent

      Thanks so much Eric for another great lesson. I had been wondering how your reply to comments usually connect with the particular comment you are responding to. Now I see the plugin that enables your responses to appear this way.

      I will download it right away and try it on my blog. Thanks again for sharing.

      Reply ↓
    19. Alan

      Hi Eric,

      Just watched your latest video on WordPress. Kudos to you mate! You explain things in a very clear and concise manner which helps the viewer to fully understand what you’re on about.

      I appreciate your efforts, and recommend you to as many folk who are interested in learning more about internet marketing.

      Many thanks

      Alan H

      P.S. I like the clean “none cluttered” layout of this particular theme you are using for “Erics Tips” blog.

      Is there any chance you could tell me where I could purchase it?

      Reply ↓
    20. mark

      Hi Eric Great lesson as always
      Just to let you know your lessons are tranferable.
      I have not decided whether to go with Word Press Joomla or Drupal yet as a CMS, but What I’m learning here certainly gives me knowledge of CMS protocol.
      So thanks again.

      Reply ↓
    21. Graham in U.K.

      Hi Eric
      Your videos are getting better and better!
      It’s great that you’re sharing your wisdom and experience with us.
      I want to add a wordpress blog to my first new site, but if I use a free theme- can I change the header to match my own header on my website? I also bought Joel Comm’s Adsense templates – so could I use one of those and change the header to mine to match the website?
      Thanks for your help
      and looking forward to next lessons on WordPress blogs.
      regards
      Graham in U.K.

      Reply ↓
    22. Bounama

      Great, Eric!
      This one is pretty cool.
      I wish i stumbled upon “Eric’s Tips”
      3 years before.
      Keep it that way
      Thanks

      Reply ↓
    23. Steve Burns

      Eric, I had a WordPress free blog. I did a lot of work to get affiliate links on it and bring traffic to it. WP shut it down because of the affiliate links! I tried to move it to another host, but the theme and affiliate links are all gone now. The new host (HG) is NO help at all.
      What can I do to move this WP blog somewhere and have it look the same as it was before? People seemed to like that format and so did I!

      Reply ↓
    24. Karen

      Eric, great lessons here! I’ve had WP blogs for awhile and just wanted to add that I’ve found issues with some themes and plugins. Some plugins don’t work well with certain themes. You have to be prepared to experiment and be sure to backup first. There are millions of combos with WP and some of that free stuff doesn’t work as well as others.

      Reply ↓
    25. Michaela

      Thanks Eric,
      I have used 3 of the 6 plug-ins, I load the rest of 3 TODAY, this lesson is awesome, and useful for me.
      Question:
      1) If I already have a blog on my domain, and I’ll use fantastico to create other blog also on my other domain, I need other WorldPress account or I should use the one I have it?
      2) What about API key? I should request another one or I should use the one I have for the first blog, I don’t remember if API key is per site/blog or by account, this is the disadvantage to learn this by trial and error!
      Thanks, with the next lesson, I expect the Blog to rock, it will be easy to see an increase on traffic because I put a clustermap on the blog.
      Did you see it? It is cool, you can click on widget and you will get all the details we need to know: locations, no of visitors per country etc
      http://michaelacernescu.com
      Regards
      Michaela

      Reply ↓
    26. Jim Howey

      Eric,
      With all the hype about wordpress, I’ve wanted to know more. You’re recent posts have been over the top valuable, and most helpful.

      Thanks,

      Jim

      Reply ↓
    27. Shawn

      What is your opinion with One Theme’s (www.one-theme.com)WordPress theme and content management site. Do you think it’s worth the money with what you get? Drawbacks…,etc.?

      Shawn

      Reply ↓
    28. Luca Di Nicola

      Hi Eric,

      You’re so right I have been downloading too many templates and ebooks that I don’t even know what I have anymore

      The tip I loved from today’s lesson is the way you keep your sites organized in files. Presentaly I have a generic WordPress folder that’s looking very messy.
      One more quick question.

      p.s. i’ve added Push Button Marketer to my ads on my site. Hope to make some sales

      Thanks and take care

      Reply ↓
    29. Cash

      Hi Eric,
      Great lesson as always!
      I thought I would leave a quick comment to offer a theme I came across that’s just the coolest thing since sliced bread, especially for beginners. You can find it http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa It’s highly and easily customizable and has great support, by it’s developer, Flynn. Anyway I love it, and think you will too.

      Reply ↓
    30. Gopi Menon

      Hi Eric,

      I finally managed to set up a wordpress blog just last week and find your lesson 35 very useful.

      Being really new at this, I would like to ask a question about receiving Comments. I have received a few comments to my blog posts so far and each time I get an email from WordPress asking me to moderate the comment (to Approve, Delete etc.). Does this mean I already have the plugin Akismet activated?

      Thank you.

      Reply ↓
    31. Michelle Green

      I haven’t tried the Adsense wordpress plugins yet because I have been using Adsense ready themes but it’s something I have been curious about and wondering if would be more suitable for my needs. I am very concerned about optimizing my Adsense placement to maximize revenue. I’m not sure about the plugins, but some of the themes seem to keep that in mind.

      Reply ↓
    32. Eric Post author

      that’s exactly correct. I would download a copy of WP from wordpress.org onto your computer, then you can keep backups of your themes and plugins there too.

      Reply ↓
    33. Eric Post author

      Thanks for the tip. I’m assuming that’s what you use on your site… the lightbox is pretty cool.

      Reply ↓
    36. Eric Post author

      I’ve been seeing the tweet plugin showing up all over the place lately. I’m tempted to install it, even though I’m not a twitterer.

      I might give it a try some time!

      Reply ↓
    37. Eric Post author

      Thanks. Actually it was based on an older free theme called “silverlight”, and I just modified it quite a bit.

      Reply ↓
    38. Eric Post author

      Yes you can defintiely change the header to match your site. I’ll be giving some general direction in that regard in the next lesson. The WP themes that me and Joel sold are fine, and you can still use them, but at this point I would recommend going with a newer one, built for the current version of WP.

      Reply ↓
    39. Eric Post author

      I am surprised about HG, as they do offer free site transfer for new customers.

      Do you have a backup of the theme on your hard drive? If so, you should be able to do a fresh install of wordpress on your own domain, and then upload your theme.

      As far as the affiliate links… if you had manually added them to the theme files, and you have those files, you should be fine. But if you had added those links via the WP admin panel, those go into the SQL database (which you’ve lost), and you’ll need to rebuild it from scratch.

      Reply ↓
    41. Eric Post author

      You don’t need a wordpress account to install wordpress on domains, you just need it for the API key. And as far as the API key, I believe you can use the same one.

      I like the clustrmap. I wonder if there is a similar stand alone application that I could install on my site, rather then linking to their site.

      On your aweber form… I would recommend leaving the subscriber count off of it, until you have 100 subscribers. I could be wrong about that though… I would like to hear some other people’s comments about whether they would be more or less inclined to subscribe to a list if they knew there were only a handful of other subscribers so far.

      Reply ↓
    43. Eric Post author

      I have not tried it, but I think my reply to Gary would be applicable. If it is truly helpful, then that’s great. But for most people, it’s just not necessary, as WP already has a good CMS built-in, and plenty of free themes and plugins to choose from.

      Reply ↓
    46. Eric Post author

      No, that is a setting on the setting menu. I cover it in lesson #34. You can turn off the email notification.

      Reply ↓
    47. Alla

      Eric, you are doing one heck of a job! And you are giving people the world. I really appreciate your efforts.

      Reply ↓
    48. Michaela

      I don’t know if it is a stand alone applic. but linking to their site is not bad, I noticed more traffic on my squidoo lenses since I put clustermap on them.
      About the aweber counter you are right, also I discovered that it is an error I have to correct, this week I’ll fix it.
      Thanks a lot
      Michaela

      Reply ↓

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