The Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog

Posted in Tips with 195 Comments

Spiderman is awesome! He's one of my favorite comic book characters.

I have been literally dying to start this series and now that I’ve finished the first two series (Getting Started with Blog Advertising and Make Money Blogging) I’m ready to tackle number 3, which is going to most likely be upwards of about 30 or so posts.

Essentially I’m going to write the guide that I wish I had years ago when I first starting blogging (and developing) in the WordPress platform. I’ll walk you through everything that I do to get a new blog started from the ground up with every single plugin I use, every strategy, every settings, and every 3rd party system that I feel is absolutely required to make a new blog hit the ground running.

No stone will be left unturned: I will essentially give you my unique formula for creating a new blog from Day 1. I can’t wait to get started!

This blog post will serve as the landing page for all of the posts in the series like I’ve done before. This list will continue to expand and change as I create the content for the series.

Here’s a few key posts of note with much more to be filled in later.

  1. 10 Core Assumptions and Requirements for this Series
  2. Launching a Blog? Easy. Success? Hard.
  3. Installing WordPress with Security in Mind
  4. Add Security, Salt Keys for User Cookie Encryption in WordPress
  5. Customizing Your Screen Options in WordPress Admin for Maximum Efficiency and Effectiveness
  6. Do You Have a Gravatar? Get One!
  7. Choosing the Right Settings for Your WordPress Blog
  8. Choosing the Right Permalinks
  9. One Quick Way to Speed Up Your Blog and Stop Spam
  10. Embed Videos in WordPress the Right Way: Save Time, Increase Views, Be Awesome
  11. How to Choose (and Find) the Right WordPress Theme for Your New Blog
  12. The Right (and Safest) Way to Install a New WordPress Theme
  13. SEO Categories WordPress Plugin
  14. 2 Plugins That I Activate Immediately on a New Blog: Akismet and WordPress Stats
  15. Static Content Areas You’ll Definitely Want to Have on Your Blog
  16. Creating a Comment Policy That Works
  17. Making the Best ‘About’ Page for Your Blog Ever!
  18. Create a ‘Subscribe’ Page and Keep Your Site Loading Fast!
  19. 5 Tips on Creating an Effective and Fun Disclosure Policy
  20. 5 Reasons Why You Should be Using Website Analytics for Your Blog and the 3 That I Use
  21. A 10 Step Visual Guide to Setting Up and Installing Google Analytics
  22. How To Decide on Your Categories for a New Blog
  23. Add Google Custom Search to Your Blog in Less Than 10 Minutes!
  24. 3 Ways to Backup Your WordPress Blog
  25. How Many Blog Posts Should You Have Ready at Launch?
  26. Setting Up Webmaster Tools for Google, Bing, and Yahoo
  27. Set Up Google Webmaster Tools for Your Blog
  28. Setting Up Bing Webmaster Tools for Your Blog
  29. Setting Up Yahoo!’s Site Explorer for Your Blog
  30. Get a Email Newsletter System Today! [I Use MailChimp]
  31. Track, Optimize, and Monetize Your RSS, Email Subscribers with Feedburner
  32. Add Your Blog to Google Directly
  33. Add Your Blog Directly to Bing
  34. Add Your Blog Directly to Yahoo!
  35. Submit Your Blog to DMOZ
  36. Add an Archive Page on Your WordPress Blog for SEO, Site Architecture, and Better Usability
  37. Optimize Your WordPress Blog Post’s Slugs for SEO and More
  38. A Simple Way to Add Tweets into Your Blog Posts
  39. Fix Broken Links Quickly in WordPress for Your Users and SEO!
  40. Create an Effective Sitemap Page Template in WordPress
  41. Create a Comment Experience Workflow for Moderation and Visitors
  42. 3 Features that Make Jetpack WordPress Plugin a Must-Have for Any Self-Hosted WordPress Blog
  43. Use the More Tag for “Continue Reading” and/or “Read More” and More Pageviews
  44. Are You (and Your WordPress Blog) Ready to Go Mobile?
  45. Intro to Page, Server Caching, and WordPress Cache Plugins
  46. Setting Up and Optimizing WP Super Cache for Your Blog
  47. Setting Up and Optimizing W3 Total Cache
  48. An Intro to Content Delivery Networks [CDN] for Blogs: Pros, Cons, and More
  49. Setup a CDN for Your WordPress Blog [MaxCDN + W3 Total Cache]
  50. 10 Sites to Test Your Blog’s Performance [Page Speed, Caching, Server]
  51. My Ultimate WordPress Blog Hosting Setup
  52. Simple SEO Sitemap WordPress Plugin for Search Engines
  53. More Security Tips for WordPress – WP-Config & .HTACCESS
  54. Top 3rd Party Commenting Systems, Platforms for WordPress and Why I Don’t Use Them
  55. How Many Plugins Should (Could) a WordPress Blog Have?

Please comment below letting me know any particular topics you want to make sure I cover! I’m excited about this series since it will essentially become a flagship series for TentBlogger!

First Published on January 7, 2011 in Tips.
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195 Responses to “The Ultimate Guide to Launching a WordPress-Powered Blog”

  1. Eric Dye January 7, 2011 at 11:03 AM #

    I can hardly wait!!!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:00 PM #

      :) neither can i eric!

      Reply
  2. Josh Tandy January 7, 2011 at 11:14 AM #

    Exactly what I am looking for. Thinking about moving from .com to .org and I have no idea what I am doing.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:01 PM #

      It’s actually really easy – and I’m sure John’s series will make it even more so.

      I absolutely recommend moving!

      Reply
      • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:02 PM #

        thanks peter!

        Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:01 PM #

      you’ll have to move to .org to fully appreciate this series.

      Reply
  3. Jonathan Griffiths January 7, 2011 at 11:03 AM #

    Just another example of how awesome you are in the blogging community. Thanks Mr. Saddington!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 12:57 PM #

      thanks jonathan! looking forward to this series!

      Reply
  4. Erin January 7, 2011 at 11:06 AM #

    Awesome. I’m not really blogging now but plan to save all of these in case that becomes a 2011 adventure for real.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:00 PM #

      soon!

      Reply
  5. Aydin January 7, 2011 at 11:12 AM #

    Love to hear all you have to offer. Thx

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:01 PM #

      sure thing aydin!

      Reply
  6. Ben January 7, 2011 at 11:14 AM #

    Awesome! Can’t wait to see what I can/should add to my blog to benefit the readers.

    More importantly, I’m looking forward to seeing you dance in your jammy jams with Baby 1 dancing next to you, and Baby 2 in your arms :-)

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:01 PM #

      hahahah! she’s hear! video coming in a bit.

      Reply
  7. ThatGuyKC January 7, 2011 at 11:14 AM #

    I am so stoked for this series!! I’m working on launching a new blog next week and will be following these posts VERY closely.

    You’re a rockstar. Happy Friday!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:01 PM #

      i just love what i do!

      Reply
  8. Tom Jamieson January 7, 2011 at 11:20 AM #

    Dude this is awesome! I’m really looking forward to this series! Thanks for doing it!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:02 PM #

      sure thing tom!

      Reply
  9. Cris Ferreira January 7, 2011 at 11:25 AM #

    John, I’ve learned a lot already from your posts, now you’re saying that there’s so much more? That’s awesome!!!
    Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:03 PM #

      sure thing cris!

      Reply
  10. Patrick Thunstrom January 7, 2011 at 11:28 AM #

    I’ve been considering switching blogging platforms, and this guide is basically exactly what I was going to be looking for before hand.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:03 PM #

      this will assume that you’ve made the jump, to some degree, to wordpress!

      Reply
  11. Jeff January 7, 2011 at 11:39 AM #

    I would love to learn more about the WordPress stats for my site. What is important? What should I be paying attention to? How do their numbers translate into real world visitors?

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:04 PM #

      that’s a good question. i may bring that up here.

      Reply
  12. Phillip Gibb January 7, 2011 at 11:43 AM #

    very cool
    so …. eBook on the cards?

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:04 PM #

      perhaps.

      Reply
  13. Sean Sabourin January 7, 2011 at 12:53 PM #

    Looking forward to your insight. For me, the topic I am looking forward to the most is SEO.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:08 PM #

      cool!

      Reply
  14. JamesBrett January 7, 2011 at 11:56 AM #

    tentblogger, i’d love to read a post telling me why i need to launch a wordpress-powered blog. it’s not that i’m opposed, but i just don’t necessarily understand the importance of moving over.

    i’ve been blogging for a little more than a year now on wordpress.com, and am pretty happy with it. i’m not looking to make money from blogging, though i wouldn’t be opposed to having a larger readership. i’m a missionary in rural tanzania and generally write about christianity and culture. and i average a little over 5000 visits a month.

    is a wordpress.org for me? and if i do make the move, do i transfer my current blog or just drop it? will search engines be able to find my old content at my new blog? will i lose any growth i’ve already achieved?

    Reply
  15. Sally Brow January 7, 2011 at 12:10 PM #

    I am so looking forward to this. Thanks for the time & effort you put into helping all of us bloggers.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:05 PM #

      sure thing sally!

      Reply
  16. Adam W. Warner January 7, 2011 at 12:14 PM #

    Darn! I’m just about to release the first in a series about how I setup, configure, and extend WordPress. You beat me to the punch with your announcement:)

    That said, judging by your post above I’m confident that we’re taking different approaches and hopefully both series can compliment one another:)

    Hoping for release by the end of the weekend…

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:02 PM #

      Cool. I’ll have to read your series, too!

      Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:06 PM #

      love to see yours! i’ve been saving these posts for a while and now bringing them out in a strategic and practical way.

      there’s always room for more series!

      Reply
      • Adam W. Warner January 13, 2011 at 8:52 AM #

        Thanks John,

        My series is now live and you can get to it by following the url in my signature above. It’s a series of five videos named “Setup for Success” and shows how to start a self-hosted WordPress site…planning, domain, hosting, installation…

        I’m looking forward to your series John!

        Reply
  17. Reuben Urias January 7, 2011 at 12:30 PM #

    Will you cover any security settings?? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:06 PM #

      yes!

      Reply
  18. TNeal January 7, 2011 at 12:32 PM #

    I connected with you through Michael Hyatt and am glad I did. If I blogged (rather than simply reading other people’s blogs), your information would be helpful. Because I’m just about ready to jump into the blogging pool, your next series should give me confidence to swim. I may have to stay in the kiddie pool at first but at least I’m ready to get my feet wet.

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:03 PM #

      It’s not as scary as it seems. You’ll be powering into the deep end before you know it!

      Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:07 PM #

      that’s fine! you can stay there as long as you’d like!

      Reply
  19. Geeee January 7, 2011 at 12:42 PM #

    Looking forward to it really! :) will be interesting for me

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:07 PM #

      sure thing geee!

      Reply
  20. Randy Kinnick January 7, 2011 at 1:16 PM #

    As usual, it’s gonna be epic!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:08 PM #

      i hope so…!

      Reply
  21. Byron January 7, 2011 at 1:23 PM #

    One question right off the bat: How did you turn the photo of your daughter into a link on your side bar. It looks like you used a bit of coding to make that happen! I’d like to follow your advice and create a subscribe page but need to know how to link a graphic through widgets to my new subscriber page. Is there a quick solution? Thanks John!

    Reply
    • Craig Allen January 7, 2011 at 1:37 PM #

      If you are not using the Standard Theme, just add a text widget, then wrap the image tag in a link tag like so:

      (the link where the ‘click’ will go)
      (the URL references the image)
       (turns the link off)

      If you need any more help customizing it (like removing the border from the linked image), send me a message on my site. Good luck!

      Reply
      • Craig Allen January 7, 2011 at 1:38 PM #

        Oops, it didn’t let me post the code. Send me a message and I’ll send it to you.

        Reply
        • Byron January 8, 2011 at 10:57 AM #

          Thanks Craig. will do!

          Reply
    • Adam W. Warner January 7, 2011 at 1:45 PM #

      Hi Byron,

      I tried to reply earlier, but I think it got stripped because I included a link (or it’s still in moderation).

      Anyway, follow the link in my signature and you’ll see the code I use to include image links inside my text widgets.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Byron January 8, 2011 at 10:59 AM #

        Thanks Adam. I will try it!

        Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:09 PM #

      that’s not too hard at all! i showed that here:

      http://tentblogger.com/create-a-subscribe-page-and-keep-your-site-loading-fast/

      Reply
      • Byron January 9, 2011 at 11:52 PM #

        Thanks John, I am working on it now! congrats again on the new addition to the Saddington clan!

        Reply
  22. Mutant Minds January 7, 2011 at 1:31 PM #

    Wow!!!!

    This is like Coca Cola announcing they are going to give up their secret recipe. What an opportunity!

    Cant wait to see the secrets. :)

    New tag line – Have a blog and a smile!

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:06 PM #

      Wow… You just compared John to Coca Cola….

      I wonder which tastes better?….

      Reply
      • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:10 PM #

        yikes!

        Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:09 PM #

      ah! the secret isn’t that top secret. :)

      Reply
  23. Adam W. Warner January 7, 2011 at 1:41 PM #

    Hi Byron,

    This should help. Just enter this into a Text Widget and change the link and image link values.

    http://wpmodder.com/widget-image-link-code/

    :)

    Reply
    • Byron January 8, 2011 at 11:52 AM #

      Thanks Adam! Will do

      Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:10 PM #

      neat!

      Reply
  24. Keiki Hendrix January 7, 2011 at 3:08 PM #

    Thrilled about this. Love these post.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:11 PM #

      cool! thanks for hanging with me keiki!

      Reply
  25. Dave Anthold January 7, 2011 at 3:36 PM #

    Custom Fields – how do they work & how can I get them to show up in my posts

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:13 PM #

      ah. that’s a bit advanced for this starter series.

      Reply
  26. Ron Lane January 7, 2011 at 3:46 PM #

    I am looking forward to reading this series of posts. I have not yet moved my site off the word press free site, but it is something that I definitely want to do in the future.

    Thanks for putting this together for us.

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:07 PM #

      Do it! Do it now! You know you want to :-)

      Sorry… I’m just a fan of moving to self-hosted!

      Reply
    • Byron January 8, 2011 at 11:51 AM #

      I agree… free yourself… did it!

      Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:14 PM #

      sure thing ron!

      Reply
  27. Jarrod Cartee January 7, 2011 at 3:48 PM #

    Oh my goodness thank you. Ive been wanting to know how to set one up from first starting mine. Thanks John. Whats the estimated date of completion for the series?

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM #

      um. have no idea.

      Reply
  28. Brian Stankich January 7, 2011 at 4:01 PM #

    Hurry it up already, I’m in late pre-launch phase!!!! Looking forward to you catching up with me (or me backtracking). Brian

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM #

      ;)

      Reply
  29. Brian Stankich January 7, 2011 at 4:04 PM #

    Hurry it up – I’m in late pre-launch phase!!! Looking forward to your model. Brian

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:16 PM #

      ;) haha.

      Reply
  30. herbhalstead January 7, 2011 at 4:07 PM #

    anyone can install and run wordpress… it’s that easy – the hard part is putting everything together in a winning combination – like you do, John. I am stoked to read the series.

    Reply
    • Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:08 PM #

      Nicely put!

      Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:17 PM #

      cool! i’m excited! it’s just one way (of many)!

      Reply
  31. Peter P January 7, 2011 at 4:08 PM #

    WordPress?

    What’s that?

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:17 PM #

      hahah!

      Reply
  32. Hans Schiefelbein January 7, 2011 at 4:56 PM #

    I’m VERY excited about this. Great idea and I’ve already passed it on (and it isn’t even here yet)

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:17 PM #

      thanks hans!

      Reply
  33. Daniel Decker January 7, 2011 at 6:10 PM #

    Excellent. Turn it into an ebook afterwards and sell it.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:18 PM #

      perhaps. no rush on those things. you’re so enterprising!

      Reply
  34. lindseygilstrap January 7, 2011 at 10:37 PM #

    Your timing is perfect on this one, John! I have been planning to start a blog since last year and was sorely over-extended with working on my Master’s and just was not able to make the margin. I am ready now and will walk through this process with you post by post!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:18 PM #

      great! thanks for joining me!

      Reply
  35. Joshua Chase January 8, 2011 at 11:50 AM #

    this oughtta be interesting…. queue music.. MORTAL KOMBAT..

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:20 PM #

      hahahha!

      Reply
  36. Scott January 8, 2011 at 12:37 PM #

    Thanks for your willingness to write this guide. I’m unemployed and just started a blog focused on helping men know how to become better husbands, fathers, and greater contributors to society. Two items I especially want to know….1. How to grow my readers/subscribers….2. How to make money with my blog.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:28 PM #

      well, the 2nd thing i’ve talked about already. this series might help with the first!

      Reply
  37. Roman January 8, 2011 at 12:40 PM #

    YES! So excited! Thanks for doing this :)

    Could you explain how to set up your blog with a domain name? (ie: http://www.RomanRandall.com) That would be sooo helpful! Thanks Tentblogger!

    Reply
  38. Matt H January 8, 2011 at 1:26 PM #

    What about OFFLINE SETUP for Windows/Mac/Linux to work on the site before publishing…

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:32 PM #

      hmm. like desktop applications? or using using google gears?

      Reply
  39. Mindy January 8, 2011 at 4:14 PM #

    Hey there-Mike Hyatt’s daughter here. My dad suggested I check this out, and I’m so glad I did. I’m just getting ready to start a blog…a little late to the party, I know…but I honestly don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Coming from a family of bloggers you’d think it would be easy for me, but I’m pretty clueless on how everything works behind the scenes. I’m in the process of choosing a theme right now. Can’t wait to read this series!

    Also, on a side note, I’ve directed many of my clients (I manage advertising for many blogs) to your site to read your series on advertising.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:33 PM #

      thanks mindy! glad you can join me through this walk-through! appreciate the coverage!

      Reply
  40. David Hamby January 8, 2011 at 5:39 PM #

    Awesome!
    I’d love to see bbpress integration..

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:33 PM #

      hmm. probably not a part of this startup guide…

      Reply
  41. Sam January 8, 2011 at 6:42 PM #

    If this series is even half as good as your first two, I can’t wait! WordPress Junkies, Unite!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 9, 2011 at 1:33 PM #

      i hope so…! i’ll try my best!

      Reply
  42. Meg January 10, 2011 at 12:16 PM #

    Fantastic! Looking forward to it!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 11, 2011 at 11:04 AM #

      great!

      Reply
  43. Steve Fogg January 11, 2011 at 9:01 AM #

    I signed up with Standard Theme and it’s my first time on WordPress for my new blog http://www.graphicdesignboss.com – and posted my 1st blog post today!

    A bit of a ‘moment’… lots more already written ready to go.

    Which means there is so much want to learn – Ready when you are John ;-)

    I’ve seen so many little things I love on Michael Hyatt’s site and I have no idea if they are plug-ins or not. For example the little subscribe box in each post that can be click.

    I feel like that Marine in the movie Avatar in a completely new eco-system without a clue of what is going on or what is what!

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 11, 2011 at 9:05 AM #

      wow. congrats! i love the simple look right now! can’t wait to see this thing grow!

      Reply
  44. Nick Wangler January 11, 2011 at 6:30 PM #

    This is going to be HUGE. Couldn’t come at a more appropriate time, either! I’ve finally decided to dive into WordPress, partially due to this guide being available. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Peter P January 11, 2011 at 6:42 PM #

      You won’t regret the move, Nick.

      I started with a wordpress blog and now I’m moving all of my business sites over to the platform.

      It rocks!

      Reply
      • John Saddington January 12, 2011 at 10:25 PM #

        it does rock.!

        Reply
    • John Saddington January 12, 2011 at 10:25 PM #

      great! thanks for joining us nick!

      Reply
  45. John Wilkerson January 12, 2011 at 9:54 AM #

    Looking forward to seeing what you do differently.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 12, 2011 at 10:24 PM #

      sweet! so am i.

      Reply
  46. Vivek Parmar January 19, 2011 at 11:55 AM #

    As a advanced user of wordpress i know how to play with it and dedicated my blog to wordpress fully.

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 19, 2011 at 12:00 PM #

      cool! so you’ve got it all figured out!

      Reply
  47. AJ January 19, 2011 at 8:09 PM #

    SO why should I not be using wordpress.com and write the blog there directly?

    Reply
  48. chefJOSEPH January 24, 2011 at 8:29 PM #

    Just got a $100 gift card from Google in the mail for AdWords. I was wondering if you could counsel us on the best way to set that up to get the most out of it?

    Reply
    • John Saddington January 26, 2011 at 8:23 PM #

      chef,

      ah. the “free” 100 bucks from google… to be quite honest, i typically counsel people to just “GO FOR IT” and see what happens!

      there’s a lot of overthinking in this but for starters it’s free money and just try it!

      i’ll definitely have some thoughts i’ll blog here!

      Reply
  49. Gregory Nelson February 8, 2011 at 11:36 AM #

    Hey John, I’ve been in the process of developing a new blog for several months. We’re hoping to launch this Spring. Is there a suggested amount of content or posts for the initial launch? Having one post on launch day seems a little anti-climatic… wondering if you have any insight? Thanks!

    Reply
  50. Taz February 11, 2011 at 3:34 PM #

    Is anyone familiar with the Stealth login plugin on wordpress.org?

    I often wonder about that default “sample.com/wp-login.php” and if it’s secure enough. I tried visiting cnn.com/wp-login.php, and got their 404 page (supposedly, they use wordpress too), so I wondered if I could do the same thing for my wp site.

    Thoughts?

    Reply
  51. Darla February 14, 2011 at 1:42 AM #

    So glad I found this blog (from Michael Hyatt’s site)! I’m working on launching a blog for writers (going to .org), with all of the desire and none of the know-how. Thanks for your willingness to share your expertise in this way.

    Reply
  52. Ken Jansen February 18, 2011 at 4:48 PM #

    Saw your blog URL on twitter and came to check it out. You DO have the best CTA for RSS on the web. Nice job. Looking forward to reading more of your stuff. Thanks.

    Reply
  53. Laura February 21, 2011 at 12:15 PM #

    I’ve been following your excellent series via email. Thanks for all the great info. It’s almost over my head–but not quite, and I can’t wait to implement a lot of it.

    Have you blogged yet about either of these topics (couldn’t find them via your search):

    Topic 1: I have a WP.org site that I’ve been using as a static “portfolio” site. No blogging, but many pages and sidebar widgets. Now I want to start up a real blog and have this previous site (with all its pages) as just a tab or a link. I would also like to have the new blog use the site’s url (my name). I’ve been trying to figure out the whole subdirectory/subdomain thing but not sure which way to go OR how to do it. (Would my hosting service, BlueHost, be able to advise me on this?)

    Topic 2: What’s the best way to “secretly” work on and tweak a WP blog’s content and design before launching to the world? I’m not sure I understand how to work “offline” and then upload everything later. Also, I have the extra issue of wanting to work on a blog that’s already live, or at least the url is already being used (see above). I’ve read about “test sites” but am not sure how that works.

    Thanks for any and all advice/links, and I’ll keep browsing around your site for gems…

    Reply
    • Peter P February 22, 2011 at 1:25 PM #

      Laura,

      1) Moving your current WP install to a subdomain is actually pretty easy. This tutorial is pretty good. http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress#Moving_WordPress_Within_Your_Site If you’d like, I can help you with it. I don’t know if Bluehost offer application support.

      2) There are plugins you can use that will hide the site from the outside world. They work by simply looking to see if the person trying to view your site is logged in or not. If they are (i.e. it’s YOU), it lets them see everything normally. If not, it shows a ‘under maintenance’ page. It wouldn’t affect your blog that you move into the subdirectory though, if you didn’t want it to. So the blog in the subdirectory can still be live while you’re working on the new one in the root.

      Reply
    • John Saddington February 22, 2011 at 7:54 PM #

      i can blog about both of these… look for them!

      Reply
      • Laura February 22, 2011 at 9:01 PM #

        Thanks so much, John–I’ll definitely look forward to those posts.

        And Peter, I will take a look at the WP tutorial on subdomains, and hopefully will learn enough about subdomains and subdirectories to fully understand your reply #2. If not, maybe I’ll reach out to you.

        Thanks to all for taking the time to write back.

        Reply
        • Peter P February 23, 2011 at 12:14 AM #

          Laura,

          Contact me through Peterpollock.com if I can help with anything.

          Think of subdirectories like this:

          Your website is like a drawer in a filing cabinet.

          The root of your domain (laura-e-kelly.com) is like putting things directly in the drawer. Anyone who opens the drawer can see them immediately.

          In your drawer, you can also have folders. Each folder can be as big as you want it to be and can hold absolutely anything.

          Let’s say you wanted to keep your old website. You put it in a folder marked ‘old’ (or something more creative) and tell anyone who wants to see the old website to go to the drawer and look in the folder marked ‘old’.

          In website terms, that would be laura-e-kelly.com/old.

          Internet technologies allow you to name things a little differently though, and that’s where subdomains come in.

          Let’s say you have your folder called ‘old’ which people reach by typing http://laura-e-kelly.com/old into their browser. Well, in a few easy steps, you can set it so that they can also type http://old.laura-e-kelly.com into their browser and access it as a ‘subdomain’.

          It’s essentially the same thing… setting it up as a subdomain can just be a little more versaitle, depending on what you want to do.

          Reply
          • Laura February 24, 2011 at 7:31 AM #

            Thanks for this info, Peter. Checked out your hosting biz and will definitely be contacting you. I like the personal touch!

            Reply
    • John Saddington February 22, 2011 at 7:55 PM #

      oh, and using a wp.org site for static pages is great! not a problem. many sites are built on WP!

      Reply
      • Peter P February 22, 2011 at 8:45 PM #

        True Dat!

        I build all my sites with WP now… except my landing page, peterpollock.me, of course!

        Reply
  54. Coach Spoon February 24, 2011 at 1:18 PM #

    Great series of posts John–very helpful! Just wondering if you have a post on how to launch a wordpress site re-design? What’s the best way to implement a new WordPress theme and not take down your site for a week during re-design?

    Reply
  55. Jeremy Myers February 24, 2011 at 11:27 PM #

    How about adding to your list some posts about using digg, reddit, technorati, etc. Do any of these sites actually do anything for bloggers?

    Reply
  56. Evan March 4, 2011 at 11:20 PM #

    Thanks a ton for all these walk-throughs.
    Been a life saver in many instances.

    Could you think about doing one for best practices when moving servers? And also how to build a site offline then activate?

    Reply
  57. ChrisWiegman March 6, 2011 at 6:56 PM #

    Excellent series!

    Reply
  58. Chris March 9, 2011 at 8:30 AM #

    Hi John,

    This is awesome!!! Do you have anything in the works for a post/segment on link building? I noticed you have a ton of links within your posts and I’m sure it’s for good reason. Thanks:)

    Reply
  59. Hans March 19, 2011 at 2:35 PM #

    John, I’m creating a website for a business on WordPress. It will have a blog component to it, but mostly it will be Pages of information for our customers. Do these strategies (for “blogging”) still add value to a site that is more static?

    Reply
  60. Ryan Wakefield March 22, 2011 at 2:32 PM #

    John,
    I am loving all this content. Great Work! I am wondering if you have touched on how to create your post signature (Was This Post Helpful to You? Consider Subscribing!) and how to create your graphic that links to your Starter / Featured posts?

    Reply
  61. Darryl March 31, 2011 at 3:05 PM #

    Wow, I wish this was around in November when I first started a WordPress Blog. I don’t think I have found a larger volume of organized, practical and well written content on WordPress anywhere out there on the web. I love the new ethic of sharing great content online, it feels good for the soul. Keep up the great work!!

    Reply
    • John Saddington April 1, 2011 at 9:43 PM #

      sure thing darryl! i hope this has been helpful! stick around (i hope)…!

      Reply
  62. Crystal April 7, 2011 at 8:54 AM #

    I’m jumping on to this late … but I just discovered this series today – it’s EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for … thank you so much!

    Reply
    • John Saddington April 7, 2011 at 9:57 AM #

      crystal,

      thanks so much! this is one of my “big” ones! please feel free to share it!

      Reply
  63. Manchester April 30, 2011 at 6:44 PM #

    Wow! this is great!Im not really a blog expert but when read this article it makes me more curious about doing plugins and stuff about wordpress.Awesome idea.

    Reply
  64. John Beasley May 5, 2011 at 5:07 PM #

    Thanks So Much for this John it is Awesome!! I went through all of the steps and I can’t wait to get it up and running!!

    Reply
  65. Kevin Rossen May 23, 2011 at 2:01 AM #

    Hey John. Have you considered linking this post to your main WordPress post that’s linked to in your header and footer? I’ve been working my way through your links here and I honestly think this stuff is more practical than the other WordPress post.

    Just a thought.

    Reply
    • John Saddington May 23, 2011 at 10:48 AM #

      kevin, this is a great idea. In fact, I’m going to add a link at the top to help redirect traffic… on a redesign of this site i’ll have this called out even better. thanks for this!

      Reply
      • Kevin Rossen May 24, 2011 at 9:07 AM #

        Wow, very nice implementation! THAT is much more user-friendly in my opinion.
        So, when is the e-book of the series coming out???

        Reply
        • John Saddington May 24, 2011 at 9:14 AM #

          haha. in the works…! thanks for the awesome tip though kevin…!

          Reply
          • Kevin Rossen May 24, 2011 at 9:33 AM #

            I had a hunch. That graphic just screams e-book. I’ll pick a copy up when it’s released. I hope you’re enjoying your time in Dallas this week.

            Reply
  66. herbhalstead May 24, 2011 at 9:53 AM #

    John,

    This is the first time I’ve been back to THIS post in the series… it is impressive looking at the list of articles in one place – amazing what you’ve been able to accomplish since you set out.

    Reply
    • John Saddington May 24, 2011 at 9:57 AM #

      herb,

      it has been pretty neat to look back, right? a lot of writing, a lot of work… but very satisfying!

      Reply
  67. DMosley June 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM #

    Seriously, THANK YOU for all of this (Tentblogger.com). This kind of info should have left my wallet a lot lighter, but you’ve passed it on for free. I greatly appreciate it.

    Reply
  68. Michael July 4, 2011 at 1:14 AM #

    I can’t even begin to thank you enough for this series of posts, I’ve spent the last several hours reading, learning and implementing your ideas at Life Is A Glorious Trauma!

    THANK YOU JOHN!!

    Reply
    • John Saddington July 5, 2011 at 11:59 AM #

      you are so welcome! thanks for being a part of this community! the best thing you can do in return is share the content…!

      http://tentblogger.com/sharing/

      Reply
      • Michael July 7, 2011 at 7:55 PM #

        Done and done! I may even write a post about you and your site on my site!

        I’ve read almost every post in the series now and have implemented many, almost all I think, of the changes you have suggested. I already notice a remarkable difference in the speed of my site and I have not even activated WP SuperCache yet. This is fantastic stuff :)

        Reply
  69. javelot salim August 15, 2011 at 1:03 PM #

    thank you men

    Reply
  70. Darla McDavid October 2, 2011 at 2:32 AM #

    I wanted to let you know that, thanks to what I learned from this amazing series, I launched my blog today! I’ve been working on it all year in my spare time, and your posts got me through it, step by step. I’m up to #24, so there’s still much to do. I’m not a TentBlogger yet, but I’m grateful to you. So, if I can find those Sour Patch Kid candies (never heard of them before I saw your post and laughed through the videos), I plan to send you a pack or two. But, how can I get them to you? And will you promise me you’ll share them with your kids?

    Reply
    • Hans October 2, 2011 at 5:39 PM #

      Darla, the blog looks great! Well done. Who created the header banner picture for you with the keyboard and text?

      Reply
    • Hans October 2, 2011 at 5:41 PM #

      Darla, the blog looks great – well done! How did you create the header banner with the keyboard and special text?

      Reply
      • Darla McDavid October 2, 2011 at 10:42 PM #

        Hi, Hans. I found the free font at dafont.com and the keyboard is an image I found at the MS Office site. I used Photoshop to connect the “s” in “Writes” to the keyboard cord, and added the rest of the text and images. Your compliment is very encouraging — thanks so much!

        Reply
  71. Brian Sloan October 24, 2011 at 11:54 PM #

    This has been one of the most thorough and helpful resources. Great job.

    Reply
  72. Andrew November 1, 2011 at 1:12 AM #

    Hi John,

    Thanks for your very helpful posts.

    Just set up my Standard Theme powered site a week ago and its already showing top ranking in Google searches ! Amazing !

    Regards

    Reply
  73. Johnson Cook March 23, 2012 at 10:33 AM #

    Thanks again for a great guide, John. I think I’m finally setup and ready to rock at http://johnsoncook.com … fun stuff.

    Reply
  74. wantei May 1, 2012 at 8:50 AM #

    This are some really nice tips. I can’t wait to try them out on my WordPress blog.

    Reply
  75. zlar08 May 10, 2012 at 6:36 AM #

    Hi John,

    I am very happy finding your site as I had so many questions and couldn’t find the right site with an easy to follow and from start to finish guide. Finally I did! I copied tons of your articles and now I am going to read everything carefully and hopefully this time I will be ready to launch my site without doubt that everything is there to make it work properly online.

    Thank you for your time and sharing valuable information especially for new bloggers like me.

    Zlar08

    Reply

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