What Makes a Good WordPress Theme?
While WordPress provides the foundation, a good WordPress theme provides the look and feel for your website. Some themes are better than others, in fact, there are some themes that I always use while others I stay away from. The themes I don’t like are difficult to...
Custom Queries to Control WordPress Content
WordPress is great for displaying your website content. It automatically knows how to retrieve (using queries) and display (using templates) blog posts and website pages. The generic query is enough for these tasks. But what if you wanted more? For example, you want...
Defer JavaScript for faster WordPress websites
Websites use JavaScript (JS) to add more functionality. For example, with JS you can add and remove elements, handle user interaction such as clicks, and change the properties of elements. WordPress also uses JS (most notably jQuery.js) as part of its core software....
Custom Taxonomies for Improved Grouping
WordPress has two types of taxonomies which allow website owners to group blog posts. These are Categories and Tags. What if you wanted to create relationships between posts? For example, let’s say that your website provides reviews of local restaurants and you wanted...
Hosts Ban WordPress plugins
On rare occasions, I run into issues running WordPress on different web hosting providers. Normally, the client has pre-purchased their domain and their web hosting. I develop their website on my testing server and get it to where the client wants it (both in look and...
Optimize your WordPress database
Your WordPress website is running along nicely, all the plugins, themes, and core software are up to date. You are making minor changes to pages and you make regular blog posts. You are very diligent in keeping your website secure. But have you given any thought to...
When a WordPress update fails
Your WordPress website is running smoothly but you notice on the admin area that there are several updates available. Or, your security software lets you know that your website needs updating. There are several reasons why you should keep your WordPress website...
The quest for faster page loading
Some business owners build their websites themselves using WordPress as the foundation. Using WordPress is an excellent choice for those looking to get a professional looking website up and running quickly. When finished, some owners run their website through a page...
The problem with multipurpose WordPress themes
Over the years, I installed and tested hundreds of WordPress themes. In my search, I have never found the perfect theme that satisfied the needs of my clients. The perfect theme doesn’t exist. There are several multipurpose themes on the market that try to be the...
WordPress plugin conflict troubleshooting
Being the ever-diligent website owner, you regularly check your WordPress website for software updates. Using the backend dashboard, you choose to run all core, plugin, and theme updates. After the update process completes, you visit the front end of your website and...