You’ve watched tutorials. YouTube Videos. Clicked on links to how-to articles. Joined Facebook groups. Memberships. Every resource you can think of is available. Then how come you still have the problem?
Your website isn’t working.
Exclusive help specific to your need. You ask the questions and get the answers in real time. Specific to your need. It’s a unique concept today. Someone to show you how it’s done.
We have believed the advertising copy.
It’s convincing. You’re persuaded. Creating a website using a ready made template is easy. After attempting to use it, the truth comes out. It’s not easy to use. Edits and content creation slows to grinding halt. And, the template has a license to renew each year.
When you can have a website that doesn’t dissappoint.
Keeps pace with technology changes and upgrades.
Doesn’t have an annual license.
Operates without added expense and the endless search for answers.
You get the help you need to show you how. I did it with my websites and I do it for my clients’ websites.
One-on-one tuition. Learn first hand how it works so you can work it. Then your website will work and you’ll know how to operate it.
There will always be problems to solve with website technology and updates. But if you know how to address the problem; change a setting, add or delete a plugin, create content, style and organize the blog.
You will be able to manage your business because your website works.
All these things are just a matter being shown how.
The real problem with having no time isn’t time. It’s that websites and technology are intimidating. And, we don’t want anyone to know that we don’t know.
But, the fact is you need a professional website. One that works. And, you need the website now.
Setting up a website is overwehleming. Even if you have someone do it for you. You still have to manage the website.
This is why it’s a best practice to have someone show you how.
Your alternative is to hire someone to build the website for you with a maintenance plan. If you’re too involved in managing your business.
As a business owner you’re still responsible for what you publish on the web on your website. You need to be hands on with your website so you know how it works. Even if someone manages it for you.
Restricted use. Upgrade to use additional features.
Difficult to manage. Limited tech support. Annual licence fee.
Hosting sever insufficient. Cannot upgrade software. Website malfunctions.
If you have the time and want to learn. Not enough tech support.
The truth about websites is this. There is a learning curve. There’s no way around this.
If you work in a website daily, then it’s no problem.
But not everyone works daily on their website. This is what I do. If you want a website we can build it together, or I can build it for you.
Contact Me and let’s get your website built, and live on the web.
Use a 3rd party email service and create a personal email. Never let the person know they’re one of many on a list. Always personalize the email.
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We hear about this all the time. So what’s the deal with email? It’s a chore to go through the volume of emails. They’re all the same asking you to do something. Sign up or get the latest deal. Nothing of real value. Time is wasted reading them.
Why on earth did you subscribe to this in the first place?
At first email was manageable and interesting, now it’s too much information and it never seems to relate to you and what you’re doing. Unsubscribe immediately. Anything to stop the constant emails. No sooner have you cleared your inbox then another bunch of emails arrive. All day every day.
If this describes how you feel about email then how will you send an email to someone who won’t have the same reaction. Think about the emails you do open. Why do you open them? Because they are relevant to what you want to know about their product or service.
When you compose an email write to a person as you would if you were having an in-person conversation. Always give your emails that personal touch.
People want to know that you acknowledge them.
If you address the email to their first and last name this immeditaely signals they’re one of many on one of your lists.
No one likes to be addressed as; Hi Newsletter Readers, or Hello Listies, or Hello First and Last name, this is a turn off. And no, it isn’t the new way to do it for 2020.
Email isn’t dead. The “Dead” idea is a clickbait trick to get you to read an article thinking you’ve been doing something and you shouldn’t be doing it now because it’s supposedly ‘dead’.
In fact email is the one way to communicate directly that does get results if you do it right with a personal touch. There’s a human being on the receiving end of your email.
There are so many to choose from. Each one with different configurations and set up. It would take all day to list them but how to find the right one will depend on the kind of emails you want to send.
In 2003 Congress enacted the CAN SPAM Act implemented a law covering all commercial messages. Email is an electronic commercial advertisement promoting a product or service.
Anytime you send an email to someone to solicit your business or service, and this includes a single email, the email must conform to the specific requirements. Otherwise it’s spam.
Your “From,” “To,” “Reply-To,” and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person or business who initiated the message.
The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.
The law gives you a lot of leeway in how to do this, but you must disclose clearly and conspicuously that your message is an advertisement.
Your message must include your valid physical postal address. This can be your current street address, a post office box you’ve registered with the U.S. Postal Service, or a private mailbox you’ve registered with a commercial mail receiving agency established under Postal Service regulations.
Your message must include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt out of getting email from you in the future. Craft the notice in a way that’s easy for an ordinary person to recognize, read, and understand. Creative use of type size, color, and location can improve clarity.
Give a return email address or another easy Internet-based way to allow people to communicate their choice to you. You may create a menu to allow a recipient to opt out of certain types of messages, but you must include the option to stop all commercial messages from you.
Make sure your spam filter doesn’t block these opt-out requests.
Any opt-out mechanism you offer must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your message. You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days.
You can’t charge a fee, require the recipient to give you any personally identifying information beyond an email address, or make the recipient take any step other than sending a reply email or visiting a single page on an Internet website as a condition for honoring an opt-out request.
Once people have told you they don’t want to receive more messages from you, you can’t sell or transfer their email addresses, even in the form of a mailing list.
The only exception is that you may transfer the addresses to a company you’ve hired to help you comply with the CAN-SPAM Act.
The law makes clear that even if you hire another company to handle your email marketing, you can’t contract away your legal responsibility to comply with the law.
Both the company whose product is promoted in the message and the company that actually sends the message may be held legally responsible.
Never abuse the privelege granted to you by someone when they give you their email address.
Not an easy setup.
Out of all the services to choose this is my choice.
Using a 3rd Party Email Client is a good idea when you want to grow an email list to existing customers, or new customers.
Email Marketing is cost effective.
Your customers do want communication. Especially if they subscribe to your services.
If you have a daily or monthly Newsletter this is a powerful information tool to keep your customer informed.
Before jumping into the deal look carefully at the cost factor. How often will you send out an email? How large is your list?
You can start a Newsletter with only 5 people in your list.
Most of the 3rd party email services have a free plan based on the amount of emails you send on a monthly basis.
We’ve heard this before how you need to organize information so you can get it out at the right time to the right people about the right information. This sounds really good but it is easier said than done.
Your first campaign is going to take some work on your part. First you need to start out with a plan. Not a calendar with proposed dates but a plan that starts with how you are going to deal with the subscribers, now that you have integrated your website with email.
To communicate and engage with an existing customer base.
To promote information about a product.
Provide training.
Welcome new customers.
What you are doing is called Digital Marketing. This is a combination of setting up an email newsletter and then managing the campaign that corresponds with the above list.
Here’s an excellent workbook about the process; The Digital Acquisition Cycle by Scott Winterroth. The book takes you through the necessary thought structure based on the author’s real time experience.
“The key ingredient to almost any digital marketing campaign is commitment. You need to sustain your online marketing strategy, even when it is difficult.” Scott Winterroth.
The inbox is where you have an opportunity to speak directly to the person. Now it’s time to stop and figure out why you want to send emails. Is it because it’s what you’re supposed to do? If it is this won’t work.
The person you’re emailing is intelligent and they can figure it out from the subject line of the email, to the greeting, and the first sentence.
Integrating your website with Email Marketing will require effort. It’s no use outsourcing the project, you’ll never be satisfied with how it’s done by someone else. Only you can do it because you’re the person behind the email offering your service or product.
Always remember, there is an intelligent human being on the receiving end of your email.
You've watched tutorials. YouTube Videos. Clicked on links to how-to articles. Facebook Groups to join. Memberships. Every resource you can think of is available. Then how come you still have the problem, your website isn't working.
Direct communication the inbox. The most effective tool that gives personal attention when you do it right. Do it wrong and your email is trashed without being read.
Before creating a website, what the sales copy doesn't tell you. The inside of a website isn’t mysterious, it’s just an organized content management system that operates when you know the commands. All software works this way. Once you know how to operate it, the mystique disappears...
What the sales copy doesn’t tell you.
The inside of a website isn’t mysterious, it’s just an organized content management system that operates when you know the commands. All software works this way. Once you know how to operate it, the mystique disappears.
The problem with creating a website; the initial information before setup.
It’s true anyone can create a website. This is usually the developer or the designer’s territory. Now Website software includes the user. There are two ways to go about creating a website, have someone create the website for you, or create it yourself.
Now not everyone likes to do it themselves. Whichever way you want to create your website you still need the foundational knowledge before the website is created. The foundational knowledge is the inside view, it’s not the sales view, but the information you wish you’d had before the startup that you now have to undo.
If you haven’t started a website don’t jump into the first easy-to-use, free, website… here’s the foundational knowledge based on my experience buildling websites since 2006.
The foundational knowledge is the know-how-it-works. This is what the advertising doesn’t tell you, and what you find out after you’ve bought into the freebie website with ads. Or worse still, your website just crashed because there’s insufficient memory to properly display the website.
This website is powered by WordPress. You’ve no doubt heard about other software for a website, Wix or Squarespace. Wix is a free software with ads, but if you need your own domain name or want to do business online, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the plans. The least expensive plan without any ads is $13 per month. This plan gives the website 3GB storage. This isn’t enough memory space for a website.
The same is true for a WordPress website hosted on WordPress.com. WordPress.com also requires an upgrade to remove ads from the website. You don’t want to have ads on your website.
The problem with free, it means use someone else’s platform and live with features not needed. Why would you advertise your competition? They pay for their advertisement to be on your website because it’s a relevant match advertisement.
Source: W3Techs, 2023
835 million websites use WordPress
43% of all websites use WordPress
Before you take the time to read make sure the information is current. Check the date, last year’s information is considered current. If you can’t find a date the information is most probably ‘evergreen’ meaning it might be factual and doesn’t go out of date. But even the ‘evergreen’ article will at some point be outdated.
Tech information on the Internet isn’t always updated and revised, unless the owner of the website is meticulous and cares enough about the content on their website to be current and not outdated.
The fast pace of uploading and publishing content is always going to be at top speed. Don’t be in a hurry to jump at the nearest cheap bottom line price.
The website you create should be long-term. You want your presence on the web to generate business. For this you need a professional website that will accommodate the growth you envision for your company, or as an individual practitioner.
The truth of this is in the usage.
The best website software to use is WordPress, this is based on my experience using the Blogger software, the Microsoft Small Business Software (now discontinued).
WordPress came out the winner having the most flexible layout and I didn’t need to know code to use it. The WordPress core software is provided by a reputable Hosting Company.
WordPress is the remarkable invention of co-founders Matt Mullenweg and David Little. WordPress started as a fork from b2cafelog a blogging software that needed improving. They modified the software so well that it grew to become the most used software for a blog and a website worldwide.
The WordPress core is open source software. Developers from all over the world contribute to the code. The result is a versatile software with the flexibility to add functions as needed.
WordPress has created a higher standard for websites. This is good news because this is exactly what you want for your website. Longevity and flexibility. WordPress is not going to suddenly be discontinued and they won’t raise the price and make it proprietary code.
When a software creates an environment where everyone benefits from it’s use, the developer, the designer, and the user, then it stands out and this is why 64.1% of websites are powered by WordPress as opposed to 3.7% by Wix.
Large Corporations, Governments, Educational Institutions, Schools, Restaurants, Individuals, Businesses, Entrepreneurs, Individuals, all use WordPress for their website.
Adding to the excellence of WordPress is the availability of Plugins. A plugin is designed by a 3rd party developer and if it passes the grade is offered in the WordPress Plugin Repository. If you’re serious about doing business online you will need a profressional website.
Designers and Developers use this Theme. Anyone can create a website using this theme. You don’t have to know how to code to create your website.
There are 125+ Premade Theme Layouts designed by Elegant Themes designers. Using these layouts is like hiring a professional designer. Even if you’re a total beginner you can create a professional website.
The Divi Theme is the world’s most used Theme, and has the flexibility to style a website to suit the subject without emptying your wallet.
The WordPress core software is the shell onto which a Theme is built. The Theme is the decoration or style relating to a subject or topic. Today the WordPress Theme market is saturated with every kind of theme you can think of. The technology of website styles changes all the time. What was used in the 1990’s isn’t used today. Styles change.
WordPress recently rocked the boat and introduced a new Classic Editor. The section where you input the content that goes onto the web page.
The introduction of the Gutenberg Block Editor is the biggest change WordPress has made since it was launched in 2003. The result is a Block Editor, to help you put content onto the page.
Themes styled with the earlier Classic Editor are now outdated and will cause the website to operate on an older version of WordPress. Theme developers will need to update their themes or discontinue that theme. This is a definite consideration before you use the inexpensive theme that you found on the web. Is it compatible with the most current version of WordPress 5.3.2? Updates to the WordPress core softwear happen regularly. In a few months WordPress will be up to 5.3.3 and is now at 6.3.
There will always be an updated or improved version particularly with a website. Always make sure you can update the Theme and WordPress when needed. An outdated website will be hacked and this is what you don’t want to experience. Once a website is hacked, it’s dropped from the search engine. The website will then take a long time to get back into the good graces of the search engine.
Best Practice: always use an updated version of WordPress and WordPress Theme.
You want a theme that keeps pace with WordPress. The Divi Theme keeps pace with WordPress and integrated their unique Page Builder into the Gutenberg Block system.
The Divi Theme is your creative partner working by your side as you come to know how the sections, rows, and modules work. You are using one of the most used themes in the world. Even the designers and developers use this theme. The Divi Theme has built-in styling features and you can add content directly onto the page using the advanced Visual Builder.
Whenever there is an excellent product there are always those that will downgrade the product, claiming it’s slow and has too many things wrong with it. This is professional jealousy. The person, feeling the competition, criticizes the product with the intent to purposefully misinform you, so you’ll buy their product instead.
As the owner of a website you need to decide how hands on you want to be with the website.
You might not have the time to do this yourself, in that case you should have your site managed by someone, and be prepared to pay them for this service. The back end site management is called site maintenance. The front end of the site management is called front end where you add content to the site. This is the part you should operate as the owner of a website.
The front end has a learning curve, as with anything we use, we have to learn how it works first. With the Divi Theme you have full control over the front end and you’ll be able to change an image, add content, and change a style.
Not having to use code is the best way to create a website. Website code runs in the background while you’re using it on the front end. If there’s a problem with the code, you initiate the built-in support ticket and the tech support developers fix it for you. This is how it should be.
Code is complicated, and unless it is your passion… don’t mess with it.
No one likes learning something by themselves. This is why YouTube is so popular. Whenever we want to know how to do something, we search for a video on YouTube.
But you can’t ask the video questions. You can ask questions if you have someone teach you.
You can have one-on-one training with a Divi enthusiast, and learn to create a website using Divi.
The answer to this question depends on who you talk to.
The Hosting Company is one of the most important choices you will need to make. It’s the second most important thing next to the domain name of the website.
This is where you will manage your website. Not the WordPress login to the live site but the back end of the website where it sits on the Hosting Company servers. Your website will be on a shared server, unless you’re a large operation and have a dedicated server for the website.
The Back End or cPanel, as it is named by some Hosting Companies, is not complex, but it is unfamiliar. Developers are at home in the cPanel because they deal with the FTP (file transfer protocol) and generally manage the back end of the website.
If you’re not familiar with FTP protocol, subdomain management, memory upgrade, and SSL certificate instillation… then you will need tech support.
If you like doing this yourself, you will be able to find your way around the Back End. Some Hosting Companies have customized this area and it is now easier to use to manage your website. If you run into a problem you don’t want to change or delete files in the database.
What you need is a Hosting Company with reliable tech support, and at all hours of the day and night. When something goes wrong you need to fix it as soon as possible. Downtime means loss of business and reputation. If you’re operating an online business this is what you don’t need.
How much web space does the Hosting Company provide? This ranges from 3 GB to 10 GB. Obviously 3 is less than 10, you do not want to be limited in the amount of web space and 3 GB is not sufficient space.
Website software is continuously upgraded, improved, and debugged. No software works perfectly all the time. But when you need to press the Update button you don’t want a server error message telling you there is insufficient memory to support the update of the Theme.
An outdated Theme and WordPress version is a website ready to be hacked!
Depending on the Hosting Company you’ll get variations. In some cases there will be an extra charge for tech support. In most cases though the tech support is built into the monthly amount with Hosting fees.
How do you know if the tech support is any good?
Ask around and people will tell you of their experience. Since Hosting Companies are essential to having a website, you’ll get instant feedback.
My recommendation is based on my use of their services. I’m so satisfied, I am part of their Affiliate program.
Excellent all round. If you need tech support, it’s there. Well designed back end easy to manage and access every aspect of your website. This is my affiliate link.
Website Software – WordPress
Professional Website – Premade Layout Pack
Website Theme Choice – the Divi Theme
Website Hosting – SiteGround
The website journey is like a roadmap, you have to follow the road to reach your destination. You can go cross-country, but the terrain is more difficult and you might not reach the desired destination. In this case your destination is a website. Soome of the links on this webpage are my affiliate links. I use their services and have no problem recommending them to you.
No one ever got anywhere without knowing where they were going. With the inside view, you’re now able to decide how you’re going to create your website.
The website from the front end looks gorgeous! How do they do it? Today, without a website, you’re not relevant or legit. It’s a harsh judgment. Not everyone knows how to build a website.
It’s possible when someone shows you how to.
When you see how its done with tech stuff, you find out the tech guys best kept secrets. If they don’t want you to know then there won’t be a help menu and you’ll have to rely on them to do it for you. That’s not acceptable anymore. Maybe it was in the last decade. But now you have access to the how-to. There are help menus built into the modules.
If you’ve been on this website you’ll know that I’m in love with the one theme that teaches you how to do it for yourself. It’s the most advanced theme of it’s kind and here’s the big secret; the developers and designers also use it! It’s the Divi Theme made by Elegant Themes.
This article shows you how to with the Divi Theme. Building a website isn’t easy, if it was everyone would have done it and we’d be doing something else. It’s a complex set of components that must work together to create the website. But when you see the how-to in action then the complexity disappears and you can build a website yourself. We tend to think only a designer can design a website. This is not true, with the right tools you can design your website the way you want with built in settings inside the modules.
A website is a content management system and you can put into it whatever you need to function. WordPress is the ideal software for a website, it’s flexible and you can add functions to it as you need them.
You will need a WordPress theme and the one I recommend is the Divi Theme. It’s the most versatile theme, and yes, it’s also for beginners and you don’t have to know how to code to use the Divi Theme.
The Theme Marketplace is jam packed with WordPress Themes, each one looks better than the last one you looked at. One theme isn’t better than another. It all depends on your willingness to want to create your website yourself, or have someone help you create it.
A webpage is made up of a Header the Body the Footer Bar and the Bottom Bar. All webpages have the same layout. The content fits into the body of the page.
The header has it’s function and is visible globally (ghroughout the website on every page and every post page.
The Header is the navigation area. And the footer contains information and links to other pages.
After uloading the Divi.zip file you’ll need to go to the Theme Options area to enable the settings. Without doing this the theme won’t work. It might sound obvious but sometimes a setting not enabled can cause a problem.
Below is an image of the Divi Theme Options Settings section.
At first all the settings will read disabled. Click disable and the blue ENABLED button will appear. This tells you that you just enabled that setting. When you return to this area you won’t have to remember whether you did or didn’t enable the setting.
If you didn’t enable the setting it would be greyed out and read DISABLED.
There is a help menu built into each module. Open the module and locate the ? symbol at the bottom of the module. Click on the symbol and the Divi Builder Helper will open with a video tutorial of that module. 
The video tutorial is published by Elegant Themes. This is exactly how I learned to use the Divi Theme when I first started using it when it came out in 2013. I would stop and start the video as many times as I needed. After a while I got it.
Did you know; no one knows how software works until they start using it?
When you click on the ? symbol the built in instruction video will open and you can watch the video. It is directly related to the module you’re using. In this example we’re looking at the Divi Toggle Module Settings Instruction Video.
Press the play button and the instructions will show you how to use the Toggle Module.
All of these videos are on Elegant Themes YouTube Channel. Inside the Divi Builder Helper you’ll see related articles to help you further.
This is how I learned to use the Divi Theme.
One of the most helpful elements when creating a website is to use a premade layout. You can choose any layout and modify it to suit your idea. The layout is meant to be used as a guide.
There are 100+ Theme Layouts in the Divi Library and a new one is added each week, and there is no extra cost, they come with the Divi Theme.
On this side there is different information.
We tend to think everyone is the same as we are, but there are people with disabilities that access the web. You want to make sure your content is suitable. Keep it simple and clean with as minimal distractions as possible.
Animation on a web page attracts attention. It’s great when it’s subtle. Annoying when it’s overdone. The last thing you want to do is annoy the person visiting your website. They get off as fast as they can and don’t return.
If there’s so much information about WordPress and creating websites, why is it so difficult to create one? It’s because the information isn’t presented from the how-to-do it’s presented from it’s easy and click here to get started. This is the number one reason why websites fail. The initial setup doesn’t follow the roadmap. Yes, you need a roadmap. It’s that much harder to get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going.
The idea you have for your website has been living inside you. You might be fairly sure what you want. You will find a lot of readymade themes to use. This is fine if you know how to use the theme and there is sufficient documentation to help you if if you get stuck.
The majority of WordPress Themes don’t have as extensive support as the Divi Theme offers you. This makes a big difference when you want to get your website going so that it works for your business project, or service. Before you settle on a theme you need to have two other elements first. The Domain Name and the Hosting Company in that order.
This is the name of your website. Do the work and make sure the name you choose isn’t taken.
Search the main database Whois.com to find out. If the .com extension isn’t available but the same name is available to use with .org – don’t use that name. It’s “confusingly similar” and will result in the company with the .com name coming to you and wanting to know why you are using their name.
The real information about them; some are good and some aren’t. Don’t go with cheap hosting. Before you sign up for web hosting find out what version the Host servers are running on. Those servers will host your website. You want to have sufficient memory and not have your website crash beause the Hosting Company doesn’t give you enough memory.
The Hosting Company should be on 7.0+PHP. This will accommodate the memory you need.
The version is based numbers. Software updates regularly. WordPress core and the WordPress Theme will update fixing bugs and adding new features. When there is an update you will see a series of numbers. For example: the WordPress core software updated current version is 5.3.2 – the next time WordPress core updates the version numbers will change to 5.3.3.
If a Web Hosting service only operates websites at 5.0 they won’t be compatible with the updated WordPress version of 5.3.3. Since all Web Hosting companies supply the WordPress core software they have to keep pace with WordPress core updates.
The Theme will also have version numbers. These are different from the WordPress core version numbers. The WordPress Theme you use should update regularly, not once a year when the license comes up for renewal.
The Divi Theme is regularly updated and all you’ll have to do is see the notice in the Updates area and then press the Update button.
You've watched tutorials. YouTube Videos. Clicked on links to how-to articles. Facebook Groups to join. Memberships. Every resource you can think of is available. Then how come you still have the problem, your website isn't working.
Direct communication the inbox. The most effective tool that gives personal attention when you do it right. Do it wrong and your email is trashed without being read.
Before creating a website, what the sales copy doesn't tell you. The inside of a website isn’t mysterious, it’s just an organized content management system that operates when you know the commands. All software works this way. Once you know how to operate it, the mystique disappears...
Which plugins should you use?
There are so many how do you know the plugin will work? You don’t until you use the plugin. Some plugins will crash your website. This is because they are in conflict with the theme.
How do you avoid this problem?
This article will give you information about plugins based on my experience of using plugins with WordPress since I started using WordPress in 2006. The links to purchase the plugins are my Affiliate links. I constantly use these plugins on my websites. They do specific functions I couldn’t do without them. They’re so good they’re worth recommending.
WordPress gives you the advantage to add specific functions into WordPress known as a Plugin. A Plugin is a package of code and is developed by a team of developers. For a Plugin to work sucessfully, it has to be compatible with WordPress and the WordPress Theme. All you would need to do is add the Plugin to your website and activate the settings, and the plugin does the work intended.
There are over forty-four thousand Plugins in the WordPress Plugin Repository. That’s a whole lot of plugins! All plugins are required to go through testing before being allowed to be offered in the WordPress Repository. The Plugin Repository is accessed from your website Dashboard in the Plugins area. The Plugin Repository is linked to your WordPress website. When adding a plugin, go to the Plugins section, select Add New, or Upload a Plugin.
Plugins are created by developers, the people that know how to code. Plugin Developers are problem solvers. Many of the things you want to do in a website aren’t simple to implement. The Plugin Developer creates the plugin code package to add specific functions to the website.
Before you add a plugin to your website you do need to research the plugin beyond the sales copy, which by the way is just advertising. The Plugin will appear to be the perfect solution for what you want. Is it? Always do some research. Read the reviews about the plugin. Who is the Developer? When was the plugin last updated? Is it compatible with the latest version of WordPress (which is updated frequently). Is there tech support available if something goes wrong with the Plugin? Sometimes the Plugin is offered free, but tech support requires an upgrade.
Because there are so many which one should you use? This depends on the WordPress Theme you’re using. Not all Plugins in the WordPress Repository are compatible with all themes.
The question to ask; does this plugin work with the Theme you’re using?
Today, technology updates faster and there are more people using the software. You want a smooth integration with Plugins and this isn’t always possible. There will be problems along the way. The key to less Plugin issues is to use Plugins specifically made for the Theme you’re using.
The plugins I use are compatible and specifically developed for the Divi Theme. It’s no secret I use the Divi Theme and love using it. I also don’t know how to code with HTML but I can copy and paste a CSS style into the appropriate field (following a video tutorial, which anyone can do). The Divi Theme is produced by Elegant Themes in 2013, since it came out I haven’t needed to use any other theme.
I will only add a plugin to a website if it’s necessary and it has a specific feature. For example; the ability to add more information to the main navigation menu with images and text. This is something I could not do without a plugin.
At some point there will be a problem even with the most perfect plugin specifically built for the Divi Theme. When that happens the test is; the developers tech team fixes the problem, with no extra charge asap.
This may or may not happen depending on the Developer. Some Plugins are developed but not kept up and the Developer goes out of business and the Plugin is no longer available. Other times the Plugin becomes obsolete and is discontinued. Usually another Plugin better than the first Plugin will come in it’s place.
It’s great when it’s free, but as you’ve most probably come to know by now, free means upgrade for a fee. Any Plugin might have conflict even if you paid for the plugin. Plugin Developers are a 3rd party development team and not part of the Theme Development Team. Remember, there’s three sets of code that work together, the Plugin code package, the Theme code package and the existing WordPress core code. If the Plugin Developer is good, their Plugins will work well for what they’re designed to do.
This plugin has premade layouts and time settings to popup. The module after set up can be placed in a sidebar, the footer wherever you think is suitable for someone to easily opt-in to sign up for your Newsletter.
Developer: Elegant Themes
The Monarch Plugin comes with your purchase of the Divi Theme. It is a Social Media plugin that you can place anywhere on a page. Below a Post, or on the side of the post.
Developer: Elegant Themes
Blog posts are an essential part of a website. This plugin lets you style a blog post giving you several styles to choose from. You do not need to know any code to use this plugin.
Developer: Elicus Technologies, Inc.
With this plugin you can display your blog posts on the Blog Page in various styles.
The ability to lay out blog posts gives your blog posts an attractive layout inviting readers to read the posts.
Developers: Divi Extended
This plugin allows you to create a Navigation Menu with information, images, links and a button.
The menu has many styles you can use.
Developer: Divi Life
This plugin allows you to place a link in a text, a button, or an icon. When you click on the link another screen pops up with information in that screen.
This is very effective when you do not want the visitor to have to go to another page.
Developer: Divi Extended
The Divi Theme changed the way we build websites. It’s for anyone to use. Even if you’re a beginner and have no experience with WordPress you can use the Divi Theme.
The popularity of Divi gave rise to the Divi Community. People who use the Divi Theme, Designers, Developers, and Users share their knowledge and products about Divi.
Connect with the Divi Community on Facebook, and Meetup. Join the Divi Nation and participate in website building with professionals and beginners.
Join the Divi Chicago Meetup Group. The Divi Community is in Chicago! Everyone welcome at all levels, beginners too. Feel free to bring something to share or questions to ask.
As many as you want. But if you add too many you could bloat the website and weigh it down causing the site to load slowly.
Some plugins will work for a while and then suddenly stop working. Not all developers keep their plugins updated. The plugins recommended in this article are all updated and in use.
If you wanted to sell products on your website you can add the WooCommerce Plugin. The WooCommerce is free to use initially but it is adequate for a start up business. As your business increases you add specific features you need. If you wanted to add courses to your website you could add LearnDash. Almost any function you can think of you can find a plugin for it.
Find out as much information about the plugin as you can. Do others use it? What is their feedback?
Is the Plugin updated regularly?
Avoid Plugins that haven’t been updated in a while.
Is there tech support and tutorial documents?
Is the Plugin compatible with the WordPress version you’re using (you should be using most current one).
Is the Plugin compatible with the Theme you’re using?
Is the Plugin necessary?
Sometimes you might purchase a Plugin and some time later the Theme updates and adds the feature the Plugin provided. Developers know this and it’s part of their work. They might discontinue that Plugin or develop it further with additional features. You can continue to use the Plugin, but if you’re not going to continue to use the Plugin you should delete it from the website.
This is one of the most outstanding features of the WordPress software, being able to add a specific function to a website to enhance the website even further.
A WordPress website can expand to a membership site, an information portal, an online store. Anything you want to expand into with your idea can be accommodated and added to a WordPress website with Plugins.
All Plugins should come with sufficient documentation to help you set it up. If you get stuck on the settings you can always contact the Developer, they’ll be more than glad to help. They want you to be satisfied using their Plugin.
Your plugin adventure is about to begin as you start to develop the idea behind your website. Research the options and always be prepared to ask questions.
If you have more questions contact me, I’m always willing to answer questions.
To use the Divi Theme you must be a member of Elegant Themes. This is one Theme Company you don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll be going out of business or discontinuing their Theme.
The Divi Theme is the world’s most popular Theme for a simple reason; it’s the ideal WordPress Theme that accommodates all types of users, even beginners.
The Divi Theme is the Theme I have used since it came out in 2013. It’s that good! This is my affiliate link.
