Mike Lopez

Serious WordPress bloggers usually use a ton of different plugins to enhance their blogs. In fact, all of my blogs have at least 4 plugins installed which I think are very essential.

Obviously, this blog post is meant to share what I think are the 4 plugins every WordPress user must have.

1. Akismet

Blogs get a lot of spam. I once did an experiment to see how soon will a blog receive spam. I setup a new blog added some posts in it and shared it on Facebook and Twitter. Guess what, I started receiving spam comments within 24 hours!

There are lots of spammers on the internet and they’re annoying. Akismet does a really good job in controlling spam comments on your blog saving you time by presenting only comments that are legit.

Akismet comes pre-installed with WordPress. Note that you’ll have to get a free API key from Akismet.com to make it work.

2. Redirection

I use redirection mainly to create pretty links for those long affiliate links generated by sites like ClickBank so that instead of some ugly URL, I can instead share a link like mysite.com/product.

Redirection however can do more than just redirections. It also logs how many times the redirections are accessed and even better, it also keeps track of 404 errors and modified posts.

The modified posts feature automatically creates a redirection whenever you change a post or page’s slug so you won’t lose traffic and the 404 logging is a life saver for me. It keeps tracks of URLs that people are visiting your site but no longer exists. By checking the logs regularly, I can take action by redirecting those 404s to a useful page.

It can also do regular expressions.

Download it here

3. WordPress SEO

There are many SEO plugins available for WordPress but my personal favorite is WordPress SEO.

It’s got tons of features and tools designed to help your blog posts rank better on the search engines. It also has tools to position you better on social media as well.

My personal favorite is the in-post analysis feature wherein I can type my focus keyword and it will analyze my blog post and make suggestions. This helps me improve my on-page SEO a lot and saves me a lot of time.

Download it here

4. Jetpack

Trust me when I say that you’re missing a lot if you don’t have Jetpack installed. Jetpack is another plugin created by the good guys at WordPress. This is the same plugin that wordpress.com blogs use and it’s packed with lots of different features that covers a wide variety of uses.

Jetpack is so powerful it deserves a blog post of its own. Here’s a quick rundown of what it can do.

• Publicize – Connect your site to popular social networks and automatically share new posts with your friends.
• Notifications – Monitor and manage your site’s activity with Notifications in your Toolbar and on WordPress.com.
• WordPress.com Stats – Simple, concise site stats with no additional load on your server.
• Jetpack Comments – A new comment system that has integrated social media login options.
• Subscriptions – Allow users to subscribe to your posts and comments to receive a notification via email.
• Sharing – The most super duper sharing tool on the interwebs. Share content with Facebook, Twitter, and many more.
• WP.me Shortlinks – Enable WP.me-powered shortlinks for all of your Posts and Pages for easier sharing.
• Shortcode Embeds – Easily embed videos and more from sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and SlideShare.
• Mobile Push Notifications – Receive notifications on your Apple device.
• Enhanced Distribution – Share your public posts and comments to search engines and other services in real-time.

Do you have other plugins in mind that you think every WordPress user must have?

People delete posts for many reasons – lack of interest, change of thoughts/belief, want to start over, etc. But what if the posts you deleted were receiving good traffic from search engines and other websites?

Some might not bother about the lost traffic especially if the reason for deleting the post is very important. Some on the other hand might want to restore said traffic – traffic is traffic after all.

Here’s what I recently did on one of my WordPress powered blogs.

Step 1. Install the Redirection plugin

The Redirection plugin for WordPress is a very powerful plugin and has many good uses. I use it to cloak affiliate links for example. But one its very powerful uses that I really like is that it monitors 404 errors. For those who don’t know what a 404 error is, it is an error that is returned by your website if someone visits a link that doesn’t exist.

Step 2. Check Out Redirection’s 404 Error Log

What interest do I have with 404 errors?

Well, if you delete a post and someone visits the link to that post, a 404 error is generated. The Redirection plugin will log the URLs of these posts and pages allowing you to check if people are still interested in something that you’ve already deleted.

Now that you know what URLs are being visited, you can then decide whether or not you still want the traffic being sent to these URLs.

Step 3. Redirect Those URLs

It’s time to redirect all those lost traffic to something useful on your page. Usually, you’d want to redirect people to a page similar to the old/deleted page. To redirect a URL generating 404 to a new location, all you need to do is click the green + icon on the right side and enter the URL of the post/page that you want to redirect them to.

After you doing this step, all traffic sent to the non-existent page will now be redirected to the URL you specified. Traffic restored!

Step 4.(Optional) Resurrect the Deleted Page

Sometimes, you may want to resurrect the deleted page from the dead so that people will see exactly what they used to see. This is also good for SEO because you’d possibly restore whatever on-page SEO value your deleted page had.

To do this, all you need to do is use the Wayback Machine. Yup, there’s such a thing.

What the Wayback Machine does is crawl all websites and archive them in its ever-growing database. If you’re lucky enough and your site has been crawled and archived then all you need to do is type the URL of the deleted page in its search bar and it will show you whatever archived copy it has.

Now go and restore all those lost traffic!

Whenever you come across the choice between cheaper neophyte and the expensive professional in your business decision making process – it’s much better to go with the pro.

My family of five recently moved to a new home. It’s a small 72sqm flat. We had it built on top of my mother-in-law’s place so we’re essentially on the second floor.

We love the place but I think we could have done better by hiring pros all the way. I won’t be mentioning names but this much is true – we hired a mix of pros and non-pros for the job. We probably would have spent a little bit more by going with pros all the way but I think the 100% satisfaction that we could have gotten would be priceless.

We humans make the same mistake all the time in just about every aspect of our lives. During the decision making process in business we oftentimes choose the cheaper option mainly because it’s cheap and shy away from the more expensive ones just because it will cost us more.

Of course there are some exceptions – there will always be pros who are cheap and really expensive amateurs. The rule of thumb though is that pros are a bit (or a lot) more expensive than amateurs.

Should you go for the pro even if it’s more expensive? While it still depends on your budget, I’d say go for the best that your money can buy – you won’t regret it. Furthermore, I think that you’ll be wasting more money by choosing the cheaper option then regretting it later on.

I think this applies to everything – whether it’s building a house, hiring a contractor, building your business, and so on.

Of course importance of decision making in business covers many aspects but I think making this choice is one of the major ones.

Again, don’t be cheap. Hire the pros.

Which Social Networking Site Brings You More Traffic?

The debate is still up in the air ever since Google entered the social networking game with Google+ and it appears that there is still no clear answer. Both sites have their own strengths and weaknesses but more importantly, they have very different demographics and their users seem to have very different personalities.

Flat out, I’ll say that at this point, I’m more of a Facebook guy. It suits my lifestyle and it appears that the people I am targeting mostly hang out in Facebook than in Google+. I am not saying that Google+ is not from me, fact is I haven’t really focused much on it and so it would be unfair to say that it doesn’t work for me.

As usual, my curiosity pushed me to Google search where I found this Infographic that pretty much details the major differences of the two.

Infographic by Pardot.com

From this I clearly understood why Facebook has more appeal to me. Google+ requires more “intimate” interaction than Facebook in order to get feedback. Facebook is more about one-click likes and spurts of comments which I prefer. I also think that my posts become more viral in Facebook than in Google+.

So what about you? Which of the two social networking giants work better for you? Which of the two sends you more traffic – Facebook or Google+.

This online marketing how to is meant for people searching for a clear and paved path for internet marketing. The reason I wrote this blog post is because there are many people out there who practically have no clue on what online marketing is all about.

If you’re dead serious about this, then I would advise that you to first go and read my previous article – Strategies for Online Marketing.

You see my friend… Online Marketing is Not Just About Making Money Online

Many think that online marketing = making money online. While there is some truth to that, online marketing requires more from you than just that. Making money is probably the bottom line for most but the process of getting there is what many people forget.

And here it is…

I. It’s All About the Brand

The first thing that you need to have is your brand. A brand is essentially the identity that you want people to know you for. In this blog’s case, my brand is myself – Mike Lopez. One of my other brands is CodersCult which is a community for web developers. Make your brand as relevant as possible to what you are doing. A bad example is naming a business about children’s toys “Strong Stuff”, just doesn’t match.

Make your brand easy to remember, that way people can talk about it over coffee without having to squeeze their brains for the name.

II. Build a Credible Online Presence

It’s not online marketing if you don’t have an online presence and mind you it has to be a credible one. Back in the days, having an online presence simply means having a website that people can visit and contact you but thanks (or maybe no thanks) to technology, the avenues for building your online presence today is as many as the stars in the sky — ok, maybe not but it’s still a lot.

First thing you’ll need is a website. Then Twitter, then Facebook, then Google+, then YouTube, then so on and on and on…

But credibility is more than having these sites and good numbers. It also means people talking good things about you so try to gather as much testimonials as you can. Warning: Don’t invent your testimonials. We humans can smell fishy scents.

III. Gain Followers, Not Just Buyers

I’ve been a follower of the Apple brand long before I got my first iPod. The beauty of online marketing is that it allows you to build followers through websites and social networking even if your followers don’t necessarily want to buy your product yet. Followers are loyal people, they will go with you wherever you go as long as you remain worthy to follow.

Needless to say, focus on gaining followers and you do this by starting a cause, creating a story (not a lie) or simply by being a fun brand… which leads us to my next point.

IV. Be a Fun Person/Brand to Be With

Nobody enjoys a boring person or brand. Stop talking about how cool you and your products are all the time. That’s boring.

Instead talk more about the fun things that’s going on in your business. You can also meet with customers and blog about your experience (with your customer’s permission of course).

Here’s an idea – do a contest. Have your followers post a video about why they love your brand.

V. Listen to What Your Followers are Saying

Here’s a secret. Did you know that many online marketing gurus let their followers create their products? They do it by listening to what their followers are saying. They pro-actively interact with their followers and actually discuss things either online or offline. By listening, you will hear what problems your followers are having and you can build products by solving those problems. Sometimes, you’ll even get a few bright ideas from them that can also be turned into products or services.

Another advantage of listening is retention. You keep your followers close to your heart and they will keep you close to theirs.

My realization…

I realized that you may be expecting something different when you read the title of this post. Perhaps you were expecting a step-by-step how to on making money online. I also do realize that you’ve read this post up to this point which means you liked it and probably learned a thing or two from it.

Truth is, we mostly focus on the technical side of things (building a website, building a list, etc) and we end up being blinded to what the real gurus in the online marketing world really do – they build relationships.

Is it really possible to create a sustainable online business on the internet in only 30 days with minimal budget?

Watch this video that I made for you and find out

Click Here to Get Started

There are many strategies for online marketing and each marketer will probably have his own list of strategies on how to market in the online world. No matter what strategies you employ though, it is known that good internet marketing can send more people to your site which can translate to more customers, more sales and better branding.

Just as with anything, the hardest part is to begin. Hopefully the strategies listed below will give you the extra boost you need to get off the starting line.

I. Clearly Identify your Marketing Goals

Know exactly what you want. Are you marketing for brand awareness or to increase sales? Do you want to gain more new customers or sell more products to your existing customers? Among all strategies for online marketing, this I believe is the most important as it defines the path that you will be taking.

II. Research Your Target Market

How big is your target market? How fast is it growing? These are the questions that you want to ask yourself when researching about your market. The goal here is to stay relevant so that you’re not left behind. Look for patterns and trends and see how you can adapt to it.

III. Create a Customer Profile

Who is your customer? Male, female, adults, kids? What do they want? Where do they usually hang out online? What are the kind of things that they buy and what triggers them to make the buying decision?

Also keep your existing customers in mind. Listen to their feedback and actively interact with them through blogs, email and social networking.

IV. Know Your Competitor

What’s your competitor doing? Who are they targeting? What keywords are they ranking for? How do they price their product? In other words, What are their strategies for online marketing?

What you want to achieve here is to learn where your competitors find success and where they fail. Copy where they’re good at, improve on their weaknesses and avoid their mistakes.

This 4th strategy for online marketing is perhaps one of my favorites. I feel like a spy when I do this.

V. Develop Promotion and Retention Strategies

Only at this point can you begin developing promotion and retention strategies for online marketing. How do you bring in more customers to your website? How do you keep them engaged? How can you make it go viral?

The goal here is simple – bring more customers in and keep existing customers from leaving. This is where social networking and emails come to play. Always be present when they look for you and stay present (in the background) during times when they don’t necessarily need you at all.

Needless to say, your promotion and retention strategies for online marketing have to match all the research that you’ve previously done.

VI. Test Your Ideas

Lastly, test your strategies for online marketing. Test, test and keep testing. In a fast changing online world, testing is a never-ending process. Not only do you have to test before you launch, you have to keep testing as you go along and refine your process to a point where you can sit back, relax and expect near-consistent results.

Hopefully these strategies for online marketing help you kick-start your online business.

The fear of new things is probably the top thing that hinders us to aim higher. We love things that are stable and the moment someone or something begins to change the things that we’re used to, we often react, sometimes violently, against it. I’ve seen this happen in many different places and situations and it’s especially alarming if the move to change is for the good.

This is called Neophobia. Wikipedia defines it as “the fear of new things or experiences”.

The fear of new things can be very crippling for anyone who wants to achieve success in their lives because success often requires us to do new things, to change. People of all ages are affected but I would say that the older ones experience the greater impact because adults often “get used to the routine” and breaking the routine is almost never a welcome scenario especially if one is comfortable with it.

If you however want to truly move on to greener pastures then you have to deal with it before you can actually begin to chase your dreams.

But how you ask?

It’s been said that the best way to learn how to swim is to jump into the water. In other words, all you have to do is take the leap.

I know it’s a scary proposition but you have to understand that fear is nothing more than a state of mind pre-programmed into our brains to help us with survival. Survival dictates that we ought to stay within our boundaries and that’s fine – unless you want to chase your dreams. The only way for you to deal with your fear of new things is to ignore what your instinct tells you and just try it out.

I’m not telling you to blindly cross the road but I do tell you to cross it nevertheless, with eyes open.

And the best part of dealing with the fear of new things? Well, it’s the overwhelming satisfaction that you’ve actually accomplished something new and that my friend is priceless.

If you want to stay ahead of things and be on what’s called the “bleeding edge” then will have to know how to learn new things in life and sometimes it involves forcing yourself to learn. Most are accustomed to being passive when it comes to learning but if you want to be on top of things then you have to be a pro-active learner.

If you are the kind of person who is passionate about learning then learning new things is probably second-nature to you. The majority however only understands that they have to learn but somehow lacks the required zeal to acquire knowledge. If you’re such a person then my advise is to force yourself to learn new things.

Yup, you’ve read that right. Force yourself.

How? Here are my three best methods of forcing myself to learn things that I know I need to learn but I do not necessarily like.

I. Learn new things by accepting challenging real-world projects

The quickest way to learn is to find a challenge and when I say a challenge I mean a real challenge and not something that you can easily accomplish. If there’s an EASY, MEDIUM, HARD scale then you have to go for HARDEST.

It’s also important that the challenge involves a real-world project so that you’re accountable to deliver something to a client. This not only  forces you to research new methods and technologies, it also rewards you with whatever payment that you have agreed upon with your client.

II. Learn new things with an accountability partner

Remember study groups in school? An effective study group not only makes learning fun, it also makes others accountable to what their group mates are learning. Look for someone who’s up for the challenge of learning new things and learn together. Discuss what you have learned and even more important, discuss what you can’t understand.

III. Learning new things by training someone

Why on earth will you look for someone to train if you yourself want to learn new things? Well, first, this applies only to those already have an idea on what they’re doing. Even the tiniest bit of knowledge can be gold to someone who doesn’t know it.

This is effective because it forces you to actually stay ahead of your student. It also forces you to look for answers to questions that your student has asked.

All these I have personally done and still doing and I sincerely hope this helps you learn new things in life.