Got a domain, installed Wordpress, now what?
 

OMG, I'm a newbie again. :D

Been doing a rather b o r i n g personal blog for awhile using MovableType.

Did a quick install of Wordpress at the root of a domain. Installed a couple of themes, an iPhone plugin and got a key for the spam filter.

Besides starting to write posts and deciding what sponsors to use (besides the two tranny sites that I manage) what else is advisable?

It all seems a bit overwhelming at the moment...



|potleaf|

1. Install blog.

2. ???

3. PROFIT$$$$!!!!

4. Light your smoke with $100 bills.

I better get a bigger mailbox.

Since you manage two sites - I would defiantly set up a hosted blog (leak free), configure the feeds to be used with your affiliate codes, and let affiliates either link to the blog or use the feeds - or both.

A hosted blog should be separate from you screw-around blog - but your screw-around blog could sure use the feed(s) from your sponsor hosted blog(s).

Since I run a few tranny splogs, I'd love to have a few more good feeds.

Hit me up on the work-and-lurk and I'll be happy to help you out on setting this up.

I take it, then, that you are overwhelmed with help. If you need anything specific regarding wordpress, let me know. But, I wont overwhelm your inbox if you have plenty already...:)

Not overwhelmed with help but like any new project just feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Going to go over to Boarders later today to get WordPress for Dummies. Seems the best place to start is to learn everything about WordPress.

That is on my list but first I want to get my feet wet doing my first blog which I guess will actually be pretty much a splog.

Wordpress and blogging, like anything else on the net, can be as complicated or simple as you want to make it.

Having just come back to the biz after 3+ year haitus, the first thing I dove into, other than reviving a couple of domains I had kept, was blogging and WP. I have collected probably over 1000 bookmarks on the subject.

Getting a book is probably a good idea for an overview. When I get a chance to sift through my bookmarks later today, I will send you a pm for some of the most helpful I will find that pertain to setting up a simple splog.

You will find that blogging is a great way to get organic traffic, but they can become a bit of an obsessive work project if you let them. They do not, however, have to be that way.

Skip the book - I'll walk you through all you need to know for a splog |thumb

It's actually pretty darn simple.

But I enjoy reading. :)

Christy has been wanting to get involved more with what I do so this is going to be "our project" and she also loves to read.

But yes WordPress seems very simple. It took me all of fifteen minutes to setup and install a few themes.

On your splogs are you using mostly sponsor feeds with feedburning?

I've got that one lol, along with every other "for dummies" web book on the market I think. The WP "for dummies" is pretty, good really...only thing the books are usually several version behind since WP updates so often. Seems like every new updates introduces more quirks, but all in all, WP is a lot of fun. I've been trying my hand at writing my own post, and the SE's do seem to like it. It's just terribly time consuming for me...but that's another story...:)

Oh, be sure and check out Blog Automator and Blog Organizer.

Any suggestions on setting up multiple blogs on a domain.|huh

So far I have decided to setup blogs.mydomain.com as a base blog, and plan on adding more blogs underneath it.
eg.
blogs.mydomain.com/blog1
blogs.mydomain.com/blog2
...etc....

I've grabbed a copy of WordPress-MU, but still working my way through as to were to install/config everything.

Are most people doing subdomains?

I have one in the domain root and the others in subfolders on different domains. I never considered a subdomain, it would probably better for seo than the subfolder approach.

Subomains are definitely better than folders as long as you do not have too many subdomains set up on the same root domain. You will get a penalty in the serps for too many subs. It is not a killer, but it does dampen your results. A page that would normally give you a top 10 on a term will be something like 15-25.

What are some opinions about subdomains verses a bunch of top level domains?

It really depends on what you want to do and accomplish. I have a general blog on my top domain and several niche specific blogs in sub-domains and several free hosted blogs.

Some will tell you that sub-domains are better and other will tell you folders. I really haven't seen any difference in the two, the key thing is proper optimization, link planning and traffic filtering.

I use the general blog as to filter to my niche blogs on sub-domains. As for the free hosted blogs. It really depends on the blogs and what I want to target. Some are for feeding my general and other are to fee my niche blogs. Also, my niche blogs are spread out through 3 domains for right now.

I am a big believer in keyword rich domains for organic traffic. I would rank the way of structuring as follows...

TLD
subdomain
folder

There is one big caveat to this ordering. When I was in the business in the late 90's and early this decade, most webmasters used warning pages.

If you are doing a warning page, I would do a folder for the primary blog. This structure actually has some linking and SEO advantages. I am developing a few text tgps right now and they will all have warning page pointing to a root folder. You can acquire better long term SERP and Page Ranking this way, but it takes a much longer time.

Remove the patience factor, however, and the above ranking holds true.

You definitely want to setup permalinks. Its under your settings and it will generate the code you need or your .htaccess

Also, I always install the google sitemaps plugin. Its awesome.

Hey Cleo I have a blog network with 200+ subdomains and wish the hell I had gone categories rather than subdomains.
I'm not seeing the SEO benefits that there used to be and it's a real pain in the ass making changes to the templates|banghead|

Hey Pat |waves|
Yeah I've decided to go with subfolders and not subdomains. I've never liked subdomains and see no reason to change now.

Much to do yet but I got one feed into my blog and I've started to edit its template. Blog

Do people usually mix handwritten entries in with feeds or make each their own category?

Also on the feeds,
Unfamiliar categories:
create a new category
create a new tag

I've got create a new tag selected. What are others doing.