Advice on running a WordPress site.

Free VS Premium WordPress Themes

July 31, 2013 by Chris Richardson Blogging Advice

Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks for any blogger when setting up their site is to pick a WordPress theme that’s going to suit their style and ideas for the site. With the vast array of theme offerings these days it’s almost impossible to narrow down your choice to that one specific theme. Additionally many bloggers look for free options to try to keep their costs low, you can’t blame them for it but it is worth weighing up the differences between both Free and Premium themes. You never know how your blog will progress so starting with a […]

The 5 Most Essential WordPress Plugins

July 8, 2013 by Chris Richardson Blogging Advice

WordPress SEO - Essential WordPress Plugin

As someone who works with WordPress for a living, I’m constantly asked what the best plugins are for a particular job. Obviously the answer will differ for every blogger depending on what they are trying to do. But there are, in my opinion, a few absolutely essential WordPress plugins that should be installed on pretty much every WordPress blog out there. They cover the grunt-work of your site, leaving you to sprinkle in an assortment of others for more niche uses. So – what are they? Read on. BackWPup Having lived in the IT world for longer than I’d like to […]

Backup Your Blog, It’s Like Getting Insurance

June 26, 2012 by Chris Richardson Blogging Advice

Maybe your blog is making you a bit of money on the side or better yet its your fulltime job. What happens then when you wake up one morning to find your blog for one reason or another needs to be restored. Do you backup your blog or have a system in place to deal with it? I like to associate backing up your blog with insurance. We take out insurance on our houses, belongings and even our animals yet when it comes to anything online we seem to just assume everything will be alright. It’s as if our online […]

Before You Blame The Web Host

July 24, 2011 by Chris Richardson Blogging Advice

I don’t know a travel blogger who hasn’t blamed their web host for issues with their blog at some point. The problem is that for the most part it’s actually a problem the blogger has caused for themselves so let me explain. It’s not uncommon to see a blogger complaining about the following problems and levelling them square on the web host. My blog is slow… This plugin doesn’t work… This photo won’t upload… Why don’t advertisers contact me… And the list goes on and on. So much so that as an IT guy I want to put everything into […]

Free vs Self Hosted WordPress Blogs

March 31, 2011 by Chris Richardson Blogging Advice

Getting into blogging is an easy task, you sign up on wordpress.com and presto you can begin blogging away and telling us all about your travels. But what happens if you want to move beyond telling your family and friends at home that you slept in till the afternoon after a major night out partying with a bunch of locals? What if you want to take it a bit more seriously and help other travellers plan for their own travels (it’s what got me started). A simple wordpress.com blog is great to get your feet wet and not have to […]