30/12/2014

You Can Win a $400 WordPress Theme Package With 60+ Premium Themes!

You Can Win a $400 WordPress Theme Package With 60+ Premium Themes!

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You Can Win a $400 WordPress Theme Package With 60+ Premium Themes!

Posted: 29 Dec 2014 08:25 AM PST

How to Win a $400 WordPress Theme Package

As a “thank you” for your support this year, I am running a contest that will give you the chance to win one of the most valuable online products I own — The StudioPress Pro Plus All Theme Package.

This is a current value of $399.95 and savings of over $1,000 if you were to buy each theme individually.

That means you will get access to every single premium StudioPress WordPress theme (60+), all updates and even themes that are released at a later time.

I own this product and have gotten so much value from it.  Not only do I use it for client sites, but here’s the real value of the package in my opinion…

The theme you are looking at now on this blog (Daily Dish Pro) was not available when I purchased the All-Theme package last year.

But when they released this theme earlier this year, I gained immediate access to it as an All-Theme Package owner.  Yes, that means you will be able to download all future themes too! (Does not include 3rd-party themes not created by StudioPress.)

When you login to your StudioPress account and access the Downloads page, you will see a page similar to the one below that gives you instant access to all themes.

StudioPress Theme Downloads

So many of you have purchased the StudioPress themes from my affiliate link in the last three years.  The least I can do is give something back. :)

How to Enter & The Contest Rules

1) It’s easy to enter! Simply tell me your website-related goal(s) for 2015 in the comments below. (Only one comment per person.  Additional replies from the same person will be deleted.)

Be sure to enter your CORRECT email address when you comment (email won’t be shown) because that’s how I will contact the winner.

2) I will use random.org to choose a number.  The comment that matches the number I draw will win the package. (The winner will have 72 hours to respond.)

3) The contest closes Friday, January 2, 2015 at 23:59 CT. I will announce the winner at the top of this blog post on Saturday, January 3, 2015.

4) I will purchase the All-Theme Package and then transfer the ownership to the winner (per the StudioPress policies.)

Terms and Conditions

  • No purchase necessary
  • Contest closes Friday, January 2nd, 2015 at 23:59 CT.  No entries will be accepted after this time.
  • Only one entry per person.  Multiple entries by the same person will be deleted
  • The selected winner will be randomly chosen by random.org
  • The selected entry must follow entry instructions.  If not, another winner will be selected.
  • Winner will be contacted via email that corresponds to the winning entry and will have 72 hours to respond.  If no response is received, another winner will be selected.
  • The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the contest and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter's control. Any changes to the contest will be presented here on this post.
  • The winner’s name (not email address) will be announced at the top of the blog post.
  • This contest is sponsored by 2 Create a Website and not affiliated with StudioPress.
  • By entering, you agree to the above terms.
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16/12/2014

Avoiding Google Penalties and The Trick to Getting a Reply From The Search Team

Avoiding Google Penalties and The Trick to Getting a Reply From The Search Team

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Avoiding Google Penalties and The Trick to Getting a Reply From The Search Team

Posted: 15 Dec 2014 08:27 AM PST

How NOT to Respond to a Google Warning or Manual Penalty

I have a love/hate relationship with Google.

I really do get how the link spam problem has drastically plagued the search results, so I respect and understand a lot of things they’ve done to combat it.

But at the same time, there’s been confusion, lack of information and lots of contradictory advice over the years.  Much of this has caused incredible amounts of paranoia among site owners.

Fortunately things have gotten better and they’ve gone from no warning/communication at all to providing a “Manual Actions” section in Google Webmaster Tools so you can keep abreast of any site warnings or penalties.

Google Manual Actions

A lot of people don’t know this, but Google manually reviews websites from time to time.  There is a team that is dedicated to this task.

In fact, I received a warning from a manual review back in 2012 when Google sent out their very first round of Google Webmaster Tool warnings during an effort to become more transparent.

The manual action didn’t seem to have much impact on traffic, but I suppose it could have if I would have ignored it.  It was the most frustrating thing because I had no idea what caused the warning.

Well, after a couple of months I got the “Manual Action” removed, and since then I’ve helped a handful of other readers get theirs removed as well.  The trick is HOW you respond to the action via the reconsideration request.

Once Google started doling out Manual Actions, I began to get a lot more questions about this issue.  So I figured it would be a great topic for the podcast this month.  (View the transcript.)

NOTE: This advice is only if you receive a Manual Action in your Google Webmaster Tools account.  If you submit a reconsideration request for a drop in traffic from a routine algorithm update, it will be ignored by Google.

In This Episode

  • What I did wrong with my reconsideration request
  • How I finally got a human from Google to respond to me
  • Issues that can cause warnings and penalties with your site

Show Notes:

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02/12/2014

Get More Conversions By Customizing Your WordPress Category Pages

Get More Conversions By Customizing Your WordPress Category Pages

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Get More Conversions By Customizing Your WordPress Category Pages

Posted: 01 Dec 2014 04:00 AM PST

How to Add Custom Text to WordPress Category Pages

Have you ever used a WordPress theme and discovered months or even years later there is a handy feature or setting you didn’t know about?

I’m ashamed to admit that after three years of using Genesis themes (affiliate link),  I never noticed you could customize the top of category pages with ease.  This is an ideal place for affiliate links, opt-in forms and more.

Here’s what made me stumble upon it…

Since I changed my WordPress theme, my email opt-in rate has doubled.  To be honest, I’m not sure why because the form is in the same spot.

Nevertheless, once I noticed the increase, I started thinking of more ways to improve opt-in rates.

Next, I added the highly customizable Hybrid Connect (affiliate link) form at the bottom of my posts, and I also discovered something about my theme I never knew before.

Using WordPress Category Pages For Extra Promotion

I wanted to promote my subscribe page at the top of my “What’s New” category page since my new content is announced to my email list.

I was just about to consult with Google for a tutorial on how to edit the category pages when I discovered the Genesis themes let you edit them right from the WordPress Admin area.

All you do is go to Posts >> Categories and then edit the appropriate category.

If you use the Genesis themes, you’ll see a page like this…

Category Archive Page Settings

Now I have custom text above my What’s New category page…

How to Add Custom Text to Category Descriptions

Sweet!

It’s kind of funny that I’ve been using this WordPress framework for three years and never knew this was possible.

You can use text, javascript and HTML here which means you can add email opt-in forms and links.

I started to use the opt-in form, but didn’t like the default look. I’ll play with the form so it’s displayed inline instead of stacked.  But for now, a link to my opt-in page will work.

Don’t Have a StudioPress Genesis Theme?

No problemo! There’s still a way to do it, but it involves tweaking the code.  If you want the same text to appear on all category archive pages, then it’s more straightforward.

But if you want different text depending on the category, it’s a little more complex.  WordPress.org explains how to accomplish both tasks here.

If you are using a different framework or theme that provides this feature via the Admin area, please let everyone know which theme you use in the comments.  It may be helpful to those who do not know this customization is available.

Ways to Use This Feature

Let’s say you have a site on fitness and you have a category named “Exercise Equipment” on your main menu. At the top of that page you could add an affiliate link that promotes a company that sells equipment.

Or maybe you have a product related to a category on your menu. Use this space to promote it.

The key is experimentation.  Try different things and test, test, test.

I wonder if there are any other useful theme features I’ve missed over the years. Hmmmm….  :)

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