WP North East Blog | Newcastle WordPress Training

Tips, fast-track methods and insight to maximise your self-hosted WordPress website.

The benefits of Sticky Posts on your WordPress website

What is a ‘sticky post’ I hear you say? By default, your blog posts on WordPress are chronological, date-driven with the latest at the top. In some instances, you may need a particular post to feature first. Find out how.

How to add a sign-up to your WordPress website

Find out who’s visiting your website and start a conversation. One of the top performing marketing strategies is email marketing. If you are doing this or planning on doing email marketing you need to start building a list. Here are a few ways to add this feature.

How to set up a local version of WordPress on your computer

There are many occasions when you don’t want to work on a live WordPress website. That being the case, working locally, directly on your computer and not online, is an alternative to working live or on your hosting. In this article, I am going to show you 3 ways to set up a local environment and installation of WordPress.

Why WordPress is great for Enterprise Level website projects

In this article, I am going to demonstrate how powerful WordPress can be for complex or large, enterprise projects. Those that are outside the WordPress community are unfamiliar with the power of WordPress and its many benefits.

Which WordPress form plugin is right for you

Need a form on your WordPress website? Where to start, there are so many solutions. Find out my take on the options you have for your WordPress website.

How to get started with SEO on your WordPress website – Part 2

As a follow on the “How to get started with SEO on your WordPress website – Part 1” here are the next stages you should work on to get going with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) if you combine these with Part 1 the steps should really power up the search results for your WordPress website.

How to get started with SEO on your WordPress website – Part 1

SEO should not be an afterthought on your WordPress website. If you’re serious about showing up on Google, then knowledge and effort are required right from the start when creating your website.

Add micro-interactions for maximum gains on your WordPress website

Microinteractions are small elements that the user interacts with that can often seem so small that it seems unusual that they can make a difference. Find out how they can add more power to your WordPress website conversions.

The Easy Way to Add an XML Sitemap to your WordPress Website

An XML sitemap is a way for website owners to inform Search Engines about specific page (or images or products) on their website. A WordPress XML sitemap also informs Google which links on your website are more important than others and how frequently you update your website.

How to move from WordPress com to your own self-hosted WordPress website

You’re on WordPress.com and you need additional features and functionality. Moving to your own hosted website can seem daunting. Read here a short overview on how to move from the .com to a self-hosted WordPress website.

Highlights from WordCamp London 2018 – WordPress Community

With WordPress as my go-to web platform and WP North East providing detailed WordPress Training in the Newcastle area it is important to me to be part of the WordPress community. This was my second year attending WordCamp London a three day event in April 2018.

4 Reasons Why Outstanding Design is Critical for your WordPress Website

Your visitor’s expectations are increasingly high, and your website must be designed to appeal to your website visitors. First impressions count and with less than a couple of seconds to grab someone’s attention the design of your website is critical to success.

5 Tips for Blogging With Your WordPress Website

WordPress is built for blogging. It is one of the most widely used blogging platform for business. Blogging takes time and resources, so here are 5 tips to help you make the most of blogging with your WordPress website.

What you need to know when planning content for your WordPress website

You need your WordPress website to be a business driver. You’re paying for hosting, WordPress care and spending time working on content. You need all that activity to bring you a return. You need your WordPress website to convert visitors into customers – conversion rate is a key metric for a successful website.

Why your WordPress website isn’t driving new business

You need your WordPress website to convert visitors into customers – conversion rate is a key metric for a successful website. If you are serious about driving business from your WordPress website, then follow these essential points.

Important things to consider before you set up your WooCommerce store

Before embarking on setting up a store, there are some important things to get sorted before you start. In this article I am going to cover the basics from a high-level view, I won’t go into too much detail on each aspect, this is just to get you started.

Here is what you need to do first before you start to create your WordPress website

It’s very tempting to head straight into picking a Theme, grab some hosting and start creating pages for your website. You have an idea in your head, and you want to get your website live as soon as possible. But once you have a blank page open, what should I write? What image should I put where?

The best places to find free images for your WordPress website or blog

Most websites need a large amount of photography and images to showcase the website content or to help create an eye-catching blog post. With that in mind buying pictures or commisioning a photo shoot can sometimes not be possible. In that situation, how can you find free to use images for your content?

How to build powerful landing pages for your WordPress website

Having a WordPress website gives you a great deal of flexibility with pages, content and marketing. Landing pages are a key element of online marketing campaigns and being able to create them quickly and efficiently with WordPress gives you an advantage.

Changing from HTTP to HTTPS with WordPress

I’m asked this question more and more. Should I change my WordPress website to HTTPS from HTTP? Do I need to do it now?
As always with websites and digital, some technical aspects need to be considered, however. Here are my thoughts on business impact and actions you need to plan for.

How to supercharge your WordPress website speed. (without plugins)

Having a fast loading and efficient WordPress website is an ever-increasing necessity. Your visitors demand an experience online that is a rapid and concise when visiting your website. There are many factors that affect how your website performs, here I am going to take a look at 3 key factors you need to consider when reviewing your WordPress website performance.

5 reasons why WordPress website care is important to a successful online business

Your visitors have high demands when it comes to websites. Find out why WordPress website maintenance is critical to a successful business website.

The importance of backup and security for your WordPress website

Backup and Security. Even the most simple website needs to be backed up and kept secure. 5 straight forward backup and security things you can do now as a minimum for any WordPress set up

My Highlights from WordCamp Edinburgh 2017

Read my takeaways and insight from WordCamp Edinburgh 2017. Two tracks and plenty of coffee and refreshments to keep everyone energised. Speakers for the two-day event covered the latest WordPress ideas and thinking.

Search Engine Optimisation. Get the basics right first. Your quick start guide to effective SEO with WordPress

[Video and Slide Deck] In July 2017 I had the opportunity to present at the North East, Newcastle WordPress meetup. The topic of my presentation was – Search Engine Optimisation – Get the basics right first – Your quick start guide to effective SEO with WordPress. If you were unable to attend the Newcastle Meetup, you can view my slide deck, watch the video and read my presentation transcript.

Why WordPress is awesome for powerful business Marketing

Your website needs to be your main business marketing asset. Stop sending people to social media and send them to your website. Your bit of the internet that you own and control. Drive visitors and turn them into customers.

My Highlights from WordCamp London 2017

WordPress WordCamps happen across the world, typically in major cities, however, they can be larger, such as WordCamp Europe. March 2017 saw the WordCamp London Convention. Typically a ‘three track’ event, which means throughout each day there are 3 sets of talks on at any one time covering a broad range of WordPress and website related topics.

How to update your WordPress website and why it’s important

Gone are the days when you could build a WordPress website and leave it for a couple of years before a review. It’s not the 90’s anymore. All technology gets updated; your smartphone, your laptop, even your SatNav. And the WordPress is no exception.

How to choose hosting for your WordPress website

A successful website is essential in today’s hyper-competitive online space. Choosing the right hosting for your WordPress self-hosted website can seem like a daunting task. There are thousands of hosting companies across the world, and many of them have a simple solution to install and host a WordPress website.

3 tips for picking the right WordPress theme for your business

One of the powerful aspects of WordPress is being able to add or create a customised theme for your website. This provides the front end styling of your website, the visual look and feel. Read my tips and insight to guide you when select the right theme for your business website.

5 Star Feedback from our WordPress Traning Sessions

"Belinda [WP North East] was extremely patient and understanding. I now have a much better understanding of WordPress and I'm not so afraid to use the various elements to achieve a website that would better serve the company. Belinda is knowledgeable, kind and calm. The perfect trainer for someone like me, a little nervous of technology and lacking in confidence when it comes to using an unfamiliar programme . Thank you."
Automotive Firm, North Yorkshire

"Belinda [WP North East] prepared thoroughly in advance for each session, asking questions about my expectations, so that no training time was wasted. Her instruction was clear and very informative and she was prepared to accommodate my specific requirements taking a flexible approach to content during a couple of sessions enabling me to successfully launch my first website on schedule."
K. Welford. Designer

"Most useful part of the training was to have a deep understanding about the system
[WordPress] and how to integrate plugins and themes."
H. Zhao. Entrepreneur

""I would highly recommend Belinda's [WP North East) WordPress one-to-one training. I needed help developing an existing wordpress site. She not only helped me do this but made sure I had the knowledge to do further work on my own. She is very patient, straight to the point, doesn't mess around and is very easy to work with. She will start from wherever your level of skill is and make sure you understand what she is teaching before moving on. Excellent!"
Angela Fenwick Photography