WordPress More Than Blog Software

@liamdempsey

ABOUT YOU

•  Director of non-profit or charity •  Work for a charity •  Eager to deepen your

understanding of online marketing •  Want to increase effectiveness of

online marketing efforts – primarily through your website

ABOUT LIAM

•  Director + Owner, LBDesign

•  Online marketing + design since 2000

•  Work with non-profits in the US, UK + Africa

•  Has built hundreds of websites using WordPress

WHAT WE’LL COVER

•  The state of WordPress in 2015 •  The case for WordPress as a content

management system of choice •  Tips on approaching WordPress

projects

WHAT WE WON’T COVER

•  Technical finer points of WordPress – no talking code!

•  Design or development best practices

•  Suitable design concepts for any single charity

GO!

YOUR SITE = BEST TOOL

•  You control the look and feel •  You determine the functionality •  You can edit and publish in real time •  You can scale to your needs •  You own the content

WordPress: NOT JUST FOR BLOGGING

The State of WordPress •  7.7 million sites run on WordPress •  ~51.9% of the top 1 million websites

run on WordPress •  Examples: CNN, TED, Rolling Stones,

Google Ventures and Tech Impact •  Supported by the WordPress

Community, the WordPress Foundation and Automattic

What’s the difference?

wordpress.com vs.

wordpress.org

§  Flexible §  Scalable §  Easy for content managers to use §  Loads of quality plugins §  Very popular – so loads of great

designers and developers know it

Why Use WordPress?

SO, WHAT CAN WORDPRESS DO?

•  Collect donations •  Recruit volunteers and staff •  Post staff and board bios •  Allow multiple site administrators

with different permissions •  Post blogs, videos, podcasts + more •  Coordinate social networks and

online communities

WordPress can …

WordPress is SEO friendly •  Customizable permalinks = SEO

friendly URLs •  Editable slugs •  Plenty of SEO/content strategy

plugins •  Even sliders are SEO friendly

WordPress Themes

What Are Themes? •  Add a mixture of design and

functionality •  Three basic types: •  Free •  Premium •  Starter/Custom

Thinking About Themes •  Lots of themes are completely free •  Not all themes are created equal •  Some are more flexible and robust •  Some are easier to use for end-

clients •  Some are downright scary!

•  iThemes + Woo Themes are reliable and safe

WordPress Plugins

What Are Plugins? •  Software add-ons that deliver

expanded functionality •  Plugins address many needs: •  SEO and blogging • User permissions • Events • Digital Downloads • Membership subscriptions

Plugin Considerations •  Not all plugins are created equal • User-interface varies greatly •  Shoddy plugins can be inefficient

or present security issues •  Some plugins don’t play nicely

with others •  Don’t always “think plugins first” •  Don’t be afraid to use solid plugins

Recommended Plugins I •  SEO: WordPress SEO by Yoast •  Contact forms, sign-up forms +

more: Gravity Forms •  Slider: Soliloquy •  Digital Downloads: Easy Digital

Downloads •  Donations: Gravity Forms

Recommended Plugins II •  Podcasts: Blubrry Power Press •  Membership: Paid Memberships Pro,

S2 Member •  Customization: Advanced Custom

Fields

Custom Post Types

Custom Post Types (CPT) •  Used for any content type with a

need for repeated instances – e.g., Staff, Events, Programs, etc.

•  The custom post type and fields are customized

•  Data from CPT can be displayed across the site with ease

Why Use CPT? •  Allows content managers to focus

on content – without worrying about design

•  Can be very SEO friendly •  Allows for a richer user experience

as content is consistent across the site

WordPress Security

•  Think “Safety first!” •  Back up, back up, back up •  WordPress is popular, ergo it’s a

target for hackers •  Still a very secure platform •  Pay for good hosting and keep

the software up-to-date

Custom Post Types (CPT)

THE TAKEAWAYS

•  Your site is the most versatile + easily-managed online marketing tool

•  WordPress is a top CMS for any site – it is flexible, scalable + easy to use

•  Use plugins and custom post types to expand site functionality

•  Keep your site safe + secure

Questions?

@liamdempsey @LBDesign

http://lbdesign.tv