Category: WordPress

Digital Marketer, AI Consultant, Published Author, ClickFunnels and Kit Specialist

Jigoshop Is The Free WordPress E-Commerce Solution

Looking for a simple solution to sell product online? Look no further than Jigoshop!  You need to have WordPress installed for Jigoshop to work.  This free e-commerce plugin for WordPress takes less than 15 minutes to setup. You can download the plugin from the developers site or search for “Jigoshop” from your WordPress Dashboard Plugin menu.  Once installed an entire dashboard to control your store is available. It can be used for both physical and downloadable products. Your customers can access your store from several different devices like smartphones and tablets. Right now it only supports PayPal, Skrill/Moneybookers and Cheque for payment gateways. I would imagine that will change in the future as the plugin evolves. Check out the links to the tour for more information on features. Jigoshop backend demo 3 from James Koster on Vimeo. If you are looking for a simple solution that is packed with features this might be the plugin for you.   If you need help setting up a WordPress e-commerce solution using Jigoshop feel free to contact me at [email protected] for more information and pricing. Resources: Check out the Tour here ““ Jigoshop Tour GreenHostUSA Hosting Plans – WordPress Hosting Article by Dennis J. Smith Promote Your Business or Cause Using Social Media ““ A Beginner’s Handbook

Find Your Perfect WordPress Dream Theme

The feature I like the most about WordPress is its ability to let you change the look and feel of your site.  It can be done on the fly without any web development background.  You can accomplish this by finding the perfect themes and plugins to suit your needs.  WordPress has thousands of self-installs which means there are hundreds of options for free themes and a huge array of themes for sell. I always suggest to my clients that they find a theme that matches the subject matter of their WordPress blog.  Here’s an example of a friends blog Tandem Revolution, which covers her and her husbands biking adventures.  I like the use of the image across the top showing the spokes of a bike.  It is a simple yet effective use of a theme that matches the topic of her blog. Free themes tend to have some limitations and affiliate links.  Whereas paid for themes give you more flexibility with customization.  I suggest starting out with something free if you are on a limited budget.  But if it is in your budget I would take your time and find something that fits your needs.  If your traffic grows you can change your theme at anytime.  The theme I use for this site was free and fits in well with the look and feel of my book. Here are five sites to locate your perfect WordPress dream theme. #1| ThemeForest Themes for any budget and any industry ThemeForest has a wide variety of WordPress themes for the average blogger and those looking to sell product using WordPress.  Themes are affordably priced for those on a budget or those looking for something unique.  I have included a screenshot of the e-commerce theme WpShop below to show the power of WordPress.  It is not just for blogging and can be used to sell a myriad of product, list homes and rentals, promote a restaurant or business. Theme Forest on Facebook   #2 | Elegant Themes Offers lots of themes at a great price Elegant Themes has lots of great themes to pick from and at only $39 a year gives you access to 61 designs.  Plus ET says they release 2-3 new themes each month so you are sure to find something.  You also get 30-days to decide if it is worth it with their money-back guarantee.  I like how they target themes towards specific industries such as restaurants, retail and a host of other themes to match your needs.  Since I love food I included the MyCuisine theme as the screenshot below. #3 | Woo Themes Lots of free themes and a wide variety for any industry Woo Themes is another big player when it comes to WordPress themes.  Woo offers any array of themes that are build for SEO and functionality.  I have heard through the grapevine that Woo offers great support from tutorials, video tutorials and user support forum.  The thing that I like most about the Woo Themes is you can sort themes on their website to find the perfect match.  How about at least a dozen free themes to boot?  There is bound to be something for everyone with Woo Themes. Woo Themes on Facebook   #4 | StudioPress WordPress themes built on the Genesis Framework These themes are built with search engine optimization in mind.  Wondering what the Genesis Framework is?  Here’s more information on that and why you should go with StudioPress.  I have to admit that these are some of the best WordPress themes I have seen.  The layouts are nice, clean, modern and eye-catching designs that stand out.  Plus you can get all themes for one great price and you get future themes at no extra charge. #5 | Legend Themes New player in the theme market offering clean designs Legend Themes is located right here in Boise and has just a few themes to pick from along with the free Emphasis Theme.  The Snapshot theme is perfect for those who enjoy the art of photography.  All themes have a nice clean look to them and offer various customization.  The price on this theme and others are $70 which includes technical support. More Resources: 80+ Clean and Simple WordPress Themes 380 Premium WordPress Themes Free “Leather” Theme from Legend Themes MagPress Free WordPress Themes Article by Dennis J. Smith ““ Promote Your Business Or Cause Using Social Media ““ A Beginners Handbook

WordPress WordCamp attended by over 300 in Seattle

I attended my first WordPress WordCamp in Seattle, WA yesterday(Saturday), after driving up from Boise on Thursday.  I learned a lot even though I slept a few hours the night before the event.  I went with a friend I meet on Facebook after attending a social media class with her sister last fall in Seattle.  If you haven’t had a chance to attend WordCamp I would recommend you look for one in a city near you. I got some cool swag and scored a few t-shirts from WPCandy and ThemeForest along with a few WordPress and VaultPress buttons.  After checking in my friend and I grabbed a pastry along with some coffee.  I needed it to wake me from the dead!  The first speaker of the morning was Scott Berkun who was actually pretty entertaining.  I found out when I got back to my hotel room that Scott is a published author and has several bestsellers, including “Confessions of a Public Speaker“. After the keynote speech WordCamp Seattle broke out into sessions for Bloggers(myself), those who build themes and a development track for those who create WordPress plugins.  We moved to the other side of the room and took our seats to listen to Heather Gold talk about “Tools for Tummeling“, which I had never heard of.  Her point of view is about the need to create websites that create a sense of community.  Developing a site that creates interaction amongst its users so it is more dynamic than linear.  There was some interaction with the audience however it was hard to hear at times.  I’m not sure that passing a microphone back and forth works well.  I wish the speaker had wore a mic and had one just for the audience members as she spoke with them. The speech I was interested in started after a break and was Aaron Hockley from Portland, OR.  Another favorite city of mine because of the natural and tech environment.  Aaron spoke about various ways on how you can monetize your blog with product sales (e-books), affiliate marketing, advertising and membership programs.  But he failed to mention one of my favorites which is Clickbank, because they are located in Boise, ID.  Read my previous post on how to fatten your wallet by selling digital products on Clickbank.  Aaron has a photography business and was kind enough to take photos of those attending the event. After a nice lunch with with lots of choices (salads, sandwiches, brownies and cookies) we took our seats again for the next speaker who was Bob Dunn.  Bob is a WordPress coach who is located in the Seattle area and teaches others the benefits of WordPress.  He spoke about how to bring more readers to your blog through a user-friendly WordPress site.  I got some good information and it reminded me that I need to make a few adjustments on my blog.  Like gathering e-mail addresses so I can stay in touch with my readers.  I haven’t had time to browse his blog yet, but looks like lots of good information.  If you are interested you can also find him on Facebook and “Like” has fan page Savvy WordPress. Another quick break and we were listening to Justin Briggs talking about an important subject for bloggers.  Justin is an SEO consultant who explained how things like speed of your website can effect your search engine rank.  He went over plugins that help with the optimization of your WordPress blog and other items you should consider.  My favorite plugin for SEO is one called All In One SEO Pack WordPress Plugin which is free.  Find out more here in a post I wrote about “3 Social Media Tools To Grow Your Business“.  You will find information on the three tools I think help grow a business online with WordPress. The main part of the day finished up with an interview with Alex King (conducted by Nick Ohrn) who has been around WordPress since its beginning.  He is originally from Seattle but now makes his home in Denver.  He was asked questions about his involvement and about some of his past and current projects.  If you want to learn more about Alex there’s lots of information about him, his project and companies on his website. We wrapped up with Ignite WordCamp Seattle which features about 6 different speakers.  It was my first time seeing the Ignite speaking format which is 5 minutes of speaking about a topic while showing slides.  If I get up the nerves I might try doing my own Ignite speech at a future Ignite event.  But for now I’m happy with watching others get up in front of a room filled with techies and bloggers. I certainly would recommend a WordCamp event to anyone who uses WordPress, interested in blogging or those who develop themes, plugins or anything that revolves around WordPress.  You will learn lots and have the chance to connect with many like minded people.  Look for an event in a city near you or even plan your own WordCamp in your city or country. List of Speakers at WordCamp Seattle WordCamp Seattle Blog WPCandy WordCamp Seattle 2011 Liveblog Please not that some of the links on this page are referral links to other companies. DJ Smith Promote Your Business Or Cause Using Social Media Post Sponsored By: GreenHostUSA : WordPress Hosting