Blog - The Blog Starter

In the articles below you will find tips & tricks for new bloggers. If you still haven't started your blog, use my easy beginner's guide to create one and then come back to this page later.

How to Use Jetpack Publicize

Before beginning this tutorial you will need to install and activate the free Jetpack plugin. Read this post for instructions on how to install Jetpack. Promoting your blog and new posts when you publish them is a major part of the battle when it comes to building up a successful website. To help streamline the […]

How to Use the Jetpack Sidebar Image Widget

Before beginning this tutorial you will need to install and activate the free Jetpack plugin. Read this post for instructions on how to install Jetpack. Jetpack includes a simple widget which you can use to easily add images to any of the widget areas available in your currently selected theme. You can activate additional widgets […]

How to Install Jetpack

A self-hosted blog with WordPress.org gives you the versatility to do just about anything you want in terms of design and function through a variety of plugins. However, taking advantage of plugins and other features typically requires the installation and maintenance of numerous individual plugins. The purpose of the popular Jetpack plugin for WordPress is […]

How to Create a Static Homepage for Your WordPress Blog

One of the most common questions I get is how to create a static homepage in WordPress. A static blog page is a good idea if you want your readers to see the same, consistent message every time they visit your blog. Keep in mind though, one of the hallmarks of a good blog is […]

How to Change Your Header Image in WordPress

Please note: This tutorial is for WordPress.org blogs. If you are still using a WordPress.com blog the process may be different. To unleash the full power of WordPress you may want to consider migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. The header is undoubtedly the most important visual element in almost any WordPress blog. It’s usually the […]

11 Ways to Speed Up Your WordPress Blog

WordPress is one of the world’s most popular content management systems, and this is thanks largely to its excellent versatility and the vast amount of fully customizable themes and plugins available for it. However, a lot of websites which use WordPress do not maximize its potential. Given the typically short attention span of Web users, […]