Author: LizzyFin

WP Super Cache is a plugin for more advanced WordPress users. Not that running the plugin is difficult, but the installation is a bit different than the typical plugin. If you’re not comfortable with tinkering around the insides of your Apache or PHP code, you will want to learn about that stuff first.

Poke around Apache.com, or better yet, read about Apache mod_rewrites in particular.

Need to learn about PHP? RTFM found online: PHP Manual.

So, why is WP Super Cache so popular? Simply put, it will speed up your blog.

WP Super Cache creates a static html page and serves that up to visitors of your blog instead of the dynamic php pages. Visitors who are logged in to your blog, or who have left a comment, will see the dynamic php pages instead of the static, cached pages. By creating and using a static page that is cached the activity on your server will be reduced and it will run faster.

Installation Tips for WP Super Cache Plugin

• Assure that the Apache mod mime and mod rewrite modules are installed.
• WordPress fancy permalinks must be enabled.
• PHP safe mode should be disabled.
• Backup your .htaccess before installing the plugin.
• Upload the WP Super Cache folder to your plugins directory, where it will create a ‘wp-content/plugins/wp-super-cache/’ directory.
• Activate “WP Super Cache” on the WP plugins page.
• Go to Settings->WP Super Cache and enable caching.
• Visit the installation page for WP Super Cache to assure that the newly created .htaccess files – there are 2 of them! – were created properly.

In my case the .htaccess file in the root directory could not be modified as the permissions on that file were set as read-only. I had to manually add the lines of code from supercache to the existing .htaccess file. The second .htaccess file “wp-content/cache/.htaccess” was created correctly by supercache.

Now, after you’ve installed and activated the WP Super Cache plugin, when your blog gets really popular your server should be able to better handle the influx of new traffic.

The All in One SEO Pack WordPress Plugin makes it a simple matter to specify the Meta statements for WordPress blog pages. WordPress may produce generic Meta statements for each page without this very useful plugin.

Search engines may or may not consider Meta statements when listing your sites in the search engine results pages, but if they do wouldn’t you want your blog’s meta data to be the best it can be? Since search engines send traffic to your blog, you should be satisfying those search engines by providing them with the most accurate information about your blog.

To be the most effective Meta statements should be page-specific, so that each page has a meta title, meta description and meta keywords that reflect the content of each page. Using the All in One SEO Pack plugin for WordPress blogs simplifies the creation of post- or page-specific Meta statements.

After you have installed and activated the All in One SEO Pack plugin, scan down the write a new post page and look for the All in One SEO Pack feature. Click on the right-pointing triangle to open this feature.

Fill in your keyword-laden title and description making sure not to get too wordy. List your keywords for that post separated by commas.

If there is some reason to turn off this plugin, you can do it per post by ticking the box next to “Disable on this page/post”.

One nice thing about using Meta descriptions is that search engines may use your carefully written description in the Meta statement, instead of grabbing the first few words of your post, when describing your site in the search results listings.

Use the All in One SEO Pack plugin to entice new site visitors by writing your own Meta statements instead of leaving it up to chance.

Plugins change the default behavior of the WordPress software that you can download from WordPress.org.

Plugins reside in the plugins directory inside the wp-content directory of your WordPress installation.

To install a new plugin for WordPress all you have to do is FTP the plugin’s folder to the plugins directory.

Download and unpack the plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory, then upload to your site. Pay attention to the Installation tab on the plugin’s page in the WP directory. Some plugins need a few extra steps to be completed, but most follow the standard installation.

You may be directed to the plugin’s homepage for further instructions on how to install that particular plugin.

Also, you’ll need to activate the plugin before it will function. Go to the plugins tab from the WP Dashboard, find your new plugin in the list of inactive plugins, and click on Activate.

You’re all set! Your new plugin may have a management page, so check the Manage Tab of the WP Dashboard for a new link for managing your new plugin.

Not all plugins are created equal. The most widely used plugins will work with the most versions of WordPress and especially with the most recent version of WP.

When you pick up a new plugin from WordPress, check the FYI box at the top right of the plugin page.

Note the version of WordPress that is required for your plugin to work properly, if at all. Also, it may be important to note the highest version of WP that is compatible with the plugin.

The Plugin FYI Box also gives links to the author’s homepage and the plugin’s homepage so that you can find out a lot more about the plugin.