How to Upload & Link Documents in WordPress
AriesGDIM WordPress Tutorial
Normally we bloggers like to just insert pictures into our blogs and call it a day… but sometimes images aren’t enough and we want to give followers a white paper, eBook, PDF or Word document that users might find useful. Even if you don’t have a blog many have found WordPress to be a highly functional platform to use for static websites as well.
Beginners using WordPress may have been able to figure out how to add pictures to their pages and blog post but are still trying to understand how to upload docs and then link them into your content. For instance, just recently I was working on a clients webpage and he wanted a downloadable version of his employment application on his employment page.
I’m going to show you just how to upload documents to WordPress and then link the documents to content on your site, allowing your users to download those documents for use. Surprisingly, it is very simple.
How to upload and link documents
- Go to your WordPress Dashboard
- Click “Add New” under “Media”
Add to the media library
- Upload the document you want to link in your text
Upload New Media
- Once done, click the “show” link
After you upload click "Show"
- Look for and copy the URL
Click and copy the URL
- Now go to your page or post that has the content you want to link this document to for download
- Click edit
Click Edit
- Find the text you want to link and highlight it
- Once you have highlighted click the “insert/edit link” button (see image below)
Insert edit/link button
- The “insert/edit link” window will open, paste (or ctrl – v) the link you copied above in step 5
Insert URL in the "Edit/Link Window"
- Click “add link” then update your post or page and your done
- After you have finished go test your blog post or page to ensure your downloadable link will work
I hope this short tutorial on how to link content to a downloadable document using the WordPress platform is helpful.
Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing / AriesGDIM Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director 317.345.4182 Tami@ariesgdim.com AriesGDIM.com / AriesGraphicDesign.com @ariesgdim – Twitter Google+ AriesGDIM
857 Edgemont Ave Indianapolis, IN, 46208 USA
tami@ariesgraphicdesign.com • 3173454182
5 Simple tips for building traffic to your WordPress Blog
- Use effective blog titles
- Write blogs that include useful information
- Use an automatic blog tweeting plugin
- Make your blog easy to share
- Make your content easy to scan
Increase your Blog Traffic
I like to get straight to the point… Yes a little intro story is nice but most of the time you guys don’t care anyway… so here we go.
Use Effective Blog Titles
Using effective blog titles can often be your #1 source of increased blog traffic. Usually users searching the net have a question and are searching for the answer. Make sure your blog titles either give/hint at the fact that you can provide the answer users are looking for.
Your blog title can also be the “question” users might ask when looking for an answer. For instance a good blog title might be, “How do I register a new business?”. A few months back I wrote a blog about how Facebook determines the “friends you may know”. I was researching the answer for a friend who couldn’t understand how people were being suggested to her. I thought others might be interested in knowing how Facebook comes up with the friend’s suggestions you frequently see in your sidebar. Due to the fact that the blog title is, How Does Facebook Determine Friend Suggestions or “Friends You May Know?”, you will naturally assume the blog will provide the answer. This has been one of my highest trafficked blogs.
Using keywords in your blog titles is also very effective. When writing your blog do some keyword research, then implement keywords naturally in your blog title. Make sure the keyword or keyword phrase you use is one you want your blog to be found with. Basically if you are writing a blog about Facebook you want to use the word Facebook in your blog title. Words that are placed at the beginning of the title are more influential than those placed at the end. Keep this in mind when placing keywords in your titles.
Write blogs that include Useful Information
Now I would assume everyone knows that if you write a blog it should be useful to your users… If not… well you know now. Blogs should provide information your readers can actually use. Remember… readers do not want to be sold to.
Research Your Target Audience
It is important to determine your target audience, figure out what they like, do in their free time, and what they find important. After you have determined and researched your Target Audience begin writing beneficial blogs on their topics of interest. For instance, if your target audience is mostly small to medium sized business owners you may want to write blogs on how to increase their revenue, new innovative ways to market their businesses, or how to more effectively increase their brand recognition.
Of course you want to stay relevant to your own brand (services, products & overall company persona). What is the use of building traffic to your site if you are not writing blogs that add value to your brand? If I come to your blog because you write great posts on new Apple products and your company sells shoes. Well… let’s just say… I won’t be buying your shoes.
Use an Automatic Blog Tweeting Plugin
Tweet your Blog Posts Automatically
Something I love about Twitter, that you can’t do with Facebook, is you can Tweet posts several times a day, within certain time parameters and chances are someone NEW will see it each time it posts. I use an automatic blog post tweeting plugin to tweet random blogs from my website every 3 to 4 hours. By doing this I share a good mix of my blog content along with other relevant blogs written by other authors. Everyday I see my blogs being retweeted by my followers, which means more traffic to my site.
Make your Blog Easy to Share
If you write quality content posts your users will want to share what they have read with their colleagues, friends, and social media buddies. Be sure to add “share buttons” on your blog for the big 4 social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, & Google+). There are several social media sharing plugins to choose from. Search the most popular blogs and see which ones they are using. Test the “share buttons” to ensure they aren’t slowing your blog down. There’s nothing worse than a slow loading website.
One good social media “sharing” plugin is “Really simple Facebook Twitter share buttons”. It’s very simple to set up. You just check the social buttons you want visible for sharing on your blogs and go from there.
Make your Content Easy to Scan
Add Social Media Share Buttons
Making content easy to scan is done by using number lists, bullet points, headers, and bolded text. This helps users know quickly if the content in your blog is going to be useful to them. I have found that the blogs I write with a number list at the very beginning are shared more often and get a great deal more traffic than those for which I didn’t use that strategy. Use headers to separate your thoughts and bolded text to emphasize certain keywords or points you know your readers will be looking for.
In conclusion
This is not an all-inclusive list of SEO tips. Search Engine Optimized posts need a good keyword strategy, in depth target audience research, website usability testing and a good understanding of web analytics. You will need a professional to assist you in implementing a solid Internet Marketing Strategy. AriesGDIM can help you with this (yes I did a little selling… I know, shame on me).
These 5 tips are a simple way to help you start building traffic to your blog site. It is important to remember that with any organic SEO it takes time and patience but you will see results.
Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing / AriesGDIM Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director 317.345.4182 Tami@ariesgdim.com AriesGDIM.com / AriesGraphicDesign.com @ariesgdim – Twitter Google+ AriesGDIM
