How to Change the Page / Menu Order in WordPress Sites
Another AriesGDIM WordPress Tutorial
Recently a client of mine asked that the pages on her WordPress Website be in a specific order in the site menu. Sometimes this function is already built into the Theme you have chosen but when it isn’t… by default, WordPress will set your pages in alphabetical order and will do the same for your default menu. Alphabetical order just isn’t enough for your sites navigation menu when you need your pages in a specific order. When you do, you will need to incorporate a plugin to help you get things straight.
I decided to try Drew Gourley’s “Order Up” plugin “Custom Page Order” and it works great. You can download the plugin directly from this site, upload the zipped file to your site via the WordPress dashboard and activate it.
Once activated you can view the plugin right in the Dashboard menu. Once there you can automatically click on each page and drag drop each page putting them in the order you need.
Changing the Navigational Page / Menu Order from the Dashboard
After you have set the pages in the order you need to check the “Enable Automatic Sorting or Queries” at the bottom and then “save” your changes.
All done… I hope this helps you… I know it has helped me when customizing the menu order on my client’s websites.
Drew Gourley also has a “Custom Post Order” plugin as well… just incase you need it. By the way these plugins are FREE…
If you have any questions about basic WordPress tips… please email me Tami@ariesgdim.com and I will try to help you out.
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
Finding your Target Audience
To ensure you are getting the most from your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts it is vital that you design your website for the group of people you are trying to reach (your target audience).
What factors define your Target Audience?
- Their age group
- Their nationality
- Their special interests
- Their income level
- Etc
Speak the same language as your Target Audience
Do you know the language your target audience is speaking? What I mean here is often companies get caught up in using industry jargon; words that mean nothing to the average everyday person. It is
important to use the words that your target audience is using and understands via your website and other online marketing communications to ensure you reach your buyers. If they don’t understand what you are talking about why would they buy from you, use your services, or even listen to you. Makes sense right? All you have to do is think about how frustrated you are when you are searching for something online and when you find it what you see is almost like reading a foreign language. You think… “What the heck are they talking about?” You don’t want your users to feel dumb… so dumb it down please… keep it simple.
Figuring out the best Keywords
To figure out what language your customers are using…. ask them. It’s just that simple; ask them what words and terms they use to describe the products or services you offer your clients. If asking them is out of the question, then try the Google Keyword Tool to help you figure out the best choices for your target audience. Go through the lists and determine which are the best keyword terms and phrases that match your company and your customers. You may find you are missing out on many terms and phrases users are searching to find companies like yours.
Knowing your Target Audience
Knowing your Target Audience will also allow you to communicate with them where they are. What does this mean? Basically if your customers spend a great deal of time on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare) you need to be there as well. If they like gaming, golf, a specific tv show… that is where you need to market your customers. You also need to talk about their interests.
It is also important to understand what your audience likes to determine the best design for your website. For instance my company focuses its efforts on online branding, social media marketing, web design, website usability, and graphic design… Therefore creating a website that looks like a legal site probably would not fit the presence my demographic would expect my company to have. It is important to design your website around the expectations of your target audience. If you aren’t sure what they expect do a search online for companies that are in your industry. Check out the top ten organic listings (non paid search results) and see how their websites are designed and then take this into consideration for your own. If these companies come up in the top 10 in a web search they are on top of their Internet Marketing “A” Game so take heed.
Stay original
It is important to study your competition but don’t try to copy them. Your users will notice and it could possibly turn them off. Use what you have learned from your competition and keep your website and it’s content original. Yes this can be hard… but be sure not to copy… no one likes a copycat. Improve upon what you have researched and make it better, always keeping your end users in mind.
This is just the basics of SEO but it is the first step toward getting your company in the top 10 search engine results when users begin searching for your company online.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing
Does Using Captchas Really Work?
For those of you who don’t know what Captchas are, they are the jibber jabber that some websites request you enter before you can subscribe to their mailing list, get their white paper, comment on their blog, etc. Captchas are great for website owners because they keep them from being slammed with spam. I completely understand the value of not being hit with 40 messages or more of spam from your comments on a blog. I have several different blogs I maintain for different companies and they were all getting hit and it was impossible to manage; spammers are smart to say the least. I digress… The point I do want to make here is, are Captchas really worth it? First, you have to remember that any time you require your user to take an extra step to subscribe to your newsletter, to comment on your blog, to buy your product… you run the risk of losing that user. Secondly, how many times have you gotten to the point where you are ready to enter the text in the Captcha and you just can’t read the darn thing? Hey if I can’t read it then I can’t enter the text and if I can’t enter the text… guess what? I’m out…. and so are your users. Also don’t just assume that they can refresh and read the next one because often you can’t read any of them.
I am not saying don’t use Captchas… They are a great alternative to spam. What I am saying is that if you are going to use them try them out to make sure you can read them before you unleash them on your users. Also, if you are worried about spammers overrunning your blog try DISQUS for comments. I use them and I have yet to deal with any spam. I am not saying they are spam free, I am just saying that I have not run into a spamming issue with them.
What are your thoughts? Can you share some of your alternatives to Captchas?
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing /AriesGDIM 317.345.4182 @ariesgdim tami@ariesgraphicdesign.com
2 Website Issues you need to fix NOW!
What is your website doing? Have you thought about this question? Does your website have a purpose? Sometimes companies create websites simply to have an online presence to provide users with more information about their organization. Other times the purpose of a website is to sell products or services in hopes that it will become one of your main sources of income. Whatever the reason may be, you want your website to accomplish its goal, right? If so, you should never give your users a reason to leave your site. Users should be able to find whatever they need on your site within 2 to 3 clicks. Anything more than that will put you at risk of a user going elsewhere to find what they need.
The biggest problems I find with websites are the following:
1. Too much industry related jargon
2. Navigation issues
Problem #1: Too much industry Jargon
Just because you know what you are saying doesn’t mean everyone else does. Sometimes in our efforts to sound intelligent or give the impression that we are knowledgeable we lose our users. Think about it…. If I come to your website because I want to learn more about your services or products and you use terms I don’t understand, what are the chances I will buy from you or share your information? What most users do is go back to their search and continue clicking until they have found a site that explains your services or products in a language they can understand. I’m not saying you have to totally dumb it down but if your users can’t understand what your are saying, what good is your website? Please… do not talk over your users head.
Problem #2: Navigation Issues
Your site should have a consistent navigation menu throughout the entire website. What does this mean? It means the navigational menu stays the same through out the website. Your website navigation should be clear and concise using terms your users can relate to. See the image below. When your user visits
your site no matter what page they are on they should see the same navigational menu on every page.
Lets say you have a lot of pages and you feel they are all important. You don’t want to lose your users with link over kill. You know what I mean… you have seen the websites that have so many links on the webpage that you have to search the page to find the link you want. Instead, group them together by category or interest and 
place them in a drop down menus as shown above. This makes it easier for your users to find your links without overwhelming them. Effective website navigation is done by putting things where you would expect them to be.
Lastly visit other websites, test how easy or difficult it is to find what you need. How many clicks did it take to get to the product, service, or information you were looking for? Then when you are done… think about your own site. Does your website need some changes. If it does it could mean the difference between losing a potential client or keeping one.
Tami Highbaugh-Abdullah Creative Marketing Director Aries – Graphic Design & Internet Marketing /AriesGDIM 317.345.4182 @ariesgdim tami@ariesgraphicdesign.com
