The original site was hosted with WordPress.com, which was fine when the content was all written. Adding an audio component greatly enhanced the complexity, and so Mevins Consulting moved the previous iteration to their own domain under the WordPress.org structure. In addition to designing the layout and format, Mevins Consulting serves as the sponsor for the weekly podcast, providing audio production and engineering support during the live-recordings. The primary plugin that bridges the gap between WordPress and iTunes is Blubrry PowerPress. The actual installation was easy, however the configuration took some tweaking as the recordings were made available on the website.

Visit the Idle Banter & Escapades website or subscribe to them on iTunes. They welcome you to listen and participate in the live-recording chat on Sunday evenings starting at 7pm.

Starting with a simple, 2-column layout, Mevins Consulting integrated numerous of tools including a carousel of images to show off their 4-step process on the homepage. Rotating text in the header provides a variety of positive quotes for their visitors. Tables were added to provide a standard layout for all of their employee biographies. Lastly, flash videos were converted and uploaded to Vimeo for cloud-based storage and easy online delivery.

The months spent working with a compliance office was certainly a new experience for Mevins Consulting, however it was well worth the effort. Gaining a better understanding of the guidelines that professional firms must abide by has better shaped the workflow process of Mevins Consulting.

Visit J.T. Clark & Associates to see our latest project.

The IATS website hadn’t been updated in several years prior to Mevins Consulting stepping in. The original website include static content that was coded in HTML and Javascript, making it very hard and tedious to update. There were numerous extraneous pages which could have deterred visitors from spending much time on the site. Finally, there were several contact forms which collected credit card information in plain text, posing serious legal repercussions if the website had been hacked.

Mevins Consulting stepped in and optimized the IATS website. In evaluating the original site map, Mevins Consulting identified a number of pages that could be removed without impacting the site’s content. Integrating PayPal with the submission forms was an obvious choice to alleviate liabilities from this website. Utilizing Gravity Forms, the redesigned forms include conditional fields based on selections from the submitter. Prices automatically calculate and customers are sent straight to a secure PayPal website to enter credit card information. Additionally, by moving the site’s content to WordPress, the site is up-to-date with search engine optimization.

To see the final site, visit the International Alliance of Teacher Scholars.

While there are no guaranteed ways of ensuring that your site shows up on the first page of Google, here are the steps you can take to add meta keywords to your Headway-powered WordPress site.

Home page / entire site:

1. Log into your WordPress website
2. Find the Headway category of links along the left side of your Dashboard
3. Click on the Configuration link.
4. Click on the Search Engine Optimization tab
5. Go approximately 2/3 down the page until you see the Meta Content section.
6. In the text box labeled Home Keywords, enter your keywords.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.

If you want to add keywords to a specific blog post or page, here are the steps:

1. Log into your WordPress website
2. Click on the Posts or Pages menu to find the page in question
3. Below the content text box, locate the section labeled Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
4. The Title and Description boxes allow you to customize the content that appears when the page in question is found in a search engine. We recommend not altering these fields.
5. The Keywords box is where you can add keywords for this specific page or post.
6. Once you are finished, press the Update button at the top right corner of your screen.

If you have any questions about these instructions, please let us know!

1. Create your item. If you are wanting to add a page to your navigation, then follow these steps to do so. You can also add a category archive (all of the posts under the “Personal” category of your blog, for example). Whichever the case may be, make sure that the content has already been created.



2. Add the page to your navigation list. Click on the Menus link under the Appearance section of your Dashboard. This will show you the current navigation scheme to your site. Find your page or category from the lits and then click the “Add to Menu” button. Once the new item appears at the bottom of your navigation list, feel free to rearrange the items by clicking and dragging. Using this method, you can create drop-down menus, if desired. Note that your theme must allow for drop-down menus in order for formatting to appear correctly. If you are unsure if your theme supports drop-down menus, contact your website designer.
3. Save. Once you are done arranging, adding, and removing items from your navigation list, click the blue “Save” button.

That’s all there is to it!!

As a new aspect to our design concept, LollygagsInc.com incorporates Extensis type fonts. This addition allows websites to integrate fancier fonts while maintaining it’s ability to be indexed in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. In the past, these fancy fonts had to be created as an image, which would prevent search engines from indexing the content. As a trial run, Extensis services have worked seamlessly and we will continue to utilize these fonts in future projects.

Check out lollygagsinc.com for more information!

Step 1: Log into WordPress. The steps to do this have been outlined in a previous article.

Step 2: Locate the page of interest. From the menu on the left, expand the “Pages” menu and click on “Pages.” From the list that loads, click on the name of the page that you wish to edit.

Step 3: Edit text. This step is fairly self-explanatory. If you don’t have the visual editor turned on, I recommend doing so, especially if you don’t have web editing experience. However, if you are editing a page that has pictures or other media, be careful as making certain changes may alter the appearance of the images.

Step 4: Publish changes. Save your changes by clicking the blue “Update” button on the right side.

If you need help in any of the above steps, visit the previously written article on how to create a WordPress post – the instructions for which also pertain to WordPress pages.

Step 1: Type your content. If you are new to WordPress or need assistance in creating a blog post, view the tutorial that we have written.

Step 2: Upload your media. If the media is is on your computer, then find the series of icons above the content box. The first 4 icons are as follows: images, video, audio, other media. (The last icon in the image below is specific to this blog and is not found on all sites.) Click on the icon for the type of item you wish to include.

The remainder of this tutorial focuses on images, however similar steps are to be followed for other media types.

Step 3: Select the item. After clicking on the image icon, you are presented with 3 options for where the image is located. If the file is on your computer, choose “From computer,” browse your computer and select the file. If the image has already been uploaded previously, choose “Media Library,” find the image and click the “Show” link to the right of the image. If the image is located on a different website, choose “From URL” and enter the link to the image.

Step 4: Select your options. Once you have selected your image, whether it be from your computer or from the media library, you are presented with a series of options.

• Title – title of image
• Alternate Text – text that is used for those who are visually impaired
• Link URL – when visitors click the image, they are taken to this address
• Alignment – how you want the image to be aligned relative to the text
• Size – sets the size of the image within the text. Depending on the size of the original image, not all options will be available
• Featured Image – if you want the image to be used next to the post in archives or on a homepage

Once you have set all of your options, choose “Insert Into Post.” If you want the image to be the featured image only, then after clicking “Use as featured image,” click the “X” at the top right corner of the window.

You should be taken back to your post where your newly added media has been added!

]]> http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/adding-media-wordpress-postpage/feed/ 0 http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/adding-media-wordpress-postpage/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MevinsConsulting/~3/aQ21-E8Aejk/ http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:46:38 +0000 Matthew Evins http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/?p=447 You have a WordPress blog, and you need to know how to log in! Here are the steps:

Step 1: Access your blog’s login page. Open a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, etc.) and go to http://www.myblogsite.com/wp-admin. (Replace “myblogsite” with the web address of your blog).

Step 2: Input your credentials. in the fields provided, enter your username and password. If you are unsure of these values, contact your web designer (if applicable).

If needed, you can also use the “Forgot your password” link to reset your password. Click on the link and enter your username or the email address associated with your account. An email will be sent to the address on file with instructions on resetting your password.

]]> http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress/feed/ 0 http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MevinsConsulting/~3/VK_0Ac90x4Q/ http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/support/wordpress/creating-blog-post-wordpress/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:46:38 +0000 Matthew Evins http://www.mevinsconsulting.com/?p=438 You have a blog, but now you need to know how to update it? Being able to edit posts and pages in WordPress can cut down on the amount of time and money you are spending on outsourcing the maintenance on your website. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Log into WordPress. If you are unsure of how to do this, read through the post we have written that guides you through the steps.

Step 2: Add New post. On the left hand of your screen, you will see a heading that reads “Posts.” If this list is not expanded, do so by clicking on the arrow that appears when hovering over the heading. Click on the “Add New” link. Note, if you are adding a new page rather than a new post, then click on the “Add New” link under the “Pages” heading instead.

Step 3: Add a title and content. This is the bulk of the work involved in adding a new blog post. In the appropriate boxes, type the title and content for your post. Note that both fields accept HTML tags, however be careful as this may impact how your post appears in search engines. You also may use the visual editor, if you have it turned on. At the top right-hand corner of the text box, click on Visual or HTML to switch between the toolbars. We recommend sticking to the HTML version, and then jump over to visual on an as-needed basis.


Step 4: Insert pictures and/or other media. This can be tricky at first. To help, we have written a post specifically on this topic. Click here for instructions on inserting images and media in your blog post.

Step 5: Assign meta data. This sounds more complex than it really is. On the right side of the screen, you will see a column of options. Under “Categories,” click the checkbox(es) that indicate what category you want to file this post under. Keep in mind that while you can assign a post to multiple categories, it may hurt the organization of your site. We recommend choosing not more than 2 categories for each post. “Post tags” are other keywords that should be used in categorizing your post. Post tags are for specific keywords, while categories are used for a general hierarchy of the site. (Example: A post on World War I might be categorized under “history” while the post tags might include “war,” “fighting,” “army,” etc.) As you type a tag, it will attempt to auto-complete using the list of previously-used tags from your site as a reference. Reusing post tags can be helpful when users are searching your site, such as using “army” for all posts rather than “army” and “armies.” All post tags should be separated by commas. When you are finished adding post tags in the textbox, click the “Add” button.

Step 6: Assign a featured image. Featured images are the ones that appear next to your post in an archived list of posts. Oftentimes, the featured image helps make the post “stand-out” above the others. Since adding a featured image is a similar process to adding other images and media to a post, I have linked to those instructions here.


Step 7: Publish or schedule your post. Now that you’ve completed the content, let’s make it visible to the world! By clicking the “Publish” button, your post will be live instantly. However, you can schedule the post to be made available at a time in the future. To do so, click on the “Edit” link next to “Publish immediately.” This will allow you to schedule when the post is made visible. You can also change whether the post is “Public” (default), “Private,” or “Password protected.” Private means that anyone who is logged into your blog can see the post. Password protected allows the existence of the post to be made public, but when clicked on, only those with the proper password may view the content. Once you have finished, click the “Publish” or “Schedule” button and that’s it!

Note: If you are creating a page and you wish to add the page to your site’s navigation menu, follow these 2 easy steps!

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