We are getting ready to release a new version of All in One SEO Pack here and we are happy to announce that one of the most requested features we get is being included in this new release.  XML Sitemap generation is the most commonly requested feature we get.  Up until now you’ve had to install a separate plugin to generate and manage your XML Sitemaps.  However, the next release of both the free version and the Pro version of All in One SEO Pack will include an XML Sitemap generator.

To celebrate this and as part of our 12 for 12: 12 months of SEO for 2012 campaign we are publishing a white paper that tells you everything you wanted to know about XML Sitemaps and explains how the new feature in All in One SEO Pack works.

We welcome your feedback on this new feature and tell us what else you’d like to see included in All in One SEO Pack.  Use the form below to send us your feedback or leave a comment on this post.

Join the Semper Plugins affiliate program and start earning up to 40% commissions on referrals for all plugin purchases at Semper Plugins, including the All in One SEO Pack Pro Version.

Semper Plugins just launched this week, so now is the perfect time to become an affiliate and get ahead of the crowd. To start earning commissions right away just place a link or banner on your site, send a tweet announcing the launch of Semper Plugins, or include an article or link in your email newsletter. It’s that easy.

Our affiliate program is free to join and easy to use…plus there are no minimum monthly sales requirements.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions and then complete the easy registration form.

Have a more specific question? Contact us.

Semper Fi Web Design is proud to announce the official launch of  Semper Plugins, the new home for premium WordPress plugins like the All in One SEO Pack – Pro Version and the sleek Roundabout Slider.

This is an exciting new WordPress plugins store from one of the most well known plugin developers.

…And to celebrate we are offering 30% off your purchases through the end of the year – that includes plugins as well as support subscriptions.

Just visit Semper Plugins, select the plugins and support package you want, then enter coupon code SEMPERLAUNCH30 to get your savings.

It’s that time of the year again. The Christmas shopping rush has started, and online products and services are participating in offering the best deals of the year. We have compiled a list of our favorite discounts on various WordPress plugins, themes, and training. These deals are all offered for a limited time, so don’t wait. Check back often as we’ll update this post with additional discounts as they come in. Happy Holidays and happy shopping!

THEMES

iThemes One of the oldest and most respected premium WordPress theme companies is offering a 28% discount on EVERY product. Use code FREESHIPPING at checkout for the discount.

Genesis by StudioPress is a leading framework for WordPress. Developers, designers, and users find it great to make sites for personal or client use.

PLUGINS

All in One SEO Pack – Pro Version The #1 most downloaded plugin in the history of WordPress is offering an additional $20 off the already discounted price. This saves you 75% off the original price with discount code BLACKFRIDAY.

PluginBuddy This premium plugin store offers vital plugins such as Backup Buddy, and it’s all on sale at 25% off with coupon code SEMPERFI25.

TRAINING/SERVICES

webdesign.com At just 54 cents per day, this great online resource for web design and WordPress training is over 50% off with coupon SEMPERFI25!

Scribe SEO If you are serious about SEO for your WordPress content, you need to get this tool today. With coupon STEPUP, you can upgrade to a higher service plan for free!

Semper Fi Web Design is looking for WordPress developers and designers.  Semper Fi is one of the foremost WordPress development companies with over a dozen plugins including the #1 most downloaded plugin – All In One SEO Pack.  Semper Fi is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and is looking for local talented people to join our team.

WordPress Developer

We are looking for an energetic and experienced developer skilled in WordPress plugin and theme development.  The successful candidate should show proven experience in developing using the WordPress API.  Skills should include:

• Excellent PHP/Javascript development with an understanding of SQL
• Building web applications/services with advanced functionality
• Proven ability to work with the WordPress API
• Good communication skills
• Experience using project management applications such as Trac or JIRA
• Ability to function within a small time with tight deadlines
• Working knowledge of linux systems administration and configuration

Graphic Designer

We are looking for a skilled designer with an eye for creating striking websites using WordPress.  The successful candidate should have the ability to develop WordPress themes using the WordPress API.  Skills should include:

• Excellent web design skills
• Some familiarity of PHP
• Examples of design work (logos, print, WordPress themes)
• Understanding of User Interface design
• Good communication skills
• Ability to function within a small time with tight deadlines

Semper Fi offers full time employment with a starting salary commensurate with experience and good benefits. We are a Mac-only office, and will provide you with the tools (hardware and software) you need to succeed.

If you are interested in either position please contact us using our Employment Application Form and let us know why you’re a great fit for the company.

It’s that time of the year again. The Christmas shopping rush has started, and online products and services are participating in offering the best deals of the year. We have compiled a list of our favorite discounts on various WordPress plugins, themes, and training. These deals are all offered for a limited time, so don’t wait. Check back often as we’ll update this post with additional discounts as they come in. Happy Holidays and happy shopping!

THEMES

iThemes One of the oldest and most respected premium WordPress theme companies is offering a 25% discount on EVERY product. Use code AIOSEONOV at checkout for the discount.

Headway It’s no surprise that a premium theme offering a drag and drop GUI design interface for creating your WordPress website would be a big hit. Use code 15234F60AE for a 30% discount.

PLUGINS

All in One SEO Pack – Pro Version The #1 most downloaded plugin in the history of WordPress is offering an additional $20 off the already discounted price. This saves you 75% off the original price with discount code CYBERMONDAY20.

PluginBuddy This premium plugin store offers vital plugins such as Backup Buddy, and it’s all on sale at 25% off with coupon code AIOSEONOV.

TRAINING/SERVICES

webdesign.com At just 54 cents per day, this great online resource for web design and WordPress training is over 50% off!

Scribe SEO If you are serious about SEO for your WordPress content, you need to get this tool today. With coupon STEPUP, you can upgrade to a higher service plan for free!

One of the features within WordPress I get asked about most is the Media Library.  Specifically how to attach and use images within a blog post or web page.  Unfortunately it is also one of the areas with the poorest documentation.  When I first started using WordPress I searched for any help on how to use the Media Library and eventually I ended up working out how to use it myself through trial and error.  Of course I ended up using the features incorrectly at first and it’s only through familiarity with WordPress that I’ve learnt the correct way to use the Media Library.  So I wanted to share what I’ve learnt with you and hopefully start some good documentation on the image/gallery features within WordPress.

The first thing to understand with adding images to WordPress is attachments.  Attachment is a content type within WordPress.  There are template pages within WordPress themes that handle how to display attachments, there are hooks that call and manage attachments, and in the database there are fields that store the values associated with an attachment.  This is important because if you don’t treat images as attachments then you will miss out on a lot of the features within WordPress for handling them.

There are two ways to add images to your WordPress site.  The first one we’ll look at is to upload the image(s) into the Media Library.  On the left hand menu within WP Admin click on Media and then Add New.

Click the Select Files button and browse to the location of your image or images on your computer.  You can select multiple images if you are using the Flash Uploader by holding down the shift or the CTRL button and selecting each image.  Note the maximum upload size for an image is 8MB.  If your image is over this file size you will need to use an image editing application to resize the image.

Once the images have been uploaded to the Media Library you will need to attach them to the page or post where you want to use them.  Check the box next to each image you want to  attach and click the Attach link in the table next to one of the images.

A pop up box will display a Find Posts or Pages screen where you can search for the post or page by its name.  Select the radial next to your post or page and click Select.

You have now successfully attached an image or images to a post or page.  Now go to either Posts or Pages and edit the post or page you attached the image(s) to.  In my example I have attached 5 images to the page called About.

In the edit page screen click on the icon next to Upload/Insert that looks like a picture frame.

A pop up box will display the Add An Image options.  Select Gallery to get the images you attached to this page or post.

If you want to insert a single image into your post or page click Show next to that image and then select the options you want and click Insert Into Post.  Options include the image Title, Alt Text, Caption, and Description, as well as where the image links to, the alignment of text around the image, and the size of the image.  We will explore options later on.

The image will be inserted where the cursor was placed within the post or page editor.  You can move it by dragging and dropping it and you can edit it by clicking on the image and then click the edit button that looks like a photo.

One feature of WordPress is the ability to insert multiple images as a gallery into a post or page.  To do this when you are on the Gallery screen of the Add An Image pop up configure the Gallery Settings options and click the Insert Gallery button.

The difference between inserting a single image and inserting a gallery is shown in this screenshot of the web page used in my examples.

The second method of attaching an image(s) for use in a post or page is to use the image uploader within the Add An Image screen.  Edit the post or page where you want to attach the image and select the Add An Image button.

Select the From Computer tab and then Select Files.  Follow the same steps to select and upload the image or images as described above.

Now that you’ve uploaded images, attached them to posts or pages, and inserted them as a single image or a gallery within a post or page you are in a position to take advantage of some of the advanced options and features included with WordPress.  Let’s start by looking at options.  We’ve already seen that you can configure an images’ Title, Alt Text, Caption, and Description, as well as where the image links to, the alignment of text around the image, and the size of the image.  So let’s look at these in more detail and what else we can do.  First select an image you have already inserted into a post or page and click the edit button.

On the left hand side of this pop up screen you will see Size.  Here you can scale the image down from 100% to 60% of its current size.  This is a great way to adjust the size from the default full size, Large, Medium, and Thumbnail sizes available when you insert the image.  Below the Size you will see the alignment.  Again this controls how text is aligned to the image.  Select the appropriate radial and see how it changes in the preview above.

At the bottom of the Edit Image screen you will see the Link URL.  You can select to have the image to link to itself (Link To Image) which will open the full size copy of the image or you can enter a URL for a post, page or other URL so that when the visitor clicks on the image they are redirected to that URL.  On the Advanced Settings tab you will find that you can enter a custom size for your image, enter a CSS class or individual enter styles, and enter a border, vertical spacing and horizontal spacing.

Below the Advanced Image Settings you will find Advanced Link Settings where you can control the Link Rel, CSS class, Styles and Target of the link.

Not only does WordPress include some advanced settings and options for images, it also supports shortcodes for images and galleries.  A shortcode is a code you can enter in the visual editor of a post or page to call some feature or functionality.  With the Gallery shortcode you can call an image or a gallery and call options with them.  The basic shortcode we will use is “gallery” (remember shortcodes are wrapped in square brackets [] ).  Insert this into the visual editor for your post or page and WordPress will display the gallery attached to that post or page.

To display a single image using this shortcode enter the following option in the shortcode “gallery include=”23″”.  The number is the attachment ID of the image which can be found by clicking on the image in Media Library and looking for the URL in your browser.  It should look something like this “http://mysite.com/wp-admin/media.php?attachment_id=386″.

If you want to display multiple images then add the attachment ID for each image separated by a comma like so “gallery include=”23,24,25″”.  Some additional options for the gallery shortcode are columns=”2″ where the number is the amount of columns you want displayed, size=”full” where you can choose to display your images as thumbnail, medium, large and full.  Finally you can use the option id=”123″ which will insert a gallery by its ID in another post or page.  For example, if I have created a gallery on a page and I want to display it elsewhere in my site I can insert ”gallery id=”123″” where 123 is the ID of my gallery in the visual editor.  The gallery ID can be found in the source code of your post or page where you gallery was inserted.

For more information on the Gallery shortcode refer to the WordPress Codex at http://codex.wordpress.org/Gallery_Shortcode.

I may be a relative newcomer to WordPress but I am an old timer when it comes to business.  With 25 years experience in government, large enterprises and small businesses I have seen many different organizations and styles of organizational management.  Much of my experience has been in operations, making sure that the day to day running of the business happens, preventing problems from occurring and fixing them when they do happen.  I was around when businesses started using PC’s and when the internet became a tool for business.  More recently I’ve participated in the growth of the adoption of open source software in businesses both large and small.  So it’s with this background that I came to work with WordPress.

The web has made marketing and selling products and services much easier for small businesses.  They can reach a wider target market and engage their consumer easier because of the internet and web sites.  There are thousands of products and services that can help a small business build and run a website and engage in e-commerce.  Some will provide simple HTML sites with little or no features, some require a basic knowledge of programming, some are licensed and sold as proprietary products.  Whatever your budget and level of skill there is something out there that meets your needs.  So where does WordPress fit in and why should you use it?

WordPress is an open source solution meaning that the underlying code is open to all to view and change if they so desire.  With proprietary software you have no access to the underlying code and if the vendor goes out of business or withdraws the product then that product dies.  If your company relies on that software then it can affect your business and require you to make a change to another product or vendor.  With open source software like WordPress it doesn’t matter if the creators of the product go away or stop maintaining the product because the code is publicly available and someone can easily take over the project.  This has happened before with open source projects and will happen again.  The other reason why open source code is great for you is that others can add to the original code.  In the case of WordPress it really is developed by a global community.  Look at the WordPress.org plugin and theme repositories and see how many people have contributed to the project from all over the world.  This happens with the core WordPress code as well and this is why the software continues to get better and grow to meet the needs of many people.  It also means that there are tens of thousands of great developers out there that can be hired to develop new functionality for your WordPress site or to provide support when you need it, including of course Semper Fi Web Design.

So WordPress meets two needs for a small business – 1).  supportability – if you have a problem or need a new feature then there is a community out there that can help you; and 2). stability – it is unlikely that a project the size of WordPress is going away and it’s not controlled by a private company seeking profit so it seems WordPress could outlast many of its proprietary competition.

But there are other benefits for a small business to use WordPress over an alternate solution.  Cost is always a huge factor for a small business when doing anything and WordPress is free.  Not just is WordPress free but also thousands of plugins and themes are free too.  So when faced with the choice of buying proprietary software or a SaaS solution and choosing WordPress then the initial cost and the ongoing operational cost of licensing, support and training become a major factor in the decision process.  This is again where the community makes a big difference.  Thanks to the community there are some great training resources out there for a newcomer trying to learn WordPress.   There are forums where scores of experts are willing to share their knowledge for free.  It just becomes a matter of finding these resources and Google is your best friend for that.

I came to WordPress late on.  I used proprietary software and outsourced to consultants to get my business websites up and running.  And yet I used open source software in many other areas of business operations.  So here are my top ten reasons why I would recommend WordPress to any small business owner looking to build their business website:

1. Cost:  WordPress is free, many plugins and themes are free.  The only cost is a web hosting account and those can be found from $5 per month.
2. Support:  Take a few minutes to search the WordPress.org forums or WordPress Jobs or any freelance site like Elance and see easy it is to find support.  And if you need something more professional then talk to a company like Semper Fi Web Design that provides WordPress support services.
3. Extensibility:  Currently there are over 11,000 plugins and 1,200 themes in the WordPress.org repository.  There are many more on third-party sites.  Whatever design or features you want there is probably a theme or plugin that will deliver and chances are they are free.
4. Security:  There is an ongoing argument that open source code is less/more secure than proprietary software.  In the case of WordPress I can confidently say that it is secure.  There are individuals who devote their considerable expertise to making sure it is secure and finding potential vulnerabilities.
5. Reliability:  Every time a new version of WordPress is released it is tested extensively by thousands of people who use it in many different ways.  Here at Semper Fi Web Design we test every version of WordPress thoroughly with each of our plugins and update those plugins to make sure they work with new versions.  Of course with 11,000 plugins and 1,200 themes the permutations for a WordPress site are enormous and every one cannot be tested but that’s why good support is so important and WordPress has that.
6. Ease of Use:  I started using WordPress at the beginning of this year.  I am by no means a developer or programmer but I have been around software from the days of MS-DOS and WordPerfect so I am fairly comfortable with learning new applications.  But I am constantly amazed by how easy WordPress is to use and how intuitive the interface is.   And if I have a problem or a gap in my knowledge then there are books, tutorials, videos, guides, and lots of other resources out there that can help me with my continuing education.
7. Content Management:  WordPress started out as a blog publishing platform but has gradually morphed into a general internet publishing platform that includes a powerful content management system.  Why is this important?  Because websites aren’t flat pages any more, they platforms for dynamic content of various formats.  Your business isn’t static, it grows and changes and so should your website if it is to reflect your business.  A content management system enables you to control what you publish and how it’s published.  This makes ongoing management easier for any size of business.
8. Total Cost of Ownership:  Many businesses underestimate the operational costs of business IT.  Maintaining licenses and managing support can be a drain on a small business and when that business grows so do the costs.  With open source software like WordPress there are no licenses, you can install in a hundred times over and nobody will come looking for you to pay them licensing fees.  Upgrades are free so there is unexpected invoice when the next release comes out.
9. Continuity:  WordPress has over 25 million users world-wide.  The last major version, 3.0, was downloaded over 11 million times in less than two months.  Some of the world’s largest and well-known companies use WordPress.  It’s been around since 2003 and it’s only getting bigger and stronger.  WordPress is not going to go away any time soon and with any luck your company will out grow WordPress before it does.
10. Community:  I’ve saved the best for last.  With a global community of over 25 million, many who are addicted to WordPress, there is likely someone you know who already uses it.  I’ve been to seven WordCamps and met hundreds of WordPress users, developers, and fans.  Everyone is committed to the same goal of supporting the community and growing the project.  Why wouldn’t you want to become a part of that?

WordCamp Savannah, held this past weekend, was the 6th WordCamp that the Semper Fi Web Design team has attended this year.  Previous WordCamps include Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Raleigh (of course), and Chicago.  Each one was enjoyable not just for the WordCamp itself but also for the location and the people I have met.

This is the second time I have been to Savannah and the first for Michael.  As someone who has traveled extensively throughout the US, I have to admit that southern cities like Savannah and Charleston are among my favorite places.  The people are friendly and the atmosphere is distinctively relaxed.  I experience this every day living in Raleigh but it’s even more noticeable when visiting somewhere like Savannah.  More about the city later but let me review the WordCamp for you.

WordCamp Savannah was organized by Jane Wells of WordPress.org and Caila Brown, SCAD Radio General Manager & District Print Art Director at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  The location for the WordCamp was the SCAD River Club, an impressive two story warehouse on the banks of the Savannah River.  The line up of speakers was a who’s who of the WordPress community and it was no surprise to see one or two Automatticians on the schedule including Matt Mullenweg.  I’m sure it’s not often you will find so many with core commit access in the same room and WordCamp Savannah brought a number of them together.  With so many experts in attendance the schedule was full of great sessions.  In fact the only disappointment from this WordCamp was that the sessions were limited to 30 minutes in order to accommodate all of the great speakers.

Among the features of the WordCamp were a Q&A with members of the WordPress Core Team, tracks for user and developer, and the obligatory BBQ lunch.  Jane and Caila organized two group activities which is unique amongst the WordCamps I’ve attended.  There was also a Newbie workshop on the Friday and an “unconference” on the Sunday which I enjoyed.  Overall the WordCamp was very well organized and delivered great content for beginners and developers alike.  The session topics were all useful to anyone in the WordPress community and the extra events that were held made this a very worthwhile event.  It was great to see so many people from the local community in attendance.  There is a vibrant WordPress community in Savannah and the WordCamp served them very well.

If you haven’t visited Savannah I would encourage you to make the trip there.  The city dates back to 1733 and the history can be seen throughout the city.  One of the most unique areas is the riverfront where there are multiple levels from city street level down to river level.  The riverfront is lined with restored cotton warehouses which have been converted into shops, bars and restaurants.  Away from the river there are cobbled streets with park squares forming quadrangles where you can sit and rest.  Perhaps the most famous is Chippewa Square on Hull Street where Forrest Gump sat and narrated the story of his life as people waited for the bus.

Outside of Savannah we visited Tybee Island on the mouth of the Savannah River.  Tybee is well known for its lighthouse and civil war fort.  The Tybee Island lighthouse is one of the first lighthouses on the Southeast Atlantic and is a beautiful exampl of an 18th century lighthouse.  Fort Pulaski was built in 1829 by then Second Lieutenant Robert E. Lee who had recently graduated from West Point.  Completed in 1833 it served as part of a chain of coastal defenses to protect against foreign invasion but became important as the site of the siege and surrender of Confederate forces in 1862.

Aside from the historical sites on Tybee Island, visitors should check out The Crab Shack situated just off the causeway as you reach the island.  Having eaten there for three of the four days of our stay I can tell you that their seafood is definitely worth a trip in itself.  Try their Shack Speciality platter piled high with crab, shrimp, crawfish, mussels, sausage, corn and potatoes.  And don’t forget to visit the gator pool while you are there.  But be warned, take some good bug spray as I got eaten alive by sand gnats.

This was a great WordCamp and a great trip and I’d like to thank Jane and Caila for organizing the WordCamp and hosting us.  We will be back to Savannah.

Next WordCamp for the Semper Fi Web Design team is WordCamp Mid-Atlantic in Baltimore, MD on September 11th.  See you there!

For everyone who attended this year’s WordCamp, thank you for helping to make it a huge success! For those who weren’t able to make it to WordCamp Raleigh 2010, we had an amazing lineup of speakers, over 260 attendees, and tons of fun and exciting times for all. Check out our first batch of WordCamp photos. (More will be coming soon.)

We’ve already started planning WordCamp Raleigh 2011, so if you’re interested in next year’s amazing North Carolina WordPress event, make sure you subscribe to the WordCamp RSS feed and to the WordCamp twitter.

Michael Torbert, Dan Milward, and Craig Tuller at WordCamp Raleigh 2010