By default, the date that a post has been published is usually displayed right under the title of the post as well as in the comments.

At first this might seem to be a really good idea but let’s examine why you might want to re-think this as an option. What happens when search engines display your listing in the search results?

That’s right, the publication date of your post is displayed before the description of your page content. The merits or otherwise of this fact are just a few of the issues to consider before deciding whether or not to display the date on your posts.

Reasons Why You Might Want to Include the Publication Date

• If there is no date, then there is no guide to visitors as to how up-to-date the information is.
• Some posts may be dependent on chronological order.
• Some posts may need to be given a date context to make sense, such as news items.

Reasons Why You Might Want to Remove the Publication Date

• If the date is included under the post title, then the Search Engines will usually pick it up and then display it in the Search Engine results as shown in the image above.
  As you can see, the date appears before the description and can very well serve to act as a filter that browsers use in deciding which sites to click through to.
• If the date appears first in the results, before the description, then the end of your description may be truncated because the length allowance has been used up.
• The date can give the wrong impression about what might be timeless information. In other words, if your post that was written 2 years ago is still relevant today, then you don’t want to dissuade people from reading it by inviting them to make a pre-judgment based on the year appearing at its beginning. The content could still be just as relevant today.
• Many bloggers observe an increased click through rate to their site from the Search Engine Results page after removing the date.
• By removing the date, you can avoid giving the impression that older posts lack credibility. In other words, older posts are less likely to be discarded before the content is examined.
• Readers are more likely to comment on posts that they perceive or believe are more recent.

Should Posts include the Date or Not?

Jim Connelly from www.internetmarketingjam.com conducted a very interesting experiment in which he tested the efficacy of not including the date over a 30 day period. He found that there was a definite increase in the number of posts that were read and concluded that there was a strong correlation between the number of posts that were read and those that did not display a date

In making up your mind, you need to ask yourself does the post contain timeless information or is it time-sensitive such as release of a news item? There are some blogs, of course, for which it might make sense to include the date if the information is indeed time-sensitive.

Of course, you still have the option of including the date manually in selected posts if you feel it makes more sense.

Alternatively, you could opt to display the updated date rather than the published date so that the reader is reassured that the information is current.

I have a preference for removing it from the beginning of my posts but allowing it to appear in the comments. This way, I avoid the date appearing in SERPs but still allow my readers to scroll down to the end of the post if they wish to place it in a date context. I think this is a courtesy move and one that I appreciate myself when reading other blogs.

How to Remove the Date from Posts

There are a number of ways of doing this.

• If you are comfortable with coding. you can edit index.php and remove the call to a function that displays the date:
  <?php the_time() ?>
  Your function call may have some variables (words) inside the brackets.
• You can also follow suggestions in your theme’s support forum or support pages to find out how to edit the code.
  I found the support forum very helpful for my theme from StudioPress. It simply involved commenting out 1 line of code.
• Alternatively, you can install a WordPress plugin to remove the date from posts for you: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/date-exclusion-seo-plugin/

I hope this post helps you decide which way you would like to go with respect to whether or not to display the publication date on your blog posts.

I have coded sites from scratch, I have used text editors, HTML editors and I have purchased WYSIWYG editors. But I find that it is much faster to get started with a website building environment like WordPress and I absolutely love all of the plugins that are available (most of them for free) to add the functionality that I am looking for.

For example, in the past, I have often spent weeks coding and tweaking scripts to get a site search working the way I want it. With WordPress, it is already there the moment that I set up my static site or blog. If I want to add modifications to how the search operates, there is a plethora of plugins available to upload to my site with the click of a button.

With respect to ease, I think most software tools can be confusing for beginners regardless of how powerful the software may be. So it is my intention to provide a step-by-step guide that you can refer to when using WordPress, a guide that you can return to for all the future sites you create using WordPress.

8 Easy Steps to Setup Your Website

Step 1 – Select Your Domain Name and Hosting Service

If you haven’t already selected your domain name and hosting solution, you can follow the advice given in these posts:

How to Get a Domain Name

How to Host a Website

As outlined in these 2 posts, I have been using Go Daddy for all of my domain names and Lunarpages for my hosting and have been very satisfied with the service in each case.

Step 2 – Choose Your WordPress Theme

The theme defines the look and feel that you want for your site. Instead of experimenting with different colour combinations and font types for your site, you can preview a ready-made theme and then select the one you like.

There are:

• Free Themes.
  • A collection already included with WordPress.
  • Endless selections across the Web to choose from.
• Paid Themes (Premium Templates).

  The themes I looked at were priced around the $39 to $80 mark for a single theme, more for a package of themes in some cases but they vary considerably.

You can find lots of free themes at wordpress.org or you can simply search for “free wordpress themes” using your favourite search engine.

I must say that when I went looking for a free theme, I was overwhelmed by all of the choices. I ended up wasting weeks looking for just the right theme. When I eventually chose one, I found there were aspects that weren’t quite what I wanted so I wasted some more weeks tweaking with the code itself to customise it and to get it to validate as correct HTML. The result was okay but I still felt it lacked that professional, polished finish. Of course, this is just that particular free theme and I have since found others that impressed me. There are thousands to choose from and you will easily find a nice theme to start with.

I decided, after all of those wasted weeks to go with a paid theme. Then of course I spent additional weeks researching the paid (premium) themes looking for what I wanted at an affordable price. But I think that this research has paid off as I have been very happy with my selection. The theme I settled on was a StudioPress Theme for WordPress. I wasn’t interested in a developer’s pack so instead I selected a single theme that I can use, and of course modify, on any of my sites.

What Do I Like About My StudioPress Theme?

• It looked professional right away.
• There is a forum for support.
• There are tutorials provided.
• It is easy to customise.
• I am notified of updates as they become available, for no additional cost.

Step 3 – Install WordPress

Most hosts offer a click-option (Fantastico) that will install WordPress for you.

1. Using the instructions sent to you by your hosting company, login to your account and go to cPanel.
2. Look for the Fantastico icon and click on it.

• Click on Installation (or New Installation).
• Leave “Install in Directory” blank. (You could use this if you were just looking to have part of your website set up as a blog.)
• Change Admin to a username of your own choice. This will be more secure than leaving it as Admin.
• Enter a new password.
• Enter your Admin nickname that will be used on posts and comments. This will be visible to visitors to your site.
• Finally, click the Install WordPress button.
  You will then be provided with a summary of what has been created and asked to click on Finish Installation.
• The next screen reminds you of your admin and password details which you need to keep. It also provides the path for entering the admin area in order to set up the theme and content on your website. It is always in the format www.yoursite.com/wp-admin. You simply replace yoursite.com with your domain name and extension.

Step 4 – View Your Site in a Browser

Now the real fun starts as you style your site to suit your preferences.

But of course you will want to take a sneak preview of your site as it appears right now. Just enter your domain name in the browser and it will appear with the default theme already set up for you.

http://www.yoursite.com

(Just replace yoursite.com with the domain name that you have registered.)

You will see your site in the standard theme that is currently provided by default when you first install WordPress.

Step 5 – Set Up Your Own Theme

Login to your admin panel via:  www.yoursite.com/wp-admin

You will then be taken to your WordPress Dashboard.

Now comes the exciting part – learning how to build a website from scratch . This is where your creative flair can come into its own.

There are a number of web building options available to you. The option you choose will depend on your past experience in website development as well as the purpose of your website. So let’s look at the different types of websites so that you can decide which type best suits your needs.

Planning Your Website

What Type of Website Do You Need?

1. Static Websites

This type of website consists of a number of web pages that provide information and display images. These pages, once written, usually do not change unless the content needs a revision further down the track or an image is replaced etc.. The page that is loaded in the browser is the same page that the web developer published. The code is HTML supplemented by CSS for styling (formatting & layout). It can also include some kind of a scripting language which adds a little more interactivity to the static pages.

Static websites can be set up for informational purposes only or can be monetized to provide some kind of an income.

2. Dynamic Websites

Pages on a dynamic website are usually generated from a database as needed.  Scripting languages, such as PHP,  generate the HTML code so that the requested page can be loaded in a browser. Hence, they are often referred to as database-driven websites.

Pages stored in a database can be easily updated at any time; creating and updating such pages is not dependent on programming knowledge. Content Management Systems (CMS) are particularly useful in facilitating the creation and updating of dynamic sites, especially if they are large sites.

One of the most common types of sites in this category is a blog. Blog posts typically allow readers to post their own comments and queries which add to the dialog that goes on around the topic being discussed. So content is not static but is constantly being updating as more and more comments are added to various posts. Blog posts are usually labelled with the date they were published and then listed on the site in reverse date order.  The content on this type of website is constantly being refreshed. Interactivity is probably the main distinguishing characteristic of a dynamic website. It is this aspect that promotes a community-style interaction around a common interest or commentary on a particular product or service.

Blogs have evolved over time from their initial incarnation as a way to let friends know about what you have been doing to the current form where we see many more authoritative, informative sites that add real value to the Net as a place to learn. I find more and more that the sites I get the most from are blog sites and I’ll be pointing some of these sites out to you as we progress through the web building journey.  These days, blogs (those with high quality content) are finding it easier to rank in the search engines.

Dynamic websites or blogs can be set up for informational purposes only or can provide information and be monetized in some manner. Either way, provision of information that people find valuable is critical to the success of this type of site as it is to any site.

3. Combination Websites

You can also have a combination of the 2 listed above. In that case you could have a static website that incorporates a blog within it.

4. E-Commerce Websites

These websites are set up like an online storefront for the purposes of selling products and/or services. They provide a shopping cart and a transactional capability that allows processing of credit cards.

How to Build a Website From Scratch

I am going to assume, given that you have found this post, that you are a beginner with respect to how to build a website. Later on, as demand dictates, I can go into more advanced topics on website creation  But for now, I will outline your options and then provide some of my recommendations.

I have created sites by programming from scratch; I have used HTML editors and WYSIWYG editors  and I have used Content Management Systems (CMS). One thing my experience has taught me is that, no matter how skilled someone might be in web coding, there is a level of productivity output and ease of website design that is hard to beat with the more advanced packages such as CMS. So my goal here is to lay out the easiest path for you to take.

Which Website Development Tool Should You Choose?

1. Text Editors
These editors are readily available but only highly skilled HTML coders would choose a text editor to create websites. However even top coders, who prefer to code from scratch, probably combine text editors with more advanced editors to speed up their development output.

Skill Level Required
You still need to have a significant level of HTML and CSS knowledge to program from scratch using just a text editor.

Examples of HTML editors include:

• Notepad – free

2. HTML Text Editors
There are free and paid options here but, whilst easier than with a text editor,  you still need to have a significant level of HTML and CSS knowledge to program using an HTML editor. And if you wish to add any degree of interactivity to your site, you would need a knowledge of JavaScript and/or a server scripting language such as PHP.  These editors usually provided syntax highlighting and a range of other options that can speed up your productivity.

Skill Level Required
It depends on the editor chosen. With some editors you would need to code most sections. With some other editors you can click on a menu of some HTML tags and have some code elements created for you. But generally speaking, you need to be prepared to code if you choose one of these editors.

Examples of HTML editors include:

• TextPad   – free to try, then requires purchase
• NotePad++   – free
• Programmer’s Notepad   – free

4. WYSIWYG HTML Editors
The letters WYSIWYG stand for What You See Is What You Get which means that you can get the package to do a lot of the coding work for you or in fact all of it if that is your preference. These editors usually provide a split screen view so that you can see the code and the browser output in side-by-side windows (or top and bottom panes). You can usually employ drag-and-drop technology or select and click. That is, with a WYSIWYG editor you can for example use the menu options to select the headings, tables, lists etc. that you would like on your page.  The editor does all of this for you and you can see what the code looks like “behind the scenes”. Similarly you can write some HTML code yourself via the code window and then view on the design screen what that code has produced.

Examples of WYSIWYG editors include:

• Aptana Studio – free and paid version
• Adobe Dreamweaver – paid
• Microsoft Expression Web – paid

The workload is much less with a WYSIWYG editor than with an HTML editor, although seasoned programmers often prefer the latter because it affords them more flexibility.

I have used all 3 (but only the free version of Aptana). I have probably used both Dreamweaver and Microsoft Expression Web (replacement to Frontpage) the most. I find these 2 packages very, very useful. I particularly like the split screen arrangement where I can look at the page as it would appear in a browser and then click on the heading or sentence that I would like to change via the code window. Aptana also has the split screen view but in the free version at least, I found it harder to locate the code that matched the sentence that I had highlighted. Given that I like to tweak the actual HTML code myself, this location feature is very, very handy in both Dreamweaver and Expression Web. However, you don’t need to do this, tweak the code that is. You can just use the menu options to specify what you want where and how you would like it to look, with respect to tables, color schemes, font colors and font types etc.

Skill Level Required
Optional. You can have the WYSIWYG editor do everything for you. Or you can choose to have just some elements created for you to speed up the process and then go into the code to make your preferred changes.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Blogs are probably the most recognizable form of a CMS. They are quite easy to set up and, best of all, they can be created for free. You can of course get paid themes but there are many, many free themes from which to choose. Setting up a blog requires no programming knowledge. At the same time, if you have some knowledge of HTML, PHP and CSS, then you can easily reach the code behind each page and do some direct tweaking if you like.

Examples of Blog software include:

• Drupal
• Joomal
• WordPress

These Systems can be used to create static sites as well as blogs. WordPress was really set up predominately as a blog creation software. However, it is true to say that its ease of use and extensive plugin provision have made it so powerful that many developers now use it to create both blog sites and static sites. (I have done the same.)

You can set up a blog on the WordPress site (www.wordpress.com) but then your site name will always include  wordpress.com, such as sitename.wordpress.com. You are much better advised to utilize the software provided by your hosting provider.  For example, I “installed” WordPress for my site on Lunarpages by simply clicking the appropriate option.

Skill Level Required
No programming skills are needed to set up a blog.
Those who do like to program can still reach the code behind a blog and make modifications etc.

I hope this gives you some idea of the choices there are when it comes to deciding a) what type of site you would like and b) which editor or tool you would like to use. In my next post I will provide a tutorial on how to use WordPress because this platform can be used for static sites as well as blog sites. And I will let you know what I ended up doing with respect to themes (free versus paid) and which plugins I have found the most useful to start off with.

What is a host? A hosting company simply provides access to the Internet via their server computers. When you sign up with one of these companies you will have your own area on their server for uploading your web pages and images etc. Thus your website will be visible to anyone on the Internet via your URL (path with your domain name).

Website Hosting: Where to Start?

When I first started out online in 2003, I opted for a free hosting option (paying only for my domain name) and quickly started to regret it. At the time, I was restricted in the space that was allocated to my site which meant that I was constantly having to delete cached files so as not to exceed my limit. Support was minimalistic and outages frequent. Fortunately, my domain name was separate from my hosting company so eventually I was able to shop around for another host and simply transfer my domain name across.

However, it is much better if you can find a reliable web hosting solution right at the beginning so that you don’t have to go through the hassle, as I did, of having to relocate my domain name etc.

The web hosting provider I eventually chose (for the reasons listed below) was Lunarpages .

Choosing a Web Hosting Solution – What to Consider

There is so much information provided on different hosting companies and so many companies offering different deals, it can be extremely confusing to say the least.

When I was looking for a new host, I spent a number of days reading comparative reviews on the top web hosting companies, looking for the best web host I could, paying particular attention to comments left in reviews from customers. The aspects that I considered the most important for me were:

• Reliability
  I wanted a company that could maintain its service and keep any dropouts to a minimum. You don’t want your site to be “down” when you start getting significant web traffic. I looked for a host that recorded up-times of 99% or greater.
• Web Space
  This was of premium importance to me. You have to have room to grow. Plus the more visitors you start getting to your site the more page loads will be cached, all of which require space.
• Speed of Page Loads
  This was a consideration I had given no thought to when originally choosing a free option. But it is an extremely important requirement in your host.
• Software Provision
  There were a number of options that I wanted access to including Content Management Systems (CMS), MySQL databases, PHP  etc..
• Email Accounts
  I wanted to have a number of email accounts along with auto-responders.
• Server Type
  I personally have a preference for a Unix system running the Apache server but don’t let this technical-sounding aspect scare you as this is the most common type of server anyway and my recommendations will already have taken this requirement into account.
• An Easy to Use Control Panel
  This is where you can upload files, set up email accounts, check error pages, activate certain software components and check website analytics (to find out how many people are visiting your site and what terms they are using to find your site). In other words, this is where you manage your website account and pages.
• Support
  This is extremely important. I took notice of how quickly customers were being responded to when submitting a help ticket. You need your host to be available for technical support 24-7 .

The Website Host that I Use

I have to be upfront and say that I have not used the services of a lot of hosts. The main reason for this is that the company I ended up choosing, after my initial disappointment with a free service, was Lunarpages. Because I have been so happy with their service, I haven’t felt the need to look for any other host. I have been particularly thrilled with their fast response times to any queries I have had or any of my emailed pleas for help to resolve something that I was trying to do with my site.

I have found it to be very affordable web hosting. The cost varies of course, depending on the option you go for but you can frequently take advantage of coupons and specials. I often get a discount simply by renewing my web hosting a month early. This year, for example, I secured a $35 deduction on my renewal.

I have set up both static type websites on Lunarpages as well as blog sites; they offer a number of Content Management Systems (CMS) for blog development, such as WordPress and Joomla.  The Fantastico option allows you to automatically install any of the scripts provided.

They offer a Starter Plan but make it very easy to upgrade to other plans as you find your needs changing. If it is any guide, I am planning my next site with Lunarpages as well. While I am getting the kind of instant response from their support team that I have been enjoying as well as the server reliability that I have been experiencing, then I see no need to change my hosting company.

To purchase a domain name, you simply have to find a domain name that is still available and then register it. The process is very straightforward and can be broken down into 4 easy steps:

Step 1: Make a List of Possible Domain Names

What you need to do first is to think of a suitable domain name that you would like to use for your website and one that is still available.

What type of site do you have in mind? Will it be informational only? Are you creating a site for a sporting organisation or a hobby site for yourself? Are you hoping to monetize your site? Do you already have a product in mind or an eBook that you have already created and wish to sell? Most importantly, what exactly is your site about?

Generally speaking it is best not to use your name in your domain name unless your name is already a “brand name” or readily recognised by a wide audience.  There may come a day when you have a few sites and you want to sell this one. If the domain name is your own name it will have limited use and appeal to new owners.

You are much better advised to include a word or words in your domain name that people are using when searching online. It is a good idea to look for words that suggest what your site is about so that people instantly get the idea of what your site has to offer.

Keywords in Domain Names – What are People Searching For?

Try to incorporate the main search term(s) your visitors might use to find your site. This can help considerably when it comes to your search engine rankings.

There are a number of tools you can use to check search terms (keywords) but the one I use the most is Google’s Keyword Tool:

The Google Keyword Tool

Using this tool, you can enter words or phrases that you think someone might use to find your site and find out how many people are using those particular phrases in their searches.

For example if your site is going to feature your own photography, then you could  enter some related terms to see if they are being used in searches. Perhaps you want to share your knowledge as a photographer and offer tips to people who aspire to improve their skills. You would enter the relevant search phrase into the Keyword Tool, “photography tips” for example, to find out how many people searched on that term last month and the extent of competition for that search term (that is, how many other sites have been optimized for that search term as well.)

Google Search Tool

But if this is too narrow then you would target a broader description. If you are hoping to advertise your services as a photographer, for example, then you could enter a more relevant phrase such as “top photographer”. This exercise of checking on what people are actually searching for in the search engines can help you to come up with a list of possible domain names for your site that might help your site rank more highly in the search engine results.

Should it be a .com or .net or some other kind of extension?

If your site will be for a global audience, then ALWAYS go for a .com if it is available; you will find that most people automatically assume .com when you tell them the name of your site so you won’t have to correct them if you have chosen .net instead for example.

If your site is advertising services in a local area or a specific country then you can choose the relevant local extension such as .com.au in the case of Australia for example. Keep in mind that .com and .net will usually be cheaper and that there may be additional information needed for various country code extensions. For example, in Australia, an Australian Business Number (ABN) is needed for a .com.au domain. Generally speaking,  .com is much more straightforward, more universal and has wider appeal for sites targeting a global market.

Step 2: Filter Your List of Possible Domain Names

Now that you have a list of available domain names, do a final check to narrow your selection:

• Descriptive – Is it easy to tell what the site is about by just reading the name?
• Distinctive – Does it sound distinctive or too similar to other established sites?  That is, you don’t want it easily confused with another popular site that could end up with your traffic.
• Easy to Remember – It’s a good idea to choose a name that is easy to remember and without alternative spellings.
• Easy to Say – Will people be able to easily pass on the word about your new site?
• No Breaks – Choose names that are not hyphenated.
• Low Competition – Check the competition. If you end up choosing a domain name that does have keywords in it then check the 1st page of search engine results using that keyword. Are there any large named companies dominating positions 1 to 3 or, worse still, positions 1 to 10?

Some people prefer to buy existing domain names; that is, domain names that have been in use and just expired or domain names that the owner is willing to sell. The intention here is to “snap up” a very good keyword-targeted domain name and/or buy a domain name that already has ranking in the search engines. This is certainly one way you can go if you like but it is usually considerably more expensive and probably of more appeal further down the track once you are used to the process of finding a domain name.

Step 3: Check Domain Name Availability

The name that you choose has to be unique and one that hasn’t already been registered. For example, the domain name brightdogtips.com has already been taken so no-one else can use that name for their website unless it is sold on or allowed to expire.

How to check domain availability is quite straight forward . Domain registrars and most hosting companies allow you to check availability of domain names on their sites. The following domain name lookup is one that I have used extensively:

Enter each name on your filtered list to see which domain names are available (not already registered by someone else). Then make your preferred selction from those still available.

Now that you have made your choice you are ready for the next step.

Step 4: Register Your Preferred Domain Name

To buy a domain name, you simply have to register it for the advertised fee.

Once you have found an available name that you like, you need to register it for either a monthly fee or a yearly fee. I always go for the term of a year or two as it is cheaper and a job that I now need to think about only once every year or so. The registrar that I have been using is Go Daddy  and I receive an email with plenty of notice each time that my domain name is nearing a renewal date. I have mine set up with automatic renewals but I still receive the email with advice as well which allows me to make sure that my payment details are up-to-date.

So in summary the easy steps to follow are:

1. Make a list of possible domain names.
2. Filter Your List of Possible Domain Names.
3. Check Domain Name Availability.
4. Register Your Preferred Domain Name.

What is the Next Step After Registering Your  Domain Name?

Now you are the proud owner of your very own domain name.  An exciting journey lies before you as you develop your online website. Once you have your domain name, there is no urgency to do anything with it until you site is ready to “go live”. You now own your chosen domain name so you can take the time you need to find your preferred host and create your site the way you would like it.