Wordpress SEO Expert

Improve your Google ranking with Peter Mahoney, 20+ years SEO & Wordpress experience

Displaying code snippets easily

by

With the new site and all I’ve some CSS to get through.

I wanted to make the “pre” element work as a code snippet display for me, and needed a fix to get it to wrap text (since the “width” attribute has been defunct for some time).

Here’s the solution!

pre {
 background-color: #F2F2F2;
 padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px;
 white-space: pre-wrap;       /* css-3 */
 white-space: -moz-pre-wrap;  /* Mozilla, since 1999 */
 white-space: -pre-wrap;      /* Opera 4-6 */
 white-space: -o-pre-wrap;    /* Opera 7 */
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
}

Make a “Share on Twitter” link with URL and Hashtags

by

This is a little coding trick I get asked about quite a bit.

The link you have to make to share something to Twitter is quite simple:

http://twitter.com/share?text=text goes here

But getting a URL and hastag in there is a different matter. To be honest most developers do know how to include the URL, but hashtags have proved more elusive!

http://twitter.com/share?text=text goes here&url=http://url goes here&hashtags=hashtag1,hashtag2,hashtag3

Here’s an example to try out:

http://twitter.com/share?text=Here’s an awesome tip!&url=https://peter.mahoneywebmarketing.com/make-a-share-on-twitter-link-with-url-and-hashtags/&hashtags=peter,is,awesome

And that’s it!

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a primer

by

I’m starting a series on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to help explain a few key concepts, as well as helping guide you towards the right SEO expert. Ideally me of course, but whoever is telling you they’re an expert really should know how to cover more than the basics.

The number of people I see selling SEO services who really have no idea is appalling. (I’d say shocking, but there are a lot of opportunists out there!)

I’m going to break my series of SEO posts into the following sections:

  1. Code
  2. Site Speed
  3. Social integration
  4. Blogging
  5. Back-links and all other things link oriented

Naturally there is a lot of cross-over between them, but over the course of the series you’ll get a better idea of some key concepts, and some fairly original (but proven) ideas for their implementation.

All of course to get you more quality visitors!

Website code template

by

This is for my fellow developers out there.

I have a small series of files I copy and paste whenever I’m about to start a new project, they have default templates for various files I use a lot. Like a header, footer, index page, blank stylesheet, and something called “top.php” that I use to open sessions and connect to databases.

There are also some of my standard folders pre-made too (with the correct server permissions) like “img” (images) and “upl” (uploads).

This was going to be last week’s #fridayfreebie, but here it is on a Wednesday instead.

This particular version is the one I use most commonly, and it’s set up for:

  • PHP
  • MySQL
  • HTML5
  • CSS (any version!)
  • and ideally a unix/linux based server, because it references the top level of the site as being “/”.

I’ve zipped it up to share! Feel free to do whatever you want with it—although there is a lot of Peter Mahoney specific stuff in there, so you might want to take that out. Unless of course you like giving me credit for your work. 🙂

HTML5 website template (.zip)

The Compliment Site

by

Here’s a welcome change from all the doom and gloom we see around us.

I was recently tasked with creating The Compliment Site, a place where random strangers can compliment each other to try and brighten someone’s day.

It’s the simplicity of it I like. A simple idea, and simple execution. The only images used throughout the entire site are user’s profile pictures, and social sharing icons for Facebook and Twitter. The rest is all just code, even the header. It makes for a very fast site, that if marketed properly, could do very well.

It hasn’t been launched yet, but it is there is you’d like to try something a little different.

The Compliment Site

Professionalism

by

In an email exchange with a client this morning I got to spell out my views on professionalism, and thought I’d share them with you to.

  1. There isn’t enough of it in the world
  2. I’m providing a service, and conduct myself as such
  3. I don’t get precious about things like a lot of developers and designers do. (Honestly, people need to get over themselves sometimes!)
  4. And this one’s really important; I both take pride in my work, and feed my family with it. Anything less than a five-star service means I’ll have less than a perfect reputation, which keeps food off my children’s table.

Point 3. is a particularly interested topic–I have known people who get so precious that they refuse to deliver what their client asks for!

Certainly, as a consultant and professional with 17 years experience, if I think a project or part thereof should be done differently to the brief, I’ll suggest it with a solid rationale. But I also accept that if someone really wants to stick with their idea, they should be able too.

In some cases it boils down to this, I know web development, design, and online community–but my clients know their own businesses better than I! That’s why I like to get to know my clients and their businesses, because I want to make sure they’re using the web as effectively as they can for their business model.

Prices are quoted exclusive of VAT unless expressly stated.

RSS

Peter Mahoney, WordPress SEO expert blog