Wordpress Dashboard Hacks - Remove Menu Items

Want to remove menu items from the Wordpress dashboard? This comes in especially handy for clients/friends/family that may be distracted by too many menu items, or just don’t have a need to use specific menu choices in the Worpress dashboard.

Simply paste the following code in the functions.php file from your theme directory:

function remove_menus () {
global $menu;
	$restricted = array(__('Dashboard'), __('Posts'), __('Media'), __('Links'), __('Pages'), __('Appearance'), __('Tools'), __('Users'), __('Settings'), __('Comments'), __('Plugins'));
	end ($menu);
	while (prev($menu)){
		$value = explode(' ',$menu[key($menu)][0]);
		if(in_array($value[0] != NULL?$value[0]:"" , $restricted)){unset($menu[key($menu)]);}
	}
} 

add_action(‘admin_menu’, ‘remove_menus’); 



This will remove all menus named in the $restricted array.
Read more at → 10 Wordpress Dashboard Hacks.

Restrictions - New Timeline For Business Pages

Cover Photo for pages:
Must be at least 399 pixels wide and up to 850 pixels wide. Height looks like 315 pixels.

Important note to Fanpage owners!
The Cover Photo cannot contain:

• • Price or purchase information (such as 40% off or Download it on our site.)
• • Contact info such as web address, email, mailing address or info for the About section.
• • References to user interface elements, such as Like and Share.
• • Calls to action, such as “Get it Now” or “Tell Your Friends”

 
From → Facebook:

All cover images are → public, which means anyone visiting your Page will be able to see the image you choose. Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties’ intellectual property. You may not encourage or incentivize people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines.

(Source: hubze.com)

5 Easy SEO Tips That Will Help You Stop Losing Traffic Today

I was recently invited on the → A Closer Look Radio With Pam Atherton radio show which will be airing this Thursday, March 1st.

We covered several topics on Local Internet Marketing, including an intro in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Here are a few of the points that were mentioned:

#1 Optimize Title & Meta Tags
Your HTML Title & HTML Meta Tags should be different on every page of your website if you really want to give Google something to talk about. Content Management Systems (CMS’) such as → Wordpress have plugins that are able to do this for you automatically based on the subject of each blog post.

Meta Tags are much less important now that Google has discontinued supporting them as an attribute to help determine a website’s relevance.

Your HTML Title should include keywords in which you want to appear in Search results for. If I wanted to be found for, “Atlanta Web Design” I would certainly begin my HTML Title Tag attribute with exactly that keyword phrase.

#2 Optimize Heading & Sub-Headings
Pam brought up a great point. Your website is like a resume, and just as in writing a resume or CV, the important and relevant content should be pronounced. Search Engines are ultimately designed by people just like you and I.

Headings & Sub-Headings should take advantage of the HTML formatting tags <H1>, <H2>, <H3>, <strong>, and <em> to show Google and other Search Engines what content is most important and relevant on your pages.

These should ideally be automated with CSS style sheets and your CMS of choice (Wordpress is great for this as well!)

#3 Use Title & Alt HTML Tags For Images
Pam brought up a great point in that graphic-intensive and Flash websites can’t be read by Google or other Search Engines.

It’s important to include title & alt tags in every image on your website to help search engines understand what is being displayed on your website, as well as for usability requirements for the hard-of-seeing and other disabled users wanting to use your website. A plugin for Wordpress I love to death that automates this process (even retroactively) is → SEO Friendly Images. 

#4 Optimize Inbound & Outbound Links
Links pointing internally and externally alike should include an HTML Title tag. You should also consider the anchor text used when linking to internal and external pages. We talked on the show about how Google determines relevancy partly based on the anchor text in links pointing to content.  

This means if you are linking to a page about Scot Smith; 
Correct: About Scot Smith
Incorrect: Want to know about Scot Smith? Click here! 

• The first link tells Search Engines the link I’ve posted should be “About Scot Smith.” 
   
• The second link tells Search Engines the link I’ve posted should be about “Click Here!”

#5 Optimize File Nomenclatures 
This includes images, audio & media, page names, and any other file. It’s very important that if you are using Wordpress as your CMS that you have → Permalinks turned on and configured correctly.

This means that a URL structured as:

http://www.acloserlookradio.com/?p=1234

will be far less understandable to Search Engines like Google, and also much more difficult to share by humans than:

http://www.acloserlookradio.com/one-minute-manager-author-ken-blanchard-february-9-2012.html 

The same applies for audio, video, and image file names. Any file uploaded to your website should be named to define the file. 

Thank you Pam for the invitation and I look forward to coming back soon! 

Follow A Closer Look Radio on Twitter at @RadioWithIQ or visit them online at → A Closer Look Radio.

(Source: revvenue.com)

Twitter Is More Than Meets The Eye… If You’re Careful

You’ve heard how you should use Twitter as a tool to add value, help others, grow your Rolodex of contacts in your vertical.

But, what’s the easiest, cut-to-the-chase method for using Twitter for Lead Generation? 

I’m enjoying Twitter more and more lately (follow me @revvenue!) as I’ve gotten a handle on putting it to work for me— I will say one thing: It’s not a channel that works without a bit of sweat equity, a sincere interest in helping others and adding value, and some dedication to replying in a timely manner. 

How easy is it to make a contact on Twitter?

A complete interaction from introduction to goal-conversion. 

My goal when reaching out on Twitter is to secure a strong contact that I can help or that can help me in doing business online. I don’t get on Twitter pitching my business or services to random Twitter users who I’ve found that fit the profile.

Here is my Twitter Sales Funnel:


Goal 1: Find Twitter users talking about problems I can assist them with, or I need help with. (Pre-Qualify)
I use Streamboard to plug in variables and easily find live conversations on any subject-matter at any time of day. You can also use Twitter Search if you don’t mind losing a bit of functionality.

→   Conversion. Move to next step in funnel.

Goal 2: Get a DM from that Twitter User
Below you’ll learn I’ve creatively merged two goals in getting a Follow + DM.

→  Conversion. Move to next step in funnel. 

Goal 3: Qualify and score lead or contact quickly
Have a conversation with this person via telephone or e-mail to qualify and move prospect from Twitter Pipeline to wherever I want them to go in my Sales Cycle.

→  Conversion. Move to next step in funnel. 

Once you’re able to apply such a funnel and only focus on accomplishing a single goal at a time before moving forward, Twitter quickly increases it’s ability as a worthy tool in your Acquisition Arsenal.

You can use this method for not only lead generation, but reverse lead generation in finding others who know how to solve your problems just the same.


THE TAKEAWAY

→  Create short, mini conversion goals for each step in the conversion process.

→ Each step should move the process only one step forward in your sales funnel.

→  Don’t try to use Twitter for Lead Generation if you don’t have time for ADDING VALUE & GENUINE INTEREST.

→ Twitter is a cracked-out version of e-mail. If you’re not careful in organizing and prioritizing what you want, you’ll quickly be consumed in a cross-fire of interactions without a metric to benchmark what you’re getting back from your investment.

Here’s a million-dollar golden nugget tip: Make sure whoever you’re reaching out to is truly interested in adding you to their own network by asking for a DM (Direct Message) before following them on Twitter. This requires them to ASK PERMISSION for you to contact them directly.

I don’t care much about push/pull marketing, to be honest— I generally focus on only adding value, but this is a terrific tip for a bit of push/pull to qualify contacts on Twitter; where you can often-times find yourself in a somewhat hectic cross-fire of communication. 

Working On The UI For Streamboard RC3

Download Streamboard 2.0 for iOS devices here.
Here’s a sticky note on Best Practices for iDevice design.
Retina, what a bitter-sweet creation you are!