A presentation on the strength and value of WordPress as a content management system (CMS). Delivered as part of a webinar to non-profits (organized by Tech Impact).

1. WordPress
More Than Blog Software
@liamdempsey

2. ABOUT YOU
• Director of non-profit or charity
• Work for a charity
• Eager to deepen your
understanding of online marketing
• Want to increase effectiveness of
online marketing efforts – primarily
through your website

3. ABOUT LIAM
• Director + Owner,
LBDesign
• Online marketing +
design since 2000
• Work with non-profits in
the US, UK + Africa
• Has built hundreds of
websites using WordPress

4. WHAT WE’LL COVER
• The state of WordPress in 2015
• The case for WordPress as a content
management system of choice
• Tips on approaching WordPress
projects

5. WHAT WE WON’T COVER
• Technical finer points of WordPress –
no talking code!
• Design or development best
practices
• Suitable design concepts for any
single charity

6. GO!

8. YOUR SITE = BEST TOOL
• You control the look and feel
• You determine the functionality
• You can edit and publish in real time
• You can scale to your needs
• You own the content

10. WordPress:
NOT JUST FOR
BLOGGING

11. The State of WordPress
• 7.7 million sites run on WordPress
• ~51.9% of the top 1 million websites
run on WordPress
• Examples: CNN, TED, Rolling Stones,
Google Ventures and Tech Impact
• Supported by the WordPress
Community, the WordPress
Foundation and Automattic

12. What’s the difference?
wordpress.com
vs.
wordpress.org

13. § Flexible
§ Scalable
§ Easy for content managers to use
§ Loads of quality plugins
§ Very popular – so loads of great
designers and developers know it
Why Use WordPress?

14. SO, WHAT CAN
WORDPRESS DO?

15. • Collect donations
• Recruit volunteers and staff
• Post staff and board bios
• Allow multiple site administrators
with different permissions
• Post blogs, videos, podcasts + more
• Coordinate social networks and
online communities
WordPress can …

16. WordPress is SEO friendly
• Customizable permalinks = SEO
friendly URLs
• Editable slugs
• Plenty of SEO/content strategy
plugins
• Even sliders are SEO friendly

17. WordPress
Themes

18. What Are Themes?
• Add a mixture of design and
functionality
• Three basic types:
• Free
• Premium
• Starter/Custom

19. Thinking About Themes
• Lots of themes are completely free
• Not all themes are created equal
• Some are more flexible and robust
• Some are easier to use for end-
clients
• Some are downright scary!
• iThemes + Woo Themes are reliable
and safe

20. WordPress
Plugins

21. What Are Plugins?
• Software add-ons that deliver
expanded functionality
• Plugins address many needs:
• SEO and blogging
• User permissions
• Events
• Digital Downloads
• Membership subscriptions

22. Plugin Considerations
• Not all plugins are created equal
• User-interface varies greatly
• Shoddy plugins can be inefficient
or present security issues
• Some plugins don’t play nicely
with others
• Don’t always “think plugins first”
• Don’t be afraid to use solid plugins

23. Recommended Plugins I
• SEO: WordPress SEO by Yoast
• Contact forms, sign-up forms +
more: Gravity Forms
• Slider: Soliloquy
• Digital Downloads: Easy Digital
Downloads
• Donations: Gravity Forms

24. Recommended Plugins II
• Podcasts: Blubrry Power Press
• Membership: Paid Memberships Pro,
S2 Member
• Customization: Advanced Custom
Fields

25. Custom
Post Types

26. Custom Post Types (CPT)
• Used for any content type with a
need for repeated instances – e.g.,
Staff, Events, Programs, etc.
• The custom post type and fields
are customized
• Data from CPT can be displayed
across the site with ease

27. Why Use CPT?
• Allows content managers to focus
on content – without worrying about
design
• Can be very SEO friendly
• Allows for a richer user experience
as content is consistent across the
site

28. WordPress
Security

29. • Think “Safety first!”
• Back up, back up, back up
• WordPress is popular, ergo it’s a
target for hackers
• Still a very secure platform
• Pay for good hosting and keep
the software up-to-date
Custom Post Types (CPT)

30. THE TAKEAWAYS
• Your site is the most versatile + easily-
managed online marketing tool
• WordPress is a top CMS for any site –
it is flexible, scalable + easy to use
• Use plugins and custom post types to
expand site functionality
• Keep your site safe + secure

31. Questions?
@liamdempsey
@LBDesign
http://lbdesign.tv