How To Install And Manage Your New Blog

How To Install And Manage Your New Blog

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LEGAL NOTICE:

The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this report, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.

While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of specific persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional.

In practical advice books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.

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Disclaimer

Please note the information contained within this document are for educational purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and reliable complete information no warranties of any kind are expressed or implied.

Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in rendering legal, financial or professional advice.

By reading any document, the reader agrees that under no circumstances is Jay Piecha or Suite J Internet Marketing responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, that are incurred as a result of use of the information contained within this document, including - but not limited to errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.

All material featured within this Installation Guide is the respective property of Your Name Goes Here

and is not permitted to be copied or distribution without direct consent.

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Table Of Contents

Getting Started: The Basics................................. 4

5 Step Simple Installation ................................ 6

Edit The Header Design/Site Name ......................... 20

Ad Management ............................................ 27

Ebook Management ......................................... 36

Store Management ......................................... 47

Adding Posts (Images And Videos) ......................... 53

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Getting Started: The Basics

Before you can install your new blog, you basically need two things, a hosting account and a domain name.

While there are ample choices available to you, I personally recommend using Hostgator for your hosting needs and NameCheap to register domains.

While there are several different hosting services available online for you to choose from, Hostgator is not only one of the best deals for hosting accounts, but their customer service is top notch (and I'm picky!).

I once had a security issue and needed them to fix something on my server ASAP. From the time I created a ticket to the time I recieved an email reply saying it was all fixed, only 11 minutes had gone by in total. If you need hosting, please try them, you will not be disappointed.

I have several accounts at different registrars for domain names. The reason I like NameCheap is because it's a no-nonsense admin that's super easy to use.

Navigating the site to manage your domains is effortless and easy to

understand. Plus, you don't get bombarded with hundreds of upsells like you do with GoDaddy and some others. Not that I have anything against GoDaddy, I just like my account simple to use so I can get in and get out without any distractions.

Aside from that, these two work really well together for some reason (I'm sure there's a technical explanation that I'm unaware of).

What I mean by that is, when I set up a new domain on Hostgator and register it at Namecheap, it's less than 5 minutes before that domain is pointing to my hosting account and live for everyone to see. For whatever reason, it's usually much longer, sometimes even up to 24 hours or more with other companies.

So, before you go on, be sure to have the following:

Hosting Account Domain Name

Now that you have a domain and a hosting account, it's time to put this bad boy online and start making some money!

5 Step Simple Installation

I'm going to be honest with you. Transferring a website to a new server isn't what I would consider fun. It's also kind of a pain in the butt until you get used to it. Once you do it several times though, it's starts to get easier because it's the exact same process every time if you're transferring a site using cpanel (which most hosting companies use these days), and you can do it as fast as 10-15 minutes if you have a fast FTP connection.

The important thing is to remember if you haven't done this before is not to be intimidated by anything. It's easy to be nervous about messing with the database, etc., but there's nothing to be afraid of. If you make a mistake, just start over. You can't permanently wreck anything on a brand new install because you have the backup. Just relax and follow the steps at your own pace.

So, without further ado, let's get down to business.

Step #1: Install Wordpress

You will need to first set up a clean install of Wordpress (the default installation without anything you purchased from me). If you have never installed Wordpress before, don't worry about it. It's easy.

If you have Cpanel with your hosting account (Hostgator does, as well as

the majority of others I've encountered), then installing Wordpress is a cinch.

Also, if Fantastico is included in your Cpanel (very likely), then you can install Wordpress within a couple clicks. If not, don't worry, it's still pretty fast/easy to do it manually. Here's a couple video tutorials that will guide you through either way.

Installing Wordpress Using Fantastico/Cpanel Installing Wordpress Manually Using FTP/Cpanel

Now that you have a new working installation of Wordpress, we're going to go ahead and install the blog (database and theme) that you have purchased from me.

Step #2: Replace WP-Content

If you haven't already unzipped your download file, please do that now. Inside you will find a folder named Site Files. Open that up and you will see two folders inside that you need right now:

wp-content and database

What you're going to do first is upload the entire wp-content folder into your Wordpress installation, replacing the one that is currently there. Using your FTP program, simply upload that folder to replace.

When your FTP program asks if you want to merge or replace, be sure to choose replace (your program may say overwrite).

That concludes Step #2. Easy, right?

Step #3 : Import The Database

Now we're going to import the database. Many people get a little frightened when they think of digging into a MYSQL database, and I was the same way my first, second, and third time. I've now transferred over 200 blogs myself and I still have no clue what 97% of this stuff works, but the blogs always work fine. Trust me, you don't have to be a techie to do this and there's nothing to worry about. You have the back up files and there's nothing you're going to break that can't be fixed.

So, are you ready? Let's do this!

Log into your Hosting Cpanel and find the icon that says phpMyAdmin

Click on it and you will be taken to your database(s) that looks something like this:

Now, you're going to want to click on the specific database that you want

to edit. Remember what you named it in Step #1 (if you only have one database on your server, then it will only show one anyway).

Click on that database:

Now you'll come to a new screen with a list of tables in your current database. You're going to delete all of them.

1. Click Check all on the bottom left of the tables

2. From the drop down menu, choose Drop

3. Click Go

It's going to look like the following screenshot (don't be scared to click Go!)

Note: It's important you choose Drop and NOT Empty or any others in the drop down menu.

You will now see something along the lines of a positive response similar to: Your SQL query has been executed successfully

Now click Import from the top tabbed menu

Now, you're going to click the Browse button and upload the database that came with your purchased blog package.

Remember in step #2 when you opened the Site Files folder and saw that database folder? Well, that's where your database is – inside that folder. There's only one file, so you can't mistake it.

Once you've found it after clicking Browse, select it and click Go.

Congrats! You just installed a database! Not too bad, right?

Step #4: Change URL And Password

Ok, your database is installed but unfortunately, we can't leave phpMyAdmin just yet. Since you're uploading this database on a different domain than the one it was originally created on, you have to change that url to your own.

The same goes for the Wordpress password. The database (that came with your blog purchase) has the original login password stored in the database. But fear not, it is easy as pie.

Are you ready? Ok, let's do this!

On the left hand side, click wp_options and then once you've done that, click Browse from the tabbed menu at the top.

Now you'll get a list of all the tables listed in wp_options. Scroll down until you see the option name: siteurl

Stop. Click the edit icon and change the URL to your own.

Now you want to find one more.

You're looking for the option name: home

There can often be several pages of tables in wp-options so if you don't see it on the first page, don't fret! Just use the > symbol to scroll through full pages or click the page number drop down to go to the next page.

The field for editing both will look like this: be careful of typos in your domain, and when you're finished each, just click Go.

Important Note: There may be more instances of domains needing to be changed in your database. However, that will be taken care of in Step #5 (from your Wordpress admin)

Ok, now let's do the password and be done with this.

On the left hand column, click wp_users

and then Browse from the tabbed menu at the top.

Click the edit icon associated with the user

In the user_pass table, choose MD5 from the function drop down menu. This is just a type of encryption.

In the value field, type whatever you want the password to be. The current user login is right above that. If you want to change that as well, you can, but you can also change that from inside your Wordpress admin later if you want. Once you've entered the new password, click Go.

Ok, we're done! Now, you can login to your Wordpress admin by going to

http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin or

http://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php

Use the login name and the new password.

Now, we just have a few tweaks inside Wordpress admin to ensure everything is complete and functioning properly.

Good job in phpMyAdmin! Wasn't so bad, was it?

Step #5: Finishing Up

Ok, now that you're logged into your new blog, you're going to just quickly check a few things and tweak the installation.

We're checking 3 things:

1. The permalinks

2. The domain is correct in the entire database. Don't worry! It's literally 5-10 minutes, if that. First, you're make sure the permalinks are working.

Open up your browser and go to your new blog. Click on any of the article links.

Did the article load or did you get an error?

If you got an error, don't worry. We just need to change/save the permalinks.

Under Settings (on the left Wordpress admin sidebar), click Permalinks.

Now, be sure that custom structure is selected and the following is in that field:

/%category%/%postname%/

If it's not, enter it, and even if it already is, click save changes.

Important Note: It's not crucial that you choose that specific format of permalinks. I usually use keywords in category names and just personally prefer that structure. If you change it to whatever you want, it won't affect your installation. However, be advised that once your blog has been indexed in search engines, etc., you won't want to change it unless you know how to do custom redirects, etc., (so you don't end up with a bunch of indexed pages in search engines and backlinks that lead to 404 error

pages.) Also, if this important note was all jibber jabber to you, just don't worry about it. J

The reason you click save changes even if it's already selected/entered how you want it is that this sends the information to your .htaccess file and makes everything work nicely again.

Just one more thing. Remember when you changed the domain name in the database? Well, I include a plugin inside your installation that allows you to replace the rest of them automatically in one click.

So, let's do that now.

This time, look to the left on the Wordpress admin sidebar again, and under Tools, click Search & Replace

Now, you're going to scroll to the bottom and click to check all and in the

replace field put the old domain and in the with field put your new domain Click Go.

Now you're done!

Edit The Header Design/Site Name

Now you can relax, grab a coffee, and get to the fun stuff.

These blogs are designed in a way that is eye-popping, yet simple enough to edit and make your own without really needing any design skill.

When you unzipped your original package you will have seen a folder named Design. Inside that folder is two more folders:

PSDs and Fonts

Regardless of your design, there are a couple things you're going to need to do:

1. Install fonts

2. Be able to open PSD files

Installing Fonts:

I often use fonts that are not included in the default set that comes with your operating system, so you will need to install the fonts I've given you so that it is easy to edit and keep the design the same. This doesn't mean you have to use the same font as I did. By all means go crazy, but if you do want to simply change the name, then this makes it really easy on you.

Here are links to installing fonts, specific to which operating system you are using:

Installing On Windows Installing On A Mac

Once you have the fonts installed, you can open up the header file and simply use the type tool to change the name of the site.

Editing The Header Image

Open up Photoshop and then go to file/open and choose header.psd from the PSDs folder that came with your package (mentioned earlier).

Now, from the tools pallette (the long skinny one usually on the left), choose the text tool (it's the letter T).

Since you have the fonts installed, all you have to do is click right on the word in the header name. You should now be able to type and change the site name and any other text that is in the header.

You can edit anything else by choose which design elemtns you want to

edit by clicking on each one inside the layers pallette:

If you don't see the layers pallette, go to the top menu bar and click

Window/Layers

Once you've made the changes and are happy with your header, then you're going to save it and replace it on your blog.

Save and replace your blog header.

The blog header is a .png file. This is because the very top of it is (usually) transparent in my designs and transparency just looks better on .png files.

So, once you're finished editing, do the following:

1. File/Save For Web And Devices from the top menu bar.

2. Save as PNG-24 and check Transparency at top right of Save window

3. Save file name as header.png

Upload your new header image

Now you need to fire up your FTP program and upload your new blog header.

Log into your server and inside your Wordpress files, navigate to wp-content/themes/gazette/images/

That images folder is where you will upload your new header. Once you've replaced the image, just refresh your blog in your browser and you should see your new work of art! J

Anything else you do really depends on your knowledge of Photoshop and your inspiration to be creative. There are countless Photoshop tutorials on

the Internet for free if you feel the urge to get down and dirty.

However, I know that you may not even have Photoshop. It's also possible you have Photoshop but prefer something more light weight.

I personally only ever use Photoshop, and the graphic files are layered PSDs, but I did see few programs that are supposed to be able to open PSDs files.

I haven't used any of them myself, but I know many people speak highly of

GIMP

Ad Management

There are a few types of existing advertisement blocks that can be edited in your blog.

The great thing is, you don't really have to mess with too much code, since most of your ad management can be done right from the Wordpress admin section.

Here's the three main ad block areas and how to edit them:

1. Top Sidebar 320px wide (but can use 300x250 ads)

2. To Banner (usually use 468x60)

3. Sidebar Ads (125x125)

You will manage all three of these areas from inside your Wordpress admin:

Log into your Wordpress admin and from the sidebar menu, scroll down to where you see the heading Gazette and underneath that, click the subheading Theme Options

Top Sidebar 300x250 block (320px wide)

This ad block is at the very top of the right sidebar. You can easily add either Adsense or an advertisement banner that is 300x250 pixels in size. Or, you can add your own image that is as wide as 320px and fit snug on the sidebar (like the ebook ads you see in some of the packages)

Now that you're on the Theme Options page, go to the tab that reads:

Top Sidebar (320px)

Click on it to expand it's options.

As you can see above, there are 3 options (with 4 fields to edit)

The first option you see is Disable Ad and it does just what you'd think it would. If you click the check box and Save Changes, then that whole block will disappear from the sidebar.

The second option you see is Custom Code. If you want Adsense to appear in this ad block, then enter your Adsense code into this field.

Obviously, you will want to create a new Adsense block in your Adsense

account that is 300x250 pixels in size. Copy the code from your account and then paste it in this field.

You can also put opt-in code, custom HTML, or just plain text in this field.

The third option you see is for a Banner Ad (image). The first field is for the image location. You can put a banner ad image anywhere you want on your server, but to keep things organized, I usually put the ad banners in their own folder (images/ads).

If you want this section to show a banner ad, login to your server with your FTP program and upload your ad to your server to

wp-content/themes/gazette/images/ads (or wherever you want) and

remember where you put it. J

Now, fill in the Banner Ad Location

Example:

http://mydomain.com/wp-content/themes/gazette/images/ads/banner.jpg

Now you have to enter the Banner Ad Destination.

This is simply the URL where you want the image to send people when they click on it. (i.e. http://www.yourdomain.com)

Note: If you want a banner image to show, then you will have to be sure that the Adsense field is empty. If Adsense code is filled in, then Adsense will show by default.

Top Banner 468x60 Block

Everything is the same for this ad block as it is for the Top Sidebar block that I explained above. The only difference is that the ad block will appear at the top of a blog post.

So, in the Theme Options section, this time you will click on the tab,

Top Banner (468x60px)

All the same specs apply that I went over above in the Top Sidebar section. Simply follow those instructions using a 468x60px Adsense ad block or banner ad.

Tip: Video Tutorial On How To Create An Adsense Ad In Your Account

Sidebar 125x125px Ads

The 125x125 ads are set up as a widget. From the Wordpress admin, you have the ability to choose 1-4 ads that show on your sidebar.

The first thing you're going to do is choose how many ads you want to appear in the sidebar.

You can set it show 1,2,3, or 4 ads at once. I'd advise setting it to 2 or 4. It's simple and they look good side by side horizontally.

Let's get a visual of what I'm talking about:

First, from the sidebar menu in your Wordpress admin, find the heading

Appearance and then click the subheading Widgets

Now you will be taken to the Widgets section. As you can see in the tp right under Sidebar Full Width, I have the 125x125 widget added.

Choose the number of ads by typing in the number (as you can see I have chosen 2. Click Save.

Now, let's go back to the Theme Options section to specify which ads we want to show.

Click on the heading Ads-Sidebar Widget (125x125)

You will see fields to enter information for 4 different 125x125 ads.

For each ad, similar to the other blocks that I described above, you have a

location field and a destination field for each one.

Upload your 125x125px ads to your server using your FTP program and where you put them, that will be the Banner Ad Image Location

The Banner Ad Destination is simply the URL where you want the ad to take

your visitor

Note: Order and appearance of the 125x125 ads

There are a couple things to remember about how these ads will display:

1. If you set the widget to show 2 ads, then the ones that will show are the first ones in the list (Image # 1 and Image #2)

2. Rotate banners simply means rotate the location of them individually every time the site loads.

Ebook Management

If your package came with an ebook, here are the details on how to edit/manage it.

What will be covered:

1. Where to find it in your site package (and the rights you have)

2. How to edit the ebook and ebook graphics

3. Uploading Ebook and editing the thank you page

4. How to create a custom PayPal button (if you are selling it)

5. Protecting your product from digital theft

1. Your Ebook Files

Inside your site package files that you unzipped, you will see a folder named Source Files. Inside that folder will be an Ebook folder (if your blog package included one) that contains a PDF and a .doc file. The PDF the ebook as is and the .doc is the source fle that you will edit.

2. How To Edit Your Ebook And Ebook Graphics

Basically, all you have to do is open up the .doc file in Word (or another prorgram that opens .doc files) and edit anything you want.

Inside the Ebook folder will also be a License/Rights file that will explain the rights you have for this ebook. Any ebook that I have included will at least

have the rights to sell and edit as you wish though, and typically that's all you have to worry about.

However, sometimes you might want to give the book away or add it to a memberhsip you have, etc. The file included will tell you what you can and can't do.

If there is no license, consider it ok to do whatever you want with the ebook.

After editing your source .doc file, save it, and also export one as a PDF.

If you want to edit the ebook cover, or the ebook ad (if there is one included), then you will need to do the same as you did with header image.

The ebook ad is coded directly inside the sidebar.php file located at domainname.com/wp-content/themes/gazette/sidebar.php

If you want to edit it, it is the code snippet at the very top of that file that looks something like this:

<a href="ebook"><img src="http://rockguitargod.com/wp- content/themes/gazette/images/ebook-ad.png"></a>

In your unzipped folder, you can find the PSD files in Source Files/PSDs named Ebook-Flat.psd and there will be a PSD file for the ebook ad as well.

Note: If you are going to edit the ebook cover, you will notice that the design is flat (meaning, there is a spine and a cover section but it is not shaped like a book). This is because ebook cover designs are typically created like this initially and and then turned into a book image using a Photoshop action.

You basically have two choices - you can get yourself some Photoshop ebook actions, or you can hire a designer to edit it for you.

I use very expensive actions but there is a high quality, inexpensive set I also have used called BlackBeltCovers.

If you choose to hire a designer to edit the ecover, all you would have to do is send him or her the PSD file. If it was minor changes, you could likely find someone on the Warrior forum to do it for you for very cheap.

If you have any questions about ecovers and actions, just ask. J

3. Uploading Your Ebook And Editing The Thank You Page

Before uploading your Ebook, you're going to create a folder for it to be in.

Just login to your domain via FTP and create a new folder, name it something like download-ebook, or whatever you want (tricky name is better so people can't guess where it is)

Once you've create the folder, upload the eBook PDF file. For this example let's say you named it myebook.pdf and uploaded it into a folder you named download-ebook.

Now the direct link to download that ebook would be:

http://mydomain.com/download-ebook/myebook.pdf

Linking to your ebook from from the thank you page

I've already set up a thank you/download page and you can see where it is from your Wordpress admin.

The thank you page, as you may have noticed, has a wacky title. That's so that scammers and theives have a harder time guessing your page name and stealing your content without paying. I have also excluded it from any navigation and set that page to not be indexed.

This works well enough for some niches, but if you want ultimate security, then read the section on protecting your content (a little further down).

Here's how you'll link to your ebook from your thank you page:

First, log in to your Wordpress admin and then go to Pages/Edit from the left sidebar menu.

Click on the thank you page to edit it. Click the HTML tab for the post editor

Scroll down to where you see the download link. It'll look something like this: <a href='http://domain.com/download/ebook.pdf'>Click here to download ebook</a>

Change the current URL in that code to the one that you created for your own ebook above.

Click Update Page and you're done!

Ok, your ebook is all set up, now let's create the PayPal button so you can start selling copies!

4. Creating A Custom PayPal Order Button

Before you log into PayPal to create your button, you're going to grab have two URLs handy.

1. The URL of the thank you Page

2. Image location URL of your order button.

To get the URL of the Thank You page, just click Pages/Edit from the Wordpress admin sidebar menu, and then hover your mouse over the thank you page. Now click view and it will open up and you can copy the URL in your browser address bar.

To get the URL of your order button, open your browser and go to the ebook order page on your blog.

Right click on your order button Click copy image location (in Firefox)

In Internet Explorer, I believe you have to right click on the image, then choose properties, and then highlight the url and copy it. But, why aren't you using Firefox!? ;)

Let's go make a PayPal button.

1. Log into PayPal and click Merchant Services tab at the top.

2. Choose "Buy Now Button"

3. Go To Step 1

4. Accept Payments from products in the drop down menu

5. Choose No; create a “Buy Now” button

6. Enter a name and a price in the corresponding fields

7. Click customize appearance in the box titled customize button.

8. Click the radio button that says use your own button image

9. Enter the URL of your buy button (that you copied, remember?)

10. Go To Step 2

11. heck Save button at PayPal and forget the rest.

12. Go To Step 3

13. lick No to ‘quantities, message, and needing shipping address’, and also leave the cancel page unchecked.

14. Now you will see:

Take customer to a specific page (URL) after successful checkout:

This is where your visitor will be taken after they purchase. Enter the URL of the thank you page

Need the URL? In Wordpress admin, go to Pages/Edit. Now hover over the title of the thank you page and a little menu appears underneath the name of the page. Click the one that says view. When the page opens up, copy the URL that is in your web browser.

15. lick "create button". This will generate html code for you to paste into any page/area where you want the button to appear. Copy it in a notepad or word document to save it.

Ok, now you have your PayPal button custom code and you can add it to your ebook order page.

Log into your Wordpress admin and go to Pages/Edit and then the ebook order page.

Click the HTML tab on the page editor

Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll see the order button link that looks like this:

<a href=”http://domain.com/order”><img src=”http://domain.com/wp- content/themes/gazette/images/order.png”></a>

Delete that snippet of code and replace it with the custom PayPal button code that you saved.

Now click Update Page from the top right of Wordpress admin. Your custom order button should appear on the ebook page now.

5. Protecting Your Product From Digital Theft

The set up you currently have now is ok for if you're just getting started but if you plan to get serious in this business then I'd highly recommend that you get some heavy duty protection for your digital downloads.

There are quite a few options available ranging anywhere from $20-150 that will secure your downloads well enough that you don't have to worry about getting ripped off.

Here are a couple of the industry's most popular choices (and the most reputable):

DLGuard: This is the number one choice among most Internet Marketers and used by many (including me, you likely purchased this package via DLGuard!)

It's a bit pricier than other options but this is one area of business that you actually get what you pay for and I was seriously impressed with DLGuard. Also, in my opinion, security is not something you want to skimp on in your business so you might want to look into it.

LinkLok: LinkLok is a cheaper option but a very reputable one. The price is lower because you actually get less flexibility and have to buy a license per payment option. This might suit you well if you're just getting started. Check out the features at their site.

E-Junkie: E-Junkie isn't a self-hosted security like LinkLok and DLGuard so you don't have nearly as much control and flexibility, but it is a service that protects your downloads. It's cheap and easy to set up.

Store Management

If your blog came with a store set up, there are a couple things you should know. Depending on the niche you might have an eBay store or an Amazon store. Either way, don't fret because I've set it up to be easy to switch between the two if you desire.

At the time of this writing, eBay is being really strict with approving new members, so don't let it bother you if you don't get accepted into their program. If that happens to you, it's pretty simple to change the eBay store to an Amazon store (or add any other affiliate products you might have in mind).

The eBay set up.

I use a plugin that produces a feed of eBay items based on keywords you specify. There are quite a lot of options but the plugin creators did an outstanding job with the plugin page to make it easy to understand.

They have a detailed description of every option. I'm only going to cover

the few basics that you need to make money from it though.

First, you're going to add your Ebay Partner Network Campaign ID so that you get credit for any links/sales.

To do that, create a new Campaign in your EPN account. Once you have it set up, copy the Campaign ID.

Log in to your Wordpress admn and from the sidebar menu, scroll down to

Settings and click on WordBay

Now, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the Wordbay page and enter your Campaign ID here:

Deciding what products show up is based on keywords you choose and it couldn't be easier.

Go to Pages/Edit and then the Store page.

The code used to generate the products is simple. You put the keywords in between:

[wordbay] keyword here [/wordbay]

You separate multiple keywords with commas and use a subtract symbol to block any items that have particular keywords. Let's say I wanted shoes and boots, but didn't want cowboy boots to show up. I'd do this:

[wordbay]shoes, boots, -cowboy[/wordbay]

That's it. Take a peek at the options page for any minor changes you'd like to make or read the creator's doumentation/blog.

What about Amazon?

I could write an entire ebook on promoting Amazon, but I'm just going to be short and to the point on how you can change the items to be Amazon products instead.

The easiest way to do that is simply log in to your Amazon Associates account and either

create an astore – or – create a widget or two.

I prefer to create widgets because I find it faster/easier, and does the job just fine for the niche blogs I usually create.

Basically, once you're logged in, just choose create a widget like you normally would (click Widgets from top tabs menu).

Choose a size that will fit (600px or less in width if you want to keep the blog's sidebar).

Go to the store page (inside Wordpress admin, same as I showed you above), and delete the Wordbay code.

Now paste in the Amazon widget code and bam! You got Amazon products.

You can also mix and match a couple widgets to fill up the page and then test different ones to see if any do better.

I often will put a Carousel (I really like that widget!) on top of a Slider.

Other affiliate offers

Of course, you can add whatever you want to this page. Ebooks, Clickbank products, it doesn't matter. It's as simple as adding the code for whatever products you have into the HTML post editor tab instead of what's currently there.

Full Width Blog Page

Also, don't forget that you have the full width option for a page that gets rid of the sidebar. While your in the page editor, on the right hand side column you will see a template drop down menu.

If you choose Full Widh and then Update Page, this will widen the page to the blog's full width and get rid of the sidebar. This would give you more

room for products. (you can also do this for any page you want)

Adding Posts (Images And Videos)

If you are brand new to Wordpress then you might want to check out

Wordpress.tv

The have a ton of great How To video tutorials including the basics like adding posts, pages, etc.

However, I do want to add a couple of thing that are related specifically to this theme.

 

1. Adding thumbnail images to front page excerpts and featured gallery

2. Adding videos to posts.

Adding Images:

Your theme has a featured content carousel on the front page, and there’s a specific way that you add posts/images to that slider.

You also have the ability to add thumbnail images to the latest post excerpts on the front page.

Adding these images is pretty simple. This is what you do:

First, you’re going to see how to add a thumbnail image to any post – this

step is the same whether it’s for the featured carousel or not.

Add thumbnail to post

In the post editor window (Posts/Add New or Edit), you’re going to want to upload an image that you want to use for the post as a thumbnail.

Now, typically, if you just want to add a post to insert into your actual post/article along with the text, you’re going to use the upload image button in the post editor toolbar that looks like this:

BUT…since we’re adding an image to use specifically for a thumbnail or the featured carousel, we’re going to do it a different way.

On the same page (post editor), scroll down to the bottom until you see

Gazette Custom Settings

Here’s where you add the image. You can either type in the location if you already uploaded it to your server, or hit the browse button and upload one from your computer.

Important: Notice how the URL path does not include the domain name in my screenshot?

That’s because there are security features on some hosts that may cause problems with the type of thumb resizer script that is used for the thumbnail features.

It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with unless you’re manually adding the URL of the image in the image field instead of uploading it via the Browse button. If so, just be sure to start the URL like it is in that screenshot above – starting at the first forward slash after the domain name. That will avoid any issues.

Note On Size: If you’re going to use it as one of the featured images, make sure it’s 595 x 270 pixels in size or bigger.

If you just want it as a thumb in an excerpt on the front page, then it only has to be at least 260 x 100 pixels in size.

It’s wise to just always use photos 595x270. It makes things easier

Now that your image is uploaded, your image will appear in on the front page as a thumbnail in the post excerpt like this:

Note: The thumbnail script built into the theme resizes that image automatically to fit. So, that’s why I say it’s just easier to always use a big 595x270 image. If you change your mind and want to make this a featured

article, you don’t need a new image, because this one is big enough to fit into the carousel.

So, let’s make that happen.

Let’s take this post and add it as a featured article, which will automatically show that image in the featured carousel.

The first thing you need is one of your categories to be the Featured Category for the carousel. I’ve already done this, but I’m going to show you how anyway in case you want to change it.

Also, I just want you to know how things work in here. J

From the Themes Options page, click on the Home Page Carousel tab to expand the options.

As you can see, there is a simple checkmark that allows you to remove the carousel if you want, and you can also set the height of it (width will remain 595) and you can choose how many featured posts will rotate from the Featured Entries drop down.

The Featured Category drop down menu allows you to choose a specific category from which you will pull the posts for the Carousel.

I always have a separate category named Featured, or Featured Articles, etc.

(I’ll show you why next)

Next, you’re going to go back to your post that you want to be featured in the carousel (Posts/Edit)

On the right hand side, I’m going to choose to put this post in the Featured Category by checking the same one that I assigned in the Home Page Carousel Theme Options (which in this case is Featured Articles)

Note: your posts can be in more than one category

Now click Update Post at the top right of the page, and your post/image will now appear in the home page carousel!

Not too bad right?

Adding Videos:

There are two things I want to show you about adding videos. On the home page, there is a video player that shows a few of the latest videos that you’ve posted.

Similar to the Featured Carousel, this has a specific category assigned to it. Let’s take a look. Go back to the Theme Options page and click the Home

Page Video Area tab to expand the options:

The options are very simple. You choose if you want the video player to appear on the home page, and choose which category is the video category. It also gives you the option to exclude video posts from the home page latest post excerpts.

Note: Keep in mind that this does not affect you having the ability to put a video in a post in any other category. This just specifies which category shows videos on the home page player.

So, let’s go to a post and add a video.

Remember when we scrolled down to Gazette Custom Settings in order to add a thumbnail image? Well, scroll back down there again, because that’s where we add a video too!

Underneath the Image upload field is the Embed Code field for video.

Any embed code can be used, but I use popular video sites like YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, etc.

When you're viewing a video on one of those sharing sites, just copy the embed code provided, paste into the section you see in the screenshot above.

Now, if you check / assign this post to the same category as you assigned in the Video Player Theme Options earlier, the video will appear on the home page like this:

The video will also appear within the post and look this:

That's it! You don't have to set any sizes or anything, it's all done automatically to fit in both the player and the post.

Tools And Resources

I've mentioned a few tools and resources throughout the guide, and I thought I'd list them all here in one organized list.

This way, any time you want to refer back to the book you can just pop down to this section and get what you were looking for. These are tools and resources I actually use to manage my business (except I haven't tried GIMP yet).

Hosting:

Hostgator - Seriously, the best host for the price and stellar customer service

Domains:

NameCheap - I use several domain registrars, but this is my first choice. Cheap domains, and super simple account management.

Autoresponder:

Aweber – The number one autoresponder service. You HAVE to build a list in your niche. If you don't, you're leaving money on the table. Period.

Graphic Editing

Gimp - If you don't have Photoshop, check out GIMP. It's free and I believe it allow allows you to edit Photoshop PSD files.

Affiliate Networks

Ebay - You need an EPN account to make money from an eBay store Amazon - Great conversions, but low commissions, so sell high ticket items! Clickbank - Find tons of digital products to promote in almost any niche. Commission Junction - HUGE network, deals with a lot of the big brands. LinkShare - Big brands here too, like Disney, Dell, etc.

ShareASale - Site design sucks, but it's a good network.

Unique Articles / Content

Warrior Forum and Digital Point- If you're looking for good writing services at cheap prices, check out theese forums for writers who are looking for work. There's tons of 'em!

oDesk and Freelancer.com - are great not only for outsourcing writers, but almost any other marketing related task!

No Doubt Marketing - Professional SEO article writing service

Keyword Research

Micro Niche Finder - This tool really speeds up your keyword research plus has tons of really cool features that help you find easy-to-dominate micro- niches FAST!

Membership Site Plugin

Wishlist Member - Want a super simple way to turn your blog into a membership site? Use the Wishlist Member plugin. Check out a ton of videos they have available on their site to see why I love this plugin so much!

Digital Download Protection

DLGuard – I vouche for this product 110%. I was so fantastically happy when I bought it and found how powerful it is, yet so easy to install. If you're serious about selling digital downloads, you MUST get this. Trust me, you'll be happy you did.

Thank you!

Thanks so much for your interest in my products. It's greatly appreciated and I hope you have found this guide useful.