Office Cafe

WordPress Title Tag Fix for SEO

I have been reading “Building Findable Websites” by Aarron Walter over the past few weeks. I have been mulling over the concepts and adding features to my own sites as quickly as I can. One of the things that really bugged me about WordPress is the <title> tag used by many of the themes.

For example, the title for this page used to be:

Office Cafe » Blog Archive » WordPress Title Tag Fix for SEO

But a better title is:

WordPress Title Tag Fix for SEO | Office Cafe

I agree with Aarron that it needs to be changed. Fortunately, Christopher Ross published a very easy fix to this problem on his website!

Simply change the <title> tag (found in header.php) to this:

<title><?php wp_title(”); ?> <?php if ( !(is_404()) && (is_single()) or (is_page()) or (is_archive()) ) { ?> | <?php } ?> <?php bloginfo(’name’); ?></title>

Read more here: WordPress SEO Tips - The Title Tag

I will be implementing this on my WordPress sites immediately! Thanks Christopher!

Tags: seo

Changing WordPress Themes? Think Again!

Avoid Trouble Changing WordPress Themes

Are you changing your WordPress theme? Sure, go ahead, try a few! But if you decide to activate a new theme, just remember that you might “break” something when you do, so think again. I forgot to think again and lost two days of Blog Stats as a result of my mistake.

Perhaps this idea should be posted under the title “Measure twice, cut once” but that’s already taken by the home improvement crowd. So I will coin a new phrase to help us remember:

“Check twice, Activate once.”

For example, when you add WP Stats or Google Analytics, you are instructed to add code to your pages in order for these plugins to work. In my set-up, I chose to put this code in the footer.php file.

When you change themes, the footer.php file will most likely be overwritten by a different footer in the new theme. If you forget to go back and put the necessary code back in, you’ll be disappointed to find that your stats or other such plugins suddenly stop working.

As shown here, this line needs to be put just above the tag in footer.php:

<?php wp_footer(); ?>

If you have any questions, check with the installation or faq pages of the plugin that you are using.

Fortunately, if you put the code back, you only lose stats for the time that it was missing. All of your old stats will still be there.

So if you change themes, take some time to Think Again!

Tags: Think

Extend Wireless Range with AirPort Extreme

Is your wireless network area just too small for comfort? Are you always walking your laptop just out of range? If you have an AirPort Extreme router, your problem can be solved by adding another AirPort Extreme to your network.

It is a simple matter of getting the settings right. For reliability and maximum range, I chose to “wire” them together, even though you should be able to extend them wirelessly.

I put my AirPort Extreme base stations at opposite ends of the house, making it easy to use our laptop computers anywhere in the house, with range to spare onto the back patio.

The trick is to make the second one (the one NOT connected to your DSL or Cable Modem) a “bridge” connection.

First, get the “main” base station set up and running correctly. Make sure you have enabled the encryption scheme of your choice (choose the most secure encryption algorithm that all of the computers on your network can connect to).

Once your “main” AirPort Extreme base station is running and all of your computers can connect to it, connect the “extension” AirPort Extreme to the first one. Mine are connected through a “Network Switch” (similar to the network “hubs” of a few years ago).

Set up the Internet Connection Sharing to “Off (Bridge Mode).” The Wireless Options should be the same as on the “main” base station.

 

Note: Name the network the SAME on both AirPort Extreme routers. Also, use the same password for both stations. This way, your computer can connect to either base station with only one “key” in the keychain. It worked for me.

Set up each base to choose its wireless channel automatically. 

When you are at one end of the house and move to the other end of the house, momentarily “turn off” your laptop’s AirPort:

and turn it right back on again:

It will find the base with the highest signal strength automatically:

Any questions?

Tags: Internet Sharing, Mac

USB727 on a Mac: How to Connect Using System Preferences

Connecting with the USB727 on a MacBook

If you are using Verizon Wireless’ USB727 to connect your MacBook to the Internet, it is easy to connect using system preferences. But before connecting, you must download and install Verizon’s VZAccess Manager software. The latest version can be found here:

Verizon Wireless Software Download Site (vzam.net)

Once you have installed the software properly, you do not need to use VZAccess to connect your MacBook. Instead, you can simply use System Preferences. The main reason I use System Preferences to connect is that VZAccess Manager takes over your network connections, and as long as it is running, you cannot use the built-in AirPort Wireless connection on your Mac. However, if you use System Preferences to connect, both are available simultaneously.

Before Step 1:

Make sure you have installed the software from Verizon Wireless. Get the latest available, especially if you are using Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5). Use the link above to get the latest software.

Step 1:

Click on the “Apple” in the upper-left portion of the OS X menu bar, then click on “System Preferences…”

Step 2:

Click on “Network”

Step 3:

Choose the USB727 modem

Step 4:

Press “Connect”

This is what you will see once you are connected:

 

Once connected, you can surf the ‘net, email, SSH, FTP, etc., all using the cellular connection you have just opened.

You can even share this connection with those around you.

To Share The USB727 Connection:

If you want to share this connection, I recommend creating an encrypted network using Mac OS X’s built-in Internet Connection Sharing. Instructions for creating an encrypted network can be found in another post:

MacBook Internet Connection Sharing

The USB727 has performed very well for me as I travel around the US. It is a great tool to have while at your local coffee shop, too. It works great on the MacBook Air. I detailed my experience in this post.

MacBook Air and the USB727

To Disconnect:

When you are done, simply press “Disconnect” and remove the USB727 from your Mac. It’s that simple.

Tags: Mac

Do This BEFORE You Install FreeBSD 7

Installing FreeBSD

First Things First

So you’ve decided to install FreeBSD. Great! Now go out and get a copy of Bryan J. Hong’s book, “Building a Server with FreeBSD 7″ before you do anything else! Especially if this is your first attempt at installing FreeBSD–even if you are proficient with Linux or any other variety of the UNIX-like operating systems.

If you are in a big hurry, buy the book from the publisher along with the PDF version (buy both–you will want the hardcopy version for your notes).

 

Why this book? First, it has a very clear set of instructions for installing each component you will need to create a complete web server with email support, FTP capability, SSH and SSL support, all using the PORTS system. Second, the book is small enough to take with you when you travel, so if there is a problem back at home, you can refer to the book and see where all those configuration files reside on your server. Third, it is a great reference book for future server builds, and a great place to put your own notes for customizations you have made.

Very soon after you install FreeBSD on your first server, you will have the confidence to build a second or third (or more). As you start adding FreeBSD servers to your data center, you may want to install custom FreeBSD servers for special purposes. For example, you may want to build a stand-alone mail server, that only handles email for your domain and other domains, as well.

Next Steps

After you build your first server, you may want to customize it… making changes to certain features. You will want to install and customize many of the PORTS available, getting the latest FreeBSD software and tools for your server.

Your Library

A good starter library for installing and maintaining FreeBSD servers would include the following books:

• Building a Server with FreeBSD 7, by Bryan J. Hong
  
• Absolute FreeBSD, by Michael W. Lucas
• Wicked Cool Shell Scripts, by Dave Taylor
• The Book of PF, by Peter N. M. Hansteen
• The Book of IMAP, by Peer Heinlein and Peer Hartleben
• The Book of Postfix, by Ralf Hildebrandt and Patrick Koetter
• BSD UNIX Toolbox, by Christopher Negus and Francois Caen

I have all of the above books in my library. I do not consider this list to be complete, by any means. But if you are just getting started, buy the first and second book first. Then, as your interests become more focused, check out the rest of the books in my list. You will be able to install FreeBSD and maintain your server with proficiency.

Note: I have written a post to catalog my Errata for Building a Server with FreeBSD 7.

Buy the book and follow step-by-step the instructions to install FreeBSD. You can go from zero to fully functional web server over the weekend!

Tags: Technical, Virtual Hosting