studionashvegas | design and social media

If you do like I do and schedule posts ahead of time (especially on the podcast), there’s a way inside of WordPress to show your readers what posts are coming up next:

<?php
$my_query = new WP_Query('post_status=future&order=DESC&showposts=5');
if ($my_query->have_posts()) {
    while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
        <?php the_date(); ?> - <?php the_title(); ?>
    <?php endwhile;
}
?>

This will display up to 5 “scheduled” posts wherever you drop in the code.  Add a headline <h2> tag if you want to give it a title (should you want to use it as a widget).

Want to see this code in action?  Check the WordPulse podcast page‘s sidebar to see it working!

Step 1: Get a great product (you’d be surprised how many people forget this step…)

Step 2: Install WordPress

Step 3: Set up a static front page (Settings > Reading)… create a page called “front page” and a page called “blog”.  Head to the options menu and select the reading tab.  Change the “Front Page Displays…” options to ‘Front Page: front page’ and ‘Posts Page: blog’.  Now, add some awesome content to that front page about your product (please, please include some pictures).

Step 4: Set up another page and insert a full description of your product.  Get a PayPal account and use that to accept payments.

Step 5: Install the following plugins: Google XML Sitemaps, All-In-One SEO, cforms (at the minimum).

Step 6: Create a contact page to install that contact form – having a way for people to contact you that’s NOT email will get you questions you can answer to steer people to your product.

Step 7: Generate the XML sitemap in the options menu, then submit it to Google’s Webmaster Tools.

Step 8: The blog? Why, it’s used for press releases, testimonials, and any new content you get in.  The SEO will kick in as long as you use great keywords.

It’s not that hard to use WordPress to create great E-Commerce sites.  People get daunted or turned off by the fact that WordPress was created as blogging software, but with the new releases, it’s so much more.  And, if you’re really serious about getting some customers for your product, get a design professionally done.  After all, that is something I can help with, so of course I’d recommend it, but it’s just good sense to use a theme that is uniquely you.