Social Login for WordPress

Hello friends,

In this post I will present to you one of the most popular solutions for WordPress login. It utilizes social media and allows your users to log in to your website with just a single click on a button.

This plugin is called Social Login.

Why would I want to add a plugin like Social Login to my WordPress website?

Because this is one of the most sure ways to keep your visitors returning to it on a regular basis. Let’s assume that you want to create a website that provides a user profile for each visitor. This profile is needed to interact with the website’s content in some ways – commenting, uploading files, sharing data, creating content, etc.

The classic way to do this is to allow each visitor to create a profile by adding username, email and password. Then each time this new user wants to log in to your website they have to enter these details over and over again. Now imagine that they forget them. The most common situation is to keep trying to log in with different combinations until they give up or your WordPress has a protection that blocks them from further attempts. Then the users that will truly want to log in will have to reset their password by entering a valid email then add new password and so on.

Most of the users will not do this as it is time-consuming. This means that your website has to be extremely valuable for your users in order to make them try to log in in case of a forgotten password. In most cases they will just skip this step and leave.

But even if they do not forget the password/user name they have to re-enter it every time the cookie expires or they are using a different browser. This is also burdening and most users will not be happy.

The social login functionality skips all of these steps and allows the instant creation of new profiles and logins with just a click of a button that represents the social media profile of the user. This will urge the visitors to create profiles and interact with your content and also it will make them coming back regularly.

OK. What social media networks are supported in Social Login?

More than 30! Here is a list of some of them:

As you can see the list is quite good. Having so many options is ideal if you are intending to target audiences from different parts of the world.

How to use Social Login?

Install the plugin and activate it. Then visit Settings -> Social Login to configure it. From there you can choose which social networks you want to be available on your website for login purposes. Doing this is extremely easy as you have to click on the checkbox to select or remove each of them.

There are some other settings that you need to configure and you are basically done. Now each time you visit the WordPress login form it may look like this:

Or you may prefer larger buttons like these:

Additionally you may choose to place the social login options to your comment form for commenting purposes. You can also add a widget in your widget areas in order to allow the visitors to login or create profiles while they are browsing.

This is it friends! Now you know how to increase engagement to your WordPress website by allowing extremely easy registrations and logins using different social media.

If you like this plugin, please give it a try and don’t forget to share your experience with the rest of TheCMSPlace’s community. You can use the comment form below for this purpose and we will be happy to hear from you. Also you can share any other thoughts and questions that you might have regarding the Social Login plugin.

Don’t forget to share this post on social media as well. Be social!

See you soon friends!

Why you should use Jetpack for WordPress

Hello friends,

In this post I will present to you one extremely popular solution for WordPress. It is called Jetpack and here you will find out several reasons why you should give it a try for your website.

What is Jetpack?

The short answer is a WordPress plugin. However it is not just any regular plugin – it is a complete booster for any self-hosted website (downloaded from WordPress.org).

It provides you with many modules that are absolutely free for use. You can activate all of them or just choose the ones that you really need. And there are some of them that are absolutely necessary for any WordPress website.

Jetpack is 100% free and all you have to do is just download it, install it, activate it and login with your WordPress.com account. And if the modules and their functionalities are not enough for you, you can always consider a premium upgrade that will provide you with even more power.

That’s great, but what is this WordPress.com account for Jetpack? I thought that it was a solution for the WordPress.org websites?

And that is correct! It is a solution for the self-hosted variant of our beloved WordPress, however it provides it with all the great features from the WordPress.com solution for free. That’s why you need an account for it. You can create one for free. It is not needed to create a blog there – just an account. Then after you have installed Jetpack you will be able to connect your website with that account and start using the powerful features of the plugin.

OK – which Jetpack modules do I really need?

I will answer this question with a question – How much power do you want for your website? If the answer is “as more as possible” then you should activate as much modules as possible.

However having too much power isn’t always the optimal solution. So my advice is to check out all modules and then select the ones that will provide you with the features that your website is lacking.

While you are considering what to choose, I will help you with a hint – there are 7 modules that are very needed so you might want to start with them.

Module 1 – WordPress Stats

This an absolute must-have. This is an analytics solution that will provide you with information on the activity of all non-logged-in users. All you have to do is to be logged in your administrator account and then view your stats. This solution will provide additional information so it is absolutely OK to have it running alongside with your Google Analytics account. The more data you have – the better.

Module 2 – Publicize

This module will automatically ping your social services (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and will post the new content on your behalf.

Module 3 – Sharing

This is an absolute must-have for your WordPress website. I have already reviewed it in details in this post, so go ahead and find out why you need it.

Module 4 – Contact forms

Every modern website needs contact forms. And here you have a complete functionality absolutely for free. So why don’t you give it a try?

Module 5 – Jetpack comments

This is another must-have. It improves the default WordPress comment system and allows your visitors to either comment with their accounts on your website, or to log in using social media and then comment. Of course you can allow them to write their e-mail and name and comment without registration or a social media profile as well.

In my opinion this module also helps reduce spam comments. However if you want even better protection the premium upgrades of Jetpack are there for you.

Module 6 – The Jetpack mobile theme

I used to love one non-responsive theme. It looks great, however Google did not liked it while it was not mobile-friendly. So I had to change it. But while struggling to choose a new theme and decide on its design I had to stay with the old non-responsive one. And what saved my ranks and provided my visitors with mobile visits was the Jetpack’s mobile theme. It is absolutely simple to activate and use. And if you like keeping things simple you may find the combination of any non-responsive theme and Jetpack’s module to be absolutely great and efficient. It basically transfers any mobile-unfriendly website to a mobile-friendly one.

Module 7 – Photon

Speed is another very important SEO factor. And to improve it you have to start by optimizing your images. Now, you will find some articles here that I have written about image optimization. But no matter what you do, you will find out that having a CDN is probably the most favorable solution. And Jetpack provides you with such option in the form of its free Photon module. It will make your website faster, so you can consider giving it a try.

And these are the 7 modules that you should start with. You may also consider the following ones as well:

So, dear friends, that is why you should use Jetpack for WordPress. What do you think? Please share any questions or feedback in the comments below.

See you soon!

How to Integrate Google+ Comments in WordPress

Hello again, friends!

In this post I will show you how to integrate Google+ comments in your WordPress website.

You might want this since the default comment system is not so good (however we already know that Jetpack can improve it). So far I have also shown you how to add Facebook comments and also how to integrate Disqus as your main comment system and you are familiar with the benefits of having an external comment system for WordPress. Now let’s see how you can achieve this with G+’s comments.

Before I tell you how to do this I will present you the current state of Google+ and the possible changes that might occur in the near future.

Google+ is the social media of Google. During its existence it has competed with all the major players in the market, especially with Facebook. G+ offered unique features and thus it attracted users mostly from the professional circles – developers, marketing experts, web designers, etc.

It is quite well known that Google+ has major benefits for SEO since the posts that are shared publicly are indexed and also each “+1” sends an important social signal that improves the ranking of your content. The social media allows you to create a business page and to make it your official publisher via a meta tag. This also improves the authority of your content. Not so long ago Google+ offered authorship which (in my opinion) was an awesome way to attract visitors because it showed them the author (name and G+ profile picture) of the content in the search results. This screamed “authority and quality” all around and it is a pity that Google removed this feature. However the authorship still works if you continue to create high quality content and share it publicly in your profile. A recent update allows the creation of collections and this allows better categorization of your shared posts.

The social media has many other features as well. However the situation with Google+ might change quite soon. The social media will either be shut down (the most unlikely option but still a possibility) or it will be transformed. However the Google+ as we know it will not be available in the near future and there are clear signs of this. For example the requirement for a mandatory G+ profile in order to use other Google products is gone. The same goes with authorship and so on.

Why would I want Google+ comments on my WordPress website if the fate of the social media is uncertain?

Mostly because Google won’t let go of the already attracted G+ users and their content. Many digital marketing experts think that the social media will most likely be improved and it will continue to exist. So having G+ comments on WordPress will be of value for you and your visitors in each case. And since the solutions that I am going to present to you allow the integration of Facebook and Disqus comments as well, you are in no danger of losing all your comments in case G+ shuts down because your visitors might comment using the other options that you are providing them.

In conclusion to this let me say that integrating Google+ comments as an additional (not the main) comment system will be a positive feature.

Now let’s focus on the pros and cons of G+ comments for WordPress.

Pros:

Cons:

OK – now to the main point of the article – the integration of G+ comments for WordPress

There are two solutions in the form of WordPress plugins that will do the trick. One is free and the other is premium and therefore paid.

I will start with the free solution.

Comments Evolved for WordPress is the solution to add Google+ Comments

You need the plugin Comments Evolved for WordPress (formerly known as Google+ Comments for WordPress). Install and activate it and then head to the settings menu (it should be under the Comments section) and configure the plugin. You may choose the tab order of the different comment options (as I have already pointed in the post this plugin integrates other comment options as well).

You can choose to display icons in the tabs as well. Comments Evolved for WordPress supports:

For Disqus you need to type in your Disqus Shortname if you intend to integrate this comment system via the plugin.

Save the settings and voila – Google+ comments as well as the other options are integrated. Simple, right?

Another way to integrate Google+ comments is the premium plugin Comments + which also allows your visitors to comment via Facebook, WordPress and even Twitter. You may find out more about it here.

Comments+ is a premium solution to add Google+ comments to WordPress

So this is all for now friends. Currently you have enough information for the most popular comment solutions for WordPress and you can choose the most suitable one for your website. Please share your decision in the comments below.

See you again!

Top 5 tips on promoting your blog or site on Google+

All marketers know that building quality traffic to your blog or site requires constant effort. Unique and engaging content is certainly one of the key ingredients. Gone are the days of relying purely on traffic from SERP, we all know now that we should dedicate time and effort to attracting usage from SM networks. So, how about Google+? For many professionals this platform is a mystery at best or the “spare wheel” of the SM world at worst.

Here are 5 tips that will actually show you that there is considerable mileage in Google+ and you should take advantage of them to promote your site or blog.

1. Communities of enthusiasts

One of the key benefits of being on Google+ is that you can target specific communities that have interests matching your content and objectives. Find the right community (popularity and relevance are important), ask to join, provide value and post but don’t spam. If you are interesting and engaging, you will awaken genuine interest, which will result in more traffic and shares to your pages.

2. Take care when setting up your Business Page

Similarly to a Facebook Page, you’ll need to set up one on Google+. You will need a personal profile to be able to do that. To make the most of it add:

3. Influencers

Google+ is no different than any other “network”, whether it is in the digital or real world. So the simple rule of networking and engaging with real people who are influencers in their field applies here too. Use the “Find people” tool to connect with them – share their updates, follow up on communication and you will gradually get noticed and your content shared.

4. Hashtags

You can use hashtags on Google+ like in other SM platforms. 3 is the golden rule here and if you really think them through, you will stand out as most people overlook the importance of hashtags on Google+.

5. Optimize

Yes, it is important to optimize your content on Google+ just like you do on your blog or website.  Here is some useful advice on what you should focus on:

If you follow these tips and do some additional research about Google+ you can make the platform a very valuable asset in your overall SM marketing mix. Like with any other channels, there are no “ready-made” formulas, you need to be creative and find out what works for you and your business, as this will vary greatly.