WebStyley Blog

How to Add Read More to WordPress Excerpts

So anytime we are asked to provide an enhancement to a WordPress Theme or WordPress install, we have decided to post our code up on our site to help out our fellow web developers and anyone who is trying to learn or maximize the functionality of WordPress.

A recent client purchased a Premium theme and contacted us to make some customizations and add functionality to the WordPress theme.  This particular client wanted the packaged widgets to display excerpts and not the pre-coded pulled content from posts.

The original code looked like this:

<?php the_content_limit(240, ‘read more &raquo;’); ?>

Great easy enough, all we had to do was take that out and add the following:

<?php the_excerpt(); ?>

Worked like a charm, but something was missing.  The client liked the automatic read more text and wanted that to remain as a built in function of the widget.  Well if this is the case you have a few options, here are two options below:

First you could add the following code:

<?php the_excerpt(); ?>

and add the following code directly below:

<a href=”<?php echo get_permalink(); ?>”> [ Read More → ]</a>

Or the other option is to add the following code to your functions.php file and it will automatically update all excerpts used in the WordPress install: (we chose this option)

<?php function excerpt_ellipse($text) {

return str_replace(‘[...]‘, ‘ <a href=”‘.get_permalink().’”>Read more…</a>’, $text); }

add_filter(‘the_excerpt’, ‘excerpt_ellipse’);

?>

 

References:

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/excerpts-no-read-more-link

http://codex.wordpress.org/Excerpt

 

Leave a comment if you have any questions!  Thanks for reading!

Posted in Wordpress Tips, Wordpress Tutorials | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Colorado WordPress

WebStyley.com is synonymous with Colorado WordPress.  No other Colorado WordPress company has developed as many new WordPress websites in the last year as WebStyley.  Our commitment to quality design, development, valid code, and complete customer satisfaction has helped us grow quickly in the Colorado WordPress market.  Our team of dedicated WordPress developers and designers have provided countless Denver and Colorado companies with exceptional services and results.

So what should you look for when you are looking for a Colorado WordPress developer for your website or blog.  Well we think there are a few very important factors to consider when choosing a professional Colorado WordPress developer.  In fact, we highly encourage our customers to talk to other companies and compare our process to theirs.  We encourage our clients to ask us questions and love providing each of them with a website they love and functionality they need. 

Colorado WordPress Tips

Here are some of our tips when hiring a Colorado Worpdress expert or company to build your website or blog.

  1. Can the company provide you with a list of references from atleast 20 new and satisfied clients from the previous year?  If not, then you may be working with a company that has limited work experience with customers and the WordPress platform.  Our suggestion is to find a Colorado WordPress developer that can prove their skills from their biggest critics – their clients (the more, the better!)
  2. Make sure the developer can provide you with actual examples of recent Colorado WordPress Design and Development.  If the company or individual you contact can not send you a list of real URLS from actual clients, then you may be setting yourself up for difficulties in the future.  Professional and successful Colorado WordPress developers should be able to provide you with a minimum of 15 live websites completed in the last year. 
  3. Can the WordPress developer provide custom WordPress themes and customizations.  Installing WordPress on a server and uploading a free theme is very easy and should probably only cost around $250.00.  True Colorado WordPress Design and customization is what can and will seperate your website from the competition.  If your developer has difficulties with basic theming and WordPress customizations then you are definitely in trouble when you are looking to grow your company through the internet.
  4. Has the developer worked extensively with WordPress plugins and functions.  If your developer can’t customize a plugin or develop a custom plugin for your website or company – then there are some serious issues with their WordPress knowledge and background.  If they consistently tell you I don’t think you can do that with WordPress, then they must not know what they are doing – because you can basically develop the platform to work in nearly all capacities.
  5. Does the Colorado WordPress Developer specialize in WordPress SEO and search engine optimization strategies and development.  WordPress SEO starts from the very beginning and should be considered before any coding or work is done on your site.  Building a wordpress theme is easy, making it rank in search engines is another story.  The theme needs to be built using valid XHTML, valid CSS, and search engine optimized code.  In addition, the correct plugins need to be installed and consideration needs to be made to ensure fast load times, easy search engine indexing, optimal content delivery, clean urls, on-page SEO, and a number of other important factors. 
  6. Does your developer have time for your project – no matter how big or small.  If your developer does not commit time to your project, then there is no way your project can or will get done.  Make sure your developer listens to your needs and follows through with commitments and duties.  There is nothing more frustrating than a half functioning site and an absent developer.
  7. Lastly, is the price right for the scope of the project and quality of work.  Our prices are very competitive to other Colorado WordPress companies.  Sure some freelancers and new companies will probably be able to beat our price – but they can’t beat our commitment to our clients and expert knowledge of WordPress.  Our prices have been established to ensure our clients projects are done affordably and so the company can continue to bring on new customers.  We offer payment plans and processing of all major credit cards.  When you hire us, you know what you are going to get.  No surprises and complete satisfaction and support!

There you have it, our recommendations for hiring a Colorado WordPress developer or company.  If you are or your company is considering hiring a professional Colorado WordPress expert, please consider WebStyley.com.  We have provided expert WordPress development to a large number of Colorado companies – our clients appreciate our work and consistenly refer family, friends, and acquaintances to us – We hope you are next.  Thanks for reading, and what are you waiting for?  It is time to get WebStyley!

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How to Add Shortcodes in Text Widgets WordPress

Recently we were working on a project and our client needed the ability to add WordPress shortcodes in their sidebar through the use of Text Widgets.

Shortcodes have the brackets around them and resemble this [shortcode]

A number of WordPress themes, plugins, and premium Wordrpess themes come with built in shortcodes.  Shortcodes are great for adding robust functionality to your website easily and quickly.  But how do you do it?  It is actually very easy and only takes about two minutes of your time.

To enable shortcodes in your WordPress text widgets, all you have to do is sign into your WordPress dashboard.  Once you have signed in to your WordPress install, simply navigate to Appearance –> Editor –> and find your functions.php file.  Most likely the file will be labeled Theme Functions.

Once you find the functions.php file, go to the bottom of the file and add the following code before the ?>

// Add the Shortcodes in text widgets
add_filter('widget_text', 'do_shortcode');

That is all there is to it!  Hope it works out, if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

Posted in Wordpress Tips, Wordpress Tutorials | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Colorado WordPress Design for Erik Jensen

We are exceptionally proud to show off another Colorado WordPress Design project.  The project was completed for Erik Jensen and his family.  When Erik was 17 years old he was sentenced to Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP).  He has served 11 years in prison already – in 2006 the Colorado Legislature passed a bill capping the longest sentence that could be given to a juvenile at 40 years – the bill was not retroactive and did not affect those already sentenced to JLWOP.  The family contacted WebStyley to develop a blogging platform to discuss JLWOP and Erik’s case.  Erik’s case has been featured in documentaries, articles, and books around the world.  The movement to end JLWOP has grown drastically as a result of the hard work and dedication Erik’s family have put into the cause.  To say the least, it was an honor and privilege to develop the website for such a progressive organization and cause. 

Colorado WordPress Design

colorado wordpress design

The Colorado WordPress Design project consisted of a number of great WordPress features.  WordPress provides extensive functionality and scalabilty, which is why it is the perfect solution for a website with lots of information and regular blogging.  The website was developed so the family could easily update readers on the status of Erik’s case and provide detailed information about JLWOP.  The Colorado WordPress Design includes full blogging capabilities, valid code, user account registration, user commenting, RSS feeds, SEO options, and a number of other great features.  The site also includes embedded video and photo slideshows.  The contact form can be filled out my users from around the world and the information will send directly to the family’s email address.  Like many of our Colorado Worpress Design projects, the site has been optimized for search engine indexing and should begin to rank very well for important terms.  We encourage you to check out the website and show your support for Erik and his family!

If your company or non-profit is in need of Colorado WordPress Design, then please contact us to discuss your website and options.  Our team of Colorado WordPress Consultants will provide detailed advice and information to ensure your website is built perfectly for your needs.  Thank you for stopping by, what are you waiting for?  It is time to get WebStyley!

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Denver WordPress Web Design for Southside Pizzeria

Denver WordPress Web Design is serious business and that is why Southside Pizzeria decided to go with one of Denver’s best WordPress Web Design Companies in Colorado.  Southside Pizzeria truly is one of the best littleton pizza restaurants and bars in the area.  The company is a new restaurant that has made a big splash in the community.  Their commitment to high quality ingredients and customer satisfaction is helping them continually attract new visitors.  Southside Pizzeria’s quality of products and services was a perfect match for WebStyley web development.

Denver WordPress Web DesignThe Denver WordPress Web Design project included custom WordPress Theme and Development.  Our team of highly trained SEO and WordPress experts built the website on valid SEO ready code, the theme includes a number of robust features which allows the company complete control over their website.  The Denver WordPress Web Design includes WordPress 3.0 menu support, custom post-types, google map integration, pdf menu integration, contact forms, blogging capabilities, and onsite directions.  A great feature for the Denver web development project is the use of WordPress’ custom post types.  The company needed a way to easily display their latest specials on the front page of their website.  Of course the specials would need to be easily added and showcased so that users could continue to see new additions to the menu.  Our team set up a custom post type for “specials” and created a new page template for the homepage.  The template allows for all specials to be displayed on the home page, in addition, to the past specials and menu additions.  This kind of Denver Wordpress Web Design also has a number of SEO benefits.  Each time a new post is made, it creates a new page and url on the website.  The URL structures have been setup to include the name of each post.  This is great for SEO because it allows for better indexing of content on the website and more indexed pages to be added to the search engines results pages. 

If you or your company is considering a new website, be sure to insist on the use of an industry leading CMS application such as WordPress.  WordPress is the best publishing platform and website option for small to medium sized businessses for a number of factors.  One of the top factors is the impact it can have on search engines.  WebStyley.com specializes in Denver WordPress Web Design and SEO and would love to learn more about your project and help you build a website that can grow with your company – Contact Us today.  What are you waiting for?  It is time to get WebStyley!

Posted in Clients, Denver Web Design, Denver Web Design and Development, Denver Wordpress Design, Denver Wordpress Development, Denver Wordpress Web Design, Littleton Web Design, Portfolio, Web Design Clients | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

WordPress Design Denver for Gutter Gurus, Inc.

Here we are again showing off another Denver WordPress Design for Gutter Gurus, Inc. Our superior WordPress skills have proven to be very beneficial to the Denver Gutter Cleaning company.   Gutter Gurus, Inc. found us on Google for a competitive web design Denver search term.  The company came to us to begin their web presence.  Gutter Gurus, Inc. did not have an online presence before working with us and wanted to become highly competitive in the Denver gutter cleaning marketing.  Well we capitalized on this opportunity and provided them with amazing WordPress development.

Wordpress Design DenverThe Denver WordPress Design includes a fully customized WordPress theme and options.  The theme has been developed to include a home page slider that showcases the company’s services and expertise.  In addition, each page is equipped with contact forms to encourage potential customers to contact them for services.  The website has also been developed to include a fully operational online store and payment processing.  The website includes built in SEO features and has been optimized for maximum search engine indexing.  Any good SEO developed website needs to include a functional blog – yep this website includes a functional blog and is ready for serious internet marketing.

There you have it, another beautiful Denver WordPress Design for one of Denver’s leading companies.  If your company is in need of quality and affordable web or WordPress Design Denver, then contact us today.  It is time to get WebStyley!

Posted in Clients, Denver Web Design, Denver Web Design and Development, Denver Wordpress Design, Denver Wordpress Development, Portfolio, Web Design Clients | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Social Media Marketing Consultants for Business Growth

With the recent explosion and ever-increasing popularity of websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others, it is difficult to overestimate the growing importance of Social Media Marketing Consultants, valuable marketing tools that can guide business owners through the most effective ways to capitalize on the constantly changing world of social media.

The art of social media navigation requires knowledge of its function(s), participant age, past, present and future trends and a host of other factors, including the differences between the various competing social media websites and what advantages/disadvantages there are in making a particular site a solid venue for promoting one’s goods or services. Determining this information can often times require a good deal of time and research, using resources that may not be available to a company attempting to remain competitive in a cutthroat business climate. The use of Social Media Marketing Consultants, however, can take this burden off the shoulders of the business owner and put it in the hands of qualified social media experts; people that have the expertise and experience needed to make informed, effective and timely decisions as to how, where and why a product should be placed. Social Media Marketing Consultants can offer business owners access to a wealth of information about how best to reach a desired audience, keep up with consumer trends and cash in on the ever-changing world of internet marketing.

Most importantly, perhaps, are the tools Social Media Marketing Consultants can give companies to effectively stay ahead of the competition, offering in-depth analyses of the direction differing social media sites are taking, the potential for success and failure in different marketing strategies and the amount of effective or ineffective use of social media by their competitors. The ongoing contact with and monitoring of sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn allow consultants to provide a business with both general and specific predictors as to the future of the medium and how that company can best take advantage of the coming ebb and flow of a particular social media site. Armed with the expertise and knowhow of people intimately engaged with the different aspects of internet marketing can greatly increase a company’s ability to become a successful force on the web, broadening one’s exposure and creating the potential to reach a customer base one may have never thought possible!

Social media has become a prevalent and powerful marketing medium, and as it continues to grow and flourish so has the need for Social Media Marketing Consultants, people familiar and experienced with how social media sites can best benefit your business, keep your brand name relevant and allow you to reap the profits of high-quality exposure. If you’re interested in improved visibility, increased success and the use of efficient and effective Social Media Marketing Consultants, then contact us at WebStyley.com today!

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Advantages of Becoming an SEO Reseller

Companies looking to improve traffic through their clients’ websites should take a look at the advantages of becoming an SEO Reseller, a program that can boost profit margins and allow firms to provide their customers with better, faster search engine results.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, has become an essential part of performing business on the web and can be a great addition to the companies that already offer web design, web development, and internet marketing services. Many companies specialize in SEO, which is centered on strong keyword placement and strategy that pushes your product or website closer to the top of a potential customer’s search engine results. SEO-based companies generally offer SEO Reseller programs, providing professional web designers and developers the opportunity to outsource SEO work and rebrand the final product as their own. These programs often times offer an easy, cost-effective way for firms not associated or experienced with the implementation of SEO services to achieve high-quality keyword research and placement for their clients. Being an SEO Reseller can be a great way for a design-based company to move ahead of the pack by adding a service that can greatly improve their customers’ profits.

The use of an SEO Reseller program also prevents a design firm from having to make referrals to other companies, a potential hazard that can sometimes lead to the loss of a customer. By presenting and offering SEO services as its own a company can eliminate the potentially dangerous hassle of making this recommendation while at the same time increasing confidence in the company’s brand name and allowing the company to maintain the appearance of service synchronization and cohesiveness. An additional benefit of becoming an SEO Reseller is increased competitiveness. By adding services, such as SEO, to one’s repertoire, a company can gain a competitive edge, becoming more attractive to potential customers, enhancing its clients list and creating bigger profits. Including search engine optimization in your business model gives clients just one more reason to become repeat customers, not too mention the opportunity to improve your product and stay one step ahead of your competition.

Becoming an SEO Reseller may just be the right thing to make your web design, development or internet marketing business the success you’ve always known it could be! There are many SEO firms available on the web, and choosing the right SEO Reseller program can be a difficult process, but when it comes to affordable, professional, high-quality keyword strategy and search engine optimization, we hope you choose WebStyley.com!

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Denver SEO Can Help Your Business

One of the best and most affordable ways to market your Denver-based business in the internet age is through the use of Denver SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. If your company is looking for an effective marketing tool that leads to higher internet visibility and better placement amongst search engine results, i.e. Google, than SEO is perhaps the best method available.

The design and development of a clean, simple and professional quality website is crucial to raising awareness of your company and maintaining an edge over your competition. This includes research into and the determination of the best possible keyword(s), a phrase or phrases that appears in the content, images and graphics of your site and helps to increase your company’s position in potential customers’ searches. This is, or at least should be, the primary goal of an effective Denver SEO strategy, and is a great tool when it comes to maximizing traffic through your website. Of equal importance in Denver SEO is the research and discovery of keywords that benefit your competitors and the development of a strong counterattack that will help to direct more people away from their websites and into yours.

Another aspect of Denver SEO that can be greatly beneficial to your business is to improve your use of and relationship with social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. Launching an effective social media marketing campaign can help your company to reach an even larger number of people and capitalize on the giant upswing of popularity social media sites have enjoyed for the last several years. Introducing yourself, your company and your website to the ever-growing population of social media users as part of a strong and consistent SEO strategy can be of immense value to your business and a well-structured website. It is difficult to overstate the potential for social media as a powerful marketing weapon and, if correctly applied, as something that can help to maximize your company’s exposure.

Increasing your company’s visibility is important in determining your success, and hiring a Denver SEO Company to handle your internet marketing needs is an important first step to ensuring you meet your long-term goals. If you’d like to optimize your visibility, improve your website’s effectiveness and implement a top-notch, top-quality Denver SEO strategy than look no further than Webstyley.com! We create clean, professional websites and develop strong, well designed internet marketing strategies that can help your business become the success you know it can be.

If your business is interested in Denver SEO, then contact us today!  We are provide expert SEO solutions to businesses of all types and sizes.  It is time to get WebStyley!

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Focus Your SEO Campaign on Content

If you own a small business and are interested in SEO then you need to make sure your are focusing on your website and blog content.  Content is critical to a good SEO campaign.  Relevant and keyword rich content can help your company increase it’s search engine ranking placement (SERP) and also provide customers with valuable information.  Search engines are in the business of bringing the most relevant and informative content to search engine users.  The search engines index your website based on its relevancy to your keywords and associated text. Read More »

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