2011-2020 Editorial Tutorial Archive

WordPress Tutorials, Plugins, Dropbox Backups, MailChimp, Responsive Design & SEO Archive

A complete restorative compilation of the most popular step-by-step tutorials published on Websites Made Simple by founder Todd Pettee and guest contributor Cid Carver.

1. WordPress Administration, Backups & Maintenance

  • How To Backup Your WordPress Website To Dropbox For Free (August 16, 2015 - /how-to-backup-your-wordpress-website-to-dropbox-for-free/): Step-by-step tutorial on installing the free WordPress Backup to Dropbox (and UpdraftPlus) plugin, authorizing OAuth access to a dedicated Dropbox folder, scheduling weekly automated backups of both your `/wp-content/` files and your MySQL database sql dump, and verifying restore readiness.
  • How To Delete A WordPress Blog And Start Over From Scratch (/how-to-delete-a-wordpress-blog/): Our 5th most popular article overall. Covers two distinct scenarios: (1) resetting a self-hosted WordPress.org installation via cPanel QuickInstall/Softaculous or the WordPress Database Reset plugin so you can rebuild from a clean slate without cancelling hosting, and (2) permanently deleting an unused WordPress.com subdomain blog.
  • How To Moderate Comments On Your New WordPress Website (September 27, 2013 - /how-to-moderate-comments-on-your-new-wordpress-website/): Configuring Settings > Discussion to prevent automated comment spam, pairing Akismet with manual first-comment approval, and managing pingbacks and trackbacks.
  • The 10 Best WordPress Plugins EVERY Website Should Have (/10-best-wordpress-plugins/): Our curated essential stack: Yoast WordPress SEO, Akismet, W3 Total Cache, WordPress Backup to Dropbox, Contact Form 7, Google XML Sitemaps, WP Smush.it image optimizer, Limit Login Attempts, Pretty Link, and TablePress.

2. Web Design, Responsive Themes & CSS Tutorials

  • Parallax: The Future of Web Design (May 19, 2014, by Cid Carver - /parallax-future-web-design/): An in-depth exploration by contributor Cid Carver into multi-layer Parallax scrolling effects, HTML5/CSS3 viewport transitions, storytelling engagement metrics, and how to balance Parallax visuals with mobile page speed and SEO crawlability.
  • The Free Responsive Pytheas WordPress Theme From WP Explorer (March 22, 2014 - /beautiful-pytheas-free-responsive-wordpress-theme-wp-explorer/): Why we chose AJ Clarke's free Pytheas theme from WPExplorer as the teaching theme for our 107-page WordPress ebook: built-in portfolio custom post types, homepage services grid, flexslider integration, and clean responsive breakpoints.
  • Responsive Design: What Is It, And Do You Really Need It? (July 14, 2013 - /responsive-design-what-is-it-and-do-you-need-it/): Explaining fluid grids, flexible images, and CSS3 `@media` queries as smartphone and tablet traffic surpassed desktop browsing.
  • Get Your Hands On The Free Copyblogger Theme For WordPress (/free-copyblogger-theme-for-wordpress/) & The Definitive List Of Free Premium WordPress Themes (/the-definitive-list-of-free-premium-wordpress-themes/): Reviewing clean, typography-focused themes engineered for content marketers and bloggers.
  • The Simple Way To Create Beautiful CSS Buttons For Free (/create-css-buttons/): Generating cross-browser CSS3 gradient buttons with hover states and border-radius styling without Photoshop image sprites.
  • Smashing Website Design In Three Simple Steps (August 31, 2011 - /smashing-website-design-in-three-simple-steps/): Visual hierarchy, color palette discipline, and scannable typography for non-designers.

3. Email Marketing, SEO, Domain Strategy & Branding

  • How To Build An Opt-In Form And Email List For Free With MailChimp (July 17, 2014 - /how-to-build-an-opt-in-form-and-email-list-for-free-with-mailchimp/): Setting up a free MailChimp account (up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month), designing an embedded signup form, configuring double opt-in confirmation emails, and placing the form in your WordPress sidebar widget area.
  • The Complete Guide To Buying A Domain Name With NameCheap (/complete-guide-buying-a-domain-name-with-namecheap/) & Don't Make These Critical Mistakes When Buying A Domain Name (/dont-make-these-critical-mistakes-when-buying-a-domain-name/): Avoiding hyphenated domains, trademark conflicts, and bundled hosting lock-in.
  • Improve Search Engine Ranking With The Google Page Speed Tool (/improve-search-engine-ranking-google-page-speed-tool/) & The Best FREE Resource For Learning SEO Online (September 4, 2011 - /the-best-free-resource-for-learning-seo-online/): Using Google PageSpeed Insights to compress images, leverage browser caching, and master Moz's Beginner's Guide to SEO.
  • Simple Start Guide: A Beginner's Guide To Building A Brand Online (September 28, 2011 - /simple-start-guide-how-to-build-a-brand-online/) & 3 Simple Ways To Create An Unforgettable Brand (September 10, 2011 - /3-simple-ways-to-create-an-unforgettable-brand/): Crafting a consistent voice, logo, and value proposition.
  • Millions Of Free Images To Legally Use On Your Site (September 1, 2011 - /millions-of-free-images-to-legally-use-on-your-site/) & The Simple And Free Way To Produce Professional Screencast Videos (September 24, 2011 - /the-simple-and-free-way-to-produce-professional-screencast-videos/): Sourcing Creative Commons photography and recording instructional screencasts.