If you’re going to start a new Wordpress blog, using the famous 5-minute install, there are several things you need to keep in mind in order to get the most out of your blog after installation. Below there are 10 tips for you, they are not necessary but will help keeping your blog safe and sound for visitors. Use this list as a check-up for future installations.

1.  Change the Admin Username/Password and Manage Your Authors

When you installed Wordpress, and are at the last step, it gives you some random password you will never remember. The username will always be the same, which is “Admin”, so that’s no problem. However you still need to change it since it gives hackers 1 less thing to worry about when they are  looking for your login information. At the end of this post you can find some answers giving by my Twitter followers.

2.  Edit Permalinks

example.com/?p=320

Will your url’s look like after a fresh install. This is probarly the worst SEO friendly url Wordpress can offer you.

There are several options you can choose from, and to have an effective url you should either go for “Day and Name” or make a custom structure yourself. You can find this option in Settings -> Permalinks.

There are several command lines you fill in in the custom structure, such as  %category% - %day% - %monthnum% - %year% - %author% - %tag% , to name a few. Read more about using Permalinks here.

3.  Upload Your (New) Theme and Activate It

The provided default themes by Wordpress are in my opinion old looking and outdated. There are some really good themes on the Wordpress.org site, I suggest getting a free one from there untill you aren’t satisfied with the theme anymore and you outgrown it. But those are really good starter themes.

4.  Add Your Categories and Change the Default

Notice the default category “uncategorized”, this category is automatically added so all posts not categorized into something will end up here. You can change this in:  Posts  -> Categories, and click “uncategorized” to edit it. Name it something you use alot, like a main category for your blog.

5.  Activate Akismet

If you host your blog yourself and not on wordpress.com, you will need to create an account there to get your code to activate Akismet. The API code given is different for each account, but is not related to a blog, so you can use the code on any blog hosted somewhere else if you like. If you are uncertain about on how to get a API key, then click the “what is this?” link.

6.  Install Google XML Sitemaps (plugin)

A short summerization for this plugin: Google XML Sitemaps generates a sitemap for your site, allowing major Search Engines to easily index your site. Every time you edit or add a post, the sitemap will modify itself correctly.

Firstly, download the plugin. After you installed it, head over to Google Webmaster Tools and there you will need to verify your site that it uses a sitemap. Once that’s done, you can then click the “Add Sitemap” link from the first page and put in the URL to your sitemap, which will be in our case: http://www.duoblogger.com/sitemap.xml

7.  Install Wordpress Database Backup (plugin)

If anything should happen to your blog, be it hacking or just deleted something you wish you didn’t. One plugin can save you from this and it is Wordpress Database Backup. You can even set it so that it will backup your blog every hour/day/week and e-mail it to you!

8.  Test Your Blog With Dummy Content

To completely show your blog and it’s capabilities, it is handy to get some sample posts with all the visual things, blockquotes –  lists – comments – tags – parent categories and sub.

Download the sample content from WPcandy. Upload it in:  Tools -> Import -> Wordpress.

9.  Add your RSS feed to Feedburner

First edit your RSS settings. Settings > Reading and you can edit how many posts you want to show in your RSS feed and whether they should show the full post or not.

Now you want to burn your feed with Feedburner. Feedburner will provide you with stats on your feeds and automatically ping services so your new content is updated immediately along with a whole host of other services.

Once you have signed up to Feedburner, change your feed subscription link in your theme. Place the following code between the head tags.

<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Feed Title" href="YOUR FEEDBURNER URL" />

10.  Add/Activate your Analytics

Keep track of your visitors and traffic sources. I recommend Google Analytics. For a more detailed Google Analytics Guide I would like you to read this too on Duoblogger.

What did other Twitterers say?

@abledragon from Wealthydragon.com said:  ”Install my list of plugins, set up and customise my theme then sit back and stare in wonder at my handiwork..! :)”

@fahad1991 from Techonodorm.com said: “Actually, changing permalink structure is the very first thing along with installing plugins.”