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New Domain Name? How To Point Your Domain Name To a Different Web Host

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finger pointing to text that read New Domain Name? How to Point it to Your Web Host so you can start building your WordPress website
Check out the video below that shows how I pointed a domain name purchased at NameCheap to Bluehost

“I just bought a new domain name,” she said. “How do I set up a WordPress website?”

“Did you buy your domain name from your web host?” I asked.

“No.”

“In that case, you will not be able to set up your WordPress website until you propagate your domain name.” 

“How do I do that?”

What is domain propagation?

Every domain name is associated with a web server. A web server is basically one computer that has lots of data on it. 

When you buy a domain name, it goes into a web server belonging to the company you purchased the domain name.

Likewise, if you get web hosting from a different company, that company has its own web server, too. When you choose a web host, you are renting space on their web server.

Before you can setup a website that shows up with your new domain name, your domain name company and your website host company have to talk to each other.

It’s call domain propagation and it can take up to 72 hours for the two different companies to communicate.

Once that’s done, you can install WordPress on your web host with your new domain name.

Propagating your domain name

It is NOT a problem if you purchased your domain name from one company and your web hosting from another. In fact, a lot of people do it this way. Especially if they have a lot of domain names and want them all under one roof.

The problem for many people is, domain name propagation is a bit tech-y.

Steps to propagating your new domain name

  1. Log into your domain name host
  2. Log into your web host
  3. In your web host, find your web host name servers
  4. Copy your web host name servers in a text document
  5. Go to your domain name host name servers 
  6. Replace you domain name host name servers with your web host name servers
  7. Wait up to 72 hours
  8. After 72 hours log into your web host and confirm your domain name is listed under “domain names”

If your new domain name is not showing up in your web host

  1. Log into your domain name host and confirm your web host name servers are the one’s displaying
  2. Contact your web host and ask them to activate your new domain name

Technology is ever changing. It seems every time I log into my web host, or my domain name host, things are in different places. That’s why I don’t waste my time hunting and pecking, or trying to find the right “help document.”  Instead, I go into Live Chat with my web host and ask them to activate my new domain name.

Then it’s time to install and start building a new WordPress website!

Check out the video below ri see how I propagated a domain name that was purchased on NameSilo with a website hosted on Bluehost.

Video: How To Point Your Domain Name to Your Website Host

What Are Categories? How To Use Them Demo

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Check out the video below

Categories in WordPress – Part 1

Use categories to make your website work harder for you.

It helps visitors read the information they’re most interested in, and helps the search engines know what your business website is all about.

What Are Categories in WordPress?

Categories are a way to organize your blog posts. For example, if you go to Walmart, Walmart has many of departments. Each of those departments are like a Category.

Your website is your storefront. What are you selling?

If you’re a small online business you likely have five Categories or less to highlight on your website.

The Fewer The Categories The Better

Visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for if you have fewer Categories.

The video below from my live training shows you

  1. How to Categories
  2. Where to Categorize in WordPress
  3. What blog posts look like to Google after you have added Categories to your permalink structure

Video Demonstration From Live Training

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The sessions are short and focused on one topic. I know you’re busy and you don’t have time to waste.

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WordPress 5.5 New Block Patterns (Video and Screenshots)

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WordPress 5.5 came downloaded with real improvements to choosing Blocks.

Improved Design Blocks Location

No more hunting and pecking for the block you want, hidden behind drop-down lists. Now you can see all the Blocks at once.

WordPress blocks before 5.5 and after 5.5 update

Access Your Design Blocks Option #1

  1. Click on the + (plus sign) to the right of your current block
  2. Chose Browse All
  3. All the blocks will now be on the left
screen shot WordPress 5.5 blocks

Access Your Design Blocks in WordPress 5.5 Option #2

  1. Click on the + (plus sign) on the top left
WordPress 5.5 plus sign to reveal all blocks

Block Patterns in WordPress 5.5

Block Patterns will allow you to easily add professional looking design elements to any Post or Page.

Access the Patterns feature by clicking on the word “Patterns.”

WordPress 5.5 Block Patterns

This video shows the new Block Patterns in WordPress 5.5 and also highlights best practices for updating WordPress.

How To Join Me Live on My Next 10-Minute Monday

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The sessions are short and focused on one topic.

And because it’s LIVE you can ask questions. Sessions are 10-minutes or less because I know you’re busy and you don’t have time to waste.

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The Right Image Size for Your Website: 10-Minute Monday

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What Size Should You Make Your Website Images? woman making a frame with her hands
Video below shows how I find the right image size for any website project

What? No images?

If you’re like most people, when you downloaded your first WordPress theme you wondered what happened to the images — those same images that made you want to buy that theme.

Once you got over your first BIG disappointment, that your theme did NOT come with images, the next question you likely asked yourself was, ‘How in heck do I get my WordPress theme to look like the demo?’

If you begin by finding out what image size your theme’s demo used, you’ll soon have a site that’s better than the demo because it will have images that best represent you and your business.

The Right Image Size

When I’m building a WordPress website for my clients, I typically need 4 different sized images:

  1. home page / Front Page Header Image (a.k.a. Hero image)
  2. page header banners,
  3. blog post images, and
  4. sidebar images.

How To Find the Right Size

The MEDIA SETTINGS information under APPEARANCE is a great place to start because it will give you…

  • the best image width for a blog post (1024 is for the Showcase Pro theme), and
  • what size image will work best in your theme’s sidebar (300)

…BUT it won’t give you dimensions for your HOME page / Front Page Header Image or page header banners.

screen shot WordPress site media settings
Front Page Header Image under Appearance Customize in WordPress

You’ll find the size for your HOME page / Front Page Header Image size under APPEARANCE —> CUSTOMIZE —> FRONT PAGE HEADER IMAGE.

In this example, the size is 1600 px X 1050 px.

Page Header Banners

Finding this size is a bit trickier.

For example, Showcase Pro’s TEAM Page demo header banner is a lot thinner than the HOME / Front Page Header Image, BUT the theme’s documentation does not tell me what size to make the TEAM Page header banner.

header banner comparison Showcase Pro theme

To Find Any Page Header Banner Image Size

Enter the URL of your theme’s demo into the Firefox browser. Use Firebug to get the exact image size dimensions that were used.

  1. Right + Click / Control + Click (Mac) on the web page
  2. Choose View Page Info
  3. Choose Media
  4. Scroll down to Background
  5. Select the image that is the same as the header banner
  6. Dimensions: gives you the exact image size used in the theme’s demo

The TEAM header banner size is the exact dimension as the HOME page header banner (1600 px X 1050 px), even though it displays thinner.

header banner image size diagram

Watch the video below to see how I use Firefox to find the right image size.

What?!!! Not Every Header Banner Image Is The Same Size

When I checked the BLOG header banner, I was surprised to learn it was not the same size as the TEAM head banner. Instead of being 1600 x 1050, it was 1800 px X 960px.

This theme’s header banners will resize to keep the look consistent throughout the website.

Your design challenge will be to find images that look good in long and narrow spaces.

firebug used to find image size on a webpage

The “Right” Blog Post Image Size

Showcase Pro blog post image example

You’ll use these same steps to find your theme’s demo blog post image size:

  • Right + Click / Control + Click (Mac) on the web page
  • Choose View Page Info
  • Choose Media
  • Scroll down to Background
  • Select the image that is the same as the header banner
  • Dimensions: gives you the exact image size used in the theme’s demo
firebug to find blog post image size
900 px X 600 px

Final Tip

Images for the web should be 72 dpi and RGB.

Images for print should be 300 dpi and CMYK.

Watch Me Use Firefox to Find the Right Image Size in the Theme Demo

Need Help With Your Images?

Join me for 10-Minute Monday where I share tips and tricks for non-designers who want to enhance their professional image.

You may also phone or email me, anytime. Contact

Join Me Live on My Next 10-Minute Monday

Get an invitation to join me LIVE on my next 10-Minute Monday by signing up below.

You’ll also receive a tip on how to find the perfect images for your website home page plus a list of my favorite Free resources for great photography that you can use on your website or in any project.

10-Minute Monday is LIVE and 10-minutes or less. I also try to keep the sessions short and focused on one topic because I know you’re busy and you don’t have time to waste.

And because it’s LIVE you can ask questions.

Sign up below and I’ll see you on the next 10-Minute Monday.

How To Credit A Photographer and Where To Add it in WordPress

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young girl taking a photo Andriyko Podilnyk photographer on Unsplash How To Credit a Photographer, Where to Add it in WordPress 5.4.1 & nofollow link
video below
Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

What’s Covered in This Article

Be sure to check out the video below from my free LIVE training. 

If you’d like to come to my LIVE 10-Minute Monday trainings click here to sign up. You will receive an invitation via email with a link to join.

What Your Photo Credit Should Say

My first job out of college was as a magazine editor. Photo credits were a must.

Although many free stock photo sites say something like, ‘Attribution is not required, but appreciated,’ I like to give credit to anyone who has given me something of value for free. Here’s what I recommend:

Photo courtesy of (name of photographer) from (name of stock photo house)

Click here for a list of my favorite free stock photo houses.

Where To Find the Name of the Photographer

  • Go to the site where the image is located (such as Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.)
  • Click on the image
  • Look for the following information
  1. Photo URL
  2. Photographer’s name
    NOTE: Click on the name of the photographer to bring up the page with his/her URL
5 hand bump photo with photo image URL example

To save time, copy & paste the photo URL and the photographer’s URL into a simple text document like this:

screen shot of photo credits noted from a photo downloaded from Pexels

Where To Put Your Photo Credit

The following instructions are for WordPress

  1. In the Description field of your photo (see below)
  2. Optional: At the end of your Post or Page enter “Photo courtesy of (name of photographer) from (name of stock photo house)”
  3. If required by the photographer or stock photo house: As a caption beneath the photo
image description field example
Description field located in Media folder

Add Photographer Credit As A Caption

Sometimes photographers ask you to add their attribution under the photo. To do this…

  1. Insert your image into your Post or Page
  2. Add the photo credit where it says “Write caption…”
  3. Click Update or Save Draft to save your change

If you must give a photographer or a stock photo house a credit by linking to the photographer and/or stock photo house website in your post or page, Google might think you are just trying to get attention and accuse you of spamming.

You can still create a link to the photographer, or photo stock house BUT you will need to tell the Google robots NOT to follow the link.

The solution is to create a nofollow link.

How To Add a nofollow Link in Gutenberg

  1. In your WordPress Post or Page add your photo
  2. Under “Write caption…” enter your photo credit as recommended by the stock photo house
  3. Select the name of the photographer and click on the link icon
  4. Paste the URL to photographer in the link field
  5. Click the Link Settings option
  6. Click “Open in New Tab” box so your visitor does not lose your page
  7. Click Apply to add the link
  8. Repeat steps 4-7 if you want to add a second credit for the stock photo house
  9. Now, open the HTML editor by clicking on the 3 dots on the menu bar
  10. Choose Edit as HTML
  11. Add your nofollow link(s) by typing in nofollow as indicated below. Be sure to add a space after “nofollow” and before “noreferrer”.
  12. Return to your visual editor by clicking on the 3 dots on the menu bar
  13. Save your changes
nofollow link illustration by Nancy Fields using photo of a Vietnamese rice field photo by CongVu from Pexels 1 of 4
nofollow link illustration by Nancy Fields using photo of a Vietnamese rice field photo by CongVu from Pexels 2 of 4
nofollow link illustration by Nancy Fields using photo of a Vietnamese rice field photo by CongVu from Pexels 3 of 4
html text with red frame indicating where to add nofollow link to photo

Watch Me Add Photographer Credits and nofollow Links

Join Me For My Next Live 10-Minute Monday

Get an invitation to join me LIVE on my next 10-Minute Monday, and receive a list of my favorite Free resources for great photography that you can use on your website or in any project.

It’s LIVE and only 10-minutes. The sessions are short and focused on one topic.

And because it’s LIVE you can ask questions. I also try to keep the sessions short because I know you’re busy and you don’t have time to waste.

Center Align Buttons in WordPress 5.0 and Create Anchor Links, Too

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How To Center Align a Button in WordPress 5.4.1 & Create an Anchor Link Button iPad with image of website with center aligned button
Check out the video tutorial below!

The simple task of centering a button, and creating an anchor link button (a.k.a. jump link) in WordPress 5.4.1 stopped me in my tracks.

I want to show you how to do these two simple tasks, so you don’t go down the same rabbit hole and waste a lot of time doing a task that should only take a few seconds (center a button) and a few minutes (create a button with an anchor link.)

How to Center a Button in WordPress 5.4.1

Before the latest WordPress update (updated April 29, 2020), the alignment feature was located above the button. see below

graphic of button alignment feature before WordPress 5.4.1
It used to be so easy to align a button in Gutenberg editor

In WordPress 5.4.1 the button is not immediately visible, likely because the button in 5.4.1 has become more ‘sophisticated.’ You can now create multiple buttons, all neatly lined up in one horizontal space, BUT where in heck is alignment feature?

graphic of button alignment feature missing in WordPress 5.4.1
The alignment feature does not appear when you first create a button in WordPress 5.4.1

The problem is, you won’t be able to center a button until you activate the bounding box. For me, the easiest way to do that is to click to the right of button. Once you see the bounding box, the alignment feature will display.

graphic showing button alignment feature if bounding box is activated
Click to the RIGHT of the button to activate the bounding box and alignment feature

How to Create an Anchor Link Button in WordPress 5.4.1

Why Create an Anchor Link?

Anchor links are common at the top of a page when you want to create an Table of Contents. It allows site visitors can quickly access the information they need.

In this example, Elsie Kerns wanted anchor link buttons instead of a traditional table of contents.

website page anchor link button example
Anchor link button
Anchor link button scrolls to this section of the page

To create an anchor link button in the WordPress block editor, first select the area you want you reader to link to, NOT the button you want them to click on.

TIP: Watch the video below to see me create this anchor link button.

  1. Select the text
  2. In the Block setting (on the right), toggle open the Advanced bar
  3. Under HTML Anchor, give your link text a name
    1. I like to keep things simple, so I just name it exactly what the anchor is which is why I named it how to be listed
    2. NOTE: anchor text cannot have any spaces. WordPress will automatically add a dash if hit your space bar in between your words, and it will look similar to this: how-to-be-listed
  4. Once you name your anchor text, I recommend coping it
    1. because the link names have to be exact
  5. Now go to the area you want your visitor to click
    1. in my case it’s the How To Be Listed Button
  6. Select the button text
  7. Select the link feature
  8. In the link field, add a # (pound symbol) and paste in the link text you just created
  9. Save your changes by clicking update
  10. Check your work

Step-By-Step Video

How I Center Aligned a Button in WordPress 5.4.1 and Created Anchor Link Buttons

See how I easily aligned a button, once I knew how to bring up the alignment feature, and also how I created anchor link buttons.

Join Me Live on My Next 10-Minute Monday!

Get an invitation to join me LIVE on my next 10-Minute Monday, and receive a list of my favorite Free resources for great photography that you can use on your website or in any project.

Just fill out the form below.

When you join me live on 10-Minute Monday you’ll be able to ask a question, about the training, or even your own website.

Hope to see you on my next 10-Minute Monday.

Coaching Website Before & After

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woman smiling working on laptop computer blog post title Website Before & After plus WordPress Training with Sue Guiher thrive4success.com

If someone builds your WordPress website for you, it can be a bit daunting to take over the reins, if you have never used WordPress, or never used the WordPress Gutenberg editor.

thrive4succcess.com is Sue Guiher’s fourth WordPress website, but she has never used the Gutenberg editor.

In this video I answer Sue’s questions on:

  • How to view the original dashboard instead of the new full screen view mode
  • How to easily change a Block, i.e. from Paragraph to Image
  • How to add a button, and how to center the button
  • How to add more space in between blocks
  • How to add a new blog post

Before & After

before and after website design thrive4success.com

10-Minute Video Training

Meet Sue Guiher and join our training.

Join Us LIVE On 10-Minute Monday

Would you like to attend my short trainings live? Fill out the form below, to receive an email invitation with a link to Zoom. You’ll also receive my guide on how to find great FREE images for your website, social media pages, or any promotion.

Hope to see you on the next 10-Minute Monday!

How To Remove the Date From Your WordPress Blog Sitewide…Plus

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big broom sweeping dates off calendar concept blog post How To Remove Dates From Your WordPress Blog Sitewide
No Plugin Required!

Why Remove Blog Dates?

Dated content can seem old and no longer relevant, even if that is NOT the case.

If you don’t blog regularly and your last post is years old, remove the date to make your content ‘evergreen.’

Blog Post Dates Can Show Up in Three Different Places

  1. Excerpts on your Home page
  2. Excerpts on your Blog page
  3. On each Blog Post
Three screenshot views of where blog post dates can show up on WordPress 2019

How To Remove Your Blog Post Dates Sitewide — All At Once

This will remove your blog dates from all three places on the WordPress 2019 theme: (1) excerpts on Home page (2) Excerpts on Blog page (3) Blog Post

Go to your WordPress Dashboard —> Settings —> General

  1. Under Date Format select Custom:
  2. Delete F j, Y
  3. Click Save
WordPress 2019 screenshot of Date Format in Settings with areas highlighted to show how to remove blog post dates sitewide

How To Remove Dates From Each Blog Post Only

Go to your WordPress Dashboard —> Appearance —> Customize

  1. Select Additional CSS
  2. Add code this code: .entry-meta .entry-date.published {
    display: none;
    }
  3. Click Publish
WordPress 2019 blog page screen shot plus visual instructions how to remove blog date

NOTE: This code will remove all the meta data on your Blog Post: author name, date, Leave a comment
.entry-meta {
display: none;
}

How To Remove Blog Dates from Excerpts on Your Home Page

If you have a sampling of on your latest blogs on your homepage, and would like to remove the date, you’ll need to edit your homepage.

WordPress 2019 screen shots of blog excerpts on home page with areas highlighted to show how to remove the blog post date

Home page —> Edit —> Select Blog Excerpts area

  1. Select Block
  2. Click toggle button: when you click the button, it will turn from blue to white and your Blog dates will be removed
  3. Click Update button

Watch Me Remove Blog Dates From WordPress 2019

If you’d like to watch me remove blog dates, check out my video from my live 10-Minute Monday training.

Join Us LIVE On 10-Minute Monday

Would you like to attend my short trainings live? Fill out the form below, to receive an email invitation with a link to Zoom. You’ll also receive my guide on how to find great FREE images for your website, social media pages, or any promotion.

Hope to see you on the next 10-Minute Monday!