The WordPress Manual Plugin first evolved because we wanted to both provide our clients with the best experience of using WordPress as a CMS, and just as importantly we wanted to reduce the costs of managing the education of our clients in using their CMS.
Over 20,000 WordPress consultants have downloaded the eBooks and some of them have left testimonials about how much they love them. Read their comments here.
We also have evolved other techniques which have helped both of these goals, and have decided to share them with you. The following is the culmination of over 6 years worth of experience.
It offers advice to businesses on how to streamline their processes while giving their clients a better impression of their brand though a smoother handover.
A Better WordPress For Clients
- How to customise the WordPress dashboard to give your clients the best (non-confusing!) experience.
- Using a WordPress setup checklist will make your installations more efficient.
- How to move menu positions in WordPress.
- Implement basic Search Engine Optimisation techniques to give your clients better results
- How to get the most out of the WordPress Manual Plugin
A Better Business For Developers
- How to qualify leads
- Sending proposals
- Payment Terms
- Client sign off
- Lots more!
How To Sell WordPress To Clients
- How to explain WordPress to clients in one page.
- What to focus on in your sales pitch.
- An interview with Tammy Hart, about her WordCamp presentation “WordPress & Working With Clients”
- How to handle questions for your clients in an efficient manor. (cut your maintenance costs)
Got Any Tips Of Your Own?
We would love to get your feedback on some of our recommendations, please let us know what you think.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for so great insights regarding WordPress, Customer Experience and the HOW TOs, I am also looking forward to include Manual with my package. It seems to be it will take a bit in India here as, this is I think is inception phase and LEARNING time for SMEs in India as the Online presence – is just in confusion sate here
I forgot to ask one question…
What do you do about ‘updates’?
Do you update your clients sites to the latest version of WordPress, and perform plugin updates, when they are released? Do you leave them to do it? Or, do you just leave it how it is?
I now use WP Manage to update clients sites.
Hi everyone at Video User Manual!
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for providing this information, and for FREE too!
I am a self taught developer and I am so happy I found you guys. You really have been a lifeline and I am beginning to believe I can actually do this now, and all thanks to you.
This was an awesome find! I read through the first one yesterday and highlighted – a lot. I’ll be going back through to get more and get ready to implement them. I’m just getting started doing web development as a business, so this is great!
I really love these reports. I am making use of so many tips, and as I shape up my business I will definitely purchase Video User Manuals. One question to throw out there, I am having trouble writing estimates that breakdown my time usage. I don’t want to undersell myself, and I have a lot of trouble estimating how long specific work will take. Any thoughts?
Excellent. I’m a marketing and management coach who’s been doing websites since 1995.
How marvelous to read something on WordPress with so much marketing savvy. 🙂
Did I mention he has a lot of solid management advice also?
Great lessons, great project!
My suggestions:
broken-link-checker – very useful plugin, either for developers or clients
Google Analytics plugin itself offers the ability to make it visible for Admins only, or Editors or other specific groups – if you want to display it on the Dashboard for clients
theme-my-login – may be combined with White Label CMS, considering some specific settings it offers enhanced UI options
ATB
Wow! My company bases its entire web design and SEO business on WordPress. We developed a little handbook to give to our customers on handoff day, and we do a training with them, but this is WAY BETTER! Amazing! Thank you so much!
All of these documents are incredible. Seriously. You’ve provided answers I’ve been struggling with for months.
One little note, it doesn’t appear the links are working in the PDF’s. I’ve tried in Preview, on Acrobat Reader and in Acrobat Pro and nada. Any suggestions?
I had the same problem with the links, some of which I’m quite eager to follow. Help!
Hey Greg,
Sorry about the problems with links in the PDF and thanks for bringing it to our attention. Which links did you need help with?
Cheers.
Thanks, Troy. The links I’m most interested in are:
Page 30: the “full article on the author’s website”
Page 32: the “excellent tutorial”
Page 33: “this article in the WordPress codex[sic]” and “custom post type naming conventions”
Page 34: “WordPress menu API”
Page 35: “great function here”
Page 51: “talks about it at length here”
Page 55: the “excellent beginners[sic] guide”
Page 59: This article on the “WordPress Codex”
Page 60: “download the entire list here”
Page 62: the “guide to getting started with W3 Total Cache”
Page 67: “text file of our preferred plugins here”
Pages 68-73: “Get it here” and “Check it out here” links to specific plugins.
There’s a lot of great information here that I’m looking forward to implementing for my clients. Thanks again!
Doh! Need to tick “Include Hyperlinks” when exporting a PDF from InDesign – sorry guys – http://www.scribd.com/doc/22497430/Create-a-Hyperlink-in-PDF-File-Using-InDesign-CS4
I have updated the eBook so you can download the latest version from the link in the original email you received and all the hyperlinks should now work.
To save you the hassle though Greg, here are the links you’re looking for:
Page 30: the “full article on the author’s website” – http://ronaldheft.com/2012/06/saying-goodbye/
(Incidentally – we have now taken over development of the Google Analyticator plugin and have worked closely with the guys at Google to make sure the latest version works a treat – http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analyticator/)
Page 32: the “excellent tutorial” – http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/wordpress/how-to-create-a-better-wordpress-options-panel/
Page 33: “this article in the WordPress codex[sic]” http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/add_menu_page and “custom post type naming conventions” – http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Types#Naming_Best_Practices
Page 34: “WordPress menu API” – http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/1216/changing-the-order-of-admin-menu-sections
Page 35: “great function here” – http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/posts/1568/revisions
Page 51: “talks about it at length here” – http://digwp.com/2011/06/dont-use-postname/
Page 55: the “excellent beginners[sic] guide” – http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo
Page 59: This article on the “WordPress Codex” – http://codex.wordpress.org/Update_Services
Page 60: “download the entire list here” – http://vum.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/assets/update-services.txt
Page 62: the “guide to getting started with W3 Total Cache” – http://www.doitwithwp.com/speed-up-wordpress-with-w3-total-cache/
Page 67: “text file of our preferred plugins here” – https://vum.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/assets/wp-plugins-list.txt
Pages 68-73: “Get it here” and “Check it out here” links to specific plugins.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/plugin-central/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-seo/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/cms-tree-page-view/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/white-label-cms/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analyticator/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/post-snippets/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/duplicate-post/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-file-monitor-plus/
http://ithemes.com/purchase/backupbuddy/
http://www.gravityforms.com/
https://www.videousermanuals.com/
I hope that helps!
Also, can you help me understand the grammatical error on “this article in the WordPress codex[sic]” and “excellent beginners[sic] guide”? I assume beginners should be beginner’s but I have no idea what I did wrong on the WordPress codex. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to work with me in this – I really appreciate the feedback.
Happy pressing of words.
Troy.
Thanks, Troy.
My inner copyeditor gets the best of me sometimes… Beginner’s guide would be correct, and the Codex in WordPress Codex should be capitalized consistently throughout.
Thanks for being so responsive. I’m definitely planning to sign up for the videos.
Going to hit those links now.
Thanks Greg.
I thought that might be the case.
Thanks again for taking the time to help us make better products. 🙂
Cheers.
I haven’t gotten into your videos and client user manuals yet but the info about customizing the WP Dashboard has been insanely helpful. Thank you SO much for being so thorough and making this so easy to follow!
Our pleasure Deb. 🙂
Thank you so much for this book. It was incredibly helpful and I read the whole thing in one setting, so you didn’t waste any extraneous text on useless stuff. Your list of plugins and steps to make a site more user-friendly is incredibly well-thought out and quite useful. I’ll be taking MOST of these steps immediately for the sites I turn over to my clients.
Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback Jim – hope it helps.
A very informative book and great perspective on “user friendly”. I don’t do large web sites, but I set up the occasional blog and I’ll be finishing it off nicely with the tips from this book!
Thanks,
Jamie
Very Informative book.
I found this a very useful report. I have learnt a few new things I didn’t know so I recommend everyone give this a read, even if you don’t have any clients yet.
Thanks for stopping by Tania – hope the e-book helps you get more clients.
Great report! I have found it to be very helpful!
Awesome report, have downloaded and begun testing White Label CMS plugin. Your doc is a little outdated as Google Analyticator is back. I know I use it already. Thanks for picking up that project too.
Well spotted Grant – we love Google Analyticator too 🙂
I read through all first part Better WordPress for Clients
I have to say it is truly awesome. The ebook adresses all these little annoying details/problems I have/had with my clients and focus on the solution.That is great.
Thank you!
Pleasure Fernando – glad the info in the e-Book helped you out.
I received the book, “A Better WordPress for Clients” on October 10, 2012. I haven’t had time to read it; but from a brief review it looks good.
WP for clients helped me learn more about the solution I use for my own blog sites. Including better content management techniques.
But when do I get the other ebook download links?
They will be sent over the next fews days.
Thanks
Hello…
I learned more about plugins & SEO as a beginner… This is a great support for my brand new blog !
Thanks for this nice tool…
Marianne
Pleasure Marianne – glad you learned something.