Many webmasters use Joomla for their websites because it is open source, free to use, has a lot of extensions and templates and is simple to use. It has also a large community of developers. There are many components, modules and plugins for every possible task. In other words, Joomla is a universal content management system suitable for simple home pages and complex websites. For most purposes it is enough to install a template and few extensions for common needs like displaying ads or Google Analytics. But sooner or later you need to modify the original display or standard layouts. There are two ways to make such modifications. You can either modify the original code or to override Joomla core files.

The first approach by modifying the core files might work but only until you upgrade Joomla. This process may overwrite the modified files and destroy your hard work. The other approach is to create core overrides in the template directory. For every extension Joomla checks HTML directory in the selected template directory where you can copy original files and modify them to suit your needs. Extensions are not only those you have installed, Joomla comes with many plugins, components and modules that are needed for normal operation. Creating overrides is easy. You simply copy files that need to be modified into template/HTML directory. There is a rule on how to create paths for overridden extensions:

TEMPLATE_NAME/html/EXTENSION_NAME/VIEW_NAME/FILE_NAME.php

One example for the overridden display of frontpage managed by the com_content component:

Original file PATH_TO_JOOMLA/components/com_content/views/frontpage/tmpl/default.php Override file TEMPLATE_NAME/html/com_content/frontpage/default.php

Joomla overrides are an elegant way to modify original functionality without modifying core files. Overrides work for built-in and custom installed extensions. Many times where you would like to change the blog display, add advertising code between articles or change any default layout, you don’t have to look for a special extension. All you need is to find the file in Joomla directory where this page element is created and create an override in the template/HTML directory. Of course, you need to be familiar with HTML and PHP code, but this is pretty easy because you will only modify existing code. This way you can customize your Joomla website without installing any extension. The advantage of overrides is that they still work after the Joomla files are updated, but the disadvantage is that they are linked with template. If you change it you need to copy overridden files and modify them for the new design.

Content Management System (CMS) has become increasingly popular over the years for many Internet Entrepreneurs. If you were like me, who like to use open source solutions for your business, you will find this article useful as I will be sharing with you some of the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used CMS like WordPress and Joomla.

I believe the ease of use of the software is very important because most people are not tech savvy. Some CMS even require the users to possess web development knowledge for basic usage which to me, is pointless. Speed is the key factor when we are considering to start any web business hence the CMS must be easy to use and the learning time should be as short as possible. After using so many CMS, I would go for WordPress CMS if I want something fast and responsive. WordPress, being the most popular blogging system for the last few years, has always put their focus on the usability of their software. Not only can WordPress help you to set up blogs it is also a powerful system for a general website setup with the help of a good WordPress template.

The next thing you should look at is how Search Engine friendly is the CMS. Most CMS nowadays create their platform in according to the Webmasters guidelines by Google and Yahoo but still there are some CMS that are totally unfriendly to Search Engines. I would like to stress that Search Engines is an important part of your overall marketing strategy of your business. It is through Search Engines that will bring you new visitors over time. In my experience, WordPress is the best CMS in terms of Search Engine friendliness. It is also faster than 90% of the CMS out there. Speed of the website is also important as it has an impact on your Google and Yahoo search engine rankings as well.

Another thing you should look at is how easy it is to install and extend the CMS. For example, how difficult to install additional feature such as a forum or shopping cart? There are only 2 CMS I would use if I am going for more functions, they are WordPress and Joomla. WordPress has quite a handful of additional plug-ins. You will be able to find plug-ins like shopping cart and forum for WordPress on the Internet. While WordPress is enough to cover most basic functions and some additional requirements, Joomla has an edge over WordPress here. After using Joomla for several years, you can find almost any plug-ins you want for Joomla. Joomla plugins are also more complete when compare to WordPress as the latter focus on simplicity most of the time. Hence, if you want more control and other functions for your CMS, choose Joomla.

To conclude, WordPress is a highly efficient CMS for most Internet Entrepreneurs and Joomla is more for sophisticated requirements.

As a Joomla developer, you may run across the need to add Google Analytics to a Joomla website, perhaps you want to monitor your own analytics or you have a client that wants you to add the analytics code so they can track their visitors. Either way, you will have to know how to add the Google analytics code to your Joomla site.

The most important part of adding Google analytics code, is finding where to put the code so that it will appear on every page of the site. This is relatively easy, but it does require you to understand how to modify the HTML of the default template in the administration section of your Joomla installation.

The first thing you will need is an account with Google. This article assumes that you already have an account set up with them and know how to access the code that will be added to your site. Once you have logged on to your account, copy all of your Google Analytics tracking code. Paste it in a text program and save for future reference.

Next, login to the administrator area of your site. Go to Extensions > Template Manager. Select your default template’s check box and then click “Edit”. In the template edit page, click “Edit HTML”. This shows you your template’s index.php page. Select all of the text, copy it and then paste this into a text program which you should save in a safe place in case you do any damage to the original document.

Now, go back to the original file, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. The second to the bottom line should have the end body tag which looks like a forward slash followed immediately by the word “body”. Paste your code just BEFORE the end body tag. Click “Save”.

You have now placed the Google Analytics code on every page of your Joomla site. Keep in mind that if you change templates, you will need to add this code, using the same procedure, to your new template.

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The Internet is perhaps the greatest communication device ever devised by mankind. The Internet is also a repository of all human knowledge. Of course, human knowledge would not be worth all that much with a modernized ‘Dewey Decimal System’ to help someone find exactly what they are looking for right? Thus, the Internet wouldn’t be of much value without search features or search engines.

Today, the number one search engine is Google, in the past it has been something else. There use to be lots of competition in the search space, but that has not been the case in the last 5-years, as Google has run away with the market. Over 70% of all searches on the Internet come from Google now, that is an incredible market share indeed.

Apparently, the human race has spoken and chosen voting with their clicks and minds for Google to bring back relevant data. This is a huge happening in the lifestyles of human beings, it really changes everything. Google is indexing the world, literally and making it all available in .02387603 seconds!

Of course, Google is not stopping here by any means, each month they come out with new initiatives and ideas, keeping pace, yes, at Internet speed with the evolution of the online virtual world. In fact, the story and history and the future history of Google is quite fascinating. I’d like to recommend a very good book to you on this subject.

“Planet Google – One Company’s Audacious Plan to Organize Everything We Know” by Randal Stross (also author of eBoys); Free Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, New York, NY; 2008.

Anyone who designs websites, or uses the internet for making money has learned that the days of static HTML websites are numbered. The key to online presence these days are dynamic sites that are constantly being updated. Google likes fresh content, and more importantly so do your prospective customers.

Luckily, CMS platforms like WordPress make updating a website a breeze. How about setting a WordPress site up though…can this be tricky?

If you can live with some of the out of the box WordPress themes – it is very simple to set up a site. The problem is these themes (even the paid ones) are not really flexible on features and layout. With these normal themes, changing the layout of your site would take some sort of coding knowledge (a combo of HTML and PHP to be exact).

It is one thing to find the time to update a site, but finding the time to learn enough coding to get your site exactly like you want? That is a very daunting task. It took me a couple years of self education to get savvy and quick enough at WordPress customization to be worth it.

Then along came the Headway Theme – this theme is a savior to all online and offline entrepreneurs.

This theme gives you the ability to create your WordPress site using a visual editor. What does this mean? It means that you can create each page of your site by dragging and dropping elements right in your browser.

You want your sidebar on the right instead of the left? Drag it there. You need to add a rotating image gallery – just drag it where you want it and add the pics. Put your navigation on the top of the page, put it under your header, put it on the left of your page…all by dragging and dropping.

The visual editor gives you complete control over your sites colors, fonts and layout and so much more.

Essentially, if you can think of something you want on your WordPress site you can do it easily with Headway. No coding required unless you want to get very advanced. If you are an advanced coder, you will appreciate Headway’s flexibility even more.

The best way to explain this is to use a real world example. On my blog I wanted to have a static area on each page that had an opt in box – I didn’t want it in the sidebar since many of my pages didn’t have a sidebar. In the past I would have had to add the html code for the form into a couple PHP files and then altered the CSS file to make it look good. Not a lot of fun for someone with little coding knowledge.

With Headway I added a HTML box (in headway it is called a Leaf) exactly where I wanted the opt-in on each page and simply copied the opt in form HTML into that box…done. My opt-in rate almost tripled by the end of the week.

Headway also includes a great support forum and a burgeoning development community that assures you Headway will keep getting better and you will be able to find community created hacks and tips that will let you take your site to the very next level.

A lot of people buy WordPress themes, but why pay for a theme you can’t easily customize? Headway allows you to have the site you dreamt of, not the site that someone else envisioned and that anyone can buy and use. Be unique, and stick out from the pack.

I am very happy with Headway and think it is a must for any beginners out there that want to create their own site effectively and easy.

To many people, affiliate marketing is the perfect way to earn a living. No customer service. No merchant accounts. No dealing with products. You are simply moving people from one place to another. Simply directing people who are looking to buy something to somewhere they can buy it – and earning a commission as a thank you.

Equally WordPress is now one of the single most popular ways to run a website whether that site happens to be a blog or a static content site. The range of plugins and themes means that WordPress can now do just about anything and even better WordPress sites tend to rank very well in the search engines. The combination of ease of use, zero charger to use the software and the way WordPress sites attract so many visitors makes it the perfect tool for affiliate marketers.

The basic concept of WordPress affiliate marketing is as follows. You create a website based around a specific niche or keyword phrase. Once you have chosen your niche the next job is to create content around that theme. Luckily adding content to WordPress sites is incredibly simple.

By having plenty of articles on your site this gives the search engines – Google, Bing and Yahoo – plenty to discover on your site. And the more articles you have, the more potential traffic you have coming your way.

Visitors arrive at your website having found it in the search engines and you then using a variety of techniques you try to convince them to buy something. When they do you get your commission.

WordPress is easy enough to get started with – as well as being free. The real skill when it comes to WordPress affiliate marketing is figuring out how to attract enough visitors to make a healthy profit, and how to turn those visitors into buyers.

I need to know an effective way of learning on how to build a Joomla 1.5 website. Apparently,the original creators never even had the thought of making an actual effective tutorial or database on how to make a Joomla website.

One perfect tutorial website is W3 Schools,but there is nothing based on Joomla.

Which is incredibly stupid that I see professionals make them with ease,but I can’t find a single source on how to do them properly!

And the Wiki Joomla site is weak as well.

And no Google does NOT count! I need to find a real useful site on how to do this.

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