Most of this website is dedicated to supporting the Stallion Responsive WordPress SEO Package I develop. You’ll find various Stallion Responsive Tutorials and plenty of references to how Stallion works throughout articles within this website even when the articles aren’t specifically about the Stallion SEO package: examples include the general SEO Tutorial Series and the WordPress SEO Tutorial Series. Over the years I’ve offered a lot of free tech support for WordPress users and it can get frustrating when asked the same question that is answered and just a couple of clicks away from the visitor. You will find a simple list of all main articles on this website within the Sitemap, the sitemap is categorized so easy to find […]
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Thumbnail Images Not Displaying
Why do only some of my thumbnail images display? Can you figure it out?
Thanks
Timthumb Script Bug
Checked your cannabis seed site and found a png file that wouldn’t create a thumbnail on your site, but would on my test install (on my PC) when I set timthumb to allow external images.
Also your site didn’t output what I’d expect when trying to create thumbnails on external sites, so something isn’t right.
If I try to load an image from your site using timthumb from my site (which isn’t set to allow external images): https://stallion-theme.co.uk/wp-content/themes/stallion-responsive-child/timthumb.php?src=http://www.cannabis-seeds-canada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Santa-Stash-Bag.png&w=150&h=150&q=85
It should throw out an error as you see if you open the above URL in a browser.
Doing similar using your sites timthumb file doesn’t output the error, suggesting something is broken.
In Stallion 8.2 I’ve updated the timthumb.php file to the latest version, the timthumb.php file (not my creation) is what makes the thumbnails and might be a rare bug with the older Stallion 8.1 version.
Stallion 8.2 release is imminent, but if you don’t want to wait try downloading this zip file.
## https://stallion-theme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/timthumb.zip
Extract and upload the timthumb.php file within using FTP to:
/wp-content/themes/stallion-responsive/timthumb.php
If it is an issue with the Timthumb script that should fix it.
You could also try emptying the cache folder via FTP. Go to /wp-content/themes/stallion-responsive/cache/ using FTP and delete all the files within it. The cache folder is where the thumbnails are stored, if something went wrong and a file is corrupt deleting everything in the cache folder will force the images to be recreated and could fix an corrupt files.
You could also set the same image as a WordPress Featured Image and not use the Stallion Featured thumbnails. If a WordPress Featured Image is set and no Stallion featured image is set, Stallion uses the WordPress Featured Image. Some of your posts already have WordPress Featured Images set and they are used as thumbnails.
BTW you should install the Stallion Responsive child theme (it’s free), will give you access to hundreds of thumbnail and banner/header images. The parent theme only includes one thumbnail set to keep the file size down, the child theme includes around two dozen thumbnail sets including a set with weird images which might work with a cannabis seed site :-)
David
Timthumb Script Bug
Featured Images and Stallion Thumbnail Images
It seems that I may have actually used both a WordPress Featured Image and a Stallion Thumbnail Image at the same time. I am assuming that I should only use one or the other and not both since when I removed the Stallion featured image on individual posts and then went to my site to double check, the thumbnail image for the particular post was visible.
I removed the Stallion Featured Image because it was simpler since I had fewer of these set on my site. I did NOT upload the timthumb.zip file that you recommended. Do you think I still need it?
Do you recommend that ALL posts and pages have a Featured Image set?
As usual, thanks for the help and keep up the good work.
Bud
Featured Images and Stallion Thumbnail Images
Stallion Featured Images and WordPress Featured Images
The timthumb.zip file was just for Susanne’s website/issue, if your thumbnails are working correctly no need to fix anything.
Stallion Responsive first looks for:
“Stallion Featured Thumbnail”
If one exists it’s used as the thumbnail image, if not:
Stallion looks for:
“WordPress Featured Image”
If one exists it’s used as a thumbnail image, if not either nothing is used or a random image is used (depends on options set).
The benefit of this is if you’ve used another theme that’s used the WordPress Featured Image they will work with Stallion with no messing around.
So if you have WordPress Featured Images already set you don’t NEED to set Stallion Featured Images, you can set them, but you don’t have to, and yes you can set them both if you want.
If you want thumbnails to load on archive parts of the site (categories etc…) and parts of the Stallion SEO Posts widget (like you see for my Popular Posts widget) set a featured image on all posts: although you can set them for pages as well they aren’t by default part of the archive system so no thumbnails are created by Stallion.
On Stallion child themes. If you’ve uploaded the Stallion Responsive child theme and are seeing no options on the child theme options page, suggests you didn’t activate the child theme.
Go to Appearance >> Themes and you should see two Stallion Responsive themes available, note on one of the images it says Child. Activate the child theme.
Since a child theme is a separate theme your custom navigation menu won’t be set, so you’ll need to go to Appearance >> Menus and set them again.
If there’s only one Stallion Responsive theme on the theme page you’ve not installed the child theme, the zip file is at https://stallion-theme.co.uk/stallion-responsive-child-theme/ install and activate it.
In the process of zipping up Stallion Responsive 8.2 and an updated 8.2 child theme (might release today/tomorrow), so if you don’t already have the child theme installed give it a day or two as the new child theme has new options and image sets. Basically wait for the Stallion 8.2 update, update the main theme, download the new Stallion Responsive child Theme v8.2 zip file and install/activate it.
David
Stallion Featured Images and WordPress Featured Images
My Site On Mobile Devices
Does the Stallion Responsive theme (+ child theme installed) that I am using allow my site to be easily read on all mobile devices or do you recommend installing a plugin such as Duda Mobile for this purpose?
Thanks
Stallion Responsive is Mobile Responsive
Stallion Responsive Theme (parent and/or child theme) is Mobile Responsive (it’s all mobile responsive), so doesn’t need a separate plugin to work on mobile devices.
In fact it’s highly recommended you DO NOT use a WordPress mobile plugin, it will damage your sites SEO on mobile devices which are becoming increasingly important SEO wise.
David
Stallion Responsive is Mobile Responsive
Stallion Responsive Child Theme update
1 – Where is the link to download the Stallion Responsive Child Theme v8.2? I already updated the main theme to v8.2
2 – Do you use a ‘subscribe to comments’ plugin on this site? If so which one do you recommend – why?
Thanks
Search WordPress Comments using Google Custom Search
There’s a search facility on the site, go to the top of the Technical Support page and use the Google custom search form to search the site for relevant comments.
Search for
subscribe to comments
and you’ll see it’s been discussed multiple times.
The same Google search form is also present on the main Stallion responsive 8.2 options page, so you can quickly look for Stallion Responsive solutions here from under your own WordPress Dashboard.
the Stallion Responsive Child theme zip file is linked from https://stallion-theme.co.uk/stallion-responsive-child-theme/
David
Search WordPress Comments using Google Custom Search
Page template - with no limits or container
Your sales page template with no side bars is a good starting point for those who want to create their own landing pages or squeeze pages. You can strip out the comment php call and literally paste the HTML into it the post and it will work.
My question is, short of building a page template from stratch, which is not hard to do, is there a way that the header or container goes from end to end in the broswer so it is even more basic than your sales page template? It does not have the container. It is really just a true blank page that uses your theme’s power. And if you want to paste hmtl code in it could look like a page like paypal.com or 23andme.com, that is the full page wide look? How do I take your sales page template and make it unlimited in the way it can be transformed. I think this would unlease a little more of your theme’s style flexibility.
Page template - with no limits or container
Blank WordPress Page Template
With any of the Stallion Responsive templates no need to edit them to remove comments, just edit the post/page and disable comments and nothing related to comments loads.
For the Sales Page template that would leave the footer area which would need editing. this would still use Stallion Responsive CSS styling which wouldn’t be completely blank.
If you want to have 100% control over everything you need a pretty much blank template file.
This code below will work with any WordPress theme:
Create a new file called page-blank.php either in the child theme folder or the parent theme folder.
Add this code:
<?php /* Template Name: Blank Template */ ?> <?php remove_filter('the_content', 'wpautop'); ?> <?php if (have_posts()) : ?> <?php while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?> <?php the_content(); ?> <?php endwhile; ?> <?php endif; ?>This is as blank as it gets, you will have to add all HTML code and CSS styling and paste it into the post edit page, nothing from the theme will be used on that page output all you see is the content (no header or footer unless you add an HTML header and footer).
This will post the content including code exactly how you add it except for where content is meant to be reformatted by WordPress or a plugin. If you add a YouTube URL for example it will be converted to a YouTube embeded video.
I’ve added the wpautop filter on the content, this will stop paragraph tags from being automatically added. If some code is converted by WordPress, a YouTube video URL, a smiley face :-) (WordPress has a lot of built in filters) you would need to figure out what is being changed and search for the relevant WordPress filter (like the wpautop filter, the smiley version is convert_smilies in the place of wpautop).
Note: If you use this the post/page using the template won’t have any of the Stallion Responsive SEO features shown on the actual webpage. All the Stallion Responsive keyphrases and other features that work on other parts of the site will still work, but they won’t show on that post/page. So if I used it for this post the links to this post would still use anchor text like “Online Technical Support” and “Technical Support” since those are some of the keyphrases set for this post.
You should also set a WordPress excerpt (on the edit post screen) if this is a post that’s categorized, otherwise WordPress will automatically create an HTML free version of the content as an excerpt on archive parts of the site and it won’t be ideal.
David
Blank WordPress Page Template
Promotion Options - Site Verification
I read several comments here on your site relating to site verification and one of the main things you say is to “follow the directions” on the ‘Promotions Options’ page in Stallion Responsive and NOT in the Google Verification instructions. Why?
On the Promotions Options page I am instructed to
“Click the Save Setting button below followed by clicking the Verify button in your Google Webmaster Tools page. After the site is verified you should remove the contents of the box above and Save Settings.”
Why do I remove the contents from the meta tag box on the Stallion Responsive Promotions Options page when in Google it says NOT to? Can you explain this further please?
Thanks Dave
Promotion Options - Site Verification
Remove the Google Webmaster Verification Meta Tag Code for SEO Reasons
The Google Webmaster Verification meta tag process is a one time event, once verified the meta tag code is no longer needed, the site is verified doesn’t need verifying again.
Since adding any code to a site for no reason is an SEO speed issue (very tiny issue in this case, tiny bit of code) it makes sense once verified to remove the meta tag code so visitors to your site are downloading less stuff (site runs faster).
To add to this if you have Google Analytics code already on a site Google can use it to verify your site for Webmaster Tools without adding the webmaster verification code at all. AKA the verification code per se is not needed at all (and definitely not long term), it’s one of many ways to verify a site.
Consider this is a small line of code that only loads on the home page, so it’s not the end of the world SEO wise if it were left online. I’ve set Stallion to clear the code on each update as well, so if a webmaster forget Stallion clears it at the next update.
David
Remove the Google Webmaster Verification Meta Tag Code for SEO Reasons