In this transcript from Episode 047, Mark shares a story about vending machines that illustrates the curiosity mindset behind internet marketing, then interviews WordPress expert Dustin Hartzler about must-have plugins for affiliate marketing sites.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- How to evaluate WordPress plugins before installing them
- The must-have plugins for any new affiliate marketing WordPress site
- Dustin Hartzler's step-by-step plugin selection process
- Why curiosity is the most important mindset for internet marketers
The Curiosity Mindset
Mark opens with a story about his mother describing a robotic vending machine at work. As marketers, we recognize that flashy vending machine design is a marketing tactic to draw attention and drive purchases. Mark traces his fascination with vending machines back to a college digital design course where he had to build the coin mechanism logic from scratch using combinational hardware.
That same curiosity about how things work is exactly what drew Mark to internet marketing in 2007. Once he understood that money moves around the internet through pay-per-click ads, affiliate commissions, and online transactions, every click became interesting. The takeaway: being a lifetime learner is one of the most valuable mindsets you can have as an internet marketer.
Interview: Dustin Hartzler on WordPress Plugins
Mark introduces Dustin Hartzler from YourWebsiteEngineer.com, a fellow member of the Podcast Mastermind Group founded by Cliff Ravenscraft. Dustin is a full-time WordPress developer who runs a weekly podcast covering WordPress topics.
How to Evaluate a WordPress Plugin
With over 23,000 free plugins in the WordPress repository (and hundreds more premium options), Dustin walks through his selection process:
- Search Google first. Include “WordPress” and “plugin” in your search. Navigate to results from WordPress.org, where plugins are vetted by a review team.
- Check for a banner image. Developers who invest in visual presentation typically care more about their plugin's quality.
- Look at the Last Updated date. Dustin requires updates within the last six months. WordPress updates frequently, and plugins should keep pace.
- Check download count. Look for 10,000 or more downloads. Popular plugins in the millions are well-tested by the community.
- Read ratings carefully. Focus on 4-star and 5-star reviews. Some 1-star ratings are from users who confused the scale.
- Review screenshots. Visual previews help you determine if the plugin does what you need before installing it.
- Check the version number. Multiple version increments (like 3.4.7) indicate active development and bug fixes.
Dustin recommends installing plugins from within your WordPress dashboard rather than downloading files from WordPress.org. Search the plugin name under Plugins, then Add New for one-click installation.
Important: Always delete plugins you are not using. Deactivating is not the same as deleting. Outdated, inactive plugins are a common entry point for hackers.
Must-Have Plugins for Affiliate Sites
1. Backup system (install first). Dustin recommends BackWPup for full database and file backups. WordPress Backup to Dropbox is another free option that syncs your theme files, plugins, and uploads to the cloud, but it does not back up your database. If you only install one, choose BackWPup for complete coverage.
2. Security plugin (install second). Better WP Security provides a checklist of 20 to 30 security items including password strength, IP blocking by region, login hour restrictions, and header information removal. WordFence is a comparable free alternative.
3. Spam filtering. Akismet comes bundled with WordPress and blocked 313,000 spam comments on Dustin's site in six months. For commercial sites, it costs approximately five dollars per month. Antispam Bee is a free alternative. Running both provides extra protection.
4. SEO plugin. WordPress SEO by Yoast adds a widget below each post editor with a focus keyword field, page analysis with grade-level readability scoring, and a red/yellow/green SEO checklist. Mark highlights the SERP preview feature that lets you see and edit exactly what searchers will see in Google results, which is critical for search engine results page conversion.
Yoast also handles site-wide titles and meta descriptions, sitemap generation, permalink management, and settings export for replicating your configuration across multiple sites.
Key Takeaways
- Install backup and security plugins before adding any content to a new WordPress site
- Evaluate plugins by update recency, download count, ratings, and screenshots before installing
- Delete unused plugins completely rather than just deactivating them
- The Yoast SEO plugin's SERP preview is essential for optimizing click-through rates from search results
- Curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning are fundamental to success in internet marketing
What's Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this in March 2013. The plugin evaluation principles Dustin describes remain sound, but the specific tools have evolved significantly.
The WordPress plugin ecosystem has matured considerably. The repository now hosts over 60,000 free plugins. The review process, ratings system, and compatibility checking have all improved. Banner images are now standard rather than a differentiator.
Better WP Security became iThemes Security and later merged into SolidWP. Wordfence remains a leading security solution. Two-factor authentication and login attempt limiting are now considered baseline security, not optional extras.
Yoast SEO faces strong competition from Rank Math and All in One SEO Pro. Rank Math in particular has gained significant market share by offering many premium features for free. The core SEO principles Dustin and Mark discuss, keyword focus, readability analysis, and SERP optimization, remain fundamental regardless of which plugin you choose.
Akismet remains relevant but its pricing model has changed. For commercial sites, paid plans are required. Many site owners now combine Akismet with Cloudflare or other bot protection at the server level.
Backup solutions have consolidated around cloud-based options. UpdraftPlus is now the most popular free backup plugin. Managed WordPress hosts like SiteGround, Kinsta, and Cloudways include automatic daily backups, reducing the urgency of a standalone backup plugin.
Resources Mentioned
- YourWebsiteEngineer.com — Dustin Hartzler's WordPress resource
- PodcastMastermind.com — Cliff Ravenscraft's mastermind community
- WordPress Plugin Repository
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/.
