So I have some search optimisation work to do for a customer, just a quick thing at 4:30 on Friday. Customer is using a custom-themed WordPress installation for his site.
I grab the header file from the theme folder, and add a couple of lines for hardcoded meta data (he doesn’t have an SEO plugin). I don’t back the file up because if the hardcoded lines don’t work for whatever reason, I’ll just delete them out and re-upload.
I upload the file…and his site breaks. Bizarre, but whatever – I delete out the lines, and re-upload it. Nothing happens. I now have the horrible realisation that I must have downloaded the header file from the wrong theme folder.
I resemble the air traffic controller in Airport, who keeps saying things like “Guess I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue!” I’m sweating bullets.
As a last resort, I check the pages that Google has indexed, and there’s a cached version of the site from June. I grab all the code that I’m hoping comprise his custom header…
…and it works.
I’ll sacrifice an offering to the Tech Gods later for that favour. Right now, I’m shaking, and I very much need a stiff drink.