The websites will be moved behind the scenes and you will receive more storage, faster load times and maximum security. My monthly fee for hosting will only go up enough to help pay for these improvements. It will be $16 per month instead of $12, a small hike for optimum hosting.

I also have some clients using shared hosting with Bluehost. I encourage these clients to take advantage of this great discount on improved security and speed. Bluehost will handle the move for a reduced fee. This will be easier for you, as I will be doing the billing instead of Bluehost and I can handle all of your questions.

More and more, security is a key issue with websites and I’m looking forward to offering a product my clients can trust. I will be in touch with more information and you can call me at any time.

Perugi Design has several Web Care Plans to fit your goals and budget. We can update your website software (WordPress, themes and plugins) on a weekly basis and schedule backups as often as you need. We also keep in touch with your hosting company when issues arise as part of all three bundled Web Care Plans.

Here is a list of the tasks a website typically needs on a weekly and monthly basis. We do most of these for you for only $10 per month.

1. Backing up your website
Your website should be backed up at least monthly and stored on several servers. Don’t depend on your hosting company. Some backup and some do not. If your site gets damaged from malware or gets hacked, you will need to restore your entire website and you will need a clean backup to do it. We use Amazon Web Services for our backups.

2. Installing updates
WordPress Software gets updated at least 12 times a year in order to add new features or to for important security reasons. I usually wait a week or two before updating the WP software, to allow the other third party plugins and themes to catch up. Updating the plugins is also important, as they may interfere or stop working after any new WordPress updates.

3. Processing comments
You may receive comments if you use the default settings on your blog. Sometimes they are welcome, but other times, you get spam. Going through the dashboard, you can find these and approve or trash as you see fit. If you don’t check in on a regular basis, the spam comments can add up. But, we can use a plugin to regulate comments or turn it off. Spam can come through the forms as well. Always use a Captcha to prevent this from happening.

4. Setting up security
Receiving spam comments leads to security concerns. There are several good plugins or hosting add-ons you can use to secure your site from being hacked. This is a major concern for many people and should be. When a site gets hacked, our hosting company detects it and will shut it down to protect the other sites on a shared hosting plan. Uptime Security is another feature to consider. You and your web manager find out when your site goes down so that you can attend to the situation immediately.

5. Optimizing your database and checking performance
If you have a busy site with tons of content continually being uploaded, your database will probably need cleaning out. By maintaining your database it will help to improve your loading speeds and reduce the frequency of database errors. There are several free plugins to help you with this.

6. Checking Google Analytics
This is more about marketing, but some clients ask for help setting up analytics. It is useful to help you determine if an ad or blog post was popular. Use this information when planning your next campaign.

Remember, updating your website’s software is vital to reaching your customers in a positive way.

Services for Web Care

The internet has infiltrated our lives

Today, more than 40% of the public will look at your site on their smart phone and decide if they will do business with you. If you took the leap early on and procured a website for your business. but have never upgraded to make it responsive, then it’s time for a change. You don’t want your overage website to turn away potential customers.

Here’s what I suggest you do. Call a web designer who works with WordPress to get your web material copied onto a new site that uses a theme already programmed for smart phones, tablets and laptops. This is also the best time to refresh your material and take advantage of the functionality that WordPress offers.

WordPress comes built with blogging software. Many people feel they can’t write or don’t want to write as seldom as once a month. I suggest you use it as a News page for announcing events, new hires, products or services, and advancements in your field. Invite associates to write a guest blog. Many people feel comfortable to recite their elevator pitch. Just put it on paper and you have your first post. Posts are the best way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and increase traffic to your website.

Other WP functionality includes “Call to Action” buttons, forms, slide shows, video, sliders and ability to add publications such as White Papers. Your web designer can train you how to update your text and photos. And did I mention … WordPress is free! No monthly franchise fees.

Here’s a before and after picture of a company website we recently were asked to consult on. The one on the left is the old site. It is a good looking design, but is not responsive. Its the same size on any screen, which is a problem. The one on the right is the top part of the new vertically oriented site. It adjusts to any screen. and is using a responsive ready WordPress theme called DIVI, by Elegant Themes. It can be updated from any computer in any browser with a user name and password. You can have it too! Are you ready?

Woo Themes just introduced Sensei, which is a new plugin that will allow you to teach and sell online courses from within WordPress. Imagine being able to create courses, write lessons and add quizzes. Set lesson and course pre-requisites, allow user registration and even charge for your course content using WooCommerce if you want. In their words: “Sensei aims to capture the core features of a learning management plugin, while not bloating it with features other existing plugins can handle. Sensei integrates perfectly with any well coded theme, as well as WooCommerce allowing you to charge for your courses!” Watch the Sensei overview video to find out more.

But this post is not just about adding Classroom functionality. I would like to review plugins that enhance a viewer’s experience when they visit my site or other sites I have helped publish. First, think about your audience. What do you want to provide them? What do you want them to take away? How will your site help you create business?

• Call to Action Buttons and Forms: Capture potential client interest and record leads.
• Slide Shows: Great for Travel, Photography, Garden, Fashion, Craft Sites etc.
• Shopping Carts: Market and sell your product and  integrate with Facebook, Etsy and other social networks.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Different types of SEO available.
• Google Analytics: View your site’s traffic.
• Member Only Sites and Pages: For clubs, families, non-profits or any organization.
• Community Event Lisitngs: Invite the community to list on your site.
• CAPCHA Spam Protection: Cut down on unwanted spam comments.
• Automatic Back Ups: Set to back up weekly or monthly.
• Newsletter Integration: Sign up or publish right from your wp postings.

These are just a few of the hundreds of plugins available to you as part of the WordPress community.  Next up will be a list of the Widgets and smaller pieces of functionality that may be packed into your theme and how to use them to make your site the best it can be.