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.

Unfortunately, these updates that are necessary can also cause a disruption in productivity. My e-commerce set up includes several other pieces of payment software that may not be syncing to the new code Paypal presents. The problem is I just don’t know, so I enlisted Paypal Techs to help solve the issue. Still to be resolved. I won’t bore you with the back and forth that has ensued!

If you have annoyances with your website that you can’t solve, let me know and I will try to help you. Extra time purchased on the subscription can be used for these problems. I may be able to fix the problem myself or handle the calls needed to get the job done.

Let’s face it. 2020 has been a little harsh to all of us and a disaster to many. Here’s a little New Year present for you. If you are comfortable logging into the backend of your WordPress website, here’s instructions on how to change the year from 2020 to 2021.

1. In the black bar on the left side of the Dashboard, scroll down to Appearance/Customize.
   
2. In the customize area, scroll and select Footer.
   
3. In footer, select Bottom Bar.
   
4. At the bottom of the left sidebar, you will see a Box called EDIT FOOTER CREDITS, with the footer text inside. SImply change 2020 to 2021.

Goodbye 2020!

All backups with the Perugi Design Basic Plan are saved monthly. If you wish to backup more frequently, let me know. For those of you not on my plan, but using Bluehost as your hosting company, you can reach out if you need help with backups or upgrading plugins and themes.

Please read the notice below and email me with any questions.

“In an ongoing effort to bring you the very best products and services, we’re excited to announce that we will be upgrading all of our servers to newer versions of PHP. In addition to improved data processing, which can boost your site’s speed and performance, you’ll also gain increased security. Newer versions of PHP have more frequent security updates to help protect your site against unwanted hacks or malware.

When will it happen?
At some point during the upgrade window — November 16, 2020 through November 20, 2020 — your account will be updated, and older versions of PHP will no longer be supported. You may experience a brief disruption in service, but we will work to upgrade your site quickly with the most updated version of PHP software your website will support.

Do I need to do anything on my end?
Yes, to avoid a negative impact to your site, we recommend that you upgrade all of your web installations to the newest PHP software available before we move your account. Newer versions of PHP are already available on your current server, and you can set your site to use those versions with this helpful guide. You should also backup all of your website files.”

In order to serve you better and improve my services I am creating and sending you a check-box survey in the next week. I hope that you can find time to answer a few questions and add a comment. Perhaps I can offer a new service that you need or more options. Your input will be very valuable and I welcome your suggestions. Again, thanks for your trust in Perugi Design and have a Healthy and Happy New Year!

SECURITY: Weekly updating of your software, WordPress, Theme, and Plugins, will help keep up with security assaults. You may not realize that malware and spam is an ongoing problem for small websites too. The robots sweep through looking for vulnerabilities without discretion to find a place to insert their bad code. Your site becomes the conduit through which the virus  spreads. WordPress itself updates over twelve times a year, then the Themes and Plugins follow suit. Perugi Design uses state of the art software to approve these updates each week or more often, if prompted. If there is a problem, it is hunted down and addressed.

BACKUPS: Your site can go down for various reasons. Sometimes, it gets infected, sometimes the code or php software is outdated. Perugi backups your website once a month, so that it can be restored to a previous, uncontaminated version. If you blog often or have an e-commerce site, you may want to back up once a week. Knowing that you have a safe version of your website that can be immediately restored is reassuring. Each week, I look to make sure your site has been backing up, so you have a fresh version for a possible restore.

CONFLICTS: I will know when the software is not updating. There can be several reasons. It was not updated automatically and the plugin or theme must be downloaded from the developer and reinstalled manually. The plugin is not being updated and was abandoned by the developer. This happens more often than I would like. And the reason I recommend only well established plugins with good ongoing support. There are also plugins that conflict with each other, with the theme or with other software. I will let you know when this is an issue before changing any plugins running on your website.

UPDATING PHP: PHP is the back end scripting language that is used by WordPress, offers a lot of resources, such as commands, functions and codes, which can easily be rewritten and used without incurring any cost. The PHP software does not always get updated by the hosting company and will need to be updated manually or by calling the host company. This is something we look for in our updating process.

NOTE: Necessary changes made that require extra time are billable. It may take up to an hour or more to rectify the problem on your hosting dashboard or calling and speaking with a hosting representative. Only the weekly updating “Manage WP” process is covered by the $10 monthly fee.

Owners of these businesses have busy schedules and sometimes the attention to their website is stop and go. We travel, get ill, have sick relatives and generally just get overwhelmed with too much to do. That’s ok. It allows me to juggle the work and attend to emergencies that sometimes come up from time to time.

A few weeks ago three of our sites went down because of a needed php upgrade which is done on the server. The php 7.1 is a large update that came after a big update to WordPress. All three website’s php were updated and the sites came back immediately. Then, another site was in need of repair and down due to old coding and software. I spent hours on the phone with two Buehost technicians testing and figuring out how to repair a broken website that had been updated to php 7.1. We reverted the php to 5.6 but it was still broken. That particular site was set up by an associate over three years ago, and she came out of retirement to the rescue by reverting it back to php 5.4. It’s theme had been dropped by the developer and could not be updated. Needless to say I am remaking that website into one that can be updated without errors.

I make weekly software updates to all websites that subscribe to the Web Care Plan (see Services page). I also back up your site monthly, or more often at your request. These backups are in addition to ones you may (or may not be) getting through your hosting company. Folks at Bluehost recommend having more than one backup of your website on hand. I use these backups to restore your website if something brings it down, such as malware or unusual circumstances such as those I discussed above.

I understand that your website is important to you and your business and I work hard when you need it most, to get your site back up and running fast!

Here is a way to circumvent the WP builder, which is not at all user friendly. Divi users are already have a beautifully working builder and why would we want to change? Divi also, in answer to this new WP update, went ahead and reworked the design of their interface and it is slightly less user friendly than the Classic, but will be fine once you get used to it.

[Be aware that I may have already changed your settings. If you don’t see any difference, then you are all set.]

Now for the instructions: In your Divi Theme Options, you will see the default General area, turn off the two Minify options which are just above the black css panel. Save. Then go to the Tab labeled “Builder” and open its Advanced tab. Here you turn off what is currently on and enable the New Divi Builder Experience and The Classic Divi Builder. Save.

Now, when you go to your pages, look for the Return to Classic Builder button on the bottom right hand side. Immediately you will return to the familiar interface of the Classic Builder.

During the updating process, a couple of clients, including me, lost some recent edits in their website. I’ve talked to both BlueHost and the Elegant Themes people (who design Divi), and no one seems to know why. Remember, though, that I have monthly backups and can revert you back in time to that version. Some clients may want to consider weekly backups. Let me know if you prefer that service. It is only $2 more per month. All Pro Users now get this in their package as part of their subscription.

For those of you who do not use the Divi Theme, there is a plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/classic–editor/) that will get you back to the classic editor. Support will continue for the Classic Editor into 2021.

Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year with no more big WordPress updates!

1. SECURITY: Weekly updating of your software, WordPress, Theme, and Plugins, will help keep up with security assaults. You may not realize that malware and spam is an ongoing problem for small websites too. The robots sweep through looking for vulnerabilities without discretion to find a place to insert their bad code. Your site becomes the conduit through which the virus  spreads. WordPress itself updates over twelve times a year, then the Themes and Plugins follow suit. Perugi Design uses state of the art software to approve these updates each week or more often, if prompted. If there is a problem, it is hunted down and addressed.
2. BACKUPS: Your site can go down for various reasons. Sometimes, it gets infected, sometimes the code or php software is outdated. Perugi backups your website at least once a month, so that it can be restored to a previous, uncontaminated version. If you blog often or have an e-commerce site, you may want to back up once a week. Knowing that you have a safe version of your website that can be immediately restored is reassuring. Each week I look to make sure your site has been backing up, so you have a fresh version for a restore.
3. CONFLICTS: I will know when the software is not updating. There can be several reasons. It was not updated automatically and the plugin or theme must be downloaded from the developer and reinstalled manually. There are plugins that conflict with each other, with the theme or with my software. I will let you know when this is an issue before changing any plugins running on your website.

If you run into a problem and you don’t have professional help, give us a call at 617-365-3418. Find plans on the Services Page of my website for more information and to sign up.