Manage WP Webcare

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 Sometimes, it gets infected, sometimes the code or php software is outdated.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.

TEXT
You may already have text from a previous website that you want to update or you may have none at all. Brochures, reports and other publications may offer you a good start. The designer or content developer will take this to edit into something usable for the new website, keeping in mind what key words need to be added for search engine optimization. This is a start and you will have to involved in the editing to make it work for you.

GRAPHICS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
If you have a logo, that is a good place to start for color exploration. Not having a good logo may provide an opportunity to include that design in your agreement. Photographs you may already have should enhance your color palette and brand. If you do have good photography, the designer will suggest or select the ones that will be placed on the home page. Another option is to purchase high quality photographs from a stock agency. Designers will look for photographs with the right colors and style for your site.

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Mapping out the layout is key to good user experience. Your visitors will need a clear understanding of what you do and how you will help them. Your designer will create a design that provides a satisfying pathway for a visitor who follows through with a call of email to find out more.

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH
When all the functionality is set and the layout is finished, your designer will launch the site and make sure everything is working correctly. Flow, typos, links and software kinks need to be worked out. Your site should have a security certificate and your new site should be added to search engines and social networks. Incoming marketing efforts can begin to provide traffic to your site which can then be tracked.

Your involvement as website owner is necessary to achieve good results from your website from the very beginning to the end!

Wellesley Repertory Theatre has a new website with a lot more functionality and growth potential. Their previous site was showing wear and not easily updated. We worked together to organize their three theatre groups events into a manageable system that makes it easier for editors and visitors alike. The domain has changed from wellesleysummertheatre to its current domain. Visit their new website at http://wellesleyrepertorytheatre.org. Be sure to check out the Box Office page and consider making a reservation to one of their shows! See you at the theatre!

How to Get 100 Content Ideas in 1 Hour by Nicole Kohler was a bit meatier in content and one that I can share with clients. So many people need help with writing their blogs or even generating ideas for them. With tools that Nicole shared you can generate ideas with keywords, test their popularity and even figure out if your competitors are using them too. If they turn out to be well liked but not overused, you have a winning topic!

One of my favorites, From Blog to Business Running a WordPress Membership Site, by Brian Krogsgard, will be helpful for anyone wanting to monetize a membership site. After you identify your goal, verify that it is marketable. Start with a great website, write a blog and make it good. There are different types of memberships sites: monthly, yearly or one workshop at a time. Definitely include bracketing, which will give your customer a choice in services. Also, engage with your group by email and surveys.

The Business Panel featured Amanda Giles, Jared Novack, Kate Gilbert, Kristina Romero and Sam Hotchkiss and was hosted by Annie Schmidt. I was surprised to learn the range of fees for web design and development:  $7-$15,000 per site on the low end and $30k to $70k on the high end. It’s all about what the added value is to the client. Will the website bring in 20% more customers? What is that worth? They also discussed website maintenance plans.

Power SEO for Your WordPress Website was delivered by Tom Shapiro, a very experienced SEO web developer. First things first, says Tom. It’s all about your marketing strategy. The company’s focus may be wrong or just boring. Find a niche that your competitors have not. Then Yom gave us a quick history lesson on Google and its many algorythm changes. Basically, Google just wants to bring a good, relevant customer experience. So it’s not just about adding keywords, it’s adding value to the website. And use visuals!

Setting Up Care Plans for Predictable Incomes by Kristina Romero included a lot of practical advice for the web designer who need residual income to stay in business. Today, websites need updating every week to perform well. The tools are out there to help the website providers stay on top of that. Web maintenance involves updating software on a weekly basis, backing up the site on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, doing performance tests, creating reports and being available for support calls. You can monetize these tasks by letting your clients choose the plan they want or need. It’s a wise investment.

At first it was mostly graphics for magazines and other publications, then I did more general graphic design projects such as annual reports, brochures, invitations, logos, etc. Technology was changing and I grasped the ring that came my way and started making html websites.

But as I reflect on the changing technology for design and marketing, I can appreciate what we have now that is so affordable or even FREE! I am a WordPress web designer. I (and my clients) get the WordPress software absolutely free thanks to Matt Mullenweg and his company, Automattic. I also get my favorite 80 themes cheaply, thanks to a special lifetime deal from Elegant Themes which I pass on free to clients. Many plugins that bring amazing functionality to your website are free as well.

Fonts, that we used to spec and order from Type Houses was expensive. And every new line of copy added up. Now, many fonts are free. In addition, clients enjoy free use of my font library. If you want to market your services, all you have to do is Blog (free) or use Social Media (free). Free Newsletters are possible with Mail Poet in your WordPress dashboard.

Are you noticing the word FREE a lot? Does anyone remember the days of news or magazine ads? Yes, you still have to be clever to convert visitors to customers, but the inbound marketing opportunities are there for the taking.

So, no, I don’t mourn for the Good ‘Ol Days. I’m happy for the Good New Days! I just wish they had come sooner!

The sad truth is that hackers are more sophisticated at catching us unaware. Their success relies on quantity. If one person buys their bogus offer, then maybe others will as well.

In the past, we learned, that you never go to your bank or Paypal website by clicking a button sent by email. Always go to the url of the company and then look for the message or offer on their home page. The bank will be well aware by then and post a warning. Misspellings were often a giveaway. You can be pretty sure Bank of America will not publish an email with a misspelling. But, look out… Today, it may not be so easy to detect.

If you start receiving annoying emails with a big UNSUBSCRIBE button flashing at you, don’t go near it. Malware could be inserted into your email to then gain access to your email address and send out the same offer to many other people you don’t know. Your hosting company, always on the lookout, will shut down your website (and your POP email) if they catch malware in your files. It is your job, then, to get it cleaned out by contacting a company such as WeWatchYourWebsite.com. It may take a day, or two, or even a whole week before you can ask your host to get you reinstated.

But, how do we avoid malicious code in the first place? Here is a list of ways you can be proactive in the fight against malware:

1. Add spam filtering to your email. This prevents the spam email from gaining your attention. If you aren’t receiving junk email, you won’t be tempted.
2. Add the Surcuri plugin to your WordPress website. This is a free plugin by a reputable company. Update your plugins and WP software regularly. They often come with security updates.
3. Back up your website, weekly or monthly.  I back mine up to Amazon S3, but you can back a website up to your computer or server also.
4. Back up  your computer. Use an external hard drive or the cloud. Do it monthly.
5. Use secure passwords. I can’t emphasize this enough. I use a password generator to create mine, then copy them to a secure area on my laptop.

And always be on the alert. If you detect anything suspicious, run to We Watch Your Website, and hope for the best!

Their previous site had been cobbled together by an ex-employee, using a complicated theme and poorly chosen out of focus slider images. Deb  and Evan picked out the theme, DIVI for its built-in responsiveness and overall ease of use. If you are in the neighborhood, check out the restaurant. Chef Evan creates awesome food (see for yourself!) and the open air ambience is incredible.

See the site here.