Wordpress and Blogging Tips

A Faster WordPress: How To Make A Lean, Mean, WordPress Machine

Posted by on Sep 9, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

A Faster WordPress: How To Make A Lean, Mean, WordPress Machine

So you finally got your long-awaited WordPress site on the web. You paid top-dollar for the latest responsive parallax theme, put all your best pictures on the site and loaded it with the latest plugins. You go to view it live on the web and… wow, this thing takes forever to load on the page. You check it from your 4G phone to see if it’s a problem with your internet. Same thing. You have a friend check it, only to find it takes them about 10-12 seconds to load the homepage too. Suddenly, your great new site isn’t so great anymore, and you begin to wonder how you are going to get visitors to stay on a page with a ten-second-plus load time. Is this you? If so, don’t worry, and don’t scrap your WordPress site or run out to change hosting providers thinking you just need more bandwidth. You have options, and I am going to show you first how to discover what is slowing down your site, and then give you five of the easiest fixes out there that can optimize your WordPress site and have you outpacing the other guys in no time. If you choose to ignore this problem, you do so not only at the risk of losing valuable visitors to your site, but also losing rank in the search engines simply because your site is slower than a competitors. Google counts site speed as a ranking factor since early 2010 and will penalize or reward your site accordingly. Find The Problem Thankfully, there are numerous free tools out there to assist you in figuring out how fast, or how slow, your site is. Many of these tools also have helpful, step-by-step suggestions on how to correct your site speed bumps. The two most popular tools out there are Google’s Page Speed Insights and Pingdom’s Website Speed Test. Google’s tool is great because hey, let’s face it, Google is the king of search, and with this tool they essentially tell you exactly what they are looking for to speed up your site to their specifications. Google’s tool also has a very user-friendly analysis and walk through, giving you an overall ranking for both mobile and desktop load speeds. Pingdom’s tool offers a more technical, nitty-gritty look at your site’s page speed and, in addition to offering it’s own similar list of site speed improvements, offers a useful cascade-view that helps you find the parts of your site that take the longest to load. Using Google’s Page Speed Insights 1 – Go to their main page and type in your site URL. 2 – Google will analyze the site and feed you results with a speed rank and their color-coded suggestions to improve your site speed. Google gives you line-by-line suggestions on the best fixes to implement on your site, as well as tips on how to accomplish those fixes.  Using Pingdom’s Website Speed Test 1. Go to the website speed test tab and enter your site URL.  2. Pingdom will analyze your site and give you a brief informational report on page load time, page size, number of requests sent to the server and their performance rating for your site. You will also notice the waterfall (also called cascade) report immediately below that information summary. This will show you the culprits that are slowing down your page load by file name (like the slow-loading CSS file in the example below), a very useful piece of information for our next section.  If you want more options, Yahoo also offers YSlow as a...

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A Guide to WordPress A/B Testing through Google Analytics

Posted by on Sep 7, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

A Guide to WordPress A/B Testing through Google Analytics

When it comes to webpages and websites it’s often the little things that make a difference. You may be amazed but the tiniest incremental differences can make the most significant changes to conversions and sales. The answer to this is A/B split testing as you may already know. A/B testing allows you to try out two different versions of a page to find which one performs the best. It’s a tried and tested manner to increase conversions and we’re going to show you how to use Google Analytics to do so on your WordPress website. Before you Test It’s pivotal to take into account a number of things before you test your website to ensure the most accurate and apt optimisation. You need to decide on the areas to test and these should be selected in accordance with the result you want.  So, if you wish for more signups then you will need to test field boxes, sign up forms etc. If you want to increase sales conversions – the checkout can be a good place to start. Be focused and consistent when testing. You need to schedule your testing to prevent a pileup of data and to ensure accuracy. Decide on a set period for testing and ensure you have enough traffic to test; otherwise the statistics may not be accurate. Ideally you will need 100 clicks or more prior to testing to ensure that the results are accurate. The higher the number of clicks the more likely the A/B split testing will be accurate. First things First Before you begin, you’ll need to do a few things if you’ve not already done them. Install and set up a Google Analytics Account on your WordPress site You also need two versions of the page that you are testing. One copy can be the original and the other should have a different layout, typography or something else than the first. The original and variation will need to be published How to Set Up your Test Google Analytics offers a quite easy manner to get things up and running. Within the program, A/B testing is known as experiments. This can be found by going to the ‘content’ tab on the left of the page, clicking and then scrolling down to experiments. Clicking on your URL will get you started. Now, choose a name for the test and an objective. This allows you to choose and track the number of visitors to each variation page achieve the objective. As an example, this goal could be the number of people that flow through a certain channel to your goal page. So, how many people complete a registration form and land on a thank you page for example. This would then be counted as one completed objective. The next thing to do is to choose different variations of the page for people to land on. As we said make alternative versions of the page and make them publically accessible. These can have different calls to action, designs and layouts. When you add these you will be taken to the next page which has a code to add to the WordPress site’s header. Copy and paste this to the theme’s header. php file. By adding this code visitors will be directed to different versions of the page. Simply, replace $page_id with the id of your original page. It’s also possible to do this by using a tool for WordPress called Google Content Experiments – this means you don’t have to modify the code. When this is completed and you’ve added the code to the...

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Debunking The Myths Surrounding Marketing Analysis And Research

Posted by on Sep 6, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

Debunking The Myths Surrounding Marketing Analysis And Research

Have you been thinking about hiring a marketing analysis and research company, but you are wary because of all the misconceptions and rumors about this particular process? If that is the case, then you should definitely read on to find the truth about the most common myths surrounding marketing analysis and research. Myth No. 1: Only a Few Organizations can benefit from Marketing Research and Analysis The Truth: All organizations, regardless of size or industry, will benefit from researching and analyzing consumer data. If there are only a few businesses who conduct marketing research and analysis in the industry that your own organization belongs to, you may have already concluded that there will be no benefit for you if you do so. Businesses that do not research and analyze consumer data are actually missing out on a lot of opportunities. There are actually a lot of benefits of researching and analyzing this particular set of data, from improved client retention to enhanced efficiency of content and from better conversion rates to greater campaign performance. Myth No. 2: Marketing Research and Analysis Is Extremely Complex The Truth: Through the services of the best marketing research and analysis company, you do not have to worry about complexity. While it is true that the process of researching and analyzing marketing data is difficult for a lot of people, you do not necessarily have to carry this burden alone. This is why there are companies who specialize in providing such services. By enlisting the services to the right company, you will be provided with results in a very easy to understand format. Myth No. 3: Marketing Research and Analysis Consumes a Lot of Time The Truth: Marketing research and analysis results can be delivered within the same day, given that you are working with a highly reliable company. A highly reliable marketing research and analysis company makes use of the latest technologies and tools. So by working with such a service provider, you can expect to gain the results that you need within an impressive time frame. You can choose to have it delivered to you in real time, after every few hours, at the end of the day, or at the end of the work week. Myth No. 4: Businesses Already Know What Customers Want – No Need for Further Market Analysis The Truth: The needs and preferences of consumers are always changing. If you think that you already know exactly what your customers want, you may already have decided that there is no longer a need to perform further market research and analysis. Always keep in mind that consumers, being human beings, are always susceptible to changes. This means, that what they wanted yesterday may be different from what they want today. The only way to be kept abreast of these changes is to always monitor their activities – through proper research and analysis. Myth No. 5: Marketing Analysis and Research is Always Extremely Costly The Truth: Not really, as long as you are able to choose the right company that will perform the responsibilities. Marketing analysis and research services do not need to be expensive. The key here is to choose the right team of experts to hand over the task to. Take the time to find out more about companies providing such services so that you will know the ones that have gained client trust and loyalty, from those that have not been able to deliver results. Learn more about big-data analytics at...

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Cloud Computing- How you can use it and why it is important

Posted by on Sep 3, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

Cloud Computing- How you can use it and why it is important

Unless you live in a cave and do not use technology there are very little chances that you have not heard about Cloud Computing. You might not know exactly what it is and how it functions but you must have heard of it and even used it in some or the other way. Don’t think so? You have used Gmail? That is cloud computing. Dropbox? There it is. It’s basically utilized by most of modern storage applications and whether you are aware of it or not your data is stored in the cloud which allows you to access it from any location. What is Cloud computing? Cloud computing in essence is utilization of pooled resources for providing resources to users as required. Its another feature is the ability to access the data remotely. There are many more uses and benefits of the cloud computing platform. Some of the main areas include: 1. Data storage and backup Today your data is your biggest asset. If you lose your data then your business would be hampered. On various occasions you would have experienced this and felt if only you had a backup of your data. With cloud backup services you can take regular backup of your data and access the data from anywhere. So next time you forget an important document you can easily get another copy of it. 2. Hosted Email For every business and individual email is a necessity. You cannot do without your emails. If you all you email are on your internal company servers then you are limited to accessing it in your office and when something goes wrong with the servers you are stuck without your emails and cannot work further. But with a cloud server you need not worry about anything. You can access your emails anytime and from anywhere on your laptop, tablet or your Smartphone as well. This is another reason many businesses have their emails hosted with external cloud service providers or use services like Google’s mail service. 3. Hosted Application and SaaS Before I answer why you should have hosted applications and Software as a Service, think about you working on your desktop and suddenly it crashes. You need to work on your assignment urgently and you are left with nothing. Getting your PC repaired is going to take time and even after that you cannot be assured if your data would be safe. However, with cloud being there you can rest assured that you would not need to face anything like this. There are various services like the Virtual desktop which is a cloud based desktop that you can simply login to and start using like your own PC anywhere. Then there is SaaS which is basically the software you have on your PC now made available in your browser. You can do your work like you do on your desktop using the software. But unlike the traditional software where you cannot use it anywhere else and do not have your saved data either with SaaS you can use your software from any location whether home or office and access all your data. There are various other benefits of SaaS such as usage based pricing so you do not have to pay for license fees and there is no need to update the software on a regular basis since as with SaaS, it gets done automatically. Another issue which is quite common is losing your laptop or tablet which has all your data. When this happens you are left helpless and risk losing all your important data. But if all your...

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Trusting Ecommerce Security Seals Affixed To Domain Names

Posted by on Jul 15, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

Trusting Ecommerce Security Seals Affixed To Domain Names

Most of today’s shoppers are savvy enough to know that shopping online is a terrific convenience when ordering from a reputable company. While the fear of shopping online has significantly diminished over the last decade, more e-commerce shoppers know how to determine whether or not a site is trustworthy. A trust seal clearly displayed on the home page of a website is quickly noticed by the first time shopper, distinguishing the safe website from the fly-by-night business. However, there is much more to actual notion of safe web browsing than simply displaying a trust logo. Several years back, the FTC vehemently announced that one particular trust seal provider doesn’t really verify much at all, leading consumers to believe every site containing ‘Verified Secure’ protection labels is really trustworthy when, factually speaking, they were not. ControlScan was the company FTC investigators chastised for having lackluster protocols for checking the veracity of websites requesting seals.  The company, since their injunctions, was simply told never to misrepresent themselves to anyone again. Since that time, many people have truly wondered how consumers can begin trusting security seals in electronic commerce today.  We’ve researched several solutions which contrite businesses could consider to instill trust into hungry website shoppers when landing on your e-commerce-related domain names. Lay Your Business Out Clearly Figuratively speaking, security seals are theoretically given to businesses with exemplary SSL technologies, long histories of conducting fraud-free business and having their contact information visible to everyone who stops by.  After all, many people wouldn’t stop into physical store locations with leaky roofing or known felons working the cash register; therefore, consumers want indemnification before shopping online with different merchants.  To alleviate businesses from being deemed untrustworthy, here are simple avenues which businesses could utilize: Dedicate an entire page which clearly outlines your proprietors’ names, addresses and contact information, along with everything which accurately describes what your business is about. Always have customer service based in the same general locality as your business.  Outsourcing may appear money-saving, yet it’s also trust-threatening to domain names of newer nature. Describe to customers specifically how you remain secure, entailing the steps which your company takes, or took, to keep their private information secured.  Trust seals given by third party companies are good; forthcoming approaches by business owners are slightly more honest. Remember, customers aren’t particularly keen on trusting some seal; they want security in knowing your business proactively monitors traffic, transactions and quickly ameliorates hacker attempts.  By outlining your entire safe shopping approach, customers will drop their shopping guards. Perform Due Diligence On Seal Providers Since trust seal providers believe they’re the authority on website protection certification, perhaps flipping the script on Trust Guard, VeriSign, Starfield or other companies providing these bulk seals by performing due diligence would help the business owner truly have ‘trust’ in their corner.  Since several dozen certificate providers exist and charge varied fees for seal usage, perhaps start your search with the Better Business Bureau – the one source everyone trusts since they have physical locations around the USA and Canada.  Other such procedural steps for screening potential trust seal providers include: Contact their company representative to inquire what makes them the go-to authority on trust seals.  Collect as much information on partners, names or internal figures of high importance and make sure they, themselves, don’t have felonious intent. Check to make sure nobody within the business has previously been sued or mitigated against whatsoever.  This should’ve been clearly represented when purchasing used domain names. Putting each trust seal vendor under the microscope will assure you, your business and customers that trust is...

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Specific Components Found In True Domain Valuations

Posted by on Jun 19, 2013 in Wordpress and Blogging Tips | 0 comments

Specific Components Found In True Domain Valuations

As you’ve probably read before, only the potential domain buyer really knows what domains mean to them.  Sellers, too, possess some inkling of an idea what they’re willing to sell aftermarket domains for. For all others unsure what ‘professional’ indicators are used to determine true domain value in dollars, we’re pleased to bring today’s domain valuation standards abreast in case you’ve mulled over buying domain names at the hottest hubs.  Remember, my friends; domain names only have what value individual marketing pros plan to extract from them. Search Volume The most obvious indicator revolves around the number of consumer searches, both annually and monthly, for whatever keyword the domain represents.  By utilizing several keyword queries through the Google Keyword Research tool, one can locate high search volumes of key phrases used daily, discover the competition, and from there determine the worth of current domains held.  Since search figures are updated often, Google’s KWT becomes the NYSE of keywords, per se.  Many pros lightly base their figures off Google and Bing, yet aren’t ready to fully base domain valuation off the unknown searches of tomorrow since consumer interest fluctuates with other markets. Popularity Over the last several years, premium domains sold – on average – around the $15k clip.  Pretty impressive, considering many names weren’t popularly searched terms.  What, then, becomes the operative definition of ‘popularity’ when leveraging this metric in your domain valuations? Number of registered TLD’s, of course, since having the .COM and .ORG of single-worded domains means the .NET instantly becomes hot, and so forth.  Remember, if all TLD’s are available for keywords, the niche probably began its downward spiral several years ago or has heavy market saturation for synonyms of the keywords.  Again, this dynamic is loosely based off what each buyer wants premium domains for. Cost Per Click (CPC) Marketing efforts chomp considerable dollars – even before an official business launch commences. Add the rising costs of keywords, and premium domain names suddenly aren’t so appealing.  No worries, my friends; the average CPC of domains sold over the last year is roughly $1.79.  Sounds expensive, indeed; what drives up costs, of course, are individuals bidding for keywords which aren’t exact domain matches.  For example, you’ll eventually rank well for dog.com (provided your content is related to the dog). While waiting for organic gods to bless you, ‘canine’, ‘puppy’ and other dog-related words are getting heavy traffic in Adwords.  Expect premium domain valuation costs to grow with the CPC rates of domains being sought. Other ‘Arbitrary’ Factors Many smaller factors, like domain length, age and backlinks, are often used to gauge how quickly new businesses could setup shop atop the domain.  Domain length would be the most arbitrary of the three since some keywords in our English language have longer lengths which cannot be helped.  Of all domain valuation standards used, perhaps one’s best tool is common sense bargaining; what you believe to be worth $5000 may only have $400 worth of use, especially if traffic stats lack girth.  With newer ccTLD’s and ‘category’ extensions rolling out soon, .COM’s will drop considerably in value. About the author Roger Klawinski is a freelance writer and seasoned domainer from Indiana who enjoys following domain and search trends. You can follow him on...

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