Tag Archives: your-site

How to Build a Warp Speed Website

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Hosting

The post How to Build a Warp Speed Website appeared first on HostGator Blog . How to Build a Warp Speed Website Perhaps you’ve already built your website, or maybe you’re just setting out to learn as much as you can before you hire a web design expert or marketing firm to build it for you. Either way, considering the investment of time and money you’ll put into your site, you want to make sure that it converts your visitors. You want those leads and prospects to visit your site, engage with your content, and become your new customers, but there’s one issue: your site loads way too slowly.  Why do I need a warp speed website? According to Google Speed Insights industry benchmarks report, as page load times increases, the chance of someone leaving your site increases substantially: If visitors bounce from your site – meaning they do not interact with any element on your website and “press back” or close the tab – there is a slim chance they will return. That site bounce translates into lost business for you. In order to prevent those visitors from bouncing, your website needs to load fast. In essence, you need to build a warp speed website, which is no easy task. Slow site speed could be due to a number of variables including clunky code, unoptimized images, or oversized page elements and plugins. To narrow down the culprits, you’ll want to use a site like Google’s TestMySite tool to diagnose what’s going on under the hood.  Using the Google TestMySite Tool The TestMySite tool is easy to use gives you a great deal of helpful information and suggestions to improve your site speed. You start by typing in your website URL, and the tool analyzes your site, running a series of speed tests to explore your website performance across mobile network speeds like 3G. Take a look at the suggestions and click on each to see what they mean: Avoid Landing Page Redirects Eliminate Render-blocking JavaScript and CSS Leverage browser caching Prioritize visible content Reduce server response time Enable compression Minify resources Optimize images Depending on how your site was built and on what platform, you’ll see some of these suggestions in your report. If you hire a web designer, then be sure to send them the report to investigate and explore on your behalf. If you still have questions, Google also offers an FAQ page to answer some of the common questions received by website owners.  How can I build a warp speed website? So you’ve watched the video, clicked on the links above, but you’re still somewhat perplexed as to how you can build a warp speed website. Have no fear, here are some best practices to help you: Optimize your images Use a free tool like Optimizilla to compress your images and reduce their file size. By compressing your image files, you’ll decrease the overall weight of your website, decreasing your load time. Reduce clutter on your site You may feel compelled to include a slew of images and tons of written content on your website, but that’s not necessarily going to help you. Instead keep your website copy and images on point. Think about your buyer persona   –  what do they want to know in order to make a buying decision? Is that content easy to find?  Minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript resources By minifying, you remove redundant data without affecting how the browser processes the different resources on your site: To minify HTML,  try HTMLMinifier To minify CSS,  try CSSNano To minify JavaScript,  try UglifyJS Test, Test, Test All the tools in the world can’t replace an actual consumer. Choose a small group of friends, family, and valued customers to test your site. Ask them to take notes on the experience and let you know what works and what doesn’t. You may just find that you have sections or resources on the site that you don’t need – which means dead weight you can remove.  Putting it together  At the end of the day, you build a website because you want to attract, engage, and convert customers. If your site loads too slowly, you’ll miss the mark and lose valuable visitors. Building a warp speed website can be overwhelming, but follow the tips and tricks above to strive for a speedy site that plays to potential customers on both desktop and mobile devices.  Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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How To Backup A WordPress Site Without A Plugin

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Hosting

The post How To Backup A WordPress Site Without A Plugin appeared first on HostGator Blog . How To Backup A WordPress Site Without A Plugin You know that backing up your website is incredibly important. By regularly backing up your site you have a fail-safe in place in case your site is hacked, or you need to restore your site to a previous version. Without a backup system in place, you run the risk of losing all of your hard work. Still, you might not want to use a plugin to backup your WordPress site . If you prefer to create manual backups, you can be sure it’s backing up the right way. Below you’ll learn the pros and cons of using a WordPress backup plugin. Then we’ll show you how to backup your WordPress site without a plugin. The Disadvantages of Using a WordPress Backup Plugin There are tons of WordPress backup plugins out there. These plugins are generally pretty simple to use and can be quickly configured to run automated website backups. For most WordPress site owners using one of these backup plugins will be more than enough. Still, there are some reasons you might want to stay away from a WordPress backup plugin and instead pursue an alternative approach.   1. You Want to Minimize Plugin Use With multiple thousands of plugins available, it can be tempting to install as many plugins as possible. Even though some are incredibly useful, it’s important to take a minimalist approach to utilize WordPress plugins. The more plugins you have on your site the slower your site will perform , and you have an increased chance of a plugin conflict taking down your site, or a compromised plugin creating a security hole in your site.   2. You Want a Customized Backup Approach Although WordPress backup plugins can be useful they tend to have a basic backup approach. This is especially true for free backup plugins. This isn’t always a bad thing if you have a very simple website, but as your site grows more complex you might want more control over what aspects of your site you’ll back up.   3. You Want to Enhance Site Security A lot of WordPress users are rightly concerned with the  security of their WordPress site . In an effort to minimize the number of third-party plugins and programs that have access to your data, you might choose to conduct backups yourself. That way you’re solely responsible for your website’s data and the secure storage of your backups. Since WordPress plugins have been prone to hacking, by controlling your own backups you improve your levels of security. If you want to avoid using a WordPress backup plugin, keep reading to learn how to do it.   How to Backup Your WordPress Site Without a Plugin As we reviewed above, even though using a WordPress backup plugin might be easier, it still might not be the best choice for every kind of site owner. Below you’ll learn how you can backup your site without the help of a WordPress plugin.   1. Do a Manual Backup A manual backup might sound difficult to do. However, you can create your own manual backups from directly within your hosting control panel. The steps below are for HostGator customers . To do this navigate to your cPanel, and find the tool called ‘Backup Wizard’ . Run the tool and you’ll have an entire backup of your site. You can also use this tool to restore your site to a previous version as well. If you don’t want to use the built-in backup wizard and prefer to find and download your site’s files yourself, then follow the steps below: Open file manager.  Locate the tool called ‘File Manager’ within cPanel. Find your site’s directory and download your backup.  Locate your WordPress site’s files. They should be under a directory called ‘public_html’ . Once you’ve found your site click ‘Select All’.  Then select ‘Compress’ . You can also chose the type of backup you’ll save, and where you want to save your backup. Download your WordPress database.  You’re not quite done yet! Now, we’ll need to download your WordPress database as well. To do this locate ‘phpMyAdmin’ within your cPanel dashboard.  With this tool open, select ‘Databases’ from the navigation bar. Then locate the database that’s associated with your WordPress installation. Open up that database and click the ‘Export’ tab on the top window. Save this file in the same location as your other backups. Keep in mind that beyond storing backups on your local computer, you may want to upload your backups to a cloud storage tool like Dropbox too. That way if one of your backups is compromised you know you’ll be covered. Make sure you regularly complete these backups as well. After all, there’s no point restoring from a previous backup if it’s a few years old.   2. Backup Your Site via FTP The second approach to backing up your site is using FTP. This is probably the least frequently used approach, as it’s more technical. But, some users prefer working via an FTP connection. If that sounds like you, then follow the steps below: Open up FileZilla Connect to your site Locate your site’s files Download and save When you open up FileZilla you may need to show hidden files. There are certain WordPress files that are hidden by default that you’ll need to include in your backup. To do this navigate to Server> Force showing hidden files . Once you’ve downloaded and safely stored your backup you’ll also need to download your WordPress database. To do this you’ll need to login to your cPanel and follow the steps for phpMyAdmin above.   What’s the Best Approach for Your WordPress Site? Hopefully, you have a better understanding of the different approaches you can take to backup your WordPress site. If the entire backup process is too much for you, then consider using WordPress managed hosting . This style of hosting will fully manage, backup, optimize, and secure your WordPress site. Keep in mind the method you use isn’t as important as having a regular backup schedule. If a problem occurs with your site you want to be equipped to restore your site to a previous version. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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Do you even blog? :D

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Hosting

Do you maintain an active blog on your site? Or… for promoting your hosting business, have you ever tried to use “content” as a tool? If … | Read the rest of http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1723439&goto=newpost Continue reading →

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How To Use WordPress User Roles To Improve Security

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Hosting

The post How To Use WordPress User Roles To Improve Security appeared first on HostGator Blog . How To Use WordPress User Roles To Improve Security If you’re just a single person running your site, then you probably haven’t thought twice about WordPress user roles . However, if you ever want to give someone else access to your site, now or into the future, then knowing how to use these is paramount. Essentially, with user roles, you can give people access to certain areas of your site. With this, you only give them access to the portions of the site they require to do their work. Below you’ll learn what WordPress user roles are, why they’re important, and how using them the right way can help to improve your site’s security. What are WordPress User Roles? WordPress is equipped with a role management system that allows you to specify what users can and can’t do on your site. As your site grows knowing how to use these roles is absolutely invaluable. Each role can be specified based on certain capacities. For example, you can give one user the role to publish a post, while you can give another a role to update your plugins and themes. In total there are six default user roles you can use.   1. The Administrator Role You’re probably already familiar with the administrator role . It’s the role you’ve been assigned when you created your site. Usually, there is only one administrator role and it has access to everything related to your site. This role is very powerful and you should rarely give anyone this high-level access to your site.   2. The Super Admin Role There is a user role that’s technically one step higher than the admin role and it’s called the super admin role . The super admin role only applies when you have a network of connected WordPress sites using the WordPress multisite installation. This role is responsible for the entire network of sites and has the same privileges as an admin, but it extends out across the entire network of sites. If you have a super admin role, then the role of the admin is diminished and you can no longer modify or install plugins and themes, or change user information.   3. The Editor Role The editor role has pretty high-level access to your site. This role is responsible for content management, so they’ll be able to do things like creating and edit pages and posts. Along with moderating comments and changing categories. They won’t have access to plugins or themes, but everything related to publishing content is under their jurisdiction.   4. The Author Role The author role is responsible for creating content. They’ll be able to create, edit, and publish posts, but that’s about it. They won’t have access to any pages and will have no level of administrative access.   5. The Contributor Role The contributor role  has even less access than the author role. With this role, they’ll be able to read the posts on the site, plus edit and delete their posts. This role doesn’t allow post publishing or the uploading of media files.   6. The Subscriber Role The subscriber role is commonly used for subscription-based sites. Subscribers usually have access to a stripped down WordPress dashboard where they’ll be able to manage their own profiles. This role is useful if you want users to sign up to gain access to certain content.   Why User Roles Matter When your site grows and you have multiple people working in the backend of your site, you need a way to manage these users without getting overwhelmed. User roles are important for two reasons: 1. They can simplify your workflow. If you have a developer who maintains your plugins and themes, a team of writers, and an editor you can assign them specific roles based upon the job they’re doing. This will make their jobs easier and prevent them from accessing parts of the site not related to their work. 2. They make your site more secure. By defining user roles you’re giving people access to limited portions of your site. The last thing you want is an untrusted user installing plugins, or themes, or modifying your existing code.   How to Use WordPress User Roles to Improve Security By assigning different users roles based upon how they’ll be using your site it’ll help to tighten up your overall security. When you give every single site user an admin role you essentially give them full access to your site. Even though you might trust the person you’re assigning an admin role to there are things that can still compromise the security for your site. For example, they could be using a very weak password . In that case, if the password is hacked then whoever is doing the hacking will have a full range of your site. While, if you’ve assigned them a specified user role the damage the hacker will be able to do is minimal. You also never know if another person’s computer is infected. They might not even know, but their computer could have malware or another virus installed. If you give them admin access, instead of a defined user role, this puts your site at risk. Overall, by specifying user roles you end up improving the security of your site and help to safeguard it against any user errors. Hopefully, you see the advantages of utilizing user roles as your site grows. It’ll not only improve your overall workflow but will improve your security in the process. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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Benefits of Using A Website Security Checker

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Hosting

The post Benefits of Using A Website Security Checker appeared first on HostGator Blog . Benefits of Using A Website Security Checker Website security isn’t usually something we think about until it’s too late. Think of securing your website like securing your home. Things like locks, security cameras, and alarm systems help to keep you protected. The same can be said for your website. By using a website security checker you’re keeping your website secure, which not only benefits your website but your users as well. Below you’ll learn what a website security checker actually does, and the benefits it can bring to your website.   Why Does a Website Security Checker Do? Website security scanners regularly check and monitor your site to look for any security weaknesses. Typically, these scans happen on a regular basis and a security tool will check for known threats, malware, and blacklists to ensure there aren’t any issues. If a problem does arise, say your site is infected with malware, you’ll receive an alert and be given the best course of action to take to clean up and protect your site. Most of these tools will also be able to remove any viruses, malware, and other security threats that might be compromising your site. Unless you’re a security expert, finding and removing these is going to be near impossible. Most website security scanners will also be equipped with features like: Regular site backups, in case you need to restore your site to a previous uninfected version. An integrated firewall to protect your site from SQL injection attacks, DDoS attacks, and dreaded comment spam. Put simply, a website security checker will regularly scan your site for security issues, remove any malware or other threats, and employ different tactics to keep your site safe and secure on a regular basis .   4 Benefits of Using a Website Security Checker Without a website security checker, you’re leaving your site open to attack. Hacking does happen, and it can have some unfortunate consequences if you’re the target. Keep reading to learn about the biggest benefits you’ll receive when you use a website security checker:   1. No Chance of a Reputation Nightmare Keeping your visitor’s trust is important. There are a lot of things you can do to improve visitor trust, like having an authoritative design, producing high-quality content, creating an intuitive user experience, and never spamming. However, even if you’re doing all of these, having your site hacked is a one-way ticket towards destroying all that trust you’ve built. Imagine a visitor goes to your site and your traffic is being hijacked and they’re sent to a site that installs malware on their computer. Or, imagine you go to your site and your links all redirect to a spammy site. Or, even worse, imagine a hacker steals all of your sensitive customer data. All of these scenarios are real. But, they can be protected by using a website security checker . This security tool will help to protect your site from the above issues and more. If a security threat arises it’ll be taken care of before it becomes an issue. 2. Regular Protection From Security Vulnerabilities There are a lot of threats out there on the internet. Most websites aren’t 100% protected, as most software and CMS have vulnerabilities. By keeping all of your software, plugins , themes, and apps up to date you’re defended against known security risks, but what about unknown risks? With a security checker, you’re protected against present and future risks – all without having to take care of it yourself.   3. Complete Peace of Mind Imagine being able to rest at complete ease knowing your site is always protected. With a website security checker, you’ll never have to worry about logging into your site, only to find it compromised. It’s simple. Your site will always be protected, and you don’t have to lift a finger. Just let the software do its job.   4. Improved Site Performance If your site is experiencing a DDoS attack or has a malware infection it’s not going to be functioning properly. In some cases, not at all. A website security checker will not only protect against threats that’ll slow down your site but usually, there are built-in features that’ll improve your site’s performance as well. For instance, by utilizing a CDN you’re not only improving the security of your site, but you’re improving its performance as well.   Stay Secure with a Website Security Checker Using a website security checker will help to keep your site safe and secure without any added work on your end. Remember, it’s never too early to start thinking about the security of your site. For HostGator customers, we recommend Sitelock . It doesn’t just scan for malware; it removes it immediately. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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