Ten years ago, you could assume that 95% of consumers would be accessing your website via Internet Explorer
and viewing on a 15" desktop computer screen. Today, people access the Internet on everything from smartphones and tablet computers to desktop computers with screen sizes go all the way up to 27". So the question is, should you get a mobile website?

The answer is a resounding "yes"!  

WordPress can be tricky if you are on shared hosting.  Why? Because despite the fact that almost all hosting companies tout “unlimited” hosting, the only things that are unlimited are bandwidth and storage space.  Unless you are a household name like Apple.com, you are not going to get your host’s attention with your bandwidth or storage usage. However hidden in the small print of your hosting agreement is a limit on server CPU usage and the amount of RAM you can utilize at any given time.  If you are running a WordPress blog and have any traffic at all, you will eventually be limited.  Why?

Hosts like to cram as many websites on a server as possible.  A blog that uses 10% of the server resources would bad for their ratios (websites/server) so they simply limit each site to 4-6%.  What does that mean for someone with a WordPress blog? It means that when you use up your portion of the server resources, further use of your website will be limited.  

So, why does it take so much of the server resources to run a blog?  WordPress is a dynamic platform that makes many requests of the server each time a page is loaded.  It is not unusual for there to be >100 objects loaded for 1 page of your blog.  Want to check your website? Go to: http://www.tools.pingdom.com.

Eek! Now what?

Your host will try to sell you a dedicated virtual private server (VPS) to the tune of $150 or more a month.  Since typical hosting is ~$5/mo, a monthly charge like that can be the end of your blog.  There are a number of things you can do to optimize a WordPress blog and make it run more efficiently before throwing more money at it.  

1. Check for malicious code using the WPAntiVirus plugin.
2. Use WP DB Manager plugin to optimize your database.
3. Remove all plugins that are not critical – especially ones that are not being used.
4. Compress all images before uploading to your blog.  Do not use the “resize” option in WordPress to make your images smaller.  It results in 2 photos being uploaded instead of just 1 and it doesn’t optimize them for web viewing.  ROIT is a free program http://luci.criosweb.ro/riot/ that takes care of both resizing and optimizing.
5. If you will be including a lot of pictures in your blog posts, use a free service like Photobucket to store them.  Every image is an object…the more objects, the more server resources are needed.
6. Use a caching program like WP Super Cache.  It can be a bear to configure, so go here for instructions: http://tentblogger.com/wp-super-cache/
7. Make sure your HTML (http://validator.w3.org/) and CSS (http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/) code is validated.  Errors in the code are often corrected by the browser, but it uses extra time and server resources.
8. Avoid redirects unless they are critical to the function of your blog…again, they take time and resources.
9. Be selective when using iFrames…see above.
10. Be selective when using widgets, especially ones that have to go out and look for Tweets, FB Posts, etc…see above.
11. Get rid of the custom “404 Not Found” page.  It is just one more thing the server has to process.
12. Use Feedburner or similar service to manage your RSS feeds.  If a function is handled on another server, it isn’t using your resources.
13. Use Google Search for site search.  It is free, and again, if it is handled on another server, it isn’t using your resources.
14. Remove post versions http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-delete-existing-wordpress-post-revisions-storedsaved/
15. Don’t post via email or using copy/paste from Word.  It adds excess formatting that has to be decoded by the server.
16. If you are going to present related posts to your readers, use the Efficient-Related-Posts plugin as it uses fewer resources than other similar plugins.
17. Turn off all email notifications.  If you are running a busy blog, you are probably in your Dashboard all day long.  There is no reason for the server to send you an email when you get a comment, if you are there to see it!
18. Click out of the Edit Post or Edit Page screen (go back to your Dashboard) when you are not editing.  WP saves a draft every so often and uses resources to do so.
19. Schedule backups for your slowest traffic period.

** Advanced – Do not follow the suggestions below unless you know what you are doing and/or are following detailed instructions. If not done correctly, the items below can permanently disable your blog.


20. Backup database in MyPhpAdmin.
21. Optimize and repair database in MyPhpAdmin.
22. Review the wp-options table in MyPhpAdmin and delete duplicate entries. 
23. Remove tables that were created for plugins you are no longer using.
24. Hard code your title, blog description and other essentials in your header.php file.

It is possible that after you address all the suggestions above to optimize your WordPress blog, you will still either be limited or shut down by your hosting provider.  In that case, contact Beth for all your WordPress optimization needs.

 

GoDaddy Domains is the clear winner when it comes to domain registration.  They include a whole list of extras at no additional charge including:

• FREE InstantPage website builder
• FREE personalized email
• FREE "Parked" page if you aren't ready to go live yet
• FREE domain forwarding and masking
• FREE email forwarding
• FREE photo album (with or without password protection)

The features at GoDaddy Domains are exceptional:

• Getting Started Guide
• Total DNS control
• Domain locking
• Auto-Renew protection
• 24/7 Technical Support, Sales & Billing
• Status alerts on changes to your account

Auto-renew is a critical feature if your website has brand-recognition.  When a domain expires, it is available to anyone who reserved it or anyone attempts to register it.  If someone gets to it before you renew, you could spend a tidy sum of cash to "get it back" in your hands.

GoDaddy Domains phone support is timely with most calls being answered within 10 minutes.  Their staff is knowledgable and courteous and they will find your answer no matter how long it takes.

Creating and maintaining a website is an exercise in futility if nobody ever finds it. You can tell your friends and family, tweet, and post on Facebook, but if you don't conduct some search engine optimization on your website or run a good AdWords campaign, you aren't going to make money.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your site visible to the search engines so it is returned via natural or organic search results. Each search engine has an algorithm they utilize to return results that are most relevant to the keyword(s). Why? Because they want people to come back and use them again – they are hoping you will click on the link(s) and ad(s) that put money in their pockets.

It is impossible to optimize your website perfectly for all the search engine algorithms. However, there are some things you can do that will improve your rankings:

1. Research keywords used to find what you are selling. Go to Google and try to find it.

2. Use the Google AdWords tool and find out how many people actually search for that set of keywords every month.

3. Choose a set of keywords that succinctly identifies your item and gets ~1000 searches a month: “message bracelet”

4. Name your page using your keywords: http://www.beadedroyalty.com/message-bracelet.htm

5. Use your keywords in the html coding of the website:   Title tag, Keywords tag, Description tag, Heading tag, Alt tag, Title tag 

6. Use your keywords in the text of the webpage. A good keyword percentage is 4-6%...that means 4-6% of the words on the webpage should be your keywords. Using them naturally in unique content will render the best results.

Do you have/want a website and need someone else to do this for you? The Dallas Internet Marketing Consultants at WSI Internet Works offer affordable search engine optimization. Contact us today.

An effective website takes a lot more than just filling in the blanks with a site builder.

1. Make it easy for people to find your website. Sure, you can tell your friends and post on Facebook, but those aren't necessarily going to bring your targeted audience. If people who want what you have don't find you, you aren't going to sell anything. Search engine optimization will go a long way towards helping the right people find your website. 
   
   
2. Buy a domain name. Free websites are one of the top reason for new website failure. Nothing screams, "I'm not serious about my business"€ like a free website. Domains only cost $10 a year, so there is no real reason to use a free domain.
   
   
3. Use professional photos and/or graphic design. The only way site visitors are going to see what you have is the photo(s). If your photo(s) are blurry, they might think you are trying to hide something or worse, that you don't care about your business. Take the time to take a good picture.
   
   
4. Tell your site visitors about yourself. Give a bio, take a family photo, your address and phone number. You might ask "what about the crazy people out there?"€ These days if someone wants to find you, they will. Using a PO box and/or referring to yourself as "the company" instead of "Jennifer" will only make people reluctant to part with their credit card information.
   
   
5. If you need help with any of the items above, don’t hesitate to contact Beth at WSI Internet Works – your Dallas Internet Marketing Consultant.
   
   
   

I talk to small business owners all the time who say - "Can you make my website appear on page one of Google?

Of course every business owner wants that - but what about if you can dominate Google with more than just your actual website? What if you have more than one listing on the first page of Google?

What if you can be found in multiple places? For multiple keywords?

Also - what if you could optimize your social media presence and start seeing real Return on Investment?

I've got some great new marketing programs for businesses that want to "break through" and really generate business from their online presence.

Want to learn more?

 Watch this space in the coming months for our digital marketing training classes.

In the meantime - never hesitate to contact me - I am happy to discuss your marketing plans and see if we are a good fit for your company.

Seth Godin published a great list of "Things to ask before you redo your website" in September of 2009.

What I’ve discovered is that companies should be addressing these issues not only when they are redoing their website, but when they are looking to revise their overall online marketing strategy.

People ask me all the time - who are good prospects for your business - if they can answer at least a handfull of these questions (or would like me to work with them to find the answers) they are a great prospect.

---

 
In the spirit of great link building you may of course read the article on Seth's blog - but here are the main points of the list along with some of my comments...

Things to ask before you redo your website
Posted by Seth Godin on September 18, 2009

• What is the goal of the site?
  In other words, when it's working great, what specific outcomes will occur?
  You'd be surprised how many people get stuck here - be targeted and specific.

• Who are we trying to please? If it's the boss, what does she want? 
  If the boss ain't happy ain't nobody happy :)

• Is impressing a certain kind of person important? Which kind?
  Basic principal of marketing - know (I mean really know) your audience.

• How many people on your team have to be involved? At what level?
  The phrase too many cooks in the kitchen couldn't be more appropriate.

• Who are we trying to reach? Is it everyone? Our customers? A certain kind of prospect?
  It's OK if you are just trying to reach your most profitable prospect - because the effort should always be about return on investment.

• What are the sites that this group has demonstrated they enjoy interacting with?
  Usually these websites are clean, simple, and easy to use.

• Are we trying to close sales?
• Do we want people to call us?
• Are we telling a story?
• Are we earning permission to follow up?
• Are we hoping that people will watch or learn?
  We focus on the conversion goals of the site - what do you want to achieve - what does success look like?

• Do we need people to spread the word using various social media tools?
  An option in 2009 - not an option anymore.

• Are we building a tribe of people who will use the site to connect with each other?
• Do people find the site via word of mouth? Are they looking to answer a specific question?
  Back to Social Media - do you have a plan? Do you understand the difference between pushing information out through Social Media (good) and actually interacting with people (better, but takes more commitment)

• Is there ongoing news and updates that need to be presented to people?
• Is the site part of a larger suite of places online where people can find out about us, or is this our one sign post?
• Is that information high in bandwidth or just little bits of data?
  Often these functions look one way when we first start a web presence project - we learn about how people are interacting with us and modify over time - nothing is ever static.

• How many times a month would we like people to come by? For how long?
• Does showing up in the search engines matter? If so, for what terms? At what cost? Will we be willing to compromise any of the things above in order to achieve this goal?
  Our detailed reporting tells us how our online marketing efforts are increasing traffic to the site - so we can be proactive and responsive.

• Who needs to update this site? How often?
  Content management systems come in all shapes and sizes - but my general observation is that companies have optimistic goals about how often they will update their web presence - so you might not want to have the calendar of events on the home page :)

• How often can we afford to overhaul this site?
  Good clean design will help avoid having to frequently redo the look and feel of your online presence before it gets stale.

• Will the site need to be universally accessible? Do issues of disability or language or browser come into it?
  Wider adoption of mobile-based sites - is giving this issue new importance.

• How much money do we have to spend? How much time?
  Another vote for keeping it simple and clean - focus on the areas where your money can actually give you a return on investment - like conversion improvements and other online marketing activities.

• And finally - Does the organization understand that 'everything' is not an option? 
  Love it - and it couldn't be any truer - if you are struggling making your vision come to life online - take a long hard look at yourself.

First Quarter 2011 Business Masters Workshop

Here are the details for our upcoming session for this Friday.

WHAT:

Our BMW program brings small business owners together for a few reasons:

• As an entry fee, each attendee must bring 1 challenge or issue to have discussed among the group, to act as an informal “Board of Directors”, and help all of us solve problems and challenges.

• Listen to compelling speakers on relevant small business topics. Each session has a different group of speakers for your business gain and continuing business education. This session will feature a topic speaker on internet marketing strategies, and an experienced small business tax advisor. Both speakers will give you real time value!

• A light lunch will be served, as our session goes for 11:30-1:30. We will start promptly, and end promptly, promise…

• At the end of each session, there occurs “natural networking” time for everyone to meet on a casual “one on one” basis.

• Invaluable exchange of thoughts, ideas, solutions, and information to help you run your business more successfully

WHERE:

The Principal Financial Group
5080 Spectrum Dr. #700 EAST TOWER
Addison, TX 75001
( Northwest corner of beltline & Tollway in the Wells Fargo tower, 7th floor)
Free secured underground parking available


WHEN:

THIS FRIDAY 2/25 from 11:30-1;30pm

WHY:

Because we have found that most small business owners do not have trusted people to talk to, share ideas with, and help them solve their problems.

Over the past 30 years, we have seen small business owners reach out for help too late.

Our BUSINESS MASTERS WORKSHOP program was created to help the small business owner meet today’s challenges for success and increased profitability



YOUR PART IN OUR PROGRAM:

We need you to RSVP that you will be attending no later than tomorrow by the end of the business day.

Along with your RSVP, please email me your challenge to be discussed during the workshop as your entry fee.

• Seating will be limited to 15 business owners
• RSVP TO Fred Shlesinger @ shlesinger.fred@principal.com

We look forward to having you share, and helping your business through our BMW program!

I just found this great overview of the Quora on Mashable and wanted to share it with you.

One of the most amazing things about being involved with technology - you are always a student!

My clients and I work together, we collaborate and share ideas. Often my client has an amazing idea, but needs someone who knows how to navigate the online space to make their idea come to life. That's what I provide - the current expertise and the ongoing training so they know that the latest information is just a phone call away.

In the meantime - let's learn together about this new popular website:

Many thanks to my WSI colleague Chuck Bankoff - he has put together a couple of videos that demonstrate many of the challenges we face as Digital Marketing Consultants. Please enjoy.

My comment to everyone who is considering hiring a Digital Marketing Consultant:

• have a business plan
• have a marketing budget

We are ready to help, but without these two essentials, it's very hard for us to make a difference for your business.