Backup Buddy Plugin – A Dream Come True
If you have read my blog, attended my workshops, or even casaully discussed WordPress with me, you know my feelings about backing up your files. Yes, most servers and hosts do it routinely, and yours might be one of them. But I don’t like to rely on them.
I always recommend using WP DB Backup plugin for your database which it basically all of your content — pages and posts. But what about your other WordPress files. And all the media you have uploaded? Yes, you can back those up usually using an FTP client, but maybe you don’t have the know how or the time.
I know what you are thinking.
This sounds like an ad.
Well, in a way maybe it is. But PlugInBuddy.com from iThemes, has come up with Backup Buddy. It’s great. And it backs up everything.
A side note. I was concerned the otther day when a client that I was doing consulting told me another “so called” WordPress expert told her to just use the export tool, and that will backup everything. Not! What are these people anyway, giving away wrong info!
Yes, I am an affiliate for this, a few bucks in my pocket. And yes, it’s not a free plugin. But damn, it’s great. And well worth the money!
WordPress 2.9 Teaser
Okay, just a quick post to let you know a couple of features to expect in 2.9. I just uploaded the beta version and hope to come back soon with more to share.
THE TRASH CAN – When you delete a post, page, category, comment, or any bit of content, it is moved to the Trash where you can decide whether to pull it back at a later date.
IMAGE EDITOR – ALTHOUGH SIMPLE… Image editing will allow bloggers to crop, scale and rotate images from right within WordPress.
Changing Your Page Title in the Nav Bar
You create a page. You title it “About Joe Smith,” which is what you want it to say on the page. But in your nav bar, you just want “About”. Here is a simple way around this problem.
First you will need to install the plugin All In One SEO Pack. This is a great plugin and one you should be using anyway. I’m not going to use this post to tell your all it’s features, but do check it out.
Once installed and enabled, you will find this box at the bottom of every post and page you create. But you will only see this line for your pages.
Menu label:
Simply type in what you want to appear in your nav bar, save and presto!
Grade Your Website
Recently a colleague suggested I check out the site Website Grader. It’s a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective.
Interesting results. Out of 100, our site was graded a 92. Whoopee!
Website Redesign: 5 Copywriting Questions to Ask Yourself
These days, especially if you have a WordPress website, you can easily make updates as your business grows and evolves. When your target client and message change, it’s a good idea to make sure the content of your website reflects that.
Sure, you want the details right. But you also want your site to reflect the heart of your business. Because that is what your clients and customers will respond to. When you engage their senses and emotions, they will stick around-to the end of your message.
5 Copywriting Questions to Ask Yourself in a Website Redesign
To get your content right, with a nice balance of facts and emotional appeal, ask yourself these 5 questions:
- Is the content focused on my needs or those of my clients? Are you talking too much about yourself: your experience, your degrees, your portfolio? Because your visitors don’t care about that. All they want is a solution to their problems.
- Do the words I use show that I know my audience? What works for accountants with MBA’s or company CEO’s would be disastrous if you are selling to teenagers looking for the best deal on a skateboard.
- Do I know my business’s brand and personality? Try narrowing your company’s brand down to three adjectives: Is it loyal, fun-loving, serious, friendly, trustworthy, playful, reliable, irreverent, or something else? Keep these descriptive words in the back of your mind as you write your website’s copy.
- Does my passion about my business show? Picture your copy as eyes. Is your visitor seeing them light up when you talk about your product or service? Don’t be afraid to get excited. Show in your copy that you deeply believe in what you do. It will shine through in your message.
- Does my unique “voice” come through in the website copy? Every website visit is a conversation. Visitors click to ask questions. The answers you give them show them who you are. It’s simple: Know your company’s brand and personality and put that voice in your copy.
Cheap Websites – An Assembly Line?
First off let me say that in general this is not a new subject. Low-cost website packages have been around for sometime. You will find them everywhere on the web. But this recession has done a strange thing.
I am seeing more and more marketing consultants, web designers and developers and graphic designers offering low-end websites. And a lot of these are the same people who frowned on them only a few months ago. So what the heck is happening?
First of all, it’s obvious: the economy. As businesses cut back on spending, we all need to find the perfect price point that gets us in the door. Secondly, platforms like WordPress are making it easier to create a website for very little money. But….
“We’ll get you started on the web with a 5-page website for only $500.”
“Give us a few hours of your time and you will be on the web for only $300″
“Build your own site and have a web presence for only $49 a month.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Recently I overhead someone talking about the low-end websites they do for clients. Basically I heard this, “Heck, we can pump those things out like crazy, takes us so little time!”
Makes you feel real confident in the end product, huh?
So what’s the freakin’ point you may ask. What I see are three huge vital elements lacking.
You get what you pay for! Sure they will get you on the web, and most of them get you a decent brochure website. It will tell people landing on your homepage what you do, but I really doubt it will “sell” what you do. Even if you are paying just a few hundred dollars, you want your site to do more than just sit there.
Where’s the accountability? Are these people “pumping out a site” or are they working with you? Do they really take the time to understand what it is you do, what you want your site to do, and then walk you through the process?
Finally, the content. Amazingly in these promos for low-end sites, I see something like this: we will do you so many pages, provide SEO (yeah, right), throw some stock images on it and maybe even give you the hosting. But do they ever mention the copy? The real selling point. Web copy is an art in itself. Web copy can provide great SEO, and it can sell your product or service effectively. Most importantly it needs to pull your customer in, keep them there and make them take the next action. Without good copy, a website is nothing.
So, with that all said, if you are thinking of taking advantage of the low-end sites, think about what I said and ask questions. If they promise the world, get it in writing.
I know as small businesses we have tight budgets, especially in these times, but all I can say is, “Be careful out there.”
