Month: February 2014

There are a few reasons for this but the main one is for search engine optimisation. Publishing content is the fastest and I would say the easiest way to get your web pages ranking on the search engines and in turn drive traffic and visitors to your website.

The second reason you need to be writing content is so your clients or online audience has you front of mind. So when they need a product or service you are offering, you will be the company they go to. The social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are standard, but extend your reach and look for other people and use Instagram. This is an app that is taking off and I strongly urge, all business owners to at least do some research on this.

Publishing content may seem hard at first but I promise you that over time you will get used to it and may even enjoy the odd article, tweet, blog or picture post. You will find that with Instagram, posting pics and somehow relating this to your work is a great way to get followers and start marketing to them.

Content can take many forms and can be what you want it to be. So long as you are active in this pursuit, you will see massive benefits for your business. Give it a go for 6 months, see what happens. You may end up being very surprised.

Back-up your exiting working files

We login to your hosting account and go to the folder wp-content. This is a simple enough process and from there we are able to download all the contents of this folder to your desktop.

Back Up Your current Database

Your settings as well as the content of your WordPress website are always saved to a database. Think of it like a excel spreadsheet, to put this in its simplest terms.
Your database is a matrix of words and numerals that your website code will draw upon. Basically, this is the basis for your website and it is what makes you able to add or delete content as well as making it fully dynamic.
So, if you are adding a new page to your site, it is really adding a new row in this matrix.

To  back up the database you must look at the hosting cPanel.

Once you have accessed this, make sure you view the matrix and see a list of tables. These all have the prefix of wp.
Then hit the export button
A .sql file should then download to your desktop.

You have to then Install WordPress on Your Next Hosting Platform.

You will find that most hosting providers offer applications to install the database through their cPanels.
If your new host will facilitate this then follow their steps to initiate WordPress in your root directory.
Upload Your Files
All you have to do from here is simple upload these files.

Now, Update Your Permalinks

Please remember that, permalinks do set your URL structure of the website and these must be re saved.

 

Why Should I Need to Migrate My WordPress Website?

Sometimes you need to get away from your current web developers who have organised the hosting and built the website. The best way to do this is transfer all the design files over to a WordPress platform and change the hosting.
Many small business website owners are really unhappy with their web designers and are locked into using their content management system ( CMS). Changing the hosting and CMS will solve all these issues and free these businesses up from over priced hosting contracts.
It’s a simple process and one that can be implemented quickly and surprisingly cheaply.

Never be held hostage again by your web people!

Break free, and get us to handle this entire process for you.

 

What this means for businesses is that you have to get it right, or the following 5 years are going to be very tough for your business. This may sound harsh, but the reality it undeniable. The internet is moving so quickly that, it is really a matter of being as dynamic as quick to act as you can.

 Saying that here are my 5 tips that you should really pay attention to in 2014:

1. Offer a Whole Lot of Giveaways.

This will sound hard, but you have to go the extra mile for all your clients. Give things away, offer discounts, give free advice and consultation. It is going to be a collaborative effort between yourself and your clients, if you want both to be successful. Think of it as a win win scenario. Charging for every single service is going to go out of fashion as savvy consumers will simple look elsewhere for a better deal. I say kill em with kindness and you will be rewarded.

2. Your business and website is also a powerful media tool.

I tell all my clients this. You have to use your website as a marketing tool. I don’t care what business you are in; builders, architects, dentists, whatever, you have to be pumping out content if you want to survive in the digital age. This is not simply blogging. This is all your social media. Look at everything thats at your disposal and become very good at this. For example, if you have not heard of Instagram yet, then you are really behind the times. I say, learn it, use it and market your business on this daily. You ave all these great tools at your fingertips, so why not use them?

3.Understand what your should be paying for IT services.

I am amazed that businesses can still be thousands of dollars for an IT service that they can get for half the price. The days of overpriced ad agencies,  search engine optimisation firms, marketing companies and IT providers are over. You need to be looking online and getting the best value that your money can buy, without being ripped off or going with dodgy suppliers. Learn the market, do your home work and them make an informed decision. We get a lot of businesses coming to us at Hopping Mad Designs, who have previously paid over the top prices and have now ‘seen the light’ and are now getting real value for money – I am not just saying this because it is my company – but we really offer value for money. Savvy business owners will know what I am talking about.

4. Understand the power of the mobile phone

Look around you next time you are in a public place and and take note of all the people on their mobile phones. Its absolutely amazing. Now, ask yourself, has my website been optimised for this mobile environment? Is my website responsive and will it work on all mobile platforms and devices? If not, big mistake!. Your next customer or client could find you on their mobile phone after being recommended to you by a friend. So, if your website is not 100% totally mobile friendly, then this is going to present big problems for your business in the future. In 2014, do something about this make sure you have a mobile phone.web design.

5. Get to LOVE SEO

Most people do not know what SEO is, and this is a big issue when it comes to marketing your business online. make this year the year that you really begin to get acquanted with search engine optimisation. make it the time to work with a credible SEO company, someone that really understands how it works and how they can improve your online rankings. There is so much information about this online, so really there is no excuse for entrepreneurs and all businesses, no matter the size to engage with the SEO process.
I would say that this point is the most important one. Far too many businesses are getting ripped off by SEO companies delivering poor results and charging a fortune. It’s time to wake up and in 2014 try using a better SEO service provider. If unclear about this point, I would strongly urge you to give me a call to go over your SEO and internet marketing options.