Have you searched for your name and business on Google and reviewed the results lately? Are you monitoring and managing your online reputation? What others are saying about you online can have a great impact on your business. In fact, it could have more impact than anything you have posted yourself (on your website, ads, social media, etc.)
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How To Manage Your Online Reputation
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Tighten Up Your WordPress Website Security
The basis of more than 73 million websites, WordPress is one of the most widely used Content Management Systems. It’s popular with web designers and end-users alike for numerous reasons. Unfortunately, its popularity can make it a target for hackers.
Taking proactive steps to secure your WordPress files is vital to protecting your web presence and your business. To start, we strongly advise you keep WordPress up-to-date on your site (new security features are often released with each version) and choose passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess.
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Protect WordPress with Backups & Malware Scans
Think website hackers and data theft is a only concern for governments and large corporations? Think again. A recent Forbes article online reported that 40 percent of cyber attacks are against companies with fewer than 500 employees. Yet many small and medium-size businesses are not taking adequate security measures to protect their websites.
It is always wise to have systems in place for off-site file backup and malware protection.
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Is Your Website Tired or Wired?
Your website is your business card to the world and, as such, you want it to successfully portray what you do. Whatever your line of work may be, your website needs to tell site guests your story and how you can help them. This “storytelling” may be accomplished through a variety of methods – words, pictures, graphics, video, etc. – all designed to encourage people to choose your services rather than those of your competitors.
So how do you go about creating a website that successfully reaches your target audience? What elements does an effective website include? Is there a special trade secret that needs to be followed? The answers to these questions may vary depending on who you ask; a web designer, a graphics specialist and a writer will have differing points of view – all of them valid.
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New WordPress Update Service
If you are running a WordPress website and you can’t remember the last time you updated WordPress and your installed plugins, then this is for you!Updating WordPress and plugins regularly ensures that your website is running with the latest features and most importantly has all of the latest security patches applied. Just like with your computer updates, your website system needs to be updated regularly too to minimize the threat of a hacker exploiting your site.
To make sure you are staying on top of your WordPress updates, we are releasing a new monthly service where we will update your WordPress install and all your plugins at least once a month for $15 a month.
If you are interested, contact us here or call us at 919-374-3014.
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What is PHP Programming and Why Should you Care?
So you want to develop a website where that you can track phone calls, emails and follow ups, as well as manage billing , inventory/ and the status of team projects. Or perhaps you want to create your own online community or social media website. No Problem! Thanks to the versatility of the open source programming language PHP, you can do that and more! Designed by Rasmus Lerdorf in order to pass his resume online and then collect data, PHP has continued to be used by web developers for a variety of needs and web-based applications. PHP is lauded by programmers for many reasons, but these factors are best summed up as follows:
- PHP can be used to create exceptional web pages and interact with info on the web
- It can be used as a go between with users and databases (Such as MySQL)
- Compatibility with almost any Internet server
- PHP/MySQL-based open source solutions are free to use and can be found easily online, such as ImpressCMS or WordPress
- The syntax is simple and has many similarities to C or Java. In addition, it can be used easily on Windows, Macs, UNIX and other programming platforms.
- PHP, though free, is also secure, when used properly
Some of the more common uses of PHP programming are:
- Online inventory management systems – track what you have in stock and who is ordering what products/service
- Content management systems – manage your website yourself easily online
- Online photo galleries – store photos of products, customers, family, etc.
- Ecommerce systems – sell products online with a shopping cart
- Community social portals – create your own version of Facebook, perhaps?
In addition to the many uses of custom PHP development are several attractive benefits that make it practical for everyone involved. These benefits are because PHP is an open source framework.
- PHP custom programming costs less than other languages, typically.
- Because it is simple, it takes less time to have your website live.
- The flexibility of PHP makes it perfect for an abundance of website designs and customization options.
PHP is one of the more versatile tools in the programmer’s toolbox. If you are looking for a way to ramp up your website, PHP is just the tool. Contact Page Progressive to see how custom PHP can be used to help you.
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Tasks: My Favorite Google Apps Addon Now With Calendar Integration
Google recently added an addon feature for Google Apps called tasks which shows a list of to-do items in your mail view. You can turn it on by going to Settings –> Labs and look for "Tasks." I love this addon because it puts a list of to-do reminders where I spend a good portion of my time – in email. Tasks can even be viewed on your phone.
Even more recently, Google added task integration with Google Calendar, so you can schedule tasks and easily refer to them when in Calendar view as well – here’s more information from Google about it.
Did I mention Google Apps is free for 50 accounts or less? Once you see what it’s capable of, it will revolutionize your workflow.
Some of the more common uses of PHP programming are: