Protect your wp-content folder if using a CPanel hosting account

If you are hosting with someone like Bluehost.com, Hostgator.com or any other host with WordPress installations on a cPanel.

Case in point. Let’s say I know www.thisdomain.com is using WordPress. So I simply go in and type www.thisdomain.com/wp-content. An index page will come up like this in your browser window..

And if I was to click on 2010/ I would get access to all images uploaded the this WordPress default file. So I could easily download everything they have uploaded to their site. Sometimes you can do this to the plugin and theme directories as well. Or if I typed in www.thisdomain.com/wp-content/uploads the same thing will happen.

This can be a very big security risk if you offer subscriptions, paid material or other information that you don’t want easily grabbed.

How to solve this…

Sign into your hosting account, and click on your cPanel. At the very bottom, go into the “Index Manager” and select No Indexing for your site and it’s directories, or if you choose, just certain directories. If you don’t, users will easily be able to rip content, plugin and theme information from your site.

It will either go to a 404 page not found, or directory not found.

As always, with WordPress, be safe!

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Warning Signs of the Wanna Be WordPress Expert

Everywhere you look, WordPress “experts” are popping up. Try googling it if you dare. There are even sites that will tell you how to become a WordPress expert in hours. Amazing, huh?

Well, I just don’t buy it. Like so many professions, people toss around the word “expert” effortlessly.

So, let’s look at the definition of “expert”.

expert: a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of, or skill in, a particular area

Hmm, sounds like some gray areas there. The question is, what do you expect of the expert you contact?

The saying goes, calling yourself an expert means nothing, someone else calling you an expert, well, that’s justification. Right?

I would like to propose 10 red flags to look for when searching out your WordPress “expert”.

1. You find out your WordPress expert was only a month ago picking up their first copy of WordPress for Dummies.
2. They use “WordPress Expert” prominently— and everywhere— on their own site. Sounds like someone is trying to pick up some serious google juice, wouldn’t you say?
3. They list themselves as an expert in 2, 3 or 4 different areas, eg. WordPress expert, Social Media expert, SEO expert, on and on… wow, that really is an expert.
4. They leave open comments on every static page of their own website. Like, yes, I would really like to comment on your services.
5. Only 2 weeks ago they were a landscaper.
6. They use cliches like “killer”, “rockstar” and “suck”. Really watch out for the the Rockstar WordPress designer who creates “killer” websites that don’t “suck”.
7. They tell you WordPress is simple and you can have a “killer” (okay, there’s that word again) website yourself in only a couple of hours. Not!
8. Their prices are too good to be true. Often they use the old “bait and switch” approach here. And in the end, you still need help.
9. Their tagline is “We Make a Wordpress Expert and Blogger”. Say what? (Seriously, I found this one the web).
10. And last, but not least, they do not follow protocol, and ignore using uppercase W & P when spelling WordPress.

In closing, all I can say is, “BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.”

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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.”

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WordPress Themes – Free Vs. Paid

 

A couple posts ago I talked about the basics of a theme. Now let’s talk about the free versus paid. 

If you use WordPress, you know how many free themes are out there —literally hundreds. There are a lot of good ones, and some that are okay. If you are using yours for a blog, the choices are endless, depending on your needs. But if you are choosing WordPress as a platform for your website, you may want to consider the benefits of a paid theme. 

Now don’t get me wrong. Again, there are plenty of good free themes out there, and I’m not slamming any of them.

But, let’s look at what you may get with a paid theme:

You get what you pay for. Hey, that’s life. I don’t need to explain this one. In fact you will find that many of the “free” theme developers, have paid one’s as well. Get the point?

More bells and whistles. Yes, the paid themes will be more widget-friendly. They may already have a lot in place that you don’t even need to bother adding. 

Support. Here’s a big one. Again, someone that offers a theme for free, how much time can they give to supporting that theme. Sure, they may have a forum on their site, but still the opportunity of being able to contact someone when you need them, is so much more beneficial.

Updates. Another biggie! When WordPress does its updates (and they can be often), this can send your theme into oblivion. I’ve seen it happen with clients. Sites that offer paid themes have a bit more reason to make sure that their themes will work with the next update. In fact, many get hold of the “beta” version of the next update, just so they can  be ready!

So the choice is yours. Just give it a bit of thought as you choose your next theme. What do you want it to do for you? Think long term.

Of course you can always change midstream and that works will with blogs. But a complicated website — changing the theme can cost you time, money and several ongoing headaches! 

Here are just a few links to some great paid themes:

WooThemes

ithemes.com

Studio Press

Again, just a few. Look around, ask around. I’m sure you will find just what you need.

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