Probably a phrase that no one in the community ever wants to utter. I bet you’ll probably stop reading this post temporarily just to take a look at your website to ensure that it is still up and in-tact. Some of you may even clear your cache and refresh to be double sure. Does this type of thing happen often, yes! Does this happen to anyone or just you? If you’ve been hacked before it sure feels like it was just you out of the millions of active websites on the interwebs. You can’t feel too bad about it, it was probably bound to happen if you have never thought to make the necessary steps to keep your website secure.
So what do you do now that your staring at some ugly graphics and text that reconfirms the obvious that your website has been hacked? Check out this list of options below:
Contact Your Hosting Company
Inform them that your website has been compromised so that they may be able to take steps to isolate the problem to a specific server or files before it spills over into your neighbors yard. Most websites operate on shared servers. This means on any given server there could be multiple websites of all types sharing space. Kind of like the electrical box outside your house.
Protect Your Own Computer
Once you’ve learned that your website has in fact been hacked, trying to navigate around it may not be wise as files may be compromised. Clicking on links or images may unload spyware or malware to your local computer that may wreak havoc on your home/work network and systems.
Pull Up A Backup of Your Database or Website
This of course is considering you set a plan for backups to your website on some type of regular basis. We use a plugin called WordPress Database Backup from Austin Matzko, however that plugin hasn’t been updated in a while. So I’d suggest BackWPup by Inpsyde. There’s a host of options including backing up to your Dropbox account. You can also perform your own backups by heading over to the Tools section, then clicking on the Export option and saving that to your local computer. Now if you do have a backup, you’ll be using the same plugin for backing up (in some cases) and choosing the import feature, or using the native import feature through the Tools section in your WordPress dashboard.
Get A Fresh Copy of WordPress
Go to WordPress.org and get yourself a fresh copy of whatever current version is out at the moment. There are a few files however that you’re not going to want to alter as they will consist of vital data pertaining to your website.
wp-config.php (contains your database, host, password, and more)
wp-content (FOLDER) (this is where your themes and plugins are stored)
There are a few files that you should delete regardless if your site is new, hacked, or not:
wp-admin/install.php
wp-admin/install-helper.php
wp-admin/import.php
readme.html
wp-admin/upgrade.php
wp-admin/upgrade-functions.php
If you’re not sure, make a copy while your in your FTP to your server side and rename the parent folders to :whatevername.old” or “whateverfile.php.old”. This way when you upload new files you won’t overwrite the preserved ones and you’ll still have fresh files loaded where compromised ones may have been.
Change Your Database Password
This same password is listed in your WP-CONFIG.php file so you’ll need to go through your host control panel to edit your MySQL database to edit this. Once updated to something WAY more secure and different, edit the password in your wp-config.php file and re-upload that to your server. I shouldn’t stress that this shouldn’t be the same password as your Dashboard user login.
Speaking of users, be sure that you are NOT using the default “admin” account to login to your site. If so please create a new login with a better username like your nickname plus favorite 5 digit number, add in some spaces and a few capital letters while you’re at it. Brute force attacks on WordPress sites are common and over 90% of the time they are trying under the “admin” username.
Be sure you’re using the most udpated version of PHP. Could be 5.2 or 5.4. Check with your hosting company as well as your theme to be sure you’re where you need to be.
Login to WordPress and Check Around
See if there are any new users accounts (especially administrator ones) that you know shouldn’t be there. Update the passwords on the remaining ones you know are authorized. See if there are any new pages, posts, media files, etc that you know you didn’t load. Remove them too. If you did preserve some files or folders, you may have to reload your theme(s) and plugins. Not a big deal since you’ll easily be able to see them from your preserved files/folders.
Keep Up To Date
Be sure to keep in-step with security updates from WordPress. If you ever see a 3.x.x update, chances are is a vulnerability update and it will be an update to patch something that someone from Automattic or the WordPress community has discovered. Also check in on your plugins and themes to see if they have updates. Most theme houses like Themeforest or WooThemes will contact you via email whenever there are updates pushed by the submitting developers. If not, take some steps to stay up to date on your own. Beware of some free themes you find on the net too. There usually is no accountability or liability should that theme go un-updated for months or years yet still be available as free. Or worse yet, repackaged and loaded on other sites as a free theme yet its now loaded with malware.
Install Preventative Security Plugins
While there are a host of plugins you can choose from, some free, some premium; GET SOME! I’m more of a fan of premium plugins from respectable developers versus free ones because truly, you get what you pay for. The level of responsibility from premium developers to ones just starting out is quite noticeable and to be respected. So what should you use? Here are some suggestions:
If you’re a web designer or blogger, you know that WordPress (WP) has quickly become one of the fastest growing, most popular content management systems (CMS) around. It’s extremely quick to install as well as easy to navigate and master. And they are consistently evolving across all platforms with simple-to-use themes as well as free updates and plugins that are only a few clicks away via the dashboard Most of us WP users and web designers purchase a theme with majority of the bells & whistles we think we’ll need. But sometimes the theme falls short, you need your website to have certain functionality that you could not have foreseen needing or you need to add functionality at the behest of your client. So this is where plugins plug in-filling in the gap between wishing and less limitations.
In the last year, I’ve begun having more fun in the dashboard and realize that I’ve been missing out on all the cool plugins that make building/editing a site more efficient as well as functional. Some are tried and true while others are indeed new. So here’s my list of my favorite WordPress plugins to date.
All-in-One SEO Pack – All in One SEO Pack Pro v2.1 improves on the most popular WordPress SEO plugin. Not only can you set site-wide defaults in WordPress as well as customize the search engine settings for each individual WordPress post, page and custom post type but now you can manage exactly how search engines crawl each page or post. All in One SEO Pack Pro even gives you complete control over your social meta or OpenGraph meta so you can control what appears on your favorite social media sites.
Custom Link Widget – A Simple, straight-forward plugin that lets you insert links as the widget. Just insert your link, name it and it will convert it to a hyperlink automatically.
Image Widget – A simple image widget that uses the native WordPress media manager to add image widgets to your site. It automatically resizes and aligns your image, allows you to link the image and even allows you to override your theme template!
Post Types Order – You can custom order the posts without making any php file changes or publish date resetting. Simply install plugin, drag & drop.
Widget Logic – This widget gives you extra control field called “Widget logic” that lets you control the pages that the widget will appear on.
Ultimate TinyMCE – A chock full kitchen sink of editorial/functional options.
WP Touch – This plugin reformats your website to a mobile site for easy navigation & shortcuts on Apple iPhone / iPod touch, Google Android, Blackberry Storm and Torch, Palm Pre and other touchscreen smartphones.
Acurax Social Media Widget – This so ridiculously simple plugin lets you define the icon style & add multiple social media linked icons to your Twitter,Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube,RSS Feed,Linkedin, and Google+.
Good morning all – Jean and I had a great discussion during our video blog yesterday and we hope you enjoy it. However, if you don’t have time to watch it or take notes, we’d like to share some of the key points made. The next time you take on a new client, consider these questions or issues to raise, dialogue about and seek answers to in order to successfully manage your clients expectations.
1st Element: Understanding Who Your Client Really Is
A. Find out the type of personality they have & how they best communicate (email, text, telephone or in person).
B. Through discussions, try to extract the purpose of the website and their business goals even if they aren’t clear on them.
C. Stress the importance of branding & being clear about their business identity & its goals so that the website and/or branding efforts are successful.
A. What’s the vision of the company?
B. Who do they believe their customers & consumers are?
C. What do they think their consumers & audience want to see & expect from them?
D. Take the initiative through dialogue/research to get a firm understanding of their product or service and how they want to market it.
E. What are the goals they want their website and branding to achieve?
3rd Element: Setting Client Expectations for the Project
A. What is the projected costs & overall budget (with wiggle room)?
B. What are the time frames for benchmarks and completion?
C. Are you requesting and receiving all relevant content for each page of your website upfront? Consider how this affects time & workflow of project.
D. Are their images web-worthy (i.e. are clear, look professional), of high-resolution and large enough to scale down for editing if needed?
E. Have you established a good client relationship that can endure project delays and/or disappointments?
F. Can that rapport endure if there are issues with responsiveness from the client that affect workflow, benchmarks & completion dates?
4th Element: Clients Expectation for ROI
A. Make sure you set realistic expectations of the actual ROI and timeframe in which they might see the fruits of their investment.
B. What do you do with a client that has unrealistic expectations of ROI?
C. Explain why advertising their website is crucial once it is launched and the need for continued marketing efforts.
– They need figure out how they are going to notify current customers about their new website.
– Make announcements via Social Media platforms.
– Invest in marketing materials that reflect an online, worldwide presence.
D. Encourage them to think outside the box to market their website.
– If you’re a Mom & Pop, consider Small Business Association meetings, posting marketing materials in coffee houses & restaurant/business lobbies.
E. All businesses need to focus on and execute strategic customer outreach campaigns to see profitable ROI.
The Wrap Up It’s important to set the expectations from both parties from the beginning. Set your workflow & do your best to stick to it. Hold your clients accountable for their website’s success. Help them understand that the success of their website requires THEIR initiative, drive
& passion for THEIR business. Remember, good content does wonders for customer engagement and willingness to purchase the product or service. Understand it’s about client relationship & the longevity of that relationship.
This is a touchy topic for some people because it involves the main thing we’re all battling with in the current economy – MONEY. Depending on how familiar you are with the web world and which side you fall on (user/consumer or developer/geek), the cost of building/creating a website can be a mystery to business owners Because it’s not just about selling you the service but helping you to understand what goes into the cost and ultimately and why you’re being charged what you are for your businesses website
Most people think its pretty easy to build a website. And for some that may be true. But for most, the key considerations are beyond their level of expertise and a designer or developer is the best options. When contracting a designer or developer, understand that you’re not paying for the technology. You’re paying for their time and knowledge. To be honest, there isn’t anything that a web designer does that anyone else cannot do. So let’s go deeper to understand what the common needs are, clarify some myths about web design and give a clear understanding of what the “time and knowledge” really provides you with.
Small Budget but Big Ideas
There are plenty of you out there that are either thinking of starting a business or at the beginning stages of developing your business. Chances are you don’t have that huge SBA loan or a stockpile of start-up cash, so penny-pinching and sweat equity is you’ll be building on. As a small, budget conscious business owner you might have a great idea in your head but are unable to bring it to life because you don’t know how to or have the necessary tools. You could spend hundreds of dollars on buying a tutorial software program, spend hours to learn from them all in hopes of a “DIY” success. Just the thought process of designing your own brand takes time. Then bringing that vision to a digital medium takes some additional time and skills. So what’s more likely is that it might be cheaper and faster (and less of a headache) to hire a designer who can make your vision a reality with a little less Advil.
Why You Don’t Know-It-All
We love these types of people. Why? Because they likely already have a plan and concepts for what you want your website to look like and convey to your consumers. Which is great that you’re that clear about your market base and what they need or want. The only drawback, is you usually believe the building process is as simple as copy and paste. Know-It-Alls sometimes will sign up for a trial version of some web-based CMS (Content Management System), built a few pages of a simple website, and now assume that it’s a quick and easy process. Like some .99 cent WYSIWYG app which can would work just the same as every app that a seasoned developer must be using. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Here’s what that time and knowledge consists of a seasoned web designer and developer offers:
Knowing how to build page structures
Creating responsive designs for a better user interface and user experience
Adapting the website for optimum browser compatibility
Ensuring all necessary software updates
Typography for a better look and feel
SEO
Sitemaps
Working with image sizing and quality
Optimizing page loading times
Creating content for landing pages
and so much more
If You Want Full Control
I have no argument with clients who want to manage their websites once it is completed. The ability to update content, images, links and so on without having to contact your developer is truly ideal. We used to sell desktop programs for this back when we primarily built HTML websites to allow this indulgence. Now with WordPress, not only is the learning curve smaller, there is no cost for additional software. Now because most people aren’t looking to change the base structure of their websites; WordPress is a great option to self manager. But here’s the warning. Be aware that with a few wrong clicks or improper coding edits, you can actually break your website. These types of mistakes can render your site with a 404 error quick and in some cases may not have an easy fix. This is just one of many examples why its better to leave it to the professionals. If we break it you justifiably can yell at us!
When Time is of the Essence
There are plenty fly-by-night and quick turn around website builders out there. Also some software programs available from your local Best Buy or Office Depot, as well as online with quick setups that seem like great financial options. . I’d like to raise just a small, red flag on this seemingly time and cost-effective option. You technically don’t “own” the software. What I’ve seen happen countless times is that after purchasing the software, the software developer goes out of business. Or worse, no longer cares to update their software for the most current browsers and security loopholes. So you the consumer are left holding the empty bag and spending hours Google’ing how to fix something you had no part in creating.
So what’s the best option when you need to get online with your website within the next few days and don’t have the time to learn, study, design, or build it. Most designers and design firms can accommodate your prompt request, but may entail a slightly higher cost because of the quick turnaround.
BYOS (Bring Your Own Stuff)
If you want to see a designer or developer do a face-palm smack, tell them you need a website, but you’re not sure how many pages; don’t have any content; the pictures you have are all on your cell phone as text messages; and oh your favorite colors are all in the rainbow. Sure my example may seem a bit comical and slightly unrealistic but I can assure you those requests have come to us. Clients who come to web designers unknowingly unprepared should be prepared for higher costs as a result. Additionally some of these issues which may come up haphazardly during the development process, can require redesigns, restructuring and reorganizations, shooting the cost up even higher.
To keep costs at quoted or at priced levels, clients must BYOS or prepare to PMM (Pay More Money). Lack of preparation can also hold a project at a standstill or cause a push back the launch date. Additionally, when those requested materials are inadequate, there might be more incurred charges for the designer to find stock imagery, perform research on your industry for content as well as securing a content writing for your website. So before you sign on the dotted line, think about what you’re able bring to the table to mitigate costs, both time and money. If you’re not a great content writer, admit it and pay for someone to write for you. If you don’t have time to take product pictures, let a photographer come in and do that.
The Wrap Up
Know that most designers and developers who have been around for more than a few years, do what they do because they really get joy out of it. We enjoy seeing a happy client at the end of a project that’s excited to tell the world about their new worldwide face and presence on the web. One of Design Theory’s “theories” is that we don’t treat businesses as a one time sale. Me and each of my team members maintain good working business relationships with each of our clients. They know we’re always looking out for their best interest as we offer the right products and services to make their project a success.
If you have questions about our pricing, (or our competitors), don’t hesitate to call our office at 888.603.1090.
Found this application from Adobe recently and though to share my experience with all of you. If you’ve been in the design industry for about a year, chances are you’ve worked on or own a Mac computer. I’m not going to get into how or why Mac’s are the preferred choice in design and development, but they are. One main pain in the rear though is browser testing, and since the common browser that we mostly use is Firefox or Google Chrome, access to Internet Explorer isn’t an easy because there isn’t an app for that on the Mac OS.
So enter Adobe for creating a web-based browser simulation app called Adobe Browserlab. It is free to use, all you need is an Adobe ID that you can also get for free and use immediately. This makes for browser testing across multiple browsers a much more pleasant experience even with side-by-side comparing. For those using Dreamweaver there’s also a way to integrate Browserlab for even more testing and preview abilities during your site developments. See some of the screenshots and video below.
We’ve all heard the old adage, you only get out of it (a particular action) what you put into it. And that is so true when it comes to the online marketing of your business and the sweat equity you put into it. It takes time, effort and can also cost a considerable amount of cash if you have it. But if you are a frugal business owner or have fallen on hard financial times due to the economic climate, you need to review these 8 ways to promote your business online completely gratis!.
Free Social Media Resources #1 Facebook posts need to occur on a regular basis to be effective. Most people are logged on during the prime time hours of 5-9pm. You can create quick posts about a new product or service, a free service tip or even ones that are relevant to seasonal time frames. For example, “Stay warmer longer and out of the cold less with a new SmartStart remote starter!”
#2 Blogging via your website is easy enough by adding a few paragraphs with information specific to your business or service. Adding fresh content on a regular basis will give you consistent indexing on major search engines. You can do this yourself or consider asking a friend or family member that’s a pretty good writer to put a brief article together that gives you an authoritative voice about your particular niche and hopefully a faithful following!
#3 Twitter posts are the easiest but seem to be the hardest to keep up with. Why I don’t know. But I do know is that prioritizing a few Tweets per week can help keep your business relevant in this social medium. If you just don’t have the time, there are social media management programs to help schedule postings on a daily or weekly basis.
#4 Hootsuite is a free social media management tool can help you to schedule and manage multiple Social Media networks and your daily/weekly postings. It’s free up to 5 networks and then becomes a paid service. This is a great no cost/low cost option and it’s super easy to use. Another option would be to consider asking a college student to do it for a few bucks so they can leverage it as professional Social Media management experience.
Free Website Resources
#4 merchantcircle.com holds major clout when it comes to online business networking as the largest social network for local business owners. They offer free online business listings, free marketing tools, internet advertising and so much more. It’s 100% free to set up a profile account so you can connect with other local businesses and promote your services/products.
#5 Yelp touts they are “the best way to find great local business” and true enough they are one of them. The site is well-known as the word-of-mouth for the digital world when it comes to reviews and opinions about businesses. Creating a profile is easy, smart device friendly and it is similar to Zagat, allowing consumers to rate your business. Don’t be afraid to ask your favorite and most long-term customers to add reviews to your business profile which helps increase your ratings. Remember, you will look better to consumers with 3 great reviews rather than someone who has none. But make sure you monitor your profile regularly in case someone puts something on there that’s less than becoming. You want to be able respond timely to anything that’s said which could affect your business’ reputation.
#6 Google Placeshelps consumers, much like Yelp, to help choose the right businesses based on their needs. These searches focus on geographically locating your personal needs in the areas of food, service industries and more. Here you can add photos, videos, coupons and even weekly specials all on your Place Page.
#6 Google+ Profile Business Pageis another great tool by Google helps you find, share, rate, and recommend your business to their friends, and people across the web. But here’s the real gold nugget value – on this site you can also hold free customer meetings via 1 to 1 or even a 10-way video meeting called Google Hangouts. You can even stream and record conversations for playback later.
#8 A Free YouTube Channel for your business will allow you to upload your videos and market via your own channel! Plus you can really leverage this medium by programming certain settings and keywords to make your channel appear in people’s online searches. Not sure what kind of video to shoot? Consider educating your consumers via a Tips Video with several how-to’s or why choose your business infomercials. For example, if you’re an automobile service business, give a how-to-tell if your tire has a real flat or if it’s just the outdoor temperature affecting the pressure. Last Tips
-Unless you want to pay someone to do the work for you, it sill takes a consistent effort of rolling up your sleeves and getting these resources to work for you.
-Remember, the goal is to create engagement and grow your online business presence leveraging these free online tools.
-Be consistent in your business descriptions across all these mediums so that search engines pull the same company information about your business.
-Keep in mind that with these resources, there’s no “set it & forget it” recipe. Even with Hootsuite, you’ll need to follow-up on your postings to check for comments and post responses to those consumer comments.
-You aren’t going to see dollar-for-dollar return on these efforts & the time investment you put into it. But I am confident that within 6 months, you will be surely see the fruits of your labors with leads and consumer recognition.
-Pace yourself so you don’t burn out and remember, slow and steady still wins the race all the way to the successful business finish line.
