Posts by David Innes, RealBasics.com
Digging deep to find an SQL error in a WordPress site migration
We were approached to help a remote client recover their website after their in-house servers crashed. They had all the files and a recent database backup, which is great! We routinely reload websites from files and databases, so we didn’t see any problem walking the client through the steps over Zoom. But what could have…
Read MorePaying $289 to “US Domain Authority” won’t renew your domain name
I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from clients asking “do I need to pay this bill?” This morning in a business meeting four members said they’d received one of these notifications from a company called “US Domain Authority” in Hendersonville, North Carolina. In a nutshell: You don’t have to pay “Domain Authority” a penny…
Read MoreShould you get your website ready for a return to “offline” sales?
The short answer is “you probably should.” A number of larger industries like lumber and car-rental agencies are said to have been caught off guard by a resumption of demand as the COVID-19 pandemic is finally beginning to wind down. The problem seems to be more that they weren’t prepared than that there isn’t enough…
Read MoreGrowthZone Member Management for Associations and Chambers of Commerce Websites?
Does your website use one of the GrowthZone membership managers (including ChamberMaster and MemberZone) for your professional association, chamber of commerce, or other membership-oriented organizations? If so did you know you can integrate your membership pages with your website? If you have a WordPress website there are two ways you can do this: By creating…
Read MoreDon’t just update WordPress, update your Zoom apps too
Just a reminder that for desktop users the Zoom app we use for meetings (including meetings to discuss maintaining, fixing, or building WordPress websites) doesn’t update automatically. And at least my Mac desktop version doesn’t even remind me to check for updates. Everyone else may have already known about this so maybe I only need…
Read MoreAre ThemeForest and other paid themes really that bad?
In a private Facebook group about WordPress speed someone asked an excellent question: I have a question about paid templates for WordPress, e.g. Themeforest.Is it true that cool looking templates, with e.g. animated buttons or an interesting mouse cursor, are definitely slower and less optimized than the simpler, more standard-looking ones? It’s true that there…
Read MoreWordPress will be around for a bit longer…
It’s true! In 2020, 80% of websites are still using PHP, 77% use jQuery, and WordPress has 63% of content-management system (CMS) market share. And, “worse,” the numbers are increasing. Only it’s not really “worse” at all. When you’re running a business it’s not necessarily “worse” to use common, standard technology as long as it…
Read MoreNever leave a File Manager plugin on your WordPress website in the first place!
A File Manager plugin can be a very useful tool when you need it, but you can say the same thing about a stick of dynamite! It’s not something you want to leave in the kitchen junk drawer in case you need it later! David Innes, owner of RealBasics.com The ultra-tech website Ars Technica reported…
Read MoreIf you get email from GSuite saying remove links (you’re probably ok)
First things first: if you got a confusing email from GSuite that says something like “[Action Required] Remove internal links to the G Suite Domain Contact page for your organization” don’t panic! Bottom line up top: They’re just recommending that you clean up any old links to an out-of-date service that you probably weren’t aware…
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