Posts Tagged ‘security’
Why every website needs a 50,000 mile checkup
Hey, if WordPress is so great why do so many web developers offer maintenance plans? Is WordPress really that insecure? Fragile? Hackable? No! A well-built WordPress site on a good hosting plan is surprisingly secure. So… why should you still get a good WordPress maintenance plan? Here’s how I explain things to my clients: WordPress…
Read MoreRead fine print before paying “Domain Listings” $288.00
It must be that time of year again. I just opened a suspiciously invoice-like “offering” from a company called “Domain Listings” that offers to add you to their “Annual Website Domain Listings on Internet Directory” for the low-low unreasonably-expensive price of $288 per year. Please note that Google will do this for you for free.…
Read MoreAnswering the question “Why is email through Wordpress so complicated?”
Why aren’t website’s contact form messages showing up in my inbox? It’s a common problem. It’s a common question. Here’s an answer. On a Reddit support forum for WordPress users, in a now-deleted post, someone said they were having trouble getting their contact forms and other email delivered when using 3rd-party email providers like Microsoft’s…
Read MoreRead the “fine print” before sending money to Domain Authority
I’ve discussed this issue before but a lot of my clients get this “Renewal Notice” from a company called Domain Authority. Looks like they’ve updated their stationery but they’ve been sending these things out for years. Almost everything about the letter implies it’s an invoice to renew your domain name until you get to the…
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 MoreMore reasons to use real hosting for websites
Bottom Top line: Never, ever host a public website on your personal or business network. Pardon the mild profanity in the screenshot but this video by network engineer Serena from @serenashenetworks explains why very well. The explanation might be a little more technical than you’re used to, but basically she’s describing the computer equivalent of…
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 MoreDon’t tell anyone but we’re beta testing daily backups and WordPress software updates for all maintenance clients…
We’ve been making weekly backups and software updates for our maintenance clients for a very long time. Since sometime back in 2012. We started officially in late 2013 or early 2014. We always watch for malware and software vulnerabilities and run updates as soon as developers release fixes. When we upgrading our hardware and software earlier…
Read MoreBelts and suspenders, eggs in one basket, backup plans, and A2Hosting ransomware!
The popular A2Hosting company is struggling with a ransomware attack that’s knocked quite a few of their Windows-server clients offline. While we’ve recommended A2Hosting to some of our WordPress clients we direct them to Linux hosting so they’re unlikely to have been affected by this attack. Ugh! Ransomware is a serious problem for smaller ISPs…
Read More