Moreover, the industry will be worth 15.7 trillion dollars by the end of the decade. If you think that’s outlandish, just take a look at your smartphone. Whether you like it or not, if you are using a smartphone, you are most probably using Artificial intelligence as well. Actually, around 97% of users interact with AI daily.

So, the question is not whether you should use AI but how to utilize it in your best interest. Is it worth giving a shot when creating a website, and in what aspects can it reduce your work and help you create a stunning online home? In short, let’s discuss how to utilize AI when building your website.

Can AI do everything from A to Z?

Before we get started, however, let’s address the elephant in the room. You might think you can build a website just by telling an AI what to do. Wouldn’t that be something? Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. AIs are not yet smart enough to create such complex things independently. They will need your guidance and your ability to share your vision clearly. The AI will also need refined instructions on how to proceed with some aspects, as it tends to be stubborn in doing things its way or in no way.

What AI can do, however, is help you with the heavy lifting. The manual job, which usually takes days, can now be done in mere seconds.

Searching through the internet, you will find several AI-powered website builders who will promise you a great website in a few minutes only by asking you a few questions. And indeed, these are great if you have absolutely no vision whatsoever of how your website should look. However, at least for now, such platforms build generic websites that lack personality and flair. That’s enough to chase most customers away.

Still, that doesn’t mean you should entirely disregard this marvel of modern technology. On the contrary, you should take full advantage of the AI’s capabilities when building your website.

Use AI in web design

Just a few years ago, this was more like a science fiction than a reality. Today, we can bear the fruit of the tireless development of Artificial intelligence and its strive to take web designers out of business. Jokes aside, AI is far from being able to substitute an experienced web designer, but it can help first-time website owners know precisely what they want. In other words, AI is great at giving you an idea of how your website should look and what elements it should have. To top it all off, it includes complimentary color schemes that perfectly align with your brand.

In this regard, DALL-E can be of great help. Instead of souring for hours across various platforms, searching for something that might be up your niche, you simply write a simple request like, “Create a website design layout for an {industry name} in the {niche name} niche. The website is for {brand name}, and the target audience is {target audience}.” You will receive several versions of great-looking websites.

Uizard is another outstanding AI tool dedicated to creating exceptional web designs. Unlike DALL-E, it creates full-blown mockups like the one below:

Just share what you want to create, add your categories and your needs, and the AI will do the rest. You can also use screenshots or sketches of your design, and Uizard will transform them into mockups you can use for ordering a website to a designer.

Now, as you can see, these AI tools won’t build your website but will help you get a clear idea of what you want and what you have. After that, you can make it yourself on WordPress or hire a designer to do it for you.

However, before that, you will need to work on your brand.

Use AI in building your brand

Now that you have a design in mind, it’s time to improve your branding. First and foremost, you will need a logo. There are many logo generators out there. Those that are free to use are pretty good but will only generate a standard logo. It’s good enough if you are just starting, but hiring a designer for the job might be a better idea if you are dreaming of going big. Otherwise, AI generators like Looka will create a stunning and elegant logo based on several questions and preferences. The entire process takes less than 2 minutes. After that, you can get your logo for a small fee.

Smashing Logo is another great tool in this direction. It creates various types of logos based on your preferences, industry, and niche, as well as your personality. Still, in the end, if you want to get a web-ready logo, you will have to pay a hefty price. Yes, you will have it instantly, but alternatively, it won’t be any cheaper than hiring a designer on Fiverr to create one for you.

There are many more logo generators, but at least for now, they are far inferior to having a designer create your logo. Still, they are handy to give you an idea of what logo to order. However, there is a far more valuable use for AI when it comes to branding. You can use it to find your perfect target audience, determine your buyer persona, and align your brand voice and personality to your target audience’s expectations. This is invaluable for your website creation process, as it’s instrumental to building your brand personality from the very beginning. In this regard, Chat GPT and Bard are irreplaceable partners.

Use AI in creating content

Speaking of Chat GPT and Bard, they can be of great help in creating content for your website. Especially with Google’s Gemini and Open AI’s Chat GPT-4, AI engines are truly on the verge of being able to create stunning copy for your website independently. Unfortunately, though, that’s not even close to enough.

Indeed, AI assistance is of great help, but if you want an honest, genuine connection with your audience, you must write from the heart. Most users can easily recognize AI’s refined and to-the-point style, devoid of any personality. You can’t force a machine to mimic empathy or human emotions, as it can’t understand them. You can’t forge genuine experiences, which, again, AI can’t have.

Still, AI can help you a lot with creating content. On the one hand, AI can inspire some great ideas on how to build your landing page. It will give you the best practices and even provide you with examples.

Furthermore, it will streamline your work by making the research process infinitely easier. A great example is researching your target audience and their characteristics. Instead of reading 20 articles and 30 papers, you can just ask an AI model to summarize all of them and give you direct answers to the relevant questions. Not sure what the relevant questions are? No problem, ask the AI to help with that as well.

Artificial intelligence can work miracles in the background. Still, don’t be greedy and write the actual copy and content yourself. Otherwise, your communication with your audience will remain just that – artificial. And believe it or not, users feel the difference.

Use AI in maintaining a blog

While we are talking about content, AI can help you greatly in writing your blog post. Though it’s pretty tempting to use Chat GPT or Bard to generate blog posts, this is definitely not a good idea. Even if you utilize the paid version of Chat GPT, you will still struggle to provide a unique perspective on an issue. You will simply paraphrase other ideas, which is not the point of having a blog at all. Your blog, along with being a great SEO tool, aims to showcase your professionalism and understanding of the industry you are in. It grants you authority. Thus, using AI to create blogs is disgraceful, to say the least.

Moreover, although Google doesn’t penalize AI content per se, it insists on sharing personal experiences with your audience. As we already discussed, however, AI does not have and will never have personal experiences, as it’s a machine. So, naturally, blog posts written by a well-versed in the industry writer will always be better for your SEO. They will also be better for your communication with customers, as well as for establishing your authority.

This being said, AI does have some excellent implications regarding blogs. First and foremost, as we already mentioned, it’s a great way to gather information faster. Still, if you are using the free modules, be careful, as they don’t always tell the truth. Chat GPT’s free version’s knowledge was cut off in September 2021, while Bard often feels the gaps in its knowledge with interpretations that are not always true.

Still, AI can be extremely useful for finding relevant topics, creating content plans, fast-tracking research, editing and proofreading your draft, and, of course, checking for plagiarism. Even this blog post uses some AI help. Almost all writers nowadays use Grammarly to avoid typos.

Use AI in SEO

You might want to dial down your expectations when using AI for SEO. Though utilizing AI will optimize your workflow and cut your work time in half, you still need to know the basics of SEO research. In other words, once again, AI won’t do your job. It will simply assist you in making it a bit easier and faster.

Before you get to the AI tools, building a good and winning SEO strategy is still your job. Yes, AI can help you with gathering and analyzing data, but the creative work will be left to you (or your team, of course). Still, utilizing AI to find trends within your data is more than a good reason to employ AI in your SEO.

Moreover, robots can also take over keyword research. For example, you can use Semrush’s Keyword Magic tool to help you find the right keywords for your needs. That’s, of course, vastly different than asking Bard to find you 20 keywords for your eCommerce niche at the last moment.

AI can also help you make your text SEO-friendly. There are a ton of guidelines that a writer should follow to create an SEO-optimized text. While most professional content writers know them by heart, most people don’t even know they exist. Thankfully, with AI, you don’t have to read through dozens of pages and try to guess what Google had in mind when writing paragraph 3.

We’ve talked about the Yoast SEO plugin, which uses AI to pinpoint problematic aspects in your texts. You can use this tool to polish your text and make it Google’s favorite.

So, just like with everything else, AI can help you a lot in your SEO efforts, but it will certainly not do the entire job on its own.

Use AI in customer relations

Though it might only play a supporting role in website building and content creation, AI takes the spotlight when it comes to customer relations. Utilizing Artificial intelligence will significantly boost your business in this regard, as AI will practically save you money, time, and effort. The easiest example is customer service.

AI customer support allows even small businesses to offer 24/7 support. What’s more, these AI interactions save you money from hiring an entire support team. Moreover, they effectively take care of over 90% of all queries, as they are most often something that can be found in the FAQ section or elsewhere on your website.

The best part is that the AI can store and analyze data from these interactions and help you position yourself better on the market.

More advanced AI can even make customer recommendations based on their online behavior. For example, if a customer is looking for a vacuum cleaner, the AI can also offer them some filters. Or they can pinpoint the color scheme of products they spend more time looking at and offer them similar products in the same colors. The opportunities are as vast as your imagination.

Use AI in eCommerce

Finally, let’s get to the most practical use of AI on your website – e-commerce. As we’ve already explained in our e-commerce trends for 2024 blog post, AI will be everywhere. It will be the catalyst behind the customer-centric offerings in e-commerce in 2024. It will also empower more and more brands to follow Amazon’s lead in offering personalized related products. The retargeting potential is sky-high when utilizing AI, which can increase your sales significantly.

Moreover, AI can help you create a much more efficient sales process, boosting your productivity, revenues, and customer satisfaction. With artificial intelligence, you can create individual and highly personalized customer journeys based on the user’s behavior. This is significantly better than having one customer journey to fit them all.

For example, if a customer has entered your website through Google by clicking on a blog post, they are in a vastly different stage of their customer journey than those who clicked on a specific ad for a specific product. Thus, their customer journey on your website can’t be the same. With the help of AI, you can segment your audience even further, making the entire sales process much more personalized. Naturally, this will lead to better results.

All of this will decrease your spending and increase your overall revenues. Naturally, you will have to find the best tools to do that. If you are after a customized AI tool, you will have to invest a significant amount in building and teaching it. Still, the investment is well worth it.

Conclusion

As you can see, AI can significantly help when building your website. All you need to do is know how and where to utilize it. Hopefully, you will no longer have illusions that a machine can do the job while you kick back, relax, and take all the profits without lifting a finger. Unfortunately, the Technotronic era, as envisioned by Zbigniew Brzezinski, is not as close as the Polish American political scientist believed. So, you will still have to put in the hours to build up your business.

The first step, as usual, is to secure your infrastructure. Yes, even when creating your website from scratch, you need a solid foundation on which to build it. We’re talking of course about your service. No website can exist without a server hosting all its data. Luckily, this is not something you will have to take care of alone.

All you have to do is take a look at our plans and choose the one that best suits your needs. We at HostArmada pride ourselves on our top-of-the-line cloud-based hosting services. We offer lightning-fast loading time, top-notch security, and something no AI can guarantee (at least for now) – a 99.9% uptime. Remember that no matter how good your website is, it only counts if it’s out there on the internet for others to see. With our hosting services, that’s guaranteed.

The post How to Use AI when building your website? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

The benefits of going for a WordPress website are countless, and the downsides are relatively small. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no hiccups along the way. Even WordPress users may find themselves in a troublesome situation, as the platform is not immune to errors. This being said, it’s essential to know what the errors mean, why they appear, and, most importantly, how to fix them. Thus, as usual, we are here to help. We’ve prepared a handy crash course on the eight most common WordPress Errors you may encounter.

White Screen of Death

This is one error no one wants to see. It’s hands down the most disturbing issue you may encounter. The White screen of death (WSoD) basically replaces your entire website with a blank page – a vast nothingness. There are no error messages, no notifications, nothing. Just a white screen telling you you are screwed.

Most often, WSoD means your website memory limit is exhausted by a script. Thus, your hosting provider either times out the script or, as a more radical solution, kills it altogether. That’s why you don’t get any message whatsoever. Sometimes, the problem might come from a poorly performing plugin. In rare cases, this may even be caused by a coding error in the theme itself.

The toughest thing about the WSoD error is that a number of reasons can cause it, so the solutions are not as simple and straightforward as some other errors on our list will have. So, if you stumble upon this traitorous error, don’t despair. The fixes are quite easy. The hard part is determining what the problem is.

Solution

1. Firstly, if you can access your dashboard, try deactivating all your plugins. If your website appears after this, it will look rather dull. Still, it would show you that the problem is within a malfunctioning plugin. Start activating the plugins one by one until you find the one causing the problem. Once you find it, you can replace it with an alternative, delete it altogether, or look into a solution within the WordPress society.

2. If you can’t even reach the dashboard, it’s a good idea to try if other websites using the same hosting account are operational. If not, then contact your hosting provider to find a solution. This may be a temporary problem, but nonetheless, informing the hosting provider they have it is a great way to make sure the problem is with them.

3. Sometimes, the problem is because you’ve reached your memory limit. Well, the obvious solution is to increase your PHP memory availability. This will allow the heavy script to get more memory and finish the job.

4. If you suspect the problem is within your theme, simply activate the WP Default Theme. Before you start changing anything, though, creating a backup is a good idea, just in case the problem is elsewhere. Connect to your website via FTP client and go to “wp-content/themes/ folder. There, you will find all installed themes on your website. Select your current WordPress theme with a right-click and download it to your computer. Only after that can you delete it from your website. This way, WordPress will revert back to the default theme.

5. Sometimes, the solution to the WSoD is as easy as clearing the cache.

Locked out of wp-admin

WordPress dashboard is, without a doubt, the single most important asset of your website. This is the main panel where you can change, add, or delete content, functionalities, or copy from your website. Needless to say, having constant access to the dashboard is instrumental in having an operational WordPress website.

However, there are some issues that may lead to getting locked out of your WordPress admin dashboard. Now, don’t panic. This is troublesome indeed, but as usual, there is a solution.

But why would WordPress lock you out of your own website? Well, there are various reasons. You may have unintentionally messed something up if you have touched the website’s code recently. Some plugins may also be behind this issue, as well as a theme update. If the problem occurred after a recent change, you would have a pretty good idea of where to start looking.

Solutions

1. The most common reason for being locked out of your dashboard is a forgotten password. The simplest solution is to simply follow the “Lost your password” and gain access that way.

2. Another reason to be locked out is when you reach your login limit. By default, you have countless tries to enter the correct password. However, any IT specialist will tell you this is an invitation to hackers to simply try hundreds of thousands of combinations until they crack your website open. Thus, having a limited number of attempts is a good idea.The problem is when you reach this limit. Still, that’s not the end of the world. The easiest way to gain your access back is by using an FTP client. Access your website’s data via the FTP client and go to /wp-content/plugins/folder/. There, you simply must delete the limit-login attempts plugin, and you are ready to go. Just remember to reinstall it once you’ve gained access.

3. The worst reason for being locked out of your dashboard is if your website is hacked. Then, the hacker might have deleted your admin privileges. Don’t worry, though. There is still a way to recover your website. However, this is definitely not something you should do alone, as it needs vast knowledge. So, finding a professional to do it for you is best.

Trouble with Database Connection

As you can imagine, your website is nothing more than a sequence of files stored in a database. So, to be able to access your website, you must have a connection with the database at all times. Naturally, sometimes your website loses that connection, and it’s most often due to a single file on your website – wp-config.php. This is the file that contains all the information about the website’s database. Thus, if there is a problem with the database connection, this file is most likely the perpetrator.

Solution:

As you can imagine, the solution to this problem lies in precisely this file. First, you must find it within your website’s files. The wp-config.php file usually lies in the root folder. When you find it, right-click on it and select View/Edit. Now, you would want to check if all credentials are in order. This includes the database name, the My SQL database username, the password, and the hostname. These are the lines you should be looking after.

/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name_here');

/** MySQL hostname */
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

If the credentials are not correct, fixing them should solve the problem.

However, if the problem is still at large, you will need to add an additional line to your wp-config.php file:

define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true).

Make sure to place it separately within the file and to designate it properly. Once you’ve added the line, go to http://www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php. There, you will be able to repair your database. Note that any user will be able to get to this link, so once you’ve finished fixing the problem, don’t forget to delete the added line (1 define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’, true))

Failed Auto-Update

Now, this is one problem that’s definitely not a huge deal, but it does cause inconvenience. You must keep your WordPress up to date, and if your Auto-update is not working, you will have to do it manually. This is tedious, to say the least, and may pose some serious security issues as well. You can check if there is such an error in the update menu on your dashboard right under Current Version.

Various reasons may stay behind this problem. Losing an internet connection during the update is the most common one. Still, the problem may occur due to losing connection to the WP main files or having some incorrect permissions.

Solutions:

If this is a one-time occurrence, you can simply do it manually. Download the WordPress zip file, extract the downloaded files, and prepare for installation. This includes deactivating all plugins, as they may cause an issue during the installation process. Also, you may want to delete old wp-admin directories from your web host and the wp-includes. The new upload will replace them.

Then simply transfer the new files into your wp-content folder and overwrite the old ones. It’s important not to delete any files in that folder or the folder itself.

Finally, upload all loose files from the root directory of the updated version to your old root directory. Do not delete anything from the root directory, and avoid overwriting any customization files or plugins if that’s not crucial.

Then, delete the .maintenance file from your WordPress directory by using FTP.

Next, you must update your installation. You simply must visit your admin page and log in. WordPress will provide a link to the upgrade.php if the update is required. All you need to do is follow the instructions.

After all of this is done, reactivate your plugins and clear the cache.

Syntax Error

Syntax errors typically happen after you’ve made some changes to your website. For example, you may have added some custom code to your website, or you may have installed a new plugin or theme. The problem occurs when a syntax error is introduced to the website’s code.

The syntax error is courteous enough to show you precisely where the error is, or at least show you the line that’s causing the issue. Naturally, the solution is quite simple.

Solution:

To fix the problem, all you need to do is to fix the error in the shown line. If someone else did the changes and you’re uncomfortable messing around with your website’s code, reverting to a backup is the easiest solution.

If a plugin or a theme causes the problem, deleting them will resolve it immediately. Or you can use an SFTP to find the problematic line and fix it yourself. It’s up to you.

HTTP Image Upload Errors

This is one problem that can really be nerve-wracking. You’re just about to post your new blog post and can’t upload your image. Now, the size would hardly be a problem if you are uploading an image. WordPress allows you to upload files with a maximum size of 512 MB. The most common issues are incorrect file permissions or plugin interference.

Solutions:

1. Before you jump in your FTP of choice and start giving out permissions, you might just want to clear your browser cache and see if that wasn’t the problem in the first place. Sometimes, the browser cache interferes with the uploading process, and the solution is as easy as clearing it.

2. Try renaming the file. If the file name contains any special characters, this will render the uploading process impossible. So, take out all punctuations and special symbols from the file name.

3. Try uploading from a different browser. This way, you will see if the problem is with your browser or website.

4. Deactivating plugins. Yes, unfortunately, plugins, as third-party software, often lead to problems with your website. Still, a simple deactivation of recently installed or updated plugins may be the solution. If this solves the issue, inform the developer of the problem so they can fix it.

5. Check if the memory limit is not exhausted. If this is the problem, you might want to increase your memory limit.

6. Finally, check if the file permissions are correct. Go to your /wp-content/folder/ using your FTP client of choice and find the uploads folder. Right-click on it and select “File Permissions”. Next, go to the Numeric value box and enter 744 or 755. If both don’t work, try with 644. Then, check the “recurse into subdirectories box and select “Apply to directories only. ” Finally, press OK, and this should solve your problem.

Fixing WordPress Keeps Logging Out Problem

This is definitely the most frustrating issue you can stumble upon, especially when you haven’t saved your work, and you are in the middle of configuring vital settings. The worst part is that this issue is caused due to negligence and oversight by the person configuring the website.

The issue is often caused by placing a different URL in the site address and the WordPress address boxes in your website’s settings. Every time you log in to your website, WordPress will set a cookie to your browser that will authenticate your login session. The cookie is set for the WordPress address stored in your settings menu. So, if there is a difference between the site address and the WordPress address, the login session can’t be authenticated.

The worst part is that in 99% of cases, the problem is that you added www in one of the boxes. For example:

WordPress Address (URL) : https://yourwebsite.com

Site Address (URL) : https://www.yourwebsite.com

Frustrating indeed, but easily solvable.

Solution:

The solution is as simple as going to your dashboard –> settings–> general and making the WordPress address and the Site address the same. Don’t forget to hit “save changes” at the end.

Connection Timed Out

Finally, we have the connection timed-out error. Usually, this issue appears when the server gives up trying to recover your website’s data. Naturally, this happens for a variety of reasons. The most common is within your server. It simply lacks the resources to load your website. This can be caused because you reached your bandwidth limit, because too many users are trying to enter simultaneously, or you reached your visitors limit, set by some hosting companies. Moreover, if you are using shared hosting, another website could be hogging all the server’s resources.

Solution:

1. One solution is to downsize your website. Get back to the default theme, reduce the number of plugins, and optimize your image and video use. This will reduce your resource needs.
2. Upgrade your hosting plan. If shared hosting is not enough anymore, obviously, you must go a step further. Unfortunately, though, dedicated server hosting plans can cost significantly more than what you are used to. Still, if the website earns money, each minute down is a huge loss.
3. Finally, you can simply join HostArmada and enjoy our cloud-based hosting infrastructure. This allows us to redirect occasional influxes and maintain all our customers online all the time. We even have a 99.9% uptime guarantee policy, affecting shared hosting customers.

So, if you want an easy and cost-efficient solution to the connection time problem, all you need to do is check our plans and choose the best fit for your needs. On top of that, you will receive a lightning-fast loading time and top-notch security.

Conclusion

Knowing how to deal with these issues will help you mitigate sudden problems with your WordPress website without the need for a professional. Still, if the issues prove to be more severe, we highly recommend seeking the help of someone with experience dealing with WordPress. Those issues may be easily solvable, but touching the database of your website is not a joke and it may easily destroy your entire work if not done with precision. So, if you think you are not ready to solve those issues on your own, there is no shame in simply asking a professional for help. It will certainly save you a lot of time and trouble.

The post Top 8 Common WordPress Errors and how to fix them appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Fortunately, there is one truly effortless way to achieve your goal, and it’s called a child theme. This powerful tool will allow you to explore your theme’s potential, add new functionalities, update, and even change the design without your new look going online prematurely. But why would you need a child theme? Can’t you just change the regular theme and reverse it if there is a problem? Well, you can, but that’s definitely not optimal, and you will waste a lot of time, harm your stats, and, worst of all, damage your SEO. So, while a child theme is not a necessity per se, it’s a pretty handy tool if you want to touch the building blocks of your WordPress theme.

But before we get to the scenario where you will need a child theme, let’s first address the elephant in the room.

What Is a Parent, And What Is a Child Theme?

Using WordPress gives you immense advantages. One of the biggest pluses of using the CMS King is the countless themes you can choose as the basis of your design. These are professionally made website templates that can fit any niche and need. Most often, they are enough to create and operate a fully functioning website.

When you want to make additional changes to the theme but you want to keep the original code intact, WordPress gives you a solution. Using a child theme, you can change anything without risking your original template.

A child theme, as defined by the WordPress Codex, is a theme that “inherits the functionality and styling of another theme, the so-called parent theme.” But what exactly are parent and child themes, and why should you consider using them?

Parent Theme

The parent theme is the foundation of any WordPress website. Whether you have an e-commerce website, an online business card, a one-pager, or anything in between on WordPress, you have a theme that encapsulates all essential files, styles, and functions needed for your website to have any structure or design. Naturally, it can operate as a stand-alone theme, and it doesn’t need a child theme. This theme is the building block of your website, as it lays down all its essentials. As a result, most people don’t even go any further than the parent theme, as it often offers everything you may need to have a fully functional website.

Child Theme

On the other hand, the child theme is an overlay of the parent theme. It mimics its functionalities, customization, and layout while allowing you to tweak them. This gives you the opportunity to play around with styles, functions, and elements without the fear of losing your customization.

As you might have guessed, a child theme needs a parent one to function, as it doesn’t have any styles and functions on its own. It only copies those of the parent, as they inherit part of their files, including styles and template structures. Thus, how good your child’s theme is will depend on your chosen parent theme.

For example, if your parent theme lacks some cornerstone functionalities that your website needs, the child theme will lack them as well. So be mindful when browsing in the WordPress theme library and pick a template that aligns with your vision and needs. This way, the child theme will have a strong foundation, and you won’t have to develop it from the bottom.

The beauty of child themes lies in their ability to safeguard your customizations. Child themes ensure that your design and code modifications remain intact when the parent theme receives updates. This separation of concerns is crucial for website stability and long-term maintenance.

Child themes are a developer’s best practice when it comes to adding extra features or styles to a WordPress theme. They should never directly edit core WordPress, plugin, or theme files except for starter themes specially designed for theme developers.

Why Use a Child Theme?

Using a child theme is more than a mere recommendation. It’s a necessity for developers who want to enhance the website’s performance but keep its customization intact. Using a child theme is the most efficient way to work on your website without compromising its security and continuity.

In fact, security is the most compelling argument for using a child theme. Whenever you update your website, there is the risk of something going wrong. You are compromising your website’s security or simply losing your customizations. The child theme acts as a protective layer, allowing you to modify the appearance, functionalities, and templates without altering the parent theme. This practice ensures that any changes you make to the child theme remain intact, shielding you from the hassle of re-implementing customizations after each parent theme update.

Furthermore, a child theme allows you to incorporate additional functionalities and templates that the parent theme lacks. This is invaluable if you want to enhance the usability of your website. It will enable you to add new features, modify existing ones, and create unique templates that align with your specific requirements.

Using a child theme is practically mandatory if you frequently change your website’s CSS. If you make these changes on the parent theme, they will most probably be erased by the next update. The child theme will house your CSS modifications so that they will be sheltered from the update.

The uses of a child theme are plenty, as are its advantages.

Advantages of Using Child Theme

Child themes are a godsend for anyone wanting to go further in their WordPress website development. Naturally, this tool has some enormous advantages.

Fallback Safety

The child theme is practically a safety net. Well, not exactly, as the parent theme is the safety net, while the child theme is the acrobat doing triple axles on a tiny rope 200 feet above the ground. Yes, altering your website is not as dangerous to your health, but make a mistake and see your adrenaline rushing as if a bear is chasing you. In this sense, the parent theme offers a quick fix to any problem that may occur during your attempts to enhance your website’s functionalities.

When creating a new functionality, you must consider various scenarios and have a code to respond to every eventuality. Still, the parent theme will step in if you have overlooked anything. Its core functionalities will take over, saving your website from disruptions.

Customization Without Risk

The same goes for any customization you may want to do on your website. For example, if your brand grows, you might consider changing your typography with a unique style that’s brandable and recognizable. This is standard practice for big brands, so following their steps is a great idea.

When changing your typography, it’s advisable not to touch the main files and codes. There are many reasons for this, but mainly, any update can erase your customization and bring you back to square one. So, by using a child theme, any changes you make are safely stored within the child theme, ensuring that your customizations are preserved even when the parent theme is updated.

Safe Updates

Speaking of updates, one of the primary advantages of using a child theme is that it allows you to apply updates to the parent theme without fear of overwriting your customizations. When a new parent theme version becomes available, you can confidently update it, knowing that all your design and functionality modifications are securely preserved within the child theme. On the other hand, you can’t just ignore updates, as they often deal with security issues, breaches, and bugs. Thus, leaving your parent theme without updating is a security risk. In other words, updates are inevitable, but erasing your customization is definitely avoidable.

Offers Flexibility

Using a child template is not only about preserving your customization and functionalities during updates but also about developing them easier. The child theme is often much more flexible than the parent theme. This means you can extend the theme functionalities without necessarily writing pages of code in the process. You can selectively modify template files and functions to cater to your specific needs, effectively customizing your website without delving into complex coding.

Ideal For Beginners

Child themes are the perfect training ground for aspiring web developers or DIY website owners, who prefer to do it on their own. If you are new to WordPress theme development, a child theme can save you a lot of time while simplifying the learning process immensely. Child themes typically consist of just two files – style.css and functions.php – making them more manageable and less overwhelming for beginners. Additionally, the reduced number of files in a child theme simplifies the debugging process, allowing developers to pinpoint and address issues with greater ease.

Disadvantages of Using Child Theme

While using a child theme is a blessing in almost any case, that doesn’t mean it has no downsides. So, consider the following disadvantages carefully before going for a child theme.

Steep Learning Curve

Probably the most significant disadvantage of a child theme is the learning curve. You can’t just hop on in and start changing. You need to invest some time learning the ins and outs of how to operate and program your child theme. Moreover, you need to have some, albeit basic, programming knowledge as you will change your website’s codes.

Furthermore, you must learn the ins and outs of your parent theme. This learning curve can slow down your development process, particularly if you’re new to WordPress theme development. Still, when you do end up learning what the parent theme is capable of, it becomes much easier.

Dependance on Parent Theme

Being dependent on a third party to have your website functioning is a hassle. Especially if you want to make modifications, unfortunately, child themes are extremely reliant on parent themes, meaning they can’t exist without the parent. So, for example, if you want to create a photography portfolio using a theme but you also want to add your signature style and typography to your website, you will install a child theme to a specific photography theme. But, if the theme owner discontinues the theme, all your work will be for nothing. You can’t just continue to use abandoned themes, as this poses a significant security risk to you and your customers. Thus, you must start from the bottom and build your child theme anew with a new parent theme.

So, to avoid this, you must consider only reliable themes from respected sources. This way, you will ensure that your child’s theme modifications will be for the long run.

Limited Scope of Changes

Child themes are primarily designed for making small to medium alterations to an existing theme. If you intend to perform a complete overhaul of your website’s design or introduce complex new functionality that goes beyond the boundaries of your existing WordPress theme, child themes might not be the ideal solution. In such cases, opting for a custom theme developed from scratch to align with your unique requirements would be a more suitable approach.

Slowing Down Your Website

Though not mandatory, this issue occurs if you go on and make extensive customizations on your child theme. When you customize, browsers are forced to load an additional file. Depending on how big the file is, your website speed may suffer.

To avoid this, you must find a suitable parent theme and only do minor customizations on your child theme. This way, your additional files will be significantly lighter.

Parent Theme Limitations

Not all parent themes are designed to be used with child themes. Attempting to create a child theme for a parent theme not well-suited for this purpose can result in breaking the parent theme and rendering it unusable. Careful consideration of the parent theme’s compatibility with child themes is essential before proceeding with customization.

Regardless of these downsides, using a child theme is more than a recommendation. It’s a standard for many WordPress developers. But this begs the question: if you’re not a developer, do you really need a child theme?

Do You Need a Child Theme on Your WordPress?

The answer to this question is somewhat inclusive. Not everyone needs a child theme, especially if they are happy with the parent theme’s functionalities and design. So, when do you need a child theme?

When Do You Need a Child Theme?

Well, first and foremost, you need one if you want to make changes to the general code of your website and you don’t want to lose it when your parent theme updates. However, you must have some CSS and PHP coding skills or at least work with someone who does.

Moreover, a child theme is a sensible choice for substantial projects that involve adding extra features, functions, or custom code to the parent theme. It provides a structured environment for managing and organizing your customizations.

Furthermore, if you are a developer trying to streamline your work while creating quality themes, you will need a child theme. This can significantly reduce your development time and enhance productivity.

Finally, if you make frequent modifications to your functionalities, design, or style, a child theme is a must. It will keep everything organized and prevent this customization from being overwritten.

When You Can Skip the Child Theme

However, if you lack any coding skills and you are quite happy with what you have, adding a child theme is entirely useless. Even if you want to add some minor changes, many themes nowadays offer adding custom CSS. For example, if you want to hide an element from a particular page, all you need to do is add a line of additional CSS code.

So, using a child theme is entirely up to you. But if you do want to make some more significant changes, we strongly suggest building a child theme.

How to Build a Child Theme

There are several ways to build a child theme. Plugins are the obvious choice. Still, they do come from a third-party user. So make sure the developer of the plugin is trusted, or build a child theme yourself. If you have basic coding knowledge, this is not that complicated. We created a step-by-step guide to help you build your own child theme so you can be sure no third party will have access to your code.

Still, before you even get to the child theme, you need reliable, fast, and secure hosting to support your work. HostArmada offers just that and more. So, check out our plans and enjoy lightning-fast speed, 99.9% uptime, and top-notch security. This is the easiest way to boost your traffic, user experience, and customer satisfaction.

The post What Is a WordPress Child Theme, And Should You Use One? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

The same rule applies to your website. Errors are inevitable when people get to your online home, and you must be prepared. It matters little whether it is a broken link, a deleted article, or a wrongfully entered URL. What matters is not to lose the lead if (or better yet when) a reader gets to an unexisting page. This is where the 404 Error page comes into play. 

Unfortunately, having a 404-page is not enough. There are some tips and tricks to make this page more efficient and draw as much benefit as possible from it. So, let’s have a look at how you can transform your 404 page and make it from a dead end into an opportunity to retarget lost audiences. 

What is a 404 Page

The 404 page is an error page returned by the web server, also known as the “Page not found” error. If a user sees this page, it means that the provided URL path doesn’t lead to any particular information. To understand it better, you must have some basic knowledge about URLs. To get to a particular page within a domain, you need to enter at least three parts of a URL. The Protocol is the first part. The internet commonly uses the HTTP protocol. When the website has an SSL certificate, the Protocol gets an additional “S” at the end to signify it.

Next is the Domain name, which consists of your website’s name. Finally, you need to enter the Path (URI). The Path is the address of the particular page you want to bring to your screen, for example, https://www.hostarmada.com/blog/. Here “HTTPS” is the Protocol, “hostarmada.com” is the domain, and “blog” is the Path (URI). If a user enters “bog” (without “l”) instead of “blog” by mistake, our website will instantly redirect them to our 404 page. This happens any time when a browser asks the web server for a particular page, but the server has no information about such a page. 

Reasons for such mistakes can be found both in the website owner and the users. Typically this happens when the user has a typo of some sort. However, broken links and deleted pages are also not outside the scope of causing such redirections. Thus, having some visitors accidentally on your 404 page is inevitable, so you might as well make these pages work for you.  

Why do you need one

Having people on your 404 page is much better than not having them at all. Though they may not find what they want, users will still be on your website. If you crafted one truly good 404 page, they might continue their customer journey. The alternative is for their browser to show nothing. This way, even if the mistake is theirs, the users will remain dissatisfied, not knowing what went wrong. They might even consider your website to be down and not try again. A 404 page informs them there was a mistake. When they see a “Page not found” sign, users will instinctively check if they made a mistake. Most people are prone to think the error is on their end if someone else tells them there is a mistake. So, if the error is truly on their end, well, that’s a problem that resolves itself. 

However, if the mistake is on your end, a 404 page can mitigate the damage and even retain the customer, despite them not finding what they were looking for. That’s why it’s crucial not only to have a 404 page but to customize it.

Why customizing your 404 page is a must

Customizing your 404 page may seem like a waste of time. After all, why would you invest additional time and effort into a mistake? Well, to transform this error into an opportunity, you need to make sure customers won’t bounce (leave the page) right after they see the error. Instead, with a bit of customization, you will ensure users will find it alluring enough to continue browsing. That’s one of the biggest benefits of customizing the 404 page. It will enhance the user experience, thus promoting engagement and reducing the bounce rate. 

Moreover, you can still promote your brand and make sure your customers know exactly where they are. So having your page customized will inadvertently work as a brand awareness campaign.

Most importantly, however, the 404 page gives you a lot of opportunities to introduce new information to the users. For example, if a user looks for a particular service you no longer provide, you may explain why your new service is better, how it will benefit them, and why they should give it a shot, despite looking for something else. This way, you can not only reduce the bounce rate and retain customers, but you can also actively increase your sales and revenues. Retaining customers on your website is the first step toward a sale. So, yes, customizing your 404-page is a must.

Some 404-page customization dos

Doing just any customizations to your 404 page may end up being counterproductive. If you’re not careful, you may end up confusing the users, who already are confused enough because they didn’t end up where they thought they will. Of course, some tired and tested practices ensure you will make the most of your 404 page. So, let’s discuss them with some examples. 

Make it on brand

As we discussed earlier, your 404 page should be an extension of your website. It should work both as a notice that something has gone wrong and as a brand awareness campaign. So, make sure you do your brand justice with your 404 page. An excellent example is Disney’s 404 page.

It’s funny and unmistakably Disney. Adding Wreck-it-Ralf to the mix is an adorable touch, while the toon below adds to the atmosphere. If users stumble upon this 404 page, they won’t wonder where they crashed. Instead, they will try to figure out what went wrong and either try again after checking their spelling or go ahead and use the search bar to find what they were looking for. 

Stick to your brand voice

Sticking to your brand voice throughout every communication channel is crucial for your brand identity. Thus, your 404 page should make no exception. Make sure to maintain your brand identity. This way, users will find themselves in a familiar spot if they are regulars to your website. Moreover, this will increase the chance of getting the right people to continue their journey while weeding out those that won’t contribute to your success. Naturally, if you are a B2B website, your 404-page should also be much more formal and on par with what your customers would expect. For example, Monday.com

The platform streamlines work processes, so having an elaborate 404 page that will take a lot of time to digest would be weird. Instead, they opt for the simplest option. A straightforward explanation, a redirection, and a CTA. 

Add some humor

Having a touch of humor can add great benefit to your 404 page. On the one hand, it would relieve the stress the visitor will experience when they make a mistake. It’s always awkward when you find yourself in the wrong place, so humor can defuse the situation. Furthermore, jokes mitigate the error, make the user feel welcome, and relieve stress. 

Most importantly, however, infusing appropriate humor on your 404 page will retain attention. 

It’s within human nature to try and escape from awkward situations. Thus, when you open a wrong door, you’re quick to shut it off, often slamming it. The same thing happens with getting on the wrong page or the 404 page. When you see your mistake, your first impulse is to try and shut it off. The humor aims to attract your attention, so you won’t just bounce but remain on the website and redirect to an active page. That’s why humor is most effectively transmitted through visual content, as people will first focus on the images and read the text later. A great example of this method of retaining the user’s attention is AirBnB’s 404 page.

The animation with the girl dropping her ice cream perfectly illustrates how you might feel when entering the wrong address. Moreover, it’s quite charming and instantly attracts attention. Thus, once you see this and you get a smile on your face, you are ready to see what solutions to the problem AirBnB has provided. 

Make sure people know they are on an error page

That should come without saying, but making sure people are aware that this is not the page they were hoping to reach is crucial in retaining their trust and keeping them on your website. So, using visual hierarchy, make sure to explicitly state that this is your website’s “Page not found” page and not what they were looking for. Once again, you can check out Disney 404 page. Their 404 is enormous and instantly draws your attention. From the very first moment, you are alerted that there has been a mistake.

Add on-point visual

Just like Disney did on their 404 page, usually, one image is enough to tell the reader where they are. Not only regarding the redirection to the error page but also to the domain and brand. 

Mailchimp does that to perfection, retaining its recognizable style, humor, typography, and illustrations. 

Add a call to action

Adding a CTA that will redirect the users to a more useful page, or at least the home page, will bring you a long way. It takes off the stress, as you present an easy way out without getting back to Google or typing the URL anew in the browser above. Though most CTA’s actually aim to lead the user to a more useful page, you may even go a step further and offer your services right then and there. 

Insert explanations

While informing the user that they have made a mistake, you should also provide them with enough information about what may have gone wrong and how they can fix it. Our 404 page does that pretty well while infusing other previously discussed elements. 

Looking at our “page not found” page, you will notice we translate the mishap both through our picture and visual hierarchy. However, we’ve also added a touch of humor, but nothing outside our usual brand voice. Most importantly, however, we added some additional information, explaining why the user came here, what may have gone wrong, and how to fix it. For the latter, we give them two options, one of which is a visually distinct CTA. 

Following these guidelines will help you immensely in creating one outstanding 404 page. And while you are free to let your imagination roam, you should definitely consider some widely accepted don’ts regarding 404 pages.

Some 404-page customization don’ts  

In general, your website is your canvas, and you are free to test and try whatever comes to mind. Still, finding that the stove is hot by burning your hand is not the most productive way of learning. So, instead of hurting your brand and losing authority, time, and effort to see that something is not working, you might as well consider some practices that fail 100% of the time. 

Don’t use a generic 404 page

Using a generic 404 page is the easiest way to tell your audience you don’t really care about them. It also shows that you don’t care about your content either. If you cared, you would want to retain otherwise interested users and redirect them to active pages. The generic 404 pages are dull and faceless and won’t bring any of the benefits a customized page would. So, go the extra mile and customize your 404 page. 

Don’t leave your 404 page as a bouncer

The point of having a 404 page is to retain the users on your website. So don’t treat it as a bouncer in front of a nightclub. Simply informing the user there was a mistake won’t do you any good. So make sure to add extra value to this page. 

Microsoft is a great example of how your 404 page should never look. It’s dull and boring, and the only viable option for you is to exit the website. 

Don’t make a random page your 404- page

This is another huge mistake that many novice website owners make. They simply place a prominent page as their 404 page, so readers will get to some content even if there is a mistake. However, not informing the readers they were not able to reach what they were looking for will only result in more confusion. Imagine if you are looking for a hat, but no matter how many times you click on a link that leads to hats, you receive shoes. This indicates the website is broken, and you’d never trust it with your sensitive information. 

Don’t make your home page a 404-page

In the same sense, your home page is not a 404 page. Getting to your homepage is a bit better than redirecting your audience to a random page, but still, it will lead to some confusion. As stated above, it’s always a good idea to indicate that there was an error, so the user would know they won’t get what they were hoping for. Users will still get to your home page if you do it correctly. Still, you shouldn’t skip a step just because you don’t want to invest time customizing your 404 page. 

Don’t over-clutter your 404-page

On another note, keep your 404-page as simple as possible. Though you need to translate some information, make it the bare minimum. No one wants to stay on an error page for too long. After all, from a sales point of view, this is just a deviation from the customer journey. So try to redirect users as fast as you can.

Be careful with pop-culture references

Pop culture references are an outstanding way to show humor and wit. However, you need to be very careful when using them. To be efficient, they have to be widely known among your target audience. But that’s not all. They need to be current or timeless, they need to be tasteful, and they need to address the issue at hand. That narrows down the useful references quite a lot. 

So, if you have a great idea about a pop-culture reference, just make sure your audience will understand it, it won’t go out of fashion in about three weeks, and it won’t insult anyone. Otherwise, you are good to go. 

Some marketing tricks for your 404 page – 

Just like any other aspect of your website, marketers have found a way to weaponize the 404 page, making it most efficient toward your goals. That’s wonderful, as you can follow five tried and tested models to make your 404 page into more than just an Error page. 

Make it a search bar

Firstly, it is a good idea to add a search bar. Whether the user misspelled the URL or there was a broken link, the user came to your website searching for something. Don’t waste this opportunity. By adding a search box to your 404 page, you offer them the chance to continue their search, but instead of the entire internet, they will search only within your website. This is a huge deal for you, as this is the first step toward converting the user into a customer. 

Booking.com is an outstanding example of effectively making your 404 page into an internal search tool. Even if you get to the wrong page, you can still just search for a hotel on your preferred dates. 

Transform the page from an exit to an entrance.

From a marketing standpoint, each page on your website should push users toward the bottom of the funnel. The 404 page makes no exception. You might wonder why not just go for the sale. Well, people will be highly reluctant to buy from the very first step on your website, especially if their first attempt leads them to an error page. On the other hand, if your 404 page is well-designed and captivating, they might want to learn more about your product. So, your go should be to take their contact and convert them into a warm lead. 

HubSpot does that exceptionally well.

They have several links, all of which will lead you to a place where you will either leave your email or learn more about their product. 

Make it an advertisement page. 

If you are operating an e-commerce website, a good idea would be to transform your 404 page into a genuine advertisement page. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should disregard the main function of the page. You can still underline the user has gone to the wrong place, but there’s no harm in offering them your best products. For example, if a particular brand of shoes is missing from your website, you can offer a substitute. Hulu has done that impeccably.

Putting an accent on “404” and “Oops” through visual features takes care of informing the user they are on an error page. However, the attention is instantly drawn to the carousel of Hulu’s best shows, which the user can flip through. At the bottom, the call to action is determined to convert. In this particular case, Hulu presents the deal with several pictures, which is quite effective. 

Offer a deal 

If you want to be even more aggressive with your advertisement, you can offer a deal with your 404 page. You can do it as a pop-up when the user leaves or infuse it directly on your 404 page like Fantastic Services did. 

Adding a coupon to your 404 page will not necessarily lead to conversion. However, it will incentivize the user to learn more about your product. This is essentially a free way to acquire leads since the coupon will only be effective if the lead converts. 

Make it memorable

Finally, if your website is not page heavy and you don’t expect a lot of 404-page visits, you can go for a slightly less persuasive version. Still, you must make your error page as memorable as possible, so the user would want to visit again. Adding a direct link or even a CTA redirecting to the home page is a must. Just look at JumpingJackrabbit’s 404 page. 

It instantly draws your attention. The copy is witty and hilarious, and it definitely makes you want to learn more. To finish it off, they’ve placed an unobtrusive CTA that gently pushes you to “hop to the homepage.” Kudos for the brand voice dedication. 

A 404 page is better than no page at all

As you can see, having a customized 404 page is paramount for retaining lost leads and pushing them down the sales funnel. However, to be effective, the 404 page should load as fast as possible. Otherwise, users might leave right after they see the 404 sign. For lightning-fast loading speed, you need our hosting services. HostArmada offers impeccable speed, 99.9% uptime, and impenetrable security. This guarantees users will get not only to your 404 page without a problem but to every other page. Check out our plans and choose the one that suits you best. If you have any questions, our team will happily lend you a hand. All you need to do is call us. 

The post How to make the most of your 404 page? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

What is WordPress and why you should use it

There is hardly anyone who has not heard about WordPress, but still, let’s start with the basics. WordPress is a content management system that allows website owners to create a website without any knowledge of web design. Simply put, it’s a software that enables you to make changes to your website without knowing any coding language. It gives you the entire backend of your website while simultaneously allowing you to manipulate the frontend effortlessly.

With 63.2% of all websites using WordPress as the base of their website, one can easily make the case why choosing to go with WordPress for your own website is a great idea. And it truly is. WordPress singlehandedly revolutionized the e-commerce economy and kickstarted the gig economy. This led to an additional input of over 600 billion dollars in the global economy. So if WordPress were an independent country, it would be the 25th richest economy in the world, right after Belgium. Quite the achievement for a 20-year-old platform. 

The basis of using WordPress is choosing a template. Luckily WordPress has over 9,000 free themes, and the number is growing by the day. This, however, is a two-edged sword. The vast number of themes means you will have a much harder time choosing one that will benefit you most. So, to make the entire process a bit easier, here is a list of 6 do’s and 6 don’ts to follow when you’re choosing your WordPress theme. 

1. DO Make a list of features you’d want on your website

 Adding features in WordPress is extremely easy. All it takes is to install a plugin or two and make it work. Still, some WordPress themes work better with some plugins than others. Moreover, each template has a specific goal. For example, if you are going for an e-commerce website, a news-website template would not suffice. Try to stick to themes that correspond to your needs. Moreover, they will most likely have the needed pre-installed features, making your entire website much less dependent on plugins. In terms, this will make it lighter and faster. 

Thankfully, WordPress has done an amazing job providing you with the tools to narrow your theme down. First, however, you need to prepare a list with all the features you’d want your website to have. Then, go to the WP Theme library and click on the feature filter. Once there, you can choose not only any feature that you perceive as needed but also the layout and the subject of the website. Be mindful of your features list, though. Put there only the features that are necessary for your business to run.

Everything else can be added through plugins later. Otherwise, you will narrow your search way too much and probably miss out on some extraordinary themes that will work wonderfully with your website. 

2. DON’T expect WordPress to do everything

When choosing your website’s theme, don’t expect it to be precisely what you’ve dreamed of. It’s your job to personalize and customize your website so it becomes your own. WordPress can give you the tools and the know-how, but it definitely won’t do the job for you. Moreover, if you follow the template precisely, your website will lack personality and blend with hundreds of others who picked the same template. Thus, you need to personalize it. Be it with colors, features, fonts, typography, or by adding or discarding elements. You must go this extra mile if you want your website to succeed. 

Of course, each WordPress theme has a highly comprehensive customization tool. Moreover, WordPress introduced its handy drag-and-drop website builder with v.6.2.

So now it’s easier than ever to create a unique web design even if you lack coding and web design knowledge. Just click on the customization button, review all the features, and add your pictures, images, and copy. Make sure to make your website brandable, and don’t forget to dispose of all pointless elements. Of course, some limited CSS and HTML knowledge can help you a lot, but even if you lack them, don’t worry. Usually, WordPress themes have all your needs covered. And if not, you can always switch the template. 

3. DO consider navigation and responsiveness

When choosing a WordPress theme, you must consider all aspects that will affect your traffic. The three most common reasons for a visitor to leave a website are slow loading time – 88.5%, non-responsive website – 73.1%, and bad navigation 61.5%. The first one can be easily fixed by getting web hosting from HostArmada. We offer lightning-fast loading speed and 99.9% guaranteed uptime. However, when it comes to the second and third, your WP theme will play a significant role.

Most new themes are made responsive, and if you are just starting, chances are, whichever theme you choose, it will be responsive. Still, make extra sure that’s the case. As 55% of all the internet traffic comes from mobile, and approximately 4.32 billion active mobile internet users, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a responsive website is the key to success. Losing 55% of the global audience because you choose a poor theme is definitely something you should avoid. 

So, before you choose a theme, look for features like flexible images and a fluid side grid. While there are ways to make a non-responsive theme into a responsive one, we suggest sticking to those that can easily translate to various devices from the get-go.

On the other hand, ensure the theme has an outstanding user interface and is extremely easy to navigate. The best WP themes are intuitive; users can find everything they need with just a few clicks. A cluttered theme will instantly repel a huge part of your audience. To make sure the navigation is effortless, try out the theme demo. It will show you how easy it is to navigate before investing time in customizing it. 

4. DON’T Choose an old and forgotten theme

There are many downsides to choosing an outdated and forgotten theme. Many templates are no longer being supported. Thus if you select an old theme, you will most likely be alone if an issue occurs. More importantly, an old and forgotten theme will probably have some problems with more up-to-date plugins, so you will struggle with implementing many must-have plugins into your theme.

Moreover, an older theme that’s no longer supported is a huge security risk. One shouldn’t be surprised to find all sorts of malware, trojans, and other dangerous software in such themes. So, if you have no experience detecting such malicious programs, it’s best to stick to newer, supported themes. 

Furthermore, we have to address the design. Just like anything else, web designs have trends, and they change constantly. That’s why when you open a website from the early 2000s, it looks so dated. The trends have simply changed. 

So, going for a more modern theme is not just about its functionalities and the fact you will integrate plugins easier. It’s not just for your website’s security. It’s also a fashion choice. 

5. DO Choose a theme that supports WordPress’s latest version

While we are on the topic of choosing a more modern theme, you also must ensure the chosen theme supports WordPress’s latest version (currently 6.2). WordPress is constantly evolving and introducing new features. More importantly, they are fixing bugs and discontinuing some other features that are outdated or impractical. Naturally, plugins are trying to keep it up, so if your chosen theme is not, you better change it with one that does. Not being able to keep up with WordPress’s updates will lead to some serious issues with your website’s functionality, as plugins will also get dated, and you won’t be able to update them. But arguably, the most crucial aspect of getting a theme that supports WP’s latest version is security. If you stop updating your CMS, you can be sure security issues will follow soon, especially after WP stops supporting your version.

So, check the top right section of the theme introduction. There you will see which WP version, as well as information on when was the last update, what PHP version it uses, and how many websites use this theme. This simple act will help you not only with this point but also with the previous and the next one. 

6. DON’T disregard security

If you don’t want to get into legal trouble (and we bet you don’t), you simply can’t disregard security. That goes double for your WordPress theme, as it’s the building block, the main pillar of your website. If it’s compromised, nothing can help you. Unfortunately, WordPress is prone to security threats due to its open-source nature. A 2020 survey concluded that among 8,000 infected websites online, 74% were built on WordPress. Most of these attacks come from corrupt plugins, but some were due to rotten templates.

So, whenever you choose a WordPress theme, make sure it’s from a reliable source. There are literally thousands of them, so you will have no problem finding something you will like. Still, to keep your theme secure, make sure it’s compatible with most WP-approved plugins, and keep up with the CMS’s updates. That’s all there is to it. 

7. DO go for the SEO-optimized theme

When choosing a WP theme, don’t forget your website’s primary goal – to get traffic. With 93% of the global traffic coming through Google, it’s insane to simply disregard your SEO. So, naturally, you must get all the help you can. Though a hosting plan with us will bring you a long way, you will also want an SEO-friendly WordPress theme. Finding one is not hard, as developers will proudly proclaim their creation is SEO-friendly. It’s one of those features that sell. So, just make sure to read the information provided by the developers.

To be honest, most of WordPress’s themes are SEO-friendly, so that’s not a huge issue, but still, double-check if that’s the case. 

8. DON’T go for a bloated theme

For an SEO-friendly website, you need a fast load time. The theme you choose has a lot to do with it. If your theme has excess features you don’t need, their only function will be to increase the load time. So, avoid over-bloated templates that offer every single feature on the market. Stick to the functionalities you need. Don’t be tempted to install cool-looking but practically useless features that will only compromise your website’s loading speed. So, for example, if you are selling cosmetic products, you don’t need an integrated music player or a flash game to entertain your visitors. They will not help you get more clients. However, due to the hindered loading speed, they will cost you some conversion.

9. Do consider a premium theme

The best part of WordPress is the free themes. This means that with minimal investment, you can have a gorgeous fully-functional website. Still, developers rarely can afford to live on glory alone. Thus the free themes often have limitations. They lack some functionalities and are most often used as an introductory option. So, if you want to get to the theme’s full potential and features, you might want to consider getting the premium version. The premium versions have a lot of bonuses and are usually well-worth the investment. This being said, don’t rush to buy a theme. Test the free version and see if it will fit your products and business line. But once you find your theme, it’s a good idea to invest a small amount in your website’s better functionalities, if necessary. 

10. DON’T compromise on customization options

That’s another point that is tightly linked to purchasing a premium theme. Often these are the themes that have almost unlimited customization options. And when it comes to customization, there shouldn’t be any compromises.

 A highly customizable WordPress theme will allow you to stand out from your competitors. For example, imagine you are a cycling shop that wants to increase its sales. If you use a barely customizable theme, your website will have nothing to hint that you are a cycling enthusiastThis will deter some of your niche audience from trusting you. On the other hand, if you can personalize your website based on your targeted audience, you can increase your traffic, sales, and brand authority.

On another note, if you operate in different countries, you might want to create a dedicated sub-domain and translate your content. Moreover, you might want to customize your website based on cultural aspects. For example, visual hierarchies in the USA and Japan are entirely different. In other words, what works in the US won’t have the same impact across the Pacific. Thus customization options are definitely something that can launch you above your competitors. Do not compromise on them. 

11. DO check other people’s reviews

As with every other investment and buying decision, checking how others feel about your chosen theme is a good idea. Thankfully, WordPress has a very nice integrated review section where you can read about a theme’s problems, what works perfectly, and what doesn’t. That’s especially handy if you need the theme for specific functionality and are unsure it will work properly. Usually, reviews have it all, so check them out before you install a theme. You can find them on the right-hand side of every theme description. As you can imagine, choosing a theme with predominantly bad reviews is not a great idea. 

So, stick to those with predominantly five-star reviews. However, if you want to get more information, the best reviews are the 3 and 4-star reviews. Those offer balanced and objective feedback that can help determine if a theme is worth your time, efforts, and (potentially) money. 

12. DON’T be afraid to start over with a new theme

Finally, we have the most important tip. Don’t be afraid to start over. Getting a theme, working on its customization, and realizing it won’t work for your specific product or service is common. You don’t need to stick to it simply because you invested time choosing it. If it doesn’t work, it’s far better to start all over and choose a new theme rather than try and fix the unfixable. 

It’s all worth it

Yes, like anything involving developing your own business, creating a website also has some hardships. Still, thanks to WordPress and its vast library of customizable themes, you can now start your operation within 24 hours. On top of that, you don’t need any web development knowledge. All you need is internet access and a fast and reliable hosting plan that can integrate WordPress seamlessly. HostArmada is just that. Check out our plans and contact our team to help you decide on the best plan for your needs. 

The post 12 Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing the Best WordPress Theme appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

What is AI, and how it has evolved

AI has significantly changed the IT sector in the past few years. Most companies worldwide, especially the software giants, realized that AI is the next big thing. Many believe that the rise of AI will be the 4th industrial revolution.

In practice, Artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to learn and perfect themselves without human interaction. This has been achieved by introducing an IT version of the Darwinian evolution idea, “survival of the fittest,” and infusing it into a computer algorithm. This allows computers and machines to learn from their mistakes and perform better each following time. Something that only a few people can do. Moreover, the learning process is much faster and far easier as the machine basically teaches itself.

Getting to AI was not an easy journey. In fact, IT specialists and scientists have worked hard for more than half a century to get to where we are today. While the idea of artificial intelligence can find its roots in ancient times, it was only in the 1950s that humankind could finally produce such machines capable of independent thought. Naturally, the start was slow, and just like with any great idea, financing was hard at first. Only after 1974, after computers gained much broader recognition as the future of the world, AI research went into overdrive. It took around 50 years and many failures to finally reach the point when AI started working properly.

Some numbers

Today Artificial intelligence is something more than a dream. It’s a reality that’s actually somewhat beneficial. So naturally, about 35% of all companies already use AI, and 42% are looking for ways to implement AI into their business. Moreover, 91.5% of the leading companies worldwide are investing heavily in AI, believing it will lead to at least 25% growth in customer satisfaction. This shows that AI, without a doubt, is here to stay.

Unsurprisingly, its market size has grown to 142.3 billion dollars in 2022 and is estimated to reach 1.85 trillion dollars by 2030. According to PwC, AI will boost the world’s economy to reach 15.7 trillion dollars by 2030, as artificial intelligence will be instrumental for about 26% of it.

Furthermore, according to the World Economic Forum, AI will produce a net increase of 12 million jobs worldwide. Unfortunately, before that happens, an estimated 85 million people will lose their livelihoods, and about 35% of all professions today will be affected by the rise of AI. This puts another ethical factor to the equation, which prons us to discuss the rise of AI even more seriously.

Why the AI discussion is important

Discussing AI in mere numbers is definitely not enough, as there are far too many ethical factors to consider. On paper, AI is an industrial golden age waiting to happen. However, in historical terms, industrial revolutions happen after great social and economic distress. With an ever growing population, snuffing 85 million jobs, even if 97 million jobs will be created in the long run, will create social chaos. Moreover, one of the most intelligent people who ever lived on this planet, Stephen Hawking, warned us that humanity is not ready for AI and that artificial intelligence could be our demise.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we should treat AI as taboo. It only means we should take our time and see the benefits and downsides of implementing AI into our world. How will this affect our society, our economy, and our lives?

For now, let’s focus on what we are good at. Let’s see if an AI could help you build a winning website and how you can implement this outstanding technological advancement most efficiently.

AI for web design

Web design and web development as a whole are not excluded from the general AI expansion across industries. On the contrary, this is one niche where AI truly excels. There are a variety of AI engines that can help you create one truly inspiring website without writing a line of code or having any knowledge of design, color schemes, or art. Basically, AI can do it all. But would it be efficient, and how will this affect your website’s performance?

Benefits

At first glance, using AI for creating and maintaining your website can offer you many advantages.

Enhanced UX

Artificial intelligence will immensely improve your website’s user experience. Naturally, this will significantly boost your performance, as 79% of users will abandon your website and search for the same product elsewhere if they don’t like your design. But, more importantly, people simply won’t buy if you haven’t created an easy-to-follow customer journey.

The worst thing about user experience is that all customers have their own expectations. Depending on your niche and product type, they will expect a different layout, information, and a different journey. Naturally, a good web designer can recreate their vision if you give them the data. This is the tricky part. Web designers are not data analysts, and you need to provide them with what you expect from them. Often, designers tasked with creating a user-friendly web design for a certain product recreate their vision of the customer journey on the screen. That, however, is far from optimal, as your customers are a unique set of people, and even if your designer can imagine how they think and what drives them, the decision is still subjective.

This is where AI excels. Artificial intelligence works only objectively. With a good engine, it can gather all the needed information from your current website, gather statistical data from the internet and recreate a design that’s based entirely on data. Naturally, this will enhance your UX immensely.

Increases speed and efficiency

One of the most significant advantages of using an AI web design tool is its unparalleled speed and efficiency. For example, if you need to create a website with unique graphics, pictures, and design, this will take weeks for humans to complete. An AI tool can do that in mere minutes. It will generate layouts, suggest color schemes, and even write the entire code.

Moreover, the AI can streamline the entire quality assurance and testing phases without needing additional personnel and for a fraction of the time. This will make the whole process much faster, and your website’s code will be clean and declogged from the very get-go. This will make your website as fast as your hosting plan allows it to be. Naturally, this will benefit your entire performance and enhance your profits, as the faster your website works, the more people will stay on it for the journey.

Scalability

If you are fresh on the market, you will definitely be looking for designs that can offer scalability. Artificial intelligence tools are designed with this specific aspect in mind. For example, if you have an e-commerce website and your products go viral, you will need the capacity to handle many more users and transactions. Also, you will want to increase your product portfolio. Naturally, this requires some infrastructure which, if made by humans, will take time. Retailers know far too well that customers have money to spare, but they rarely have time to spare.

An AI-powered tool can automatically make the needed changes. It can analyze your user’s behavior, identify patterns, and make suggestions on how to enhance your website design to accommodate your growing customer base.

As you can imagine, this will have a huge impact on your profits, popularity, and authority.

An easy, cost-efficient start

Artificial intelligence-generated web designs are an outstanding solution if you don’t have the funds to hire the professionals needed to create a genuinely good website. For example, if you are new and lack the funds to start big, you might want a simple but good-looking webpage to attract people and convince them to buy your products. In this case, an AI-generated web design will be sufficient. But, more importantly, it will be cost-efficient, as you can have your website operational in under an hour and start selling products immediately.

Downsides

Naturally, using AI-powered web design has its limitations. It’s not something you’d want to disregard, as, in the long run, it can negatively affect your website’s performance. So let’s discuss the downsides of AI in web design in more depth.

Lack of imagination

This is probably the biggest problem of AI-generated web designs. They lack any imagination. AI is devoid of imagination, so it simply can’t think of anything innovative. It can’t push progress, meaning you will only imitate the best practices, albeit originally and uniquely. This might be OK for when you are starting your business. However, in the long run, if you want to become an industry leader or authority figure in your niche, you can’t imitate and follow. You need to lead.

If you become overly dependent on AI-powered web design, your website will be nothing more than a cookie-cutter version of something more imaginative and better.

Lacks understanding of human behavior

While an AI can read and analyze user data perfectly, it will never be able to understand human behavior. This means that it can create one perfectly optimized design for your audience, yet still, no one would visit. That’s because human behavior is not based only on logic but, more often than not, on emotions. So while an AI can predict that people are most actively purchasing a product between 2 and 3 PM, for example, it can’t anticipate in what mood these people are getting into your website, so it can enhance the feeling that pushes them to buy.

Customer behavior is far more reliant on subjective rather than objective factors. Thus it’s practically impossible for an AI to fully grasp why people act as they do. At least not for now.

It’s Overlydependant on data

That’s hardly a downside if you have the data, but still, you can’t put all factors related to decision-making into numbers. If you use your own data, you risk feeding the AI your subjective understanding of your users. For example, many business owners have an ideal buyer persona. So they may push AI to construct the website based on this persona’s needs. Naturally, if their persona is not accurately portrayed, this will lead to a website customized for the wrong audience.

On the other hand, if the AI is gathering data from the internet, it may stumble upon incorrect data, affecting the product’s quality and accuracy. In short, if the data used to train the AI is biased or incomplete, it can produce flawed designs or recommendations.

Privacy issues

Using AI can negatively affect customer perception of your business, as 94% of users expect companies to be fully transparent in their methods and information gathering. The problem with AI is that it’s self-taught, and at some point, no one really knows what exact data it collects. Yes, you can limit the AI from gathering specific types of data. Still, you won’t be able to inform your users precisely what data you are collecting from them. Furthermore, this will be a legal issue if you want to enter the EU market, where they have a GDPR requirement where website owners need to actively ask for consent for gathering any data.

AI for content

Creating content for your website regularly is one of the most challenging aspects of having a business. For your web content to be effective and reach its goals, you must have a vast understanding of how to communicate your ideas through content. AI offers a quick and relatively cheap solution to this problem. However, before you rush into firing your entire content marketing team, you must first understand the benefits and downsides of using AI for your content.

Benefits

Having an AI create your web content has many benefits, and one can hardly argue that AI can make this challenging task much easier and faster. Here are the main advantages of using such tools

Unparalleled speed

The speed at which an AI can provide you with content is simply incomprehensible. No one can generate a text of such quality in such a short time as an AI. Moreover, you guarantee perfect readability, zero grammar or spelling mistakes, and a comprehensive and well-written text. Furthermore, you can teach your AI to create 100% unique texts, which will enhance the quality of your text. All you need to do is write the task in a chatbot such as Chat GPT, and in about 10 seconds, you will get high-quality content for your blog or website.

It helps with writer’s block

Writer’s block is the bane of any content writer. Anyone who stood before the white sheet and had to generate a high-quality text knows the pressure of starting strong and persuasive. An AI tool can definitely help with this. It can create your writing plan, research the topic, or even write it down. However, don’t overtrust the AI generator, as it has some limitations we will discuss in a bit.

It’s highly cost-efficient

If you are new on the market, you probably won’t have the funds to hire professional content writers to take over your content. Though they bring a lot of value in the long run, content writers are generally expensive. So not everyone can afford to pay a couple hundred dollars for SEO-optimized articles. On the other hand, an AI subscription costs around 100 dollars annually. So, for a fresh business, this is a cheap way to generate content and get noticed by the public.

Better targeting

Content differs in many ways depending on the channel, target audience, how far down the sales and marketing funnel they are, and other factors. Usually, when a content writer is given a task, they want to know the purpose of the text. This way, they can use the particular tone and writing style that will best suit the channel and the targeted audience. If you are writing your content without any marketing know-how, your content is probably not optimized for the media you are using. An AI generator will fix that. These bots will use data to determine the most efficient way to write audience-oriented content. They will scrape the internet for the best examples and write unique content. So, this will immensely improve the content’s effect on your audience.

Most importantly, it will retain your brand voice regardless of the tone needed for the channel. That’s one of the most challenging aspects of writing content. One that comes with a lot of practice and understanding of the different media and the audiences that use them.

Downsides

Unfortunately, AI is still not quite there when it comes to writing quality content that can reach particular goals. It’s better than nothing, of course, and it certainly has its benefits. However, the downsides in this case far outweigh the pros.

Lack of character

Regardless of the content at hand, if it’s devoid of character, it won’t be nearly as entertaining as anything written by a human. That’s because writing usually is based on the emotions you infuse into the text. Whether it’s a pure scientific text or a passionate speech, you are trying to relay an emotional idea behind your work. You want to forward your feelings about the project and describe your passion. An AI cannot do that, as it’s devoid of emotions and can’t understand them. That’s why usually AI-generated content is dry and factual. They have no opinion or evaluation of the facts, which is definitely not a characteristic of a leader.

Lacks personal experience

Another fatal flaw of AI-generated content is the lack of personal experiences. It can provide you with much information on almost any topic. Unfortunately, it can’t give you a unique perspective on the task. For example, if you want to represent a product, you may list all its features. However, if you haven’t used it yourself, if you haven’t felt how it handles and what it can do, you won’t be able to persuade anyone to try it out. That’s one of the main reasons people read reviews of the products before buying them. They search for subjective, personal experiences.

Limited research capabilities

Another huge problem of AI-generated content is the limited research capabilities. To be efficient, an AI needs data. However, as a machine, it’s unable to estimate if this data is biased or genuine. Moreover, it will often scrape information from the internet, which introduces plagiarism problems and some questions about the source’s reliability. Most importantly, AI is only as dependable as its training protocol. For example, the most popular free AI tool Chat GPT has constant data training but has its knowledge cutoff in September 2021. So you can imagine how much your industry and customer behavior has changed over the past year and a half.

Devalued content

Arguably the biggest downside of AI-generated content is the fact that Google and other search engines will devalue it. In their most recent helpful content update, Google was adamant that they wouldn’t rank content devoid of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. AI generators arguably can only provide some limited expertise. That’s hardly enough to enjoy the pleasures of being on Google’s first page. So, while it’s better than nothing, AI content will cause more harm than good in the long run.

How to effectively use AI on your website

Despite the negatives, it seems that AI is here to stay. So you might as well use it to your advantage. Naturally, to be most efficient, you must use its benefits while avoiding the downsides.

For starters, if you can afford a web designer or a content writer, at least for now, it’s far better to trust them with your projects. AI-generated websites and content are an acceptable solution if you are just starting your business endeavors. However, using such help will only bring drawbacks if you are already an established brand.

In general, AI tools are a great way to create a frame for your work. It can also help you do some tedious, time-consuming tasks. Still, unfortunately, they are not yet capable of entirely replacing the human touch in website development and content creation.

The post Using AI for your Website and Content – Benefits and Downsides appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

On the other hand, a custom-made website may prove to be a challenge since it needs, for example, far more time and effort to complete. That is often something small businesses do not have. To build your own website that is in line with the today design standards, you will need to know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as a bare minimum. While these are not too complicated to learn, it will still take you a significant amount of time to get proficient in the finer details of web designing.

But what if there was a way for you to use common design components out of the box without the need of designing? – Fortunately, there is and today we will give you a list of the top 5 CSS Frameworks you should consider for the front end of your website.

What is a CSS framework?

We already compared the top two PHP frameworks in detail, and if you missed this blog post, don’t hesitate to read it first. The main goal of the CSS framework is basically the same. It’s a library of commonly used design patterns and codes that make the developer’s job immensely easier. All of these patterns and solved problems are stored in ready-to-be-used classes. The main idea behind CSS frameworks is to significantly reduce the tedious, repetitive writing of code fragments that are already in use around your project. That is achieved thanks to different predefined HTML and CSS elements.

Why do you need a CSS framework?

A CSS framework may prove quite helpful, even if you are a brilliant developer. Its most significant advantage is how much time it saves you. In a sense, it takes all repetitive coding and every aspect that is basically the same in each website (like the basic structure of a sidebar, header, etc.) and implements it directly to your website. Thus the whole project runs much faster. Moreover, it provides cross-browser compatibility, which solves a massive problem with testing all of your features on all major browsers. Naturally, this saves time and, more importantly, keeps you from doing one truly soul-crushing task.

Another great plus of using a CSS framework, regardless of your level of developing skills, is the structure it promotes. Without such structure, the CSS stylesheets usually become a nightmare, which can’t be fixed and can hardly be rearranged. Frameworks push you to keep your code up to the standards, which makes it easily readable, and any mistakes can be found and fixed much faster.

The best benefit of using a CSS framework, however, without any doubt, is the reduction of mistakes. Even the best developers make typos, and searching for them is time-consuming and frustrating. By using a CSS framework, you dismiss the chance of mistakes altogether.

In general, the CSS framework gives you many benefits and has hardly any downsides. It’s a lovely tool for developers to do their job quickly and efficiently and for business owners with some coding experience to create one excellent customized website with predefined user interface (UI) elements.

The Top 5 CSS Frameworks

Naturally, the market is full of CSS frameworks. Since choosing a framework is not as straightforward as selecting HostArmada as the best hosting provider for your website, we compiled a list of the five best CSS frameworks you should use for your development projects.

1. Bootstrap

Bootstrap is something of a legend in the developing community. It’s so widely used that nearly anyone had to work with it at one point or another. About 19.6% of all existing websites use Bootstrap, which makes up around 80% of the total CSS framework market. This is beyond impressive, and Bootstrap truly deserves all the attention.

Pros

Being the most famous and widely-used CSS framework is not the only benefit of Bootstrap. However, its popularity gives the framework a massive amount of developers who work to keep it up to date and add fresh additions to its library.
Moreover, Bootstrap is a dynamic pre-built bundle with endless components ready to be taken. Almost anything is supported by default, making it an outstanding gateway CSS framework for those new to the developing world.

Furthermore, you can customize Bootstrap quite effortlessly with SASS variables. This will cut the development time significantly as well as your work.

Being the most considerable CSS framework, Bootstrap is there for the long run. Many smaller frameworks die out as their authors cease to see potential in them and quit. In a sense, Bootstrap has already passed the most dangerous part of its life, and it’s fair to say it’s too big to fail now.

Cons

One of the few downsides of the framework is the constant use of the “!important” CSS rule, which makes the entire design a bit hard to change if you are new to the development profession. Naturally, veteran developers won’t find it as complex, but the whole idea that it puts you in a frame is a bit frustrating.

While its popularity most certainly is a blessing, it can also be a curse. Millions of websites use the same elements library, so it’s only natural for some of them to reappear. Thus many professional developers are starting to turn their backs on Bootstrap, as they prefer to have unique and highly distinguishable work.

Of course, being great comes at a price, and for Bootstrap, it’s the size. This is one of the heaviest frameworks on the market and can take a lot of space to include in your project.

Who is it for

Bootstrap should be your choice if you are new to front-end development and need a quick and easy way to write a customized UI. However, remember that your website won’t be as unique as the one you could do with other frameworks, and it will be quite a heavy addition to your project. So if you have some experience, you might find better opportunities elsewhere.

2. Bulma

If you don’t want to be like 20% of the internet and have the same elements as them, you might turn to Bulma. It’s an easy-to-use framework effortlessly integrated into your project and offers some unique components you can’t find elsewhere. Some might even call it a niche framework, but with over 143,830 websites using it, it’s definitely not that low-key anymore.

Pros

One of the best features of Bulma is the outstandingly simple syntax, making the framework’s learning curve pretty small. With its minimalistic design, one could easily be fooled that the look won’t be anything special. However, Bulma offers one of the most aesthetic CSS frameworks. The design is modern and straightforward, and you will get one mesmerizing website by default.

Furthermore, the entire framework is as if fresh out of the oven. For example, with Bulma creating responsive layouts is a piece of cake, as it’s one of the first flexbox-based frameworks.

Naturally, it’s easily customizable with SASS. In general, the entire framework is highly developer-friendly, with several perks dedicated to the end-user and the developers themselves. One of them is the naming conventions used by the framework, which are catchy and easy to remember.

Best of all, Bulma doesn’t have any JavaScript-based features, which makes it perfect for integrating with many JavaScript frameworks.

Cons

Bulma’s growing popularity may prove to be one of its downsides. Although it has some pretty unique styles, they are not that many. So naturally, although they are rather distinct, once everyone starts using them, they will get overused fast, and Bulma will get the same problem as Bootstrap – all websites will begin to look similar.

Moreover, even though it’s breathing in Bootstrap’s neck in most cases, the framework is still somewhat problematic regarding accessibility and other more advanced features.

Who is it for

This framework is again for new developers and veterans, as it’s pretty easy to use. It’s relatively unpopular, which gives its styles some uniqueness, and the design is almost divine. Naturally, there is much less support when it comes to problems, as fewer people use the framework. The community around it is still very new, so if you are a beginner, it’s best to skip this framework for your first few projects.

3. Foundation

Foundation was created to accommodate the needs of experienced developers who want total power but also enjoy all the benefits of using a framework. It is more than just a CSS framework. It’s an entire collection of libraries that allows you to customize your website and your emails as well.

Pros

Foundation allows you to create some genuinely inspiring CSS animation thanks to its Motion UI. Thanks to the vast library of effects and animations, your website can truly become a masterpiece.

Furthermore, all components of the framework lack a distinct style. Newcomers might perceive this as a downside, but experienced developers know this allows them to customize any element freely, creating truly unique websites. Moreover, the customization process is not that complicated, meaning that a developer can create breathtaking components in practically no time.

The most significant advantage of the Foundation framework is that it comes fully featured. This means the framework has built-in components for anything—navigation bars, containers of all types, and one extremely developer-friendly grid system. Moreover, the community around the framework and the development team have created various HTML templates that are free to use and accommodate almost any need.

The cherry on top is the framework’s email design capabilities, which allow you to integrate your website’s style into your email and create one genuinely spectacular email that will surely capture the reader’s attention.

Cons

One of the most significant drawbacks of the Foundation framework is its heavy reliance on JavaScript. Moreover, it uses jQuery, which is less than ideal, but even more, Zepto, which uses the same syntax as the former but leaves a smaller footprint. Zepto is hardly known in the developing community and is rarely used.

The other downside is that Foundation is truly only for the experts in the development field since the learning curve is extremely steep. However, designer freedom comes at a price; for Foundation, it’s knowledge.

Who is it for

Foundation, without a doubt, is for the genuine experts who look for freedom. The framework is hard to learn, but once you master it, you will create some of the best-looking websites on the entire internet. Furthermore, with its animation capabilities, all websites created with this framework become genuine art pieces.

4. Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS is the best lightweight framework one can find on the market. With a motto such as “Most CSS Frameworks do too much,” one could imagine Tailwind CSS has few fancy features to brag about. However, the framework allows front-end developers to implement their unique style with little hassle and extremely fast. It can do so due to the lack of CSS coding and the heavy usage of utility classes. It’s every front-end developer’s wet dream.

Pros

As mentioned, Tailwind CSS heavily depends on powerful utility classes, which overtake most of the CSS coding functions. The method is also known as Atomic CSS. This is when classes describe precisely what an HTML element will look like. This reduces the developer’s workload immensely.

Moreover, just like with Foundation, Tailwind has absolutely no default design or stock components. Instead, it allows the developer to implement their styles, which they can reuse throughout the project. You can check some examples on the framework’s website if you are in search of some inspiration. You may even use them as a starting point.

The best part of Tailwind, however, is reserved for when you integrate it into your SASS or Post CSS project. This unlocks the framework’s features, which allow you to write highly effective CSS. Many describe it as CSS on steroids.

Cons

It has become evident that Tailwind is not a framework for beginners or anything less than experts. It’s pretty complex to use and even more so to learn. Since there are no templates and ready-to-use components, you need to know and understand everything about front-end technologies before using this framework. Even more so, you’ll need to learn the syntax to utilize this fantastic framework’s features fully.

Not only is using it complex, but the installation is as well. Although it can be added to your project just like any other framework, this won’t give you access to all its features. Moreover, you won’t have access to the compressed size, which is more than ten times smaller than the raw one. To enjoy all of Tailwind’s perks, you need to know how to use front-end build tools such as Webpack, Gulp, or others.

Who is it for

The framework is designed for true front-end artists who prefer to build everything independently. So naturally, they need to have the confidence to build all their components from scratch and know everything there is to know about front-end development. It’s a massive understatement to say that Tailwind is not for beginners. It’s complex and hard to learn. But on the other hand, it gives the developers unparalleled freedom and one genuinely effortless way to create outstanding websites.

5. Milligram

Milligram is more of a hidden gem in the CSS framework niche. Not many developers use it, but it has some unique features that those who do find pretty helpful. The framework is minimalistic because it offers a clean sheet as a start, and by design, it increases the developer’s performance and productivity.

Pros

Milligram gives an entirely new meaning to the term “lightweight framework.” It takes only 2KB when composed, which is inconceivably tiny. Moreover, it’s straightforward to install and set up, so it practically takes no time to choose the framework and start working on your project.

Although it comes without any styling, just like most frameworks designed for experts, Milligram is easy to learn. There are no properties you need to override if they don’t fit your design, and you have the freedom to implement your style entirely.

Cons

While not having a predetermined design is generally looked upon favorably by many front-end experts, it may be difficult for some developers with less experience. Moreover, the community is pretty small, so you are on your own if you get into trouble. However, due to its simplicity, Milligram rarely presents any issues.

Who is it for

The framework is ideal for people looking for freedom. Its simple yet pragmatic design allows you to freely design everything about your website while simultaneously getting a boost from the framework on your productivity and performance. It’s perfect for experts and beginners, but having a clear vision of how everything should look is mandatory.

So which one is the best?

If you ask our team what the best CSS framework is, we would probably agree that Bootstrap has all the features to make your front-end project significantly easier. You won’t need to change the predetermined styles if you are a beginner. If you are an expert, you can do it quickly. There is a slight learning curve, and 80% of people are rarely wrong about technology.

Still, if you are looking for a more uniquely-looking website, you can use Bulma, which is almost as good as Bootstrap, but as a bonus, its designs are still not overused.

If you are an expert and want all the freedom in the world, plus some outstanding animation opportunities, that Foundation should be your choice.

Tailwind CSS and Milligram, on the other hand, are for genuine artists who don’t need nor want any point of reference. The former is only for the true masters of front-end development, while beginners can use the latter.

However, if you are wondering what to download right now, Bootstrap is, without a doubt, the best choice. Just like HostArmada is the best choice for web hosting services. If you are creating your very first website, it’s best to secure the best hosting available in the market first. Take a look at our outstanding offers and let us help you choose the best package for your needs.

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On the other hand, you can’t just leave your website untouched for the duration of its existence. But how would you follow trends, add new content, apply new features, change the look, and fix bugs and crashes? In such cases, you definitely need a way to test how any change you make will look before implementing it. That is possible thanks to a feature called website staging, and today we will help you decide whether to use it or not when applying new changes to your WordPress website. 

What is Website Staging?

Simply put, a website staging environment (also known as staging version) is a replica of your exact website, which, however, is not accessible by outside users.

Nothing is more repulsive to a user than a website that crashes, especially if they have to add their personal information or credit card number. Imagine how they will feel if the crash happens right after they’ve clicked the buy button and their money is already gone, but they haven’t received a confirmation. Naturally, you will reimburse them or send them the product or service, but that little mishap will damage your reputation and lead to some bad reviews online.  

So essentially, a staging environment for your website is where you can apply all the changes you need and make your final check if the added features, plugins, or code works as predicted. This eliminates all bugs, issues, and cracks on your website before its new version reaches the end visitor. Ensuring your website is fully operational will retain your brand’s good name and won’t embarrass you in front of your potential customers.

On a more fundamental level, the stage environment can be where your developers combine their work to check if everything works as intended. It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together with several people. Everyone has their little corner that they are working on. Naturally, before you glue the whole thing, you put it on a table and check if everyone’s work fits. If something is messed up, you bring it back to the “developer”, who will have to fix their part so it can fit perfectly. The same is with any website feature or process. The developers, although working side by side, need a place where they can put everything together and see if it will fit. Doing that on a live website is not ideal by a long shot. It brings way too many risks, and the additional time that will be spent testing is well worth it. 

When do you need Website Staging?

There are many reasons, despite the already mentioned, when you will need a website staging environment.

When you are introducing new content on your website

The obvious one is adding new crucial features or refurbishing your website. It’s a no-brainer that changing places of buttons, for example, while someone is trying to click on them, is not a great idea. Not to mention the potential bugs, code mistakes, and even CSS incompatibilities with WordPress themes.

When you cannot afford to have your website down

Issues with your website are truly devastating to your business, especially if you are just starting. This may result in some drawbacks and customer loss for a huge company, but for a startup, it may be the difference between success and failure. On average, every website is down three hours each month. This is mainly due to server problems, overloads, or malicious attacks. According to Small Business Trends, this costs $10.6 million annually.

Moreover, it leads to lost profits and customers. For example, 9% of all users never return to a website they couldn’t reach. Additionally, the downtime will negatively affect your SEO efforts, further hindering your income. 

To avoid this, at least partially, you need a strong and trusted hosting provider, and lucky for you HostArmada is precisely what you’ve been looking for. We offer cloud-based hosting, meaning that all our servers are virtual, and your information is spread across all of them. If one stops working, the stream of requests is automatically rerouted to another server, eliminating the chance of downtime altogether. In addition, we offer many other features that are simply impossible with a physical server. Check them out here.

When WordPress Automatic Updates are on

WordPress is known for the great option to have automatic updates enabled. However, sometimes the automated updates may decimate your website, and trying it first in a secure environment is always a good idea. WordPress usually does its job meticulously, but when they have a core update, the chances of something breaking are there because WordPress cannot guarantee.

When you would like to experiment

Furthermore, the website staging environment it’s a great room to experiment with the functionality and your design as a whole. People often wonder if a widget would look better in the footer or right next to the Headline in the header. Moving it around while there are thousands of potential buyers on your website is a recipe for disaster. You can do it safely in a staging environment, knowing that you (and your team) will be the only ones to see it. 

How to get Website Staging for your WordPress website?

Creating a staging environment for your website is definitely not a simple task. It requires certain knowledge to be acquired to handle it proficiently. Generally, it involves the process of copying your website and its database to an entirely new location (for example, a subdomain – staging.domain.com). All this should be handled on a Web Hosting service level since copying files, creating databases, creating subdomains, and reconfiguring WordPress are features delivered by the hosting web service.

So probably, you might have figured it out already, but it is not uncommon for your Web Hosting service provider to ease this process for you. In fact, many of the Managed WordPress Hosting providers already include Website Staging as a standard feature either done by their Technical Support staff or by some useful web interface that you can use to do it on your own with a few clicks. Our Managed Cloud WordPress Hosting is no different in that regard. We provide Website Staging for WordPress both as a standalone feature you can use on your own and as part of our 24/7, Chat/Phone/Ticket Technical Support service.

If you are in need of Website Staging, simply drop us a line, and our representatives will guide you further.

Benefits

There are three main reasons why everyone should use a Website Staging environment, even if they are making something as simple as installing a new plugin.

Risk Control

Typically, plugins are well-developed and don’t mess up your website, but at times they are known to contradict other plugins, and that’s when you start to have problems. So, one of the biggest benefits is the risk control staging provides. Checking how the new changes will behave before they go public allows you to react swiftly without enduring any downtime. 

Quality Control

Furthermore, staging allows you to improve your website meticulously without the need to do it fast and sloppy. Such changes need a lot of time, and although a small change in the font may look like a minimal inconvenience at first, it may change the whole outlay of the WordPress template. Thus having the chance to do all changes step by step in a secure environment guarantees the quality of the end product. 

Savings

This will save you a lot of money, which you will otherwise lose due to customer withdrawal. Furthermore, a crucial error on your live website may effectively put you out of business or at least cost you dearly by hiring developers to fix the problem. 

Naturally, if you can implement upgrades, new features, and better design without any downtime (or just a tiny controlled blackout time window), you are guaranteed to have improved business performance that will help you grow.

Downsides

Unsurprisingly, there are some drawbacks to using a website staging environment mostly due to the lack of technical understanding of this feature.

Inconsistency

When you create a copy of your website today, the copy is not in sync with the live version. It simply represents the content and the design of your website at the point in time when the copy was created. So naturally, if you add information to your Live Website, that information will not be present in the staging environment.

Responsibility and Organization

Staging blurs responsibility. While website staging makes the changes on your website much safer, the accountability when something goes wrong is almost nonexistent because you can always simply recreate the staging and start over. Moreover, the whole process of applying changes can be delayed, and it can even become excessive if, for example, several projects run simultaneously. A good organization is key in such cases. Otherwise, the pipeline will get clogged by tasks that need to be tested. 

Of course, these downsides are relevant only if your team’s organizational skills and leadership are not at the level your website needs.

Who is Website Staging for?

There isn’t a website owner who wouldn’t benefit from a staging environment, as the whole idea of having a safe and risk-free place where you can make changes without bringing down your website is genuinely a good decision. In a sense, people with one-pager websites, portfolios or just a passion project that doesn’t generate money and has little traffic can afford to restrain from investing time and effort in a staging environment. However, if you have a website filled with data, with many visitors, keeping your website online is crucial. So if you are making money out of your website, then having a staging environment is mandatory.

Let’s wrap it up!

As you’ve read, having a staging environment on your WordPress is not just a fancy addition, but it brings many benefits by reducing the risks of your website going down due to some theme or plugin update. Of course, if you are running an online store, this would give you peace of mind that any change won’t result in a crash, loss of data, or even worse. So, should you use a staging environment on your WordPress? Definitely yes!

The post What is Website Staging and should you use it for your WordPress website? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

A PHP framework is a platform for building PHP applications whose primary goal is to cut short your delivery time, help you with coding, implement a layer of security, and integrate basic standard functionalities effortlessly. To achieve that, a PHP framework consists of vast libraries with codes that can be implemented, and the developer won’t need to write already established codes from scratch.

Why do you need a PHP framework?

PHP coding is not an easy task, and while you can do it all on your own, it will take a lot more time. Furthermore, you can and probably will make a small typo or another coding mistake, affecting your whole code. You won’t worry about errors using a PHP framework since the code was tested and verified before adding it to the used libraries. Furthermore, it will save you time and energy since, without it, you will still have to write the same code that’s already been provided. 

As the world’s most popular programming language, with 45.4% (in 2021) of people using it, PHP has a wide variety of frameworks to choose from. Having said that, it’s not hard to test many of them until you discover that only a few are the real deal. Among them, Laravel and Symfony are, without a doubt, the best ones. So today, we will compare these head to head! 

A Brief Introduction

Introducing Symfony

Symfony is an open-source, free-to-use PHP web development application framework, which was first introduced in late 2005. The platform gained some popularity, but what really made it a hit was the release of the 2.0 version in 2011. Over 32,000 websites use Symfony as their foundation. The framework was used to build some notable governmental websites in France, including the Cultural ministry’s web portal. Furthermore, the Interpol website was also created using this framework. 

Symfony has one major advantage over other frameworks – you can use any Symfony component outside the framework, and it will still do a tremendous job. This makes work with Symfony much more beneficial, and you can also use it in other projects. This framework can be of help when building e-commerce websites, content management systems, and even sending emails via Symfony.

Introducing Laravel

Just like with Symfony, what truly made Laravel a PHP framework superstar is version 4.0, which was introduced in 2013. This modification was a complete rewrite of the framework, which decoupled the functionalities into separate components. These components are then managed with Composer. 

What really makes Laravel a top PHP framework is the syntax’s simplicity, which is extremely easy to learn, write, read and maintain. Over 387,000 websites use Laravel, among which are Weebly, Epik, Snapwidget, and others. Most users are in the US, but the framework is used worldwide. A huge recognition came in 2016 when Laravel was announced as the most popular framework of the year.  

There are many similarities between the two frameworks, but what really counts are the differences. Let’s review these! 

Installation process

As far as the installation procedure goes, both Symfony and Laravel are fairly straightforward. However, you will need to install a dependency manager beforehand, and since both frameworks work with Composer, we’d suggest using it. 

Symfony offers an alternative installation method via installing a new binary in your system. This will give you several advantages and nifty commands, which can help you greatly, especially when there is a missing dependency.

Laravel also allows for different installation methods, but there aren’t any advantages to that. In fact, sticking to the default composer method is your best option. 

Winner: Symfony – Although both are pretty straightforward, Symfony’s additional advantages can’t be overlooked.

Configuration

When it comes to configuration, Laravel is much easier to use. The framework uses the default PHP syntax. It has .env files as a base, and the application configuration is saved as .php file. Laravel separates the basic and the special configurations, making the use more organized and easy.

Symphony’s configuration is entirely different and much more complicated at first glance. This framework separates the environment configuration and the bundle configuration. The former is stored as .env, where the essential information is held. The latter uses YAML files predominantly. They determine how the website will behave in any environment. 

Winner: Laravel – Symfony’s configuration is much more complex. Although it allows you to create different files for different environments, the complexity of the YAML syntax and the need to learn it altogether makes the familiar PHP syntax of Laravel the better choice.

Templates

There are no significant differences between Symfony’s Twig and Laravel’s Blade templating engines. The latter is typically considered to be easier to use, but syntax aside, there are no major differences in functionality, and both have fans. 

Both allow the usage of “for” loops and “if” statements, work fast, and generate their templates into PHP codes. Most importantly, they are great at preventing XSS attacks due to escaping output by default.

There are some minor differences, though. Symfony’s Twig allows users to filter, while with Laravel’s Blade, you can directly add PHP code to your templates. Furthermore, Blade makes functionality extensions simpler. 

Winner: Tie – While many consider Laravel’s engine to be more user-friendly, the differences between Twig and Blade are way too small to claim that either one is better. 

Coding Style

The coding style is another difference between the two frameworks. Symphony is entirely based on coupled classes created by dependency injections. This makes the entire process of long-term maintenance and testing a whole lot easier.

Laravel, on the other hand, automatically scans for dependencies and resolves them automatically, making the dependency configuration redundant. Naturally, this means that the whole process is a lot easier, which is turning into a theme for Laravel’s use. However, while Laravel is, without a doubt, easier to use in this case, it may result in some issues with maintenance and testing in the long run. 

Winner: Symfony – The long-term solution is always better than the easier short-term one.  

ORM

The object-relational mapping (ORM) feature is essential for both frameworks, and while they have some differences, their main objective remains the same. 

Symfony integrates a third-party ORM – Doctrine, while Laravel uses its product, Eloquent, to interact with its database. Doctrine entities can be used outside a specific scenario, which gives them greater flexibility. It implements DataMapper patterns, which know nothing about the database, but they can use the data itself. The information about all interactions between the models and the database is stored in a separate layer called Entity manager. Thus this manager does all the operations. One of the most significant advantages of this ORM is the database operation optimization abilities because the processes are queueing rather than running simultaneously. 

Laravel’s Eloquent, on the other hand, implements the ActiveRecord pattern, where all models are aware of the database and work directly with it. It allows the ORM to update, create and delete a record. Furthermore, Eloquent is much more PHP developer-friendly and can be learned much quicker. 

Winner: Symfony – While Eloquent is the easier option, Doctrine has more valuable features and helps the database processes to be better organized and run smoother. 

Security

Security is essential in all PHP frameworks, and both Symfony and Laravel are among the top choices in this regard. Symfony has one genuinely robust security system, but it’s a bit complicated to set it up. On the other hand, it’s pretty sophisticated, with several authentication methods and a well-designed permission model.  

Laravel’s security is less complicated and lacks many of Symphony’s features. However, for most projects, Laravel’s basic protection is quite enough, and the easy set-up makes it a preferred security model for many.

Winner: Symfony – despite being the more complicated option, Symfony’s solution has better features and is more tightly secured. This being said, Laravel’s protection is by no means weak, but it simply can’t hold a candle against Symfony.  

Request-Response Lifecycle

The lifecycle is probably the single most important thing when choosing the right framework for your project. This is the process of converting a request into a response and is essential for your project.

Symfony uses a system called Event Dispatcher. It fires different events and event listeners to handle them. Events follow strict steps and the event listeners follow closely. Typically the listeners are related to CSRF token validation, security checks, and the entire signing process. The best thing about Event Dispatcher is that you can add functionality by creating custom event listeners and assigning them to the correct event. 

Laravel has an entirely different way of converting requests into responses. Middleware, as the method is called, is once again a much easier solution with some limitations. A request has to go through different stages or layers, if you will, on its way to the controller. These layers are basically the equivalent of Event Listeners in Symfony and are responsible for the security and other features. Once the controller gives the response, it has to go through the same layers. Naturally, if you want to add new features, you need to create a new middleware. 

Winner: Laravel – as with almost everything else, Laravel has a more straightforward approach, making the whole process far less complicated. 

Which one is better?

Picking up a winner is not an easy task. Both frameworks are extremely good and have their strengths and weaknesses. 

Symfony is better if you’re building a complex application for a huge company, as it’s easily scalable, effortlessly maintained, and comprehensively structured. This framework is perfect if you are searching for a long-term solution, as it has a predictable release schedule for the next few years. Thus surprises are highly unlikely. 

Laravel, on the other hand, is a gateway framework, as it’s easy to learn and has a far simpler syntax than Symfony. Furthermore, there are tons of learning materials online. This makes Laravel developers easier to find, which is perfect for start-ups or small companies with lower budgets. 

Our pick leans toward Syomfny due to its versatility, scalability, and overall adoption level by the development community. But no matter which one is right for you, your business and your website would need excellent hosting service. Here at HostArmada, we offer precisely that. So give us a call, and let’s help you choose the best hosting for your needs. 

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