Now, you might wonder what your website would want for Christmas. Well, there are many things you can do to make it better, more attractive, and more interactive. The best way to do this is by getting a premium plugin or theme. Naturally, it’s a fool’s errand to go through the thousands of plugins or themes out there just to find a few that will do you any good. So, we took the time to compile the best offers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday so you won’t have to. Moreover, we went a step further and divided them into groups of how they can enhance your website. So, let’s get right to it.

TLDR

We know you have a lot on your plate, so if you know what you need and you only need the link – here you go:

Plugins

The best and fastest way to enhance your WordPress website is through plugins. This little third-party software can do almost anything – enhance your website’s visuals, simplify your workflow, build your website, emails, pages, or forms effortlessly, and so much more. Of course, with 60,000 plugins in the WordPress library, it’s easy to get a bit overwhelmed. Furthermore, installing all of them will effectively crash your website beyond repair. You need just a few plugins to make your website more entertaining, a tiny notch more organized, and easier to work with.

So, how do you choose which Plugins to install? Well, you need to know what you want and what you need. And while this is something we can’t help you with at this particular moment, we’ve gathered the best plugin deals and divided them into how they will help you enhance your website. Keep in mind that these deals are relevant only within a specific timeframe, which we will also specify. So, if you stumble upon this blog post a month from now, sorry, but the offers might have expired. Regardless, checking out the plugins is a good idea, as they can truly get your website going.

Better workflow

Sometimes, having a better website experience is not for the users but for those working for you. A better workflow will make your entire enterprise run smoother, naturally growing your profits in the long run. Thus, investing in some plugins that can optimize your workflow is well worth it. Luckily for you, we have two outstanding features you can infuse into your website with a hefty discount this Black Friday.

1. Atarim – Atarim is a powerful collaboration tool that allows any stakeholder to click on any part of a website and provide feedback, QA, or suggestions. This will effectively cut the turnaround time from weeks into days and even hours.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 25% Discount on all Atarim plans  
2. BookingPress -BookingPress is an all-in-one WordPress appointment booking plugin that can accommodate hundreds of business models. With it, your customers will be able to book their appointments and pay your fee without ever calling or emailing you.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 01.12.2023): 62% Discount on all BookingPress plans 
3. User Registration – The User Registration Plugin is an essential tool for WordPress websites, providing a seamless and customizable solution for managing user registrations. With a user-friendly interface and extensive features, this plugin enables you to effortlessly create and manage user registration forms, ensuring a smooth and secure onboarding process for your site’s visitors.
   Promotion (08.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Flat 40% off on all premium plans
4. ELExtensions develops best-in-class WordPress & WooCommerce Plugins, utilized by tens of thousands of e-commerce stores worldwide. They offer a wide range of products that are designed to help businesses of all sizes to improve their online sales and conversions. Further, they are committed to providing their customers with the best possible support.
   Promotion (Until the end of December): 5% off on all our WordPress and Woocommerce Plugins, with code ELEX-OFFER-BFCM23

Builders for every need

A beautiful website starts with a beautiful design. From your website, through your landing pages down to your emails and forms. Thankfully, there are plenty of builders on WordPress to accommodate every need. This Black Friday, seven outstanding builders offer amazing discounts you must take advantage of.

1. Beaver Builder– Beaver Builder is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop page builder. With it, you can create stunning landing pages and entire websites by simply selecting elements and putting them on a blank canvas.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 25% Discount on All Beaver Builder Plans
2. WP Stackable – Stackable is a powerful, fast, and intuitive all-in-one solution for creating stunning websites with the WordPress Editor by turning it into a page builder.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 27.11.2023): Don’t miss out on the chance to grab Stackable Premium at up to 50% off this BFCM season!
3. Brizy – The easiest drag-and-drop page builder on WordPress. It’s the go-to solution for beginners with zero experience in building their websites.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 90% Discount on Personal Plans 
4. InstaWP – If you want to build a WordPress website from scratch in mere seconds, look no further than InstaWP. It’s one powerful tool any WP web designer needs in their arsenal.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 50% Discount on Annual Plans  
5. MailerGlue – Building emails has never been so easy. Create a visually stunning and captivating email without knowing any coding with this easy drag-and-drop email builder. As a bonus, you can manage your subscriber list right from WordPress. Isn’t that great?
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 50% Discount on the first year  
6. Ninja Form – Any website needs forms. Ninja Form allows you to build truly stunning forms that will represent your brand and allow you to gather the information you need in style.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 40% Discount on Elite Plans  
7. ARForms – ARForms is one of the most popular WordPress form builders out there. If you need more than a contact form, especially a customized one, ARForms is a must-have.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 01.12.2023): 50% Discount on the Premium Version 
8. Everest Forms – Everest Forms is a versatile WordPress form plugin designed to streamline the process of creating visually impressive and highly functional forms for your website. With an intuitive interface and a range of customization options, Everest Forms empowers you to effortlessly craft forms that not only capture essential information but also enhance your brand’s online presence.
   Promotion (08.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 70% off on Premium plans; 50% off for Personal plans; 70% off for Professional plans; 53% off for Agency plans
9. Masteriyo – Masteriyo LMS Plugin is a powerful tool for WordPress, transforming your website into a feature-rich e-learning platform. With seamless integration and customizable options, it allows you to effortlessly create, manage, and deliver engaging online courses, providing a tailored and immersive learning experience for your audience.
   Promotions (08.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 75% off [50% off on Lifetime plan and 75% off on Yearly plan]

Better content

To build up your traffic and audience, you need to invest in better content. Now, you can hire a team of professionals to do it all or simply take advantage of these outstanding Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers.

1. Bertha AI– As the name suggests, Bertha AI is an AI tool. It’s a robust content AI powered by OpenAI but with some modifications. With it, you can create stunning copy or blog posts for your website or social media.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 50% Discount on First Year
2. Pigeon Paywall – Pigeon Paywall is a Premium Content Delivery plugin that will help you set content based on subscription level. So, this is an invaluable plugin for bloggers and publishers.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 30% Discount on Setup Fee 
3. ARMembers – If you are looking for a plugin that will allow you to run your entire Membership programs within WordPress from one place, ARMembers is for you. Easy integration, restricted content for premium users, and a Membership Setup Wizard.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 01.12.2023): 50% Discount on ARMember Pro 
4. ShortPixel – ShortPixel will make your website images small and light, just like browsers like them. This will enhance your website’s loading speed and lead to better traffic.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 2X credits with any plan 
5. Slim SEO – If YOAST seems pricey, Slim SEO is the next best thing, especially for beginners. Minimal configuration, super lightweight, outstanding results. That’s what Slim SEO is all about.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): UP TO 50% OFF Lifetime Bundles for Personal Plans and Agency Plans 

Security

When your content and design are outstanding, you must be twice as careful about your security. With higher traffic, the risk of malicious attacks grows, so you must upgrade your security. Thankfully, there are some pretty sweet deals on this end as well.

1. Edgeport – Edgeport won’t just enhance your security. It will also boost your speed and provide some much-needed protection for mission-critical businesses. On top of that, no more worrying about data loss and damage.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 44% Discount on The First 12 Months 
2. Melapress – Melapress offers not one but four outstanding security plugins, each one dedicated to its own niche. Whether you need to keep track of what happens on your website, provide two-factor authentication, protect yourself from spam, or boost your overall security, Melapress is up for the task.
   Promotion (22.11.2023 – 29.11.2023): 40% Discount on All New Premium Plan Purchases with code: MP2023 

Website Optimization

Now that you’ve taken care of your security, it’s time to boost your website to attract more customers, support more users, and increase your overall traffic and UX. While you’re at it, why not make working on your website more straightforward as well? Naturally, we also have some chosen discounts on this end.

1. Meta Box – MetaBox is an invaluable tool for website owners who want to optimize the work on their website. This plugin will allow you to build customer fields and reach custom data for your WordPress website.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): UP TO 30% OFF Ultimate Bundles for Personal Plan and Agency Plan 
2. NitroPack – Website speed is crucial for increasing your traffic and, subsequently, your profits. NitroPack is the prime solution for optimizing your website’s speed.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 35% Discount on All Plans 
3. Code Snippets – Code snippets can be messy, especially if scattered across various locations. Code Snippets Pro will keep these snippets in one place, making them easily managed, inserted, and edited on your website.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 50% on All Plans 
4. WP-Rocket – There is no better way to speed up your loading time than caching your website. WP-Rocket is, without a doubt, the best solution for quick and efficient caching of your website and subsequent management.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 29.11.2023): 30% Discount on All Licenses 

E-commerce

Finally, we have monetization. Most often, people tend to fund their business through online sales. And while going on platforms like Amazon might be a solution, having your own online store is hands down the most cost-efficient way to monetize your website. Naturally, this Black Friday, we also have some tasty Discounts for e-commerce.

1. North Commerce – If you are in the market for a quickly built, high-converting e-commerce store, you are in luck. North Commerce is the best e-commerce plugin for beginners, having everything you need out of the box.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Up to 80% Discount on All Plans 
2. Omnisend – Build up your customers and grow your profits by expanding your reach through emails and SMS. Omnisend will provide you with all the infrastructure needed for this endeavor.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 30% Discount on First 3 Months (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023)
3. Control HQ – If you are a freelancer or agency, this Dollie plugin is a must. Control HQ, as the name suggests, gives you complete control over all crucial aspects of your website and clients. So, the Control HQ dashboard is the only one you will ever need.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 50% Discount on All Yearly Plans (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023)
4. ELEXtensions – ELEXtensions offers a ton of highly useful plugins to enhance your WooCommerce experience. But what truly captures the eye is their customization option. This makes them a must for any niche-product seller.
   Promotion (25.10.2023 – 01.01.2023): 5% Discount on All Plugins With Code: ELEX-OFFER-BFCM23 

Themes

Though the plugins are the ones that will enhance your website’s usability, when it comes to appeal, everything starts with the theme. No one will ever get to use your plugin if your website is not stunning enough to captivate and persuade the user to look around.

Of course, WordPress is packed full of free, gorgeous templates, which are everything you will need to start your website. But in time, when you want to extend your functionalities, looking for a reasonable premium theme is a wise decision. This Black Friday, you can get some of the best themes on WordPress with a lucrative discount.

Themes

A single theme is all you need to make your website the talk of the town. So, let’s have a look at some of the best themes that offer generous discounts this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

1. SKT Themes – If you are in the market for a colorful but professional theme for your business, you are in luck. SKT Themes offers all sorts of templates that will easily accommodate your needs.
   Promotion (10.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 50% Discount on All Themes with code: BF2023 
2. Proto Theme – Proto Theme is hands down the best WooCommerce-supporting theme out there. Eighty thousand business owners can’t be all wrong.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 02.12.2023): 50% Discount on The Theme 
3. NasioThemes – Easy to use, packed with features, SEO-friendly, and lightweight. What more could you need from a theme? Well, Nasio goes a step further and offers customized themes for various business industries.
   Promotion (20.11.2023 – 29.11.2023): 10% Discount on All Themes with code: nasio50 
4. Zakra – Zakra is a versatile and visually appealing WordPress theme that caters to a wide range of websites. With its modern design and customizable features, Zakra allows you to create a stunning online presence, representing your brand with style and functionality.
   Promotion (08.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 40% off on all premium plans [All Themes Plan and Zakra Pro Plan]

Marketplaces

Having a discount on an outstanding theme is simply amazing. However, having a deal on an entire market filled with gorgeous themes is even better.

1. TemplateMonster – Template Monster is a marketplace for all sorts of Website Templates, Plugins, and Graphics. Here, you will find everything you need to build a stunning website for the right price.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 30% Discount on 174 Digital Products 
2. MonsterONE – If you like the concept of Template Monster, you will love Monster One. With a single lifetime fee, you can access hundreds of digital products from as many websites as you need.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): Save $310 on the Lifetime plan 
3. ThemeSelection – Theme Selection is more than a WordPress theme market. It’s an overall theme market. Here, you will find customized everything, regardless of your needs.
   Promotion (01.11.2023 – 10.01.2023): 30% Discount sitewide for 100 buyers only with code: CW30OFF 
4. ThemeGrill – Themegrill is a prominent WordPress theme provider, delivering a diverse collection of visually appealing and feature-rich themes to elevate the design and functionality of your website. Their themes are crafted to showcase your brand with style, offering customization options that cater to a wide range of industries and preferences.
   Promotion (08.11.2023 – 30.11.2023): 40% off on all premium plans [All Themes Plan and Single Theme Plan] with codes: NOVEMBERY75 – For Yearly Plan NOVEMBERL50 – For Lifetime Plan

There you have it

As you can see, there are endless opportunities to enhance your website this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So, don’t shy away from gifting your website with a brand-new feature or a gorgeous look. And while you are browsing these magnificent offers, don’t forget to check out HostArmada’s special. Your web hosting also deserves some pampering.

The post The best WordPress promotions of Plugins and Themes this Black Friday/Cyber Monday can offer appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

The plugins are the cornerstone behind WordPress’s success. They allow users to implement various website features, making them more interactive and unique. With over 60,400 free plugins, there is practically no functionality WP plugins haven’t covered. The abundance is great, but it can be a two-edged sword, especially when you are just starting. Such numbers can be extremely overwhelming, especially when you’re just trying to make your website work. So, to save you from the heavy lifting, we’ve prepared a list of 10 plugins each website needs to have installed.

1. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is arguably the most famous SEO plugin in WordPress. Frankly, although there are some pretty good alternatives, like the All-in-one SEO Pack and SEO Framework, Yoast SEO offers the best product, in our humble opinion. Still, regardless of which SEO plugin you choose, you need to have an SEO optimization plugin installed on your website. As most new entrepreneurs know, search engine optimization is a goldmine for leads. About 93% of all website traffic comes from search engines, so playing ball with their demands is a no-brainer.

Of course, your SEO strategy should be much more significant than a simple SEO plugin, but installing Yoast SEO on your website is definitely a must. It makes SEO optimization seamless with its various capabilities. Its free features allow you to effortlessly add keywords and descriptions to your pages and posts. Moreover, it gives you valuable advice on making your content more readable and optimizing your images so they can help your SEO efforts as well.

This will allow you to ensure your content is always optimized to the max without wasting precious time counting how many words are there in a sentence, paragraph, or subheading.

If you want to go beyond, you can always install the paid version. It gives you additional insights into your SEO readiness. Still, the free version is quite enough for any type of website.

2. OptinMonster

The point of having a website is to capitalize on it. This usually can be done in one of two ways – you can sell products or services or find leads for offline transactions. No matter which way of monetization you prefer, OptinMonster can help you with your lead generation efforts. Through this marvelous tool, you can create a lead generation campaign from A to Z. You can create everything, from a popup form to a coupon wheel, using a seamless drag-and-drop builder.

One of the most challenging marketing tasks in front of a new business is gathering the email addresses of potential clients. With OptinMonster, you can create one marvelous subscription campaign entirely based on your preferences and budget. For example, you can integrate coupons into the campaign, so everyone who shares their email will get a discount or another benefit.

OptinMonster is a must because your website would be pointless without pushing the users toward a monetization goal. Thus, using this plugin will help you build your entire campaign, give you suggestions, and provide you with templates. It’s essentially the easiest way to start with your marketing from the very first day of your website.

Still, OptinMonster’s free version supports only 500 page views per month. So, once you grow, you will need to either go for the paid version or just start creating your own lead generation campaigns from scratch.

3. Revive Old Posts

On average, about 5% of website traffic comes from social media. While that may sound a bit unimpressive, consider that more than 3 billion people visit Facebook and Twitter alone. This is an audience you wouldn’t want to miss out on. Sure, Facebook algorithms are dreadful when it comes to free shares, as only about 10% of your fans will see your content on their timeline, but still, utilizing the power of Social Media to gain as much free traffic as possible is a must for a growing business.

So, instead of wasting time posting your content on Twitter and Facebook manually, use Revive Old Post. It’s a much better and easier solution. Moreover, the plugin will significantly increase your traffic on Social media.

Revive Old Post is a goldmine for micro, family, and small businesses that can’t afford to hire a dedicated person to take care of their Social Media marketing. The plugin will automatically share your website’s publications on Twitter and Facebook. The best part is that you can schedule when the Social media posts will go live. As hashtags and backlinks are essential to your SMM, Revive Old Posts allows you to add them without much hassle. So just delegate this otherwise incredibly boring but necessary task to a machine and dedicate your time to more important duties.

4. WP Rocket

It’s not a secret that loading speed has a huge impact on conversion rates. Thus, if you want to be successful, instant page load is the first step. Of course, this can be arranged by securing a lightning-fast hosting plan from HostArmada. Still, to ensure your server won’t get overloaded, and your customers will get to your website as quickly as possible to your content, caching is mandatory. Thankfully, with WordPress plugins, caching your website is just a couple of clicks away. All you need is a secure and reliable caching plugin.

Now, there are plenty of those in the plugin library, and frankly, there are a bunch that will do a fantastic job. WP Super Cache is a good choice. So are Hummingbird, Cache Enabler, Comet Cache, and W3 Total Cache. Still, we prefer WP Rocket as it’s the easiest to use. This powerful tool creates a cached copy of each dynamically generated page on your website.

This may sound redundant, but WP Rocket actually decreases your page load time by up to 63%. It’s among the best performers out there. Moreover, WP Rocket has one truly outstanding support, which is essential for beginners.

So, even if you decided against WP Rocket for some reason, make sure to get a caching plugin. It will make a whole lot of difference.

5. Akismet Anti-Spam

Whenever there is a website, there are spammers following. Bots flood your comments and email if you don’t ensure your protection. Of course, you can always take care of the spam manually, but this will be excruciatingly slow and tedious. You will have to delete all spammy comments on your own one by one. On the other hand, you can delegate this task to Akismet.

Akismet is one of the best free WordPress plugins, as it will take care of spammers regardless of how “human” they look. Yes, spam comments are usually made by bots, who crawl through the internet and search for unprotected websites where they can spill their invasive links. Akismet can effortlessly distinguish them from genuine comments and delete them without needing any additional interaction from you.

Moreover, this plugin will check all your contacts against a global spam database and delete all fake and spammy information.

Akismet works with an API key, which is free for personal websites and blogs. However, commercial and business websites must pay a symbolic fee to get the service.

6. Google XML Sitemaps

With Google having over 92% of the global search engine market, it’s only natural you’d want this giant to have all your details and share your website seamlessly. However, for Google to share your content with its users, it first needs to know it exists. This can happen in one of two ways. The Search engine can index your page, which can take some time. Or you can submit an XML sitemap. The XML sitemap helps search engines understand and navigate your website’s structure seamlessly.

Of course, setting up a sitemap is anything but easy. It’s time-consuming and, more often than not, way too complicated for fresh website owners to understand. Thus, installing the Google XML Sitemaps plugin will instantly take care of this tedious task.

Moreover, this plugin creates a dynamic sitemap compatible with all of the top search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, Ask.com, and others. The dynamic sitemap follows each change in your website and automatically submits it to the search engines. It’s a massive time-saver. Best of all, it’s free for all personal and commercial websites.

7. WPForms

In every business, communication with your customers is key. When it comes to your website, communication is predominantly one-sided. You give your customers a lot of information, but getting feedback is tricky. Still, to be perceived as trustworthy, you will have to open a communication channel. The easiest and primary channel you must have is a contact form.

Now, there are many ways to get a contact form, but by far, the most effortless and stylish is with WPFroms. This plugin gives you the opportunity to create various contact and other forms that can serve you for your subscriptions and for communicating with your customers. The best part is that the free version is enough to cover all the basics. The easy drag-and-drop builder allows even absolute beginners to create a stunning contact form without much hassle.

Moreover, WP Forms has built-in spam prevention, and you can add CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA. Or, if you don’t want to annoy your visitors, you can go for the Google Invisible reCAPTCHA.

The paid version will give you even more handy features, but for starters, the free version will do just fine.

8. MonsterInsights

Analyzing data and making decisions based on numbers is the cornerstone behind any business growth. Fortunately, your website collects a huge amount of data, which you can use to see what’s working, what’s failing, and what needs improvement. Google has developed several highly efficient tools to help you collect and read that data. The most important one of all is Google Analytics.

Implementing Google Analytics is not that hard if you have some basic coding experience. Still, for a new website owner, touching the website’s code is a recipe for disaster. So, a much easier and more efficient way to implement your Google Analytics is through a plugin. Like most other essential plugins, the library is flooded with such plugins as well. While most of them will do the trick, we still suggest using MonsterInsights.

The tool’s free version is quite enough for beginners. It will provide you with comprehensive e-commerce, user behavior, and SEO reports. Moreover, you can follow your real-time analytics.

With this information, you can see which products or services are most liked and which blogs are most exciting and try to accommodate your users ‘ demands. It’s the only secure way to adjust your business goals and make sure you are following proven data, not just feelings and assumptions.

9. Redirection

When your website gathers some traction and time goes by, it will inevitably start having some issues. Lost pages and incorrectly added URLs will become a regular occurrence. That’s not a reason to panic. Even the best websites and businesses have this problem, but they also have a great solution.

Using 301 redirects and making your 404-page an integrated part of your website will help you not only retain users who didn’t find the page they’ve been looking for, but you can actively convert them into leads or even customers. Thus, using a redirection plugin is mandatory for any WordPress website that aims to retain its visitors.

Redirection is arguably the most popular WordPress plugin for creating and managing redirections. This essential plugin will allow you to set global redirections. For example, if the URL of a popular page is regularly misspelled, you would want to redirect the misspelled URL to the active one. This will help you avoid redirecting users to your 404 page.

Moreover, the plugin allows you to make redirections based on specific scenarios. For example, if a user is logged in, they may be transferred to a more customized page rather than the one everyone else sees.

Furthermore, Redirection allows you to customize your 404-page, which is essential not to lose customers due to mistakes. But more importantly, the plugin will track the frequency of each type of redirection, which will hint at what part of your website needs improvement.

Finally, Redirection will detect every permalink change and automatically set a redirection to the new address, so you won’t lose any customers.

All in all, Redirection is a must for any website as it offers a quick and easy solution to your 301 redirects and 404-error page visits.

10. WP AutoTerms

When creating a business, especially an online one, you need to have the legal part covered. Websites all around the world have to follow some legal guidelines, as otherwise, some hefty fines will follow. For example, if you operate in the EU and you want your website to be seen there, you need to have a GDPR policy.

All of this can be a bit confusing, especially if you’re not a lawyer. Still, you are legally bound to address your website’s terms and conditions and privacy policy. Now, there are two solutions. You can pay a lawyer a hefty price to prepare the needed documents. Or you can use WP AutoTerms to create your legal agreements for free. This will cover your Terms of Service page, privacy policies, and acceptable use policies. Unfortunately, the GDPR is only available with the plugin’s premium version. Still, if you decide to operate in Europe, you can add an additional plugin or just pay the symbolic fee and be done with it.

What about WooCommerce

While WooCommerce is hands down the most used WordPress plugin, it’s definitely not mandatory for all types of websites. For example, if you use your website as a personal portfolio, an online business card, or a corporate news outlet, WooCommerce will only increase your website’s load, but it won’t bring you any benefits. Thus, we can’t say that WooCommerce is a mandatory plugin. However, if you are trying to start an ecommerce website, using WooCommerce is, without a doubt, your best choice. Still, today, we focused on the 10 plugins every website needs, and now that you know them…

It’s time to start building

Beginnings are always hard, especially if that’s your first website. Before you start building your website and implementing these beautiful plugins we just listed, you first need to address your hosting. Choosing the right hosting is the main pillar of your operation, as it will take care of your website’s infrastructure. HostArmada is at the forefront of this industry as we offer all your customers instant website loading, guaranteed access to your website 99.9% of the time, and state-of-the-art security when surfing through your pages. Moreover, with the seamless integration of WordPress with our platform, you’ll be ready to start building your website in no time. Just check out our plans, and if you need help choosing the right one for you, our team is always ready to assist.

The post 10 MUST-USE WordPress plugins appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Furthermore, if you want to have your website on Google’s first page, the average load speed there is 1.65 seconds. As we know, SEO is essential to any business’s success. So, as it seems, website speed is much more than a misguided ego-boosting whim.

Unfortunately, having lightning-fast hosting is not always enough, although admittedly, it is a good and necessary start. Still, what can truly boost your website’s loading speed is cache.

What is Web Cache

Cache is a complex mechanism that stores data for future use. This data is usually a copy of files already existing in a larger and slower storage unit. In web hosting terms, cache is a copy of your website collected and stored on various servers and browsers. The aim is to display your website faster in the visitor’s web browser.

For example, imagine you are cooking. Naturally, you are following a recipe. This recipe is, of course, situated in a book, placed on your bookshelf in your living room. Going there to check each step will be highly time-consuming and frustrating. You will spend more time walking between the kitchen and the living room, finding the book, and then finding the correct page where the recipe is situated.

Instead, you can rewrite the recipe on a smaller piece of disposable paper and take it to your kitchen with you. Now cooking will be a lot quicker, and you won’t need to take the same prolonged action to see each following step. Moreover, you can discard the copy at some point but still have the original.

The cache works the same way. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, your web browser stores the content and the design of the pages you open in its internal memory. This way, the next time you open the same website, it will take just a fraction of the time to open, as your browser already has a copy of it in its cache. Of course, there is way more complexity and of course different type of caches but more on that later in this post.

Why is Web Cache so important?

The benefits that caching brings are immense.

Improved Web Experience

Websites can be delivered to visitors quicker and more efficiently using cache. Server and browser cache allow users to get to the content easier and in a fraction of the time. This eliminates entirely the need to generate the page from scratch on the server for subsequent use. Naturally, this leads to a far better user experience and SEO.

Reduces Server Load

Moreover, caching can help immensely in relieving some of the server load. When a page is cached, returning users’ browsers don’t need to request any data from the server. This can significantly improve the server’s processing and response time. Ultimately, this will lead to more traffic without the need for additional server resources.

Reduces Infrastructure Costs

Along with better traffic, cache allows you to grow without significant additional expenditure. Ultimately you will need to reinvest and implement additional capital, but still, it’s far better to do so once your business has already developed and the revenues are already flowing in.

Reduces Bandwidth

Among other things, caching will reduce the amount of bandwidth you need. This will allow you to use a more affordable plan while still enjoying constantly increasing traffic.

Improves SEO

Furthermore, caching your website will benefit your SEO efforts significantly. Though Search engines don’t list page speed as necessarily a requirement to be positioned on their first page, they opt for the most user-friendly website with a low bounce rate and high traffic. Therefore, as users prefer faster websites, search engines will consider faster websites to be more user-friendly, thus pushing them forward in their search results.

As you can see, caching is not only a recommendation but a necessity.

How does the browser cache work

Browser cache is one of the two instrumental components of storing your website off-server. The browser cache usually stores static resources such as HTML files, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media on the visitor’s local device.

This means that if you use your PC to access our website, hostarmada.com‘s static data will be copied to your local browser. This way, if you revisit us, your browser won’t have to request the cached static data from our servers a second time. On the other hand, if you open it a second time from another device (Laptop, Tablet, Phone), as the cache is only stored locally on your PC, it won’t help you open the website faster, despite being in the same network. Of course, our website is well-optimized, and the difference will be barely noticeable, but still, it is there, and it helps a lot.

Browser caching is a highly complex process that’s hard to explain in simple terms. In a nutshell, however, here is how it works:

1. Initial visit

When you enter a domain name for the first time, the browser goes through the 8-step process to acquire the website’s data from the server. During the process, the browser retrieves all HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media resources to load the website on your screen.

2. Caching of resources

While displaying the website on your screen, the browser makes a copy and stores it as a hidden file on your device in a cache folder or another storage area. The stored cache is strictly related to the URL. This means that if you have hostarmada.com/blog cached, your browser will still have to go through all eight steps to retrieve hostarmada.com/pricing, for example.

3. Subsequent visit

When a domain name is entered in the browser’s search bar, the first job of the browser is to check all cached files. Then, it will compare the requested URL with the cached URL resources on your device before sending any requests online. That reduces the number of requests your browser will make to the accessed website, thus reducing the overall loading time.

4. Cache hit

If the cache is found in your browser’s internal storage, the cached resources will be loaded from there. Then it ends the process without ever sending a new request online. That’s why you can visit some websites even when you are offline. It’s simply a locally stored copy of the website.

5. Cache miss

If, for some reason, the cache record is missing, invalidated, or expired, the browser will send a new request for the same record to the server. When the server delivers the data, the browser will create a new cache for future use.

Along with the browser cache, there is also a server cache.

How to does the server cache work

As we established, when you enter a domain in your web browser’s address bar, it searches within its internal (browser) caches for data associated with the entered domain. But what happens if there is no data cached, or the cached data is invalid/expired?

The web browser will request the same data from the server where the website for the entered domain is being hosted. How fast that data will be returned by the server depends on the Server cache. Here is how it works in a simplified manner:

1. Request handling

When there is an incoming request, the server checks for a cached version of the requested data within its cache storage (typically RAM). Just like with browser caching, if there is a server-cached version of the requested data, it will be sent back to your web browser, finishing the process. However, if the cached data is corrupted, missing, or invalid, the server will compile all the website’s code logic once again.

2. Storing new cache

When the website’s code logic is compiled and the data it produces is generated, the server stores it in its internal cache storage and sets a unique identifier. Thanks to that identifier, the server knows where the data is stored so it can be retrieved immediately when requested again (without compilation).

Web Cache expiration and validation

Cached data has a predetermined expiration date which is set by the time the cache is generated. So when a website is accessed, both the web browser and the web hosting server check if the cache they have stored is still valid or needs revalidation. The validation of a cached data is measured in time units – one minute, one hour, one day, and so on. To determine if a cached resource has expired, the web browser and the web server check the current time and then compare it to the expiration time of the cached resource.

For example, if the browser sees that cached data has expired, it sends a conditional request to the server to check for any website modifications. If the data is modified, the server will send it to the browser, and the browser will cache it again. On the other hand, if there are no changes, the server will respond accordingly. Thus the browser will revalidate its cache with the new expiration time.

Server cache revalidation works similarly. Each cached resource has an expiration date. Once reached, the cache can either become stale or be evicted, depending on how the server was programmed. The former requires the server to revalidate the cache when a subsequent request arrives. The latter forces the server to fetch new data.

The expiration of the cached data (both browser and server cache) is often managed by the settings of your website. In other words, you have direct control over what will be cached and for how long.

How to configure web cache

If you have a custom build website configuring the caching might be a bit overwhelming in the beginning.  That is why we strongly recommend acquiring the help of a professional web developer for this part, especially if you are operating highly dynamic websites, like e-commerce or a website that gathers sensitive information. If you are a customer of our services, we will be more than happy to help you with the optimization of such a website. Simply contact us!

On the other hand, if you are using CMS like WordPress, configuring caches is a matter of installing the correct plugins. But more on that later in this post.

There are, of course, some general recommendations you can consider for caching the static resources of your website in your visitors’ web browsers.

Browser Caching of static data

To configure browser caching of static resources for an extended period, you will need to modify the content of a file called “.htaccess” which you can find in the root folder of your website. Open that file for editing, and at the top of it, add the following lines:

• Image files from your website for 1 year – Since images are rarely updated and often the largest bits of data on your website, caching these for longer period is a good choice.
• CSS and Javascript files for one month – CSS design files and Javascript files also rarely change. Just in case, the cache of these files will be refreshed every month.
• Your website’s favicon for 1 year – your website’s favicon is something that changes quite rarely. So instructing browsers to cache it for one year is also a good choice.

Object caching

To make this abstract definition more obvious, consider websites like TripAdvisor or Amazon. These websites often change their content based on user ratings and filters. The ratings are stored in a database, and the website retrieves and calculates the average rating for each product on every page load. The calculation involves querying the database, aggregating ratings, and performing calculations.

So if there is no object caching, if User A searches for a bike with some implemented filters, the server will execute the database query and retrieve each product’s ratings that fall under the filtered categories. Then it will calculate the average rating and arrange the products in a certain way. If User B makes the same request without object caching, the entire process will start anew, taking the same portion of server resources. If there is object caching, the list will appear in a fraction of the time.

To configure Object Caching for your website, you need to know how it was developed – is it based on an opensource platform like WordPress, or is it based on custom code done by a development team? If your website is based on WordPress you can easily find a plugin that can help you out in the configuration of Object Caching. Such is, for example, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, and many more. If your website is custom developed, then your best choice would be to contact the developers or hire a new dev team.

WordPress plugins

WordPress plugins are hands down the easiest solution to your caching needs no matter the type of caching you need. Whichever one you choose, they all have an easily navigable interface and make your cache configuration extremely easy and fast. You only need to look out for whether the chosen plugin is compatible with your WP version, theme, and other plugins. Also, note that using multiple caching plugins will certainly break down your website. Here is a review of the most used ones by our clients.

Most importantly, before implementing any caching plugin, it’s essential to backup your website, so you can revert any potential mishaps in the process.

For more information or free consultation with our experts, our clients can open a chat or submit a support ticket.

Cache pitfalls you need to know

Caching your website will undoubtedly improve your website performance. Still, that doesn’t mean there are no downsides or challenges along the way. Here are a few pitfalls you need to consider when implementing caching.

Incorrect expiration time

Implementing the correct expiration time for cache can be a bit tricky. If your set the expiration time for too long, users will see outdated content. On the other hand, if it’s set for too short, it will defeat the purpose of having cache in the first place. Setting the right expiration time will maximize the benefits while ensuring all users receive your latest updates.

Messed up cache invalidation

This is another major challenge with caching. Just like with expiration times, if you set the invalidation process improperly, people will see outdated or wrong information. Therefore, a solid invalidation strategy is crucial for fresh content flow.

Inconsistent cache

There is rarely a bigger disaster for a website than having an inconsistent cache across multiple servers. If this happens, different users will receive different information, which will hinder your credibility and authority.

Cache Stampede

This occurrence happens when a lot of cached items expire simultaneously and all request revalidations from the server at the same time. This will overload the server and cause performance issues. This is why cache expiration is an art form that you shouldn’t take lightly.

Overall

Despite the minor drawbacks, one can not argue that cache is one of the most essential optimizations for your website, which will help you increase your website speed immensely. For your users to always enjoy your website on demand, you need fast, reliable, and secure web hosting. Luckily HostArmada is here to help. We offer state-of-the-art caching solutions that will not only boost your website’s speed but will make your entire website performance soar. Don’t hesitate to contact our team. They will happily help you choose the plan that suits your needs perfectly.

The post What is web cache and how to use it to your advantage appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

What is website quality?

There are several ways to look at your website’s quality. One of the most common is to see how Google sees your website. With 68% of all online experiences starting with a search engine query and Google hoarding over 90.58% of the Global Search Engine Market, it’s really a no-brainer why you should consider Google’s opinion of your website as gospel. It stands to reason to follow Google’s measurements, as they are based on billions of searches, so there is no greater way to determine what an audience likes than checking Google’s statistics.

Still, your website should do more than that. The quality of your website depends on much more than receiving traffic from a search engine. For example, things like how you build your website, its speed, navigation, usability, creatives, design, and several other factors are way more important.

So, the quality of your website is determined by how people act once they land on your page. On average, a person spends 52 seconds on a single page, which is an essential measurement of how good your website is. But before we get to measuring your website quality, let’s talk about why it is so important.

Why is website quality important?

The benefits of excellent website quality are immense. Naturally, the first would be a lot more traffic, as Google, Bing, and other search engines would place you on top of their search results. This will bring you a massive boost in your leads and, more importantly, your conversions and profits.

Furthermore, the better the quality of your website, the easier it will be for your marketing efforts. A good example is Google Ads, which considers your website’s quality when estimating how often to show your ad and where in the search results to place it. Naturally, it will be on top of the organic search results, but as it happens, almost everyone bids on keywords they find profitable. Therefore, when it comes to the results, a bigger bid doesn’t always mean a number one spot.

Remember that Google is determined to keep its users happy, so they place quality above the bid you set. In other words, Google’s ad ranking equals the bid+quality score. So, if your website quality is good (or above average, as Google would call it), you will have to pay less to get to the top of the SERP. Naturally, this will reduce your CPC (cost per click) and  CPA (cost per Acquisition) while boosting your ROI (return of investment) and profits.

Moreover, having a genuinely good website will reduce the number of bounces, which will instantly improve your SEO score. This would lead to getting higher in the organic search results as well, ultimately making your google ads obsolete.

Finally, a good quality website will lead to more conversions from your marketing campaigns, as a good quality website means a great customer journey, naturally leading to more conversions.

How to measure your website quality?

Waiting to see your position in Google is definitely not the optimal way to see your website quality. While, yes, Google will put you on top of its results if your website quality is outstanding and you answer the queries of their users, you have to get there first. To do that, you first need to know how to measure the quality. This way, you can improve your results faster and more efficiently. You will again use some of Google’s tools to get these measurements, but you will also have to collect and check your internal data.

In general, there are eight pillars you need to consider when checking your website.

Overall traffic

Hopefully, there is no surprise here. Knowing how many leads get to your web pages is detrimental to see if the quality of your website improves or worsens. The easiest way to do that is by using Google Analytics. The free tool will share a lot of essential data, like demographics, where your traffic comes from, which geographical location is most interested in your product or services, and many others. The software integrates seamlessly with your website, especially if you use WordPress, where Google has a dedicated plugin. If you are starting to measure your stats now, don’t worry. You can use what you see as a benchmark and improve it over time.

Organic Traffic

Usually, if you have a good digital marketing strategy, your customers come from various channels, like social media, PPC campaigns, backlinks, offline marketing campaigns, etc. However, for your website quality, it’s essential to know how many are here just because they found you organically and not through an ad. Don’t get us wrong. The other results are just as important, but as Google ranks your website based on its quality, the more people see it, the better the quality.

Bounce rate

That said, you need to know how many people are leaving your website without taking action. This is better known as the Bounce rate. If you see some bounce rate, don’t worry. It’s normal to have at least some, as many people are just browsing. For example, blog posts get up to a 90% bounce rate, and that’s normal. However, a higher-than-average bounce rate indicates something wrong with your website, as people leave without ever touching anything.

Average page per visit

Speaking of bounce rate, you should measure the opposite as well. For instance, the average number of pages a user visits while on your website. This can be a great indicator of your website’s usability and content engagement.

Average time spent on the website

No surprises here. The longer a person spends on your website, the better the content. Naturally, if they bounce right after they spent 7-10 minutes on your page, that means they found your content interesting, but it failed to redirect them to a sales page.

Conversions

Naturally, your end goal should be getting sales from your website. Whether it is a direct sale or creating a hot lead, which will contact your sales team, you should measure how many people take the last step in the customer journey you made. Of course, the number of conversions is only one aspect. You need to know how much you paid for each conversion and the percentage of the people who convert after landing on your website.

Website Speed

Website speed has a lot to do with your success and website quality. It has an astounding effect on the user experience and can basically make or break your website. Usually, a 2-second load time is considered a good one, and each second delay after that costs you significantly. You can check your website speed through various internet platforms, giving you a reasonable estimate of your website’s loading time and showing you where you can improve.

Backlinks

Finally, one significant stat you should always follow is how many backlinks lead to your website. However, having dozens of backlinks is not enough, as it matters who has linked you. For instance, if a very low-quality website links your content, it will drag your quality score down. So it’s best to strictly manage your backlinks through Google Search Console.

What affects your website’s quality?

Even if you closely follow all these measurements, if you don’t know what causes their fluctuations, the whole ordeal is utterly pointless. For example, how can you improve the stats if you have a high bounce rate but don’t know what’s causing it? So before we give you some tips on how to improve your website’s quality, you first need to know which elements affect it.

Mobile Optimization

We are starting with this one to get it out of the way. Every website nowadays is mobile-friendly, so there is no point in wasting time explaining this in detail. Still, if yours is not mobile-friendly for some reason, this should be your first and most important task. Thankfully, if you use WordPress, almost 100% of its themes are optimized for mobile.

Usability

People have options. What they don’t have is time. So naturally, your website’s quality is tightly related to the UX. A good website would give the needed information structured and fast and won’t leave anyone guessing what they should do next.

Design

A visually pleasing design with well-placed elements that strictly follow the best designer practices will always have better quality than a chaotic display of random content.

Functionalities

Naturally, a more interactive website will be received better, as people don’t simply want to read but want to feel, look, and touch. Let them understand what you are offering with more than words, and your website quality will instantly skyrocket.

Be careful, though. Having interactive elements is a two-edged sword. If the functionalities are not done with precision and have bugs, this will only lead to quality deterioration.

Content

We’ve said it many times, just as almost every other expert in the world, and we will say it again, “Content is King”. That’s probably the single most impactful element of your website’s quality. Mediocre content can destroy a website, regardless of how good its other aspects are. But on the other hand, high-quality and fresh content can save an otherwise questionable website. Still, if you want your website’s quality to soar, you need all the elements to be done to perfection.

By quality content, we mean having fresh copy and a blog post every 1-2 weeks, a great CTA, a ton of high-quality pictures and/or videos, and of course, impeccable grammar and spelling.

So, now that you know everything about website quality, how to measure it, and what affects it, let’s get down to business.

How to improve your website quality

Improving your website quality is truly not that hard. All it needs is a little effort and knowledge. Of course, we will gladly provide you with the latter. So, what can you do to help your quality soar?

Add value to your website

The best way to increase your website quality is to rely on your experience. People who visit your website are there for some kind of information. Most often, they have clicked on a search engine result or a paid ad, which already gave them some information on what they will see. However, once in, they need to learn more. So, naturally, you need to add some extra value. Be it your knowledge, some lucrative offer, or simply a product or service, which will resolve their problem, you need to show you have the solution to the reason they clicked on your link. The more experience you have, the higher the quality of your content will be.

So don’t hesitate to go all in with your knowledge when presenting a solution so you can give emence value to the readers.

Work on the user experience and the reliability

We’ve mentioned that user experience is, without a doubt, among the most important aspects of your website. Naturally, improving your website’s UX will instantly increase its quality. So, what you should do is audit your website’s usability.

First, check if your navigation is logical and hierarchical. After that, ensure all your features work as intended and don’t have any bugs. Next, check the links and make sure all of them lead to the right spot. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking on Prices and getting to the About us page, for example.

If you still haven’t added your contact information, now would be a great time. Having direct contact, be it via email or a phone number, will immensely increase your reliability, and the customers will feel much more secure sharing their information (like credit card numbers, addresses, and others).

Finally, reduce your ads and especially all the pop-ups. It’s OK to have one “Subscribe” pop-up window, but generally, don’t let ads and pop-ups overtake your content. A banner or two is fine, but overdoing it will increase the bounce rate. On the other hand, reducing the number of annoying ads, like blinking once, for example, will instantly improve your website’s quality.

Improve your CTA

The CTA is the end of your customer’s journey. So, naturally, if you improve this section and put the CTA type that precisely fits your narrative, you will enjoy not only an increase in your overall website quality but also a much higher conversion rate.

If you already have a CTA and it matches the type that fits the customer journey you created, you can try and improve it. Try some A/B testing on the copy. Make sure you use a good color scheme. Most importantly, make your CTA stand out from the rest of your page.

Stay fresh and up to date

Having your Christmas Special promotion on display in late January is not the best way to show you are a serious business. Being up-to-date will not necessarily improve your website quality, but having outdated information will definitely tarnish it.

What you can do to improve your website quality is to start writing relevant blog posts every week or two. Ensure you find relevant and trending topics with at least some implications for your business or industry. This will increase your website’s quality, help you with your SEO efforts and build up your brand authority.

Update your design

Just like with content, your design should also be up-to-date. User preferences change over time. Regardless of whether your 2003 edition looks fantastic, you need to change it. Stay on top of the trends, and rely on data rather than hunches when choosing your next design. Naturally, an up-to-date, visually pleasing design will instantly increase your website quality and make it much more efficient.

It’s best, however, to trust a professional designer to create your website’s look. Web design is a true science. So, if you don’t have experience and knowledge, it’s best not to do experiments.

Stay on top of the SEO changes

Speaking of SEO, you should always be on top of any changes to Google’s algorithm, and those happen a lot. Google makes roughly 500-600 updates a year, so you need to always be alert. These modifications are based on changing customer behavior, so following their guidelines will also help you improve your website’s overall quality.

Use a lot of images and/or videos

If you get the leads, but somehow your conversion rate is disappointing, you might want to consider changing your content type. What we mean is that people are not too keen on reading, especially when the text is filled with complex concepts and terminology. Naturally, this doesn’t apply to blog posts, as their primary function is to explain complicated ideas in detail. On the other hand, your home page should be just like a vestibule. It should direct people rather than convince them to convert.

This being said, home pages with heavy, long texts are typically not that great. So to improve your website’s quality, you might want to rely a bit more on high-quality pictures or video. Visuals help people take a break from a long text and have some time to make sense of it as well, so you might want to consider adding a bit more of those in your blog posts. They also help to understand some complex topics easier.

Regardless of whether you will go for Pictures or Video, make sure you only post high-quality visuals.

Improve your page speed

With high-quality pictures, features, and a brand-new modern design, your website may become quite chubby. This will deteriorate its quality quite significantly. So, make sure you use compressed images, keep your coding clean and structured, and if that doesn’t help, maybe it’s time for a new hosting service provider. HostAramda can definitely help on this end, as we can provide lightning-fast hosting that’s both secure and stable. This means that your website won’t just be fast but will also have practically zero downtime. As you can imagine, having your website unresponsive even for a fraction of the day is a huge hit on your website quality, so getting one of our plans will definitely improve your website quality.

So, what should you remember?

A good website quality will make your entire business much more profitable. It will help you with your marketing immensely, as well as your conversion rates and lead generation. Naturally, many factors affect your quality. Keeping an eye on them via the most important metrics we mentioned in detail above will help you determine if there is a problem and, more importantly, where it is. Increasing your website quality is not that hard. All you need to do is improve your content, make a few changes here and there and have HostArmada as your trusted hosting service provider. It’s as simple as that.

The post How to measure the quality of your website and why is it important? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Take, for example, the Cost Per Click (CPC) metric – it will show you what cost you are paying to make a customer click on your ad. To reduce it in Google Adwords, for example, you will often tweak the keywords you are bidding on.

While CPC is undoubtedly an important metric, the one that dictates whether a campaign is booming is the Clickthrough rate, better known as CTR. Today we will explain CTR and how you can improve it, so let’s dive deep into it!

What is CTR?

To understand what CTR is and why it is so essential for your business, you first need to understand the natural flow of any marketing communication. Here are the 5 marketing phases of the customer’s journey:

1. Message – The message is a visual item that represents your marketing effort. Being an Image, Banner, Text, Video, or Audio, it is distributed to the chosen audience via a media channel.
2. Impression – The moment when a consumer of a media channel is presented with your Message.
3. Click (Action)– If the consumer is interested in your message, they will click on the link (button) so they can be redirected to your website.
4. Lead – If the customer leaves your website maybe they need just a bit more convincing.
5. Conversion – The consumer finishes a predetermined action you want them to do (buy a product, call you, subscribe, or come to your store).

So, where is the CTR in all of this, you may ask? – It’s right between the Impression and the Click phases. It is determined by the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. Or in other words, CTR is the percentage of people that see your message and click on it to learn more about your offer.

For example, if you have 500 impressions and 20 clicks, you divide

20/500=0.04×100=4% CTR

Why should you care about your CTR?

As already mentioned, CTR is genuinely a fundamental metric in any marketing campaign. It can give you crucial information about almost all aspects of your strategy. Here are a few of the most important.

CTR can help you find weak points in your marketing campaign

There are hundreds of ways you can mess up a marketing campaign. It can target the wrong audience, relay a bad (or poorly written) message, use improper channels, or offer a product with no potential. Either way, the first point of finding out there is a problem is when people are not interested in your message. This can be determined only through the CTR.

For example, if you created a Facebook ad with 10,000 impressions but only 30 clicks. This means you have only 0.3% CTR, which is a good indicator of something wrong. However, if you relay the same message to 1000 people through your email, and 300 of them open it, it’s clear that your messaging and products are good. In that case, the targeted audience and/or the channel are the problem. This being said, it’s not a very good idea to use the same messaging for different media, but that’s a topic for another time.

CTR can help you optimize your marketing campaign

Naturally, when you have the means to determine what your audience likes and illustrate it with numbers, it’s pretty easy to start optimizing your campaign. Depending on the channel you use, you can A/B test several messages, target audiences, keywords, images and almost every aspect of your campaign. This will improve your results and, of course, will increase your profits immensely.

CTR affects your Google Score

No matter your business, you must work with Google if you want to succeed. You will need to invest in some excellent SEO for organic traffic and if you have the budget, starting with Google Ads is a good idea. Both of them, however, will benefit significantly if you have a good CTR, especially if you create a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. With 94% of all Google users skipping the ads and going straight to the organic results, you need a high score to beat all others to the top.

A good quality score may lower your cost per click by up to 50%, while a lousy quality score will increase the price of every click by up to 400%. This is quite normal for Google, as their primary task is to show users the most relevant content available and not to sell your product by any means. Naturally, this means that good CTR will help you get a higher position on Google Search Results, which in term will grant you even better CTR, more leads, and ultimately a higher conversion rate.

Higher CTR improves Return on Investment (ROI)

This shouldn’t be a surprise, as it’s pretty logical. The more people click on your message, the more they will finish the predetermined action and become conversions. In most cases, this will increase your ROI immensely. On Facebook, for example, you pay for impressions. So the more people click on your website, the better CPC you get, meaning you’ve spent less to get more conversions. This means that a good CTR makes marketing campaigns much more cost-efficient.

What is considered a good CTR?

You’ve already heard several times the term “good CTR”. But what is a good CTR? What are the benchmarks? – Naturally, every business has different values that will be considered good. Nonetheless, each marketing channel has an average CTR you should be striving to achieve.

Organic Traffic

The CTR on search engines heavily depends on your position in the search results. For Google, the number 1 spot has 39.6% CTR. The second spot gives you less than half of that – 18.4%, and the third will provide you with 10.1% CTR.

PPC ads

Here the average CTR varies depending on the used platform. For example, on Google, the average CTR for the first ad is about 2.1%, while the second place gets 1.6%. Although the CTR here is lower, the user’s intent is much higher, so PPC campaigns usually have higher conversion rates.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the platforms with the lowest average CTR. The reason is mainly due to some targeting incapabilities, the general vibe of the platform, and, most importantly, the vast number of users. So you get your message in front of a massive audience which, however, gets you just a few clicks. This makes the ads there effective but more expensive. The average CTR is roughly 0.9%, with some industries like Legal going as high as 1.6%, while jobs and employment have an average 0.47% CTR.

Emails

Emails are one of the most efficient channels for the middle part of the marketing funnel, as it’s primarily used for retargeting. This makes emails highly efficient if you know how to use them. Despite this, the average CTR is around 2.3%, with industries like retail going as low as 0.9% and education going above 4%.

Is high CTR always good?

As you can see, low CTR doesn’t always mean bad results. The same goes for high CTR. High CTR simply means that your message is convincing enough for people to want to learn more. It means your images, message, targeting, and platform are well-chosen, and people are inclined to click. However, even if you have 100% CTR, if you are not persuasive enough to transform your leads into conversions, it’s all for nothing. This being said, high CTR does not guarantee you success, although bad CTR certainly guarantees you a failure.

Ways to increase your CTR

Although high CTR doesn’t guarantee you will have high profits and revenue, it most definitely won’t harm your business. So, naturally, you’d want to increase your CTR at any opportunity.

Your CTR is dependent on several factors:

• Accurate targeting – If your message is not targeted at a specific audience, it may be shown to people with little to no interest, which will bring your CTR down (as they won’t click on the link)
• Quality of the delivery – sometimes words are your enemy. How you represent your product and how much information you give can massively affect your CTR.
• Appearance – Pictures, colors, layout, and size all greatly impact the visibility and, naturally, the CTR.
• The Channel – This is very much in line with the targeting, as different channels are better for specific audiences. For example, an employment ad will get a much higher CTR on LinkedIn than on Facebook.

Here are some easy ways to boost your click-through rate with little investment and effort.

Target the right people

This should be a no-brainer. Presenting your product in front of people that are interested increases the chances of them clicking on the link. So make sure to create your business persona based on data, not feelings. Make sure you don’t target outside of your areas of interest. For example, if you sell flip-flops in Georgia, you don’t need to show your products to people in Virginia. Also, make sure to take into consideration factors like sex, age, lifestyle and even customer behaviour. Knowing your ideal customer will skyrocket your CTR.

Use the correct keywords

Keywords are behind every search, and if you want to be visible to the correct audience, you need to know which keywords will work for you and which ones won’t. Make a good mix between short-tail and long-tail keywords, so you will get both volume and high CTR. The shorter the keyword, the lower the CTR and the higher the volume. Naturally, the longer the keyword, the higher the CTR and the lower the volume. Use tools like Google Search Console and Keyword Planner to determine the best keywords for your product.

Include a CTA

CTA’s are instrumental to your success. Writing a CTA is a true form of art. You need to relay urgency, scarcity, quality, and benefits in one brief sentence. Make it short, sweet, direct, imperative and compelling.

Optimize your copy and headline according to the channel

Each channel has its own regulations regarding headlines and copy. Make sure when you post something that it sticks to the best practices. This way, you won’t get your headline cut off, and you will be able to translate all crucial information into the visible part of your copy. Make sure to add at least two focus keywords in the description and at least one in the headline.

Use high-quality images

Images capture the attention of the ever-scrolling user, especially on social media like Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram and others. So using a high-quality picture with the correct dimensions will instantly improve your CTR.

Optimize your marketing campaign based on the data you receive

When you start a campaign, be it paid or free, ensure you won’t leave it without supervision. After all, among other things, you are paying for data. Use that data to learn more about your audience, where the problems are in your campaign, and what are its strong points. Once you have the right amount of information, optimize your campaign accordingly.

Things to remember

CTR is, without a doubt, the most fundamental metric any business owner or marketer should follow. It’s both a tool to measure the success of your marketing campaign and point out flaws in it.

Good CTR can significantly impact your conversion rate, revenue, and ROI. However, optimizing your messaging in the different channels won’t be enough. You will need a fast, secure and well-maintained website, which means you need the best hosting provider on the market. HostArmada is precisely what you need. With our fast, reliable, and secure hosting solutions, you will never lose a click because of a slow website load, and you will never lose a lead because of a crash. So call us and let us help you choose the best plan for your needs.

The post What is CTR and how to improve it for your website? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Why are lightweight images vital for the success of your website?

The main reason you’d want to optimize your images is, of course, the website’s speed and performance. The pictures and videos on your website are typically the heaviest files that need to be loaded for the website to show. Heavy imagery means longer load time, and longer load time leads to fewer visitors. Using lighter images will immensely improve the user experience, and while it won’t necessarily bring you more customers, it will certainly prevent any loss.

Moreover, heavy images take a toll on your SEO score. Using weighty imagery is almost as bad as using low-quality ones, as Google is all about user experience, and both cases situate a problem that the search engine can’t ignore. So using lighter and SEO-friendly images (with included Alt text) will help you immensely with your SEO efforts.

The lighter images are more appropriate for the responsive design, which has become the standard in recent years. Naturally, you can’t afford to disregard any devices on which your website might be seen, as about 5.34 billion people on the planet have a smartphone, and about 60% of them have contacted a business directly using a search result.

Finally, there is the aesthetic point. You want your website to be as eye-pleasing as possible, so you need to know how a file format will change the image display.

As you can see clearly, having well-optimized images is not simply a whim that you can ignore but a highly valuable operation that will bring you a lot of benefits in the long run.

Five to-dos before you consider changing image formats

Before we get to explaining the different types of image formats and their pros and cons, for well-optimized website imagery, you need to take at least five steps beforehand. Let’s dive right in!

1. Use caching technologies

The cache of your website is what enhances the user experience the most. We can logically separate the caching technologies into three layers – Server Side caching, Application caching, and CDN caching.

Server Side Caching is a caching mechanism that aims to cache your website’s static and dynamic content on the Web Hosting server. That reduces the time your website needs to prepare the content for visitors.

Although part of the web hosting server, Application Caching is a caching mechanism integrated within the code of your website. For WordPress, that means using caching plugins like LS Cache or WP-Rocket, for example.

CDN Caching, on the other hand, is a caching mechanism that is not part of the web hosting server, however, it caches the static files (CSS, JS, HTML) of your website geographically closer to your visitors than the web hosting server is. This allows for faster loading speed in situations where the other two caching layers are not supported.

2. Compress the images you use on your website

Try always to use compressed images. They are smaller in size without compromising the quality of the visual. There are tons of plugins for WordPress that can do the job for you, or you can use a third-party program to do so. The important thing is not to load any data that won’t help you with your website’s appearance.

3. Use Lazy Loading

Typically when a person comes to a website, he wants to see the header and the Hero section, which appear on his screen. Almost no one scrolls immediately down, making the immediate load of images “below the fold” time-consuming and unnecessary. With Lazy Loading, you deliberately prevent these images from loading when your website is open, but instead, they load only when the user scrolls down. This means that via Lazy Loading, you can increase the website’s speed several times, depending on how heavy is your main (title) image.

4. Edit your images

Naturally, if you want your website to run fast, you need to customize your images according to their needs. This means you must cut off all parts of an image (or video) that simply won’t be shown due to the required dimensions.

5. Replace GIFs with HTML video

Animation brings your website to life, and many people add gifs to create one genuinely spectacular page. However, gifs are not particularly speed-friendly, as they are one of the heaviest file formats you can add to your website. The solution is to use HTML videos instead since they are way smaller in size and are better in almost every aspect. They reproduce more colors, offer more explicit pictures, and, most importantly, are quite effortless to insert on the webpage.

If you follow these steps, all your picture optimization will be immensely more potent and will allow you to make your website faster and more user-friendly.

While we are talking about image optimization, we need to address the elephant in the room and go through the best file formats WordPress loves, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

If you follow these steps, the image optimization will be immensely more potent and will allow you to make your website faster and more user-friendly.

While we are talking about image optimization, we need to address the elephant in the room and go through the best file formats WordPress loves, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

The fastest Image File Formats

Ordered from the most optimized, here are our top picks for image file formats you should use on your WordPress website.

1. WebP

WebP is a relatively new image format created by Google. Naturally, like anything created by the King of Search Engines, this formatting is way more SEO-friendly, and it’s quite a bit popular among website owners who use lots of imagery on their websites. Of course, suppose you are going for a website that predominantly uses pictures to communicate with its audience. In that case, you will need an image format that can handle compressions without affecting the quality of the image. In this regard, WebP is far better than PNG or JPEG. Moreover, the format usually uses smaller full-size photos, and it will take up far less space on your web hosting plan.

2. SVG

48% of all websites use SVG image format. Whenever you see vector drawings that have been quite popular in the past few years, they are SVGs. The main idea behind this format was to create a markup language that would render these images right into the browser. Unlike raster images, SVG doesn’t rely on pixels. Instead, it uses XML text to form a shape, much like mathematical equations result in graphs. Naturally, this means that SVG files are easily formatted and can be scaled up or down without negatively affecting the picture’s quality. Moreover, it’s supported by all known web browsers and can be implemented efficiently on almost any WordPress website.

The downside is that the format is not ideal for more complex pictures and intricate visuals. However, SVG remains the go-to format for logos, icons, and illustrations.

3. PNG

PNG is another raster graphic format, which allows for compression with a relatively small loss of quality. This is amazing when you need a responsive design with quality and detailed imagery. One of its best features is its text readability, making it perfect for memes and other text-heavy images. Naturally, this makes PNG the go-to format for websites that want to add infographics, screenshots, graphs, and banners.

The only downside is the relatively big file size, which, although compressed, may cause your website to slow down, especially if you overuse it. So if your website is full of high-resolution pictures, PNG is not the format you’ve been looking for.

4. JPEG

One of the most popular formats on the entire internet is JPEG. Nearly three-quarters of all websites use this format, as do Social Media giants like Facebook and Instagram. The format reduces the file size and quality, although not significantly. The most significant advantage is the relatively small file size you get, especially for the quality, although it’s not ideal if there is text on the images. The file format is supported by all known browsers and is the perfect choice for blog pictures, portfolio headshots, and product images. 

Which one is the best?

As usual, there is no conclusive answer to this question. There wouldn’t be a dozen file formats if they all did the same thing. It all depends on your needs and preferences.

For example, suppose you are using images to enhance your SEO goals further, and you are targeting people who rarely use Safari (for example, iOS users). In that case, WebP is the format you’ve been looking for. On the other hand, if your content is heavily vectorized and you only use icons, logos, and simple illustrations, then SVG is the better choice. Finally, you should look for PNG if you want a regular website with memes, banners, infographics, and other text-heavy images.

So probably the best answer here would be to use different formats depending on your needs. However, if we have to pick one, then WebP is our go-to format. Whatever you choose, please remember that the images are only one small variable in the big website loading speed equation. The most significant improvement comes from your web hosting provider. HostArmada is where you will find the best offers if you want a high-speed web hosting alternative.

The post The best lightweight image formats you should use on your WordPress website appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Website visitors have become impatient

With the rise of modernity, many people have become increasingly disillusioned with the concept of having patience. Especially younger people who are used to society providing speedy and efficient solutions to their needs and wants. However, it is not limited to them because of the dynamic lives we live and the needs of their business projects. Time has also become a scarce resource and valuable commodity. Users are already living busy lives, so convoluted and hard-to-navigate websites are more likely to leave them with a bad impression and scare them off.

Always try to streamline every part of your website so that your visitors don’t have to feel impatient while reading your content or making use of your website’s function. This will truly help you improve the user experience because beating around the bush is honestly going to increase your bounce rate!

The Internet Generation

Those born after the 1980s to the late 1990s, known as Millennials, and those born after the 2000s known as Generation Z are what compromise the majority of the “Internet Generation”. These youngsters are known for being there during and after the rise of the internet. As such, the internet and information technology are integral parts of their day-to-day lives. As they are beginning to grow up and join the market, they will be attracted by sleeker and more modern approaches. Traditional website building will not cut it anymore. Making sure to cater to the Internet Generation will only serve you in the long term!

Some good ideas to do just that is to feature videos and infographics because those are rising in popularity and use. And the best way to attract the attention of the Internet Generation is with consistent social media marketing. So it’s important to really look into that sooner or later.

Modern website visitors process information differently

And now we are building off what we began talking about earlier. These days it is rare for a website visitor to read every single line written on a page. It is even rarer for these visitors to read your content attentively. The longer, repetitive, and continuous the content on your website is, the higher chance it will just end up being ignored. This will impact your website bounce rate negatively. You really don’t want that!

Visitors these days, especially those who are part of the Internet Generation, are more likely to scan for essential information in simple words. This is why sub-headings play a more important role in content than most people think. Our advice is to have short and informative paragraphs. With proper spacing in-between to make it easier to read!

Shopping behavior has changed

Website visitors of today are on average more technical-savvy than before. These potential customers and service users are more likely to be concerned with speed, efficiency, and availability of features (as well as pricing) rather than with accessibility. Although, you should always aim to be improving your ease of use regardless of that fact. What is most important to consider is providing a secure platform and various payment methods, as well as user contingencies and quality of life improvements.

Depending on the kind of service that you offer that could be something as simple as offering payment plans or allowing the shopping cart to save the products that the website visitor has added even if they leave the site. Some examples of advanced features are integrating the possibility for leaving reviews directly on your website, creating customer accounts, and among others!

Mobile devices dominate as platforms for browsing

We don’t have to look far to confirm that one of the most popular trends in recent human development is mobile technology. Almost everyone, and their grandparents, are now using phones with greater efficiency than before. These devices have become more and more advanced over the years. They have turned into miniature computers that can fit in your pocket. Many of these mobile users are also browsing the internet on their devices. Whether it be on the way to work or simply relaxing somewhere outside, the statistics are clear about this.

So what does this mean for you? It means that a great hurdle to your growing business is being able to provide a mobile-friendly version of your website. If you provide content then the content must scale and be readable. And if you are providing services, they must function properly and without interruptions or mistakes.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found our research and analysis into how website visitors are changing. If you are wondering if we apply similar principles with our own business then the answer would be a resounding yes. This is all current data that serves as a guide and framework for innovation and business plans to be built around. Don’t miss out or alienate all the younger audiences because they will soon become the bulk of visitors and customers that you will be dealing with in the end.

If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns feel free to reach back to us at any time. HostArmada remains ready to be deployed 24/7!

The post Website visitors are changing: Are you meeting their needs? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

These scenarios happen pretty often with big and busy websites. The most common reasons (but not limited to), based on our experience, are the number of images uploaded on the website and the number of cache files generated by some caching plugins. 

Alright, but what should I do when I reach the limit of inodes for my Web Hosting Account?

Keep on reading because, in the following lines of this post, we will show you an easy-to-follow, quick trick to maintain the inodes usage of your web hosting account in its healthy boundaries!

So, what an Inode is? 

By definition, an Inode is a structural component of a Unix-based file system. It is used to describe a file or a folder, and typically for each file/folder, a single Inode is being consumed. In simple words – if the inode consumption of your web hosting account is 15 000, this means that on your web hosting account, there are 15 000 files/folders. 

For example, you can imagine a single Inode as the box or package your smartphone came in. The package will always have the product description as well as the content of the package. Similarly, an Inode contains information about a single file such as ownership, access mode (read, write, execute permissions), and file type.

Why does the Inode usage grow in time?

Today, many websites are based on open-source platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, Magento, Prestashop, and many more. When you install such a platform, it comes with a certain number of files/folders that cannot be reduced. In fact, the default installation of such a platform is merely the beginning of the inode consumption. Here is a breakdown of how many inodes each of the said opensource platforms utilize when you get it installed:

• WordPress 5.7.2: ~ 2500 Inodes
• Drupal 8: ~24200 Inodes  
• Prestashop: ~7900 Inodes
• Magento 2.3.7(no sample data): ~91303 Inodes

After a platform is installed, typically, you would like to add your static files such as images, audio, video, CSS, javascript, and so on. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, this is the most natural thing to do in order to get your website visually and functionally matching your goal. 

However, every platform has its own opinion about how for example, images will be stored. 

Take, for example, WordPress. The platform has the option to generate different image sizes based on your personal needs. Why might you ask? – Because on the different areas of your website, you might need images that are of specific dimensions. So instead of processing every image manually and uploading each variation of the same image separately – WordPress will do that for you. Great, isn’t it? Except it is not if you do not control it!

Every plugin or visual theme that you install on your WordPress website has the option to define its own image dimensions in the WordPress configuration. This means that when you upload one image on your next excellent post, WordPress will make, for example, 5 or even 10 copies of the same image with different dimensions on the file system of your web hosting account. 

As we already explained, for each file, there is a separate inode that is used on the file system. So basically, for the one image that you have uploaded, the inode consumption might become 10. Let’s scale that. Let’s assume that in a single blog post, you use, on average 3 images. If your WordPress generates, let’s say 10 copies of 1 image, this means 30 images for a single blog post which translates to 30 inodes. If you post 1 blog post per day, this makes 31 posts in a month times 30 inodes; this makes 930 inodes per month. Not to mention that some caching plugins generate additional cached copies of the images, which multiply this usage even further. 

So why the limit?

The concept of limiting the inodes per web hosting account on the Shared Hosting is relatively new compared to other limitations such as the limit of RAM, for example. The need for such restriction was immense when the shared hosting providers started switching from HDD storage units to SSD. 

Every file that you host on your web hosting account is stored on a physical storage unit, and each such unit has a physical limit of how many files it can keep in addition to the regular limit of how much data it can store. Of course, that limit depends on quite a lot of factors, such as the file system type, for example, but the important thing here is that there is an actual limit of the inodes per storage unit. 

Back in the day, the SSD space was relatively more expensive, and in fact, it still is. To cover the price difference, the hosting providers started using smaller disks with fewer inodes. It sounds logical – reduce the inode usage so you can get more speed. But the websites of the existing clients were already big and with tons of files. So the web hosting companies were forced to adopt the Inodes limit as a standard on the Shared Hosting plans. 

We are proud to say that HostArmada has one of the most considerable limits for inodes on our Shared Hosting plans. Also, our policies are pretty soft – we will never suspend your account if you reach your inodes limit. Instead, we will do everything we can to assist you in resolving the issue. 

Maintaining Inodes usage with HostArmada Inodes manager.

Typically to maintain the Inodes usage of your web hosting account, you have to mess with the SSH service for your Web Hosting account. SSH stands for Secure Socket Layer, and it is the native way of how a user can communicate with the Operating System of their Web Hosting Account. 

Sometimes, you might not feel comfortable working with SSH as it involves a slightly complex authentication process, and you need to have knowledge and experience with the service so you can proficiently maintain the inodes usage of your web hosting account. 

As always, there is an alternative to that! It is called Inodes Manager, and it is the new kid in the block! 

The HostArmada Inodes Manger is an inhouse built plugin for cPanel. It offers a graphical representation of the inodes usage for your web hosting account in such a way that you can quickly review and determine which websites or physical folders are consuming most of the inodes for your web hosting account. 

In addition to that, you will be able to clear the folders (delete the files) on the fly or if you would like to review the files in each folder on your own. 

In simple words – it is the tool you need when the situation gets critical!

How to use the HostArmada Inodes Manager

We built this plugin with UX in mind so our users can easily read and decide what they can remove from their web hosting accounts. 

As this is a cPanel plugin, you will find it in the cPanel service for your web hosting account. Once you access it, right at the top of the page, you will see a section called “HOSTARMADA FEATURES”. In it, you will find the Inodes Manager.

Let’s see how the plugin looks. Logically, the plugin is separated into 3 main sections. The first one contains a brief explanation similar to the one we provided in this blog post. 

The second section shows you the current inodes usage for your entire cPanel account. 

The third and final one shows you the inodes usage per website. 

Let’s begin with the Current Usage section. There you will see a graphical representation of the used inodes. The color of the model will vary depending on your current Inodes usage. 

In the “Usage per domain” section, you will find a sorted table with all of your websites and their inodes usage. At the top of the table will always be the website with the most inodes usage. To browse the inodes usage per website, please click on the small eye icon next to every website.

Next, you will see a table with the top 20 folders sorted again by inodes usage. 

It is always advised first to find information before deleting a file or a folder. Therefore when you see a folder at the top of the list, do not clear it immediately. Instead, what you should be doing is that you should review the contents of that folder and determine what exactly in that folder is causing the excessive inodes usage. 

To navigate within a folder, click on the folder’s name.

This will bring another table, but this time you will be presented with the top 20 inodes using folders within the folder you just accessed. This can be performed as many times as you would like to. Remember, you should always first find out which folder is causing the excessive inodes usage and clean that folder in particular instead of the parent one. 

To clear a folder from its files, please click on the broom icon next to the folder you would like to clear. 

This will bring a warning that will suggest you first download the folder over FTP before clearing it, as otherwise, you might lose critical data. Also, you will be presented with the option to upgrade your plan to the next tier in line in case you do not want to clear any of the files that you host. 

Once you finally confirm that the folder should be cleared, our plugin will remove all the files within the folder and will return a message for success. 

That’s it! Pretty easy. 

Let’s wrap it up! 

As you can see, having the right tools when you are in need is quite handy. Yes, the HostArmada Inodes Manager is merely a tool at your disposal, but it is the difference between night and day for someone that is not familiar with the SSH service since, at the moment, there is no other way to maintain the inodes of your web hosting account.

HostArmada will continuously work in our client’s favor and best interest providing new tools, improvements, and constant innovations for all our customers! If you have an idea for a service or a tool that can ease your Web Hosting experience, do not hesitate to reach out!

The post HostArmada Inodes Manger: Reducing the Inodes usage in cPanel appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

What is Memcached?

To better understand Memcached, let’s go over what a “cache” is first. A cache is a temporary storage facility that stores data for faster access. Memory is finite, so systems cannot cache everything on a computer. Only frequently-accessed or important objects are therefore cached. Retrieving data from the database takes server resources and time. Often we need to retrieve the same data over and over again – sometimes in the same session! If it’s possible to fetch the data just once and repeatedly use it, this saves a significant amount of resources and time, meaning that the content will be delivered faster for fewer resources being consumed. Having the proper caching mechanisms in place is one of the most important things you can do to speed up the delivery of your website’s assets.

Memcached is an open-source, high-efficiency, distributed memory object caching system. Simple in nature but potent when used for dynamic web applications to facilitate quicker query execution, thus reducing database server load. Its simplistic architecture uses an in-memory key-value that caches small random data (objects or strings) that result from database calls, API calls, or webpage renderings.

On top of that, the developers designed it with ease of deployment in mind which makes it very accessible, even for non-tech savvy users. We have taken this accessibility to the next level by creating our Memcached Commander cPanel feature in order to deploy Memcached instances for users with literally one click!

How does Memcached help the user?

Now, the question you may be asking is: “How does this help me?!” The simple answer is – Speed! Speedy websites are excellent and highly sought by website owners, and you can never get enough of it. Memcached is a fantastic catalyst for speeding up the site, especially if it has a lot of dynamic content and regular database execution.

Since data is cached in the server’s RAM and not from disk, it’s faster. And since database calls arrive directly from the cache, it’s faster yet again. New database calls are made only when the requested data is not (or not yet!) cached. Remember that not all records are cacheable (frequently needed, necessary), while some are not (seldom accessed). The fact that Memcached filters these records prevent it from storing these rarely accessed files and completely utilizing the RAM chunk allocated to it, making it effective even with lower memory.

Why did we decide to use Memcached?

Here at HostArmada, we are all about innovation and performance! Giving our clients as many tools as possible to help them speed up their application is a mission we have set for ourselves. Memcached is just one of such implementations that can give users the slight edge they need over their competitors, and of course, we are always looking for server tweaks that can accomplish the same goals.

On top of that, our clients have highly requested this feature, which is something we cannot ignore!

Who can use Memcached on HostArmada?

Due to technical limitations and the infrastructural differences on our servers, we have chosen to implement the Memcached Commander on our most powerful solutions: Speed Reaper, Managed Cloud SSD, and Dedicated CPU Cloud

This decision gives our users the options to:

1) Select a solution that they need without cluttering their websites with additional services that bring no benefit.
2) This makes each of our plans unique and flexible so that users can choose when selecting their package.

How to make use of Memcached Commander?

HostArmada has made sure to think first of our client’s ease of use and accessibility. While we have covered what Memcached is and that it is now available on HostArmada, you are still most likely wondering where to find it and how to use it. It’s all rather simple! Here are the steps that you should take:

Step 1. You have to enter your cPanel through your client area or directly in the browser through the cPanel access link.

If you’d like to find out how to do that, you can check out our HostArmada cPanel access tutorial for more information regarding that.

Step 2. Then locate Memcached Commander under the “HostArmada Features” section of your cPanel. Alternatively, you can type down “Memcached commander” in the search field at the top to locate it.

Step 3. Click on the “Enable” button to turn on this feature and make use of your Memcached Commander.

Step 4. After you enable Memcached, this will turn on the process and allow it to connect to your website. You will be able to see the relevant information required to do that, including HOST and PORT, after it has been enabled.

Easy right? Well, if you have any more questions regarding the feature or would like to get more help in setting it up, don’t be afraid to reach back to us at any time as we remain 24/7 at your disposal!

Final Words

That covers all the nitty-gritty about our latest integration! We hope that this post was eye-opening for you regarding the benefits of Memcached and if you should use it on your website. Note that not all websites were made equal; thus, Memcached may not sky-rocket every site – it is a very niche technology that can make a difference if implemented correctly!

The post Memcached Commander deployed to HostArmada Servers! appeared first on HostArmada Blog.