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

White Screen of Death

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

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

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

Solution

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

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

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

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

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

Locked out of wp-admin

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

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

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

Solutions

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

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

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

Trouble with Database Connection

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

Solution:

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

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

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

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

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

define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true).

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

Failed Auto-Update

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

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

Solutions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Syntax Error

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

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

Solution:

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

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

HTTP Image Upload Errors

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

Solutions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fixing WordPress Keeps Logging Out Problem

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

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

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

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

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

Frustrating indeed, but easily solvable.

Solution:

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

Connection Timed Out

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

Solution:

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

Furthermore, about 36% of all top 1 million websites are powered by WordPress. That’s anything but surprising, considering how easy this platform makes creating a website. Anyone, regardless of their designer or IT knowledge, can build a small but efficient website. Moreover, WordPress boosted the retail industry. Today, anyone can start abusiness within a day, spending next to nothing.

As it seems, WordPress is a cornerstone for success for millions of small businesses worldwide, and 2024 won’t be any different. So, let’s have a glimpse at the future and discuss the major trends and changes that will happen with WordPress over the next 12 months. 

Three Major releases

First and foremost, we need to address the roadmap for all changes that will happen in WordPress. In 2024, the platform will issue three core releases. First, we will see WordPress 6.5 around March. Next, 6.6 will appear around the middle of the year, most likely in July, and finally, 6.7 will arrive in early November. These dates are not set in stone, and 6.7 may come a bit early or a bit later, especially as WordPress would likely want to avoid any speculations of security issues regarding the US presidential elections. Moreover, as many renowned businesses will have to implement those changes, the releases will likely avoid major holidays, especially in the US.

The main focus for those releases will be Phase 3 of the Gutenberg project. While 6.4 laid the groundwork by extending existing features and exploring the collaborative aspects, the upcoming releases are expected to fully immerse users in collaborative web development experiences.

Designers are anticipating the introduction of the much-awaited typography management features, including a Font Library and server-side @font-face CSS generation with WordPress 6.5. This functionality will enable users to explore and manage fonts within the admin interface, offering an extensive library that is not theme-dependent but extendable for plugin developers.

V.6.6 will most probably focus on polishing outstanding features from previous releases. 

One of the main focuses of the long-awaited Phase 3 will be real-time collaboration within WordPress. Users can expect features such as real-time editing, comments, and feedback functionality, enhancing teamwork for content creation and website development. The roadmap also includes:

• Improved publishing workflows.
• Enhanced post revisions.
• An updated media and asset library.
• A search and command prompt functionality.

The best part is that these changes are primarily inspired by community feedback. WordPress will address SEO and digital marketing trends as well.

Voice Search Optimization

With more than 20% of searches in Google done vocally, unsurprisingly, WordPress will answer the call and optimize this aspect of organic traffic acquisition. Moreover, for 2024, experts are adamant that the voice search volume will increase to more than 8 billion individual searches monthly. That’s a good enough reason to consider refurbishing your SEO organization to follow the trend.

Indeed, voice-activated assistants have become part of our everyday life. The most popular in the US is Google Search, which has 85.4 million users. Next is Apple’s Siri has 81.1. million users. Alexa is third, with 73.7 million users. These numbers will only grow, as will the voice activation technology.

To answer the call and keep up with the trend, WordPress will become compatible with voice-activated search queries. By incorporating voice recognition technology, websites enable users to search for information effortlessly using voice commands. This approach aligns with the growing reliance on voice-activated devices for everyday tasks, including internet searches.

Even now, WordPress is collaborating with some of the best companies in the voice recognition industry. Over the next 12 months, however, voice search will become big. We expect many websites to integrate this type of user-friendly search. In other words, voice search is no longer a luxury. It’s a downright necessity if you want to be relevant. 

Thus, next year, developers will work tirelessly to create and perfect plugins that allow users to navigate the website through voice commands. This will enhance not only the UX of your website but also your SEO efforts. However, that is not the only SEO-friendly change in WordPress we expect in 2024.

Multilingual plugins

Multilingual plugins are not something unseen in WordPress. However, powered by AI, these handy tools will finally help your local SEO.

If you want to operate in Mexico, you must rank in the Mexican Google with Spanish keywords. So, until now, you had to work with plugins of questionable quality. Especially when the language was far less spoken – like Hungarian or Finnish, for example. Along with the plugin, you had to hire a local translator to fix the mistakes and make the language more natural. 

In 2024, with the help of AI, developers are set to finally make a multilingual plugin that will not only translate texts but will transcreate them instead. Naturally, this will increase customer trust and satisfaction, reflected in your sales. Moreover, it will open a line of communication with locals in their language, expanding your outreach.

Such an AI-powered multilingual plugin will significantly boost your SEO efforts in foreign markets. 

Dark Mode

In 2024, WordPress will finally accommodate designers, users, and programmers who predominantly work and surf during the dark hours. Dark mode is a designer solution that puts less strain on the user’s eyes in a dim environment. With most users surfing the internet after working hours and at night, most of them prefer the dark mode. Still, by now, one could add this option only through plugins. 

In 2024, WordPress will finally implement a dark mode option out of the box. This will lighten your website, increase the loading speed, and cut the need for additional plugins. More importantly, it will offer one less security breach possibility. At the same time, your users will have a much better experience translating into better Search engine rankings. 

One can wonder why WordPress took so long to add this otherwise small but highly convenient change. But it’s probably because WordPress finally decided to listen to and act upon the feedback. 

Better security with blockchains

Security has always been one of the pillars of a robust and growing business. Naturally, with every new release, WordPress enhances its security. In 2024, however, this will be a focal point in WP’s development. 

Firstly, WordPress will strongly encourage administrators to fortify their accounts with stronger passwords and Two-factor authentication (2FA). The method with a unique code is the most likely solution here. 

Automatic updates will also play a pivotal role in the security landscape of WordPress in 2024. Recognizing that an up-to-date platform is crucial for fending off potential vulnerabilities, developers will emphasize the importance of keeping WordPress installations current. Automatic updates will promptly apply all security patches needed to fortify the platform against emerging threats.

Enhanced monitoring capabilities will be another cornerstone of WordPress security in 2024. Website owners will be equipped with tools to actively monitor and detect potential security breaches, allowing for swift responses to mitigate risks. This proactive approach to security aligns with the WordPress community’s commitment to continuous improvement and staying ahead of evolving threats.

Furthermore, the integration of blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize WordPress security in 2024. Recognizing blockchain’s decentralized and tamper-resistant nature, developers will explore ways to incorporate this technology into the platform. Blockchain’s inherent characteristics protect against hacking attempts and unauthorized access, reinforcing WordPress as a secure choice for website owners.

This reaction from WordPress comes as no surprise in the age where cyber threats are at an all-time high. So, seeing the developers at the world’s foremost CMS platform taking it that seriously is quite a relief. 

Headless WordPress will rise

Another feature that’s bound to get more attention in 2024 is the Headless WordPress. Headless WordPress represents a decoupled version of the popular content management system, where the backend or management aspect is detached from the front end, allowing developers to create and manage the frontend independently using their preferred frontend framework as a standalone application.

This approach has already gained some traction due to its deconstruction of the traditional WordPress frontend experience. Instead of relying on conventional WordPress themes and PHP, a headless setup employs JavaScript and APIs to access the WordPress backend, retrieving content to display on the frontend. This not only provides increased flexibility for developers but also can enhance performance. 

The improved performance is a result of offloading processing to the frontend, reducing the server load and delivering content faster and more efficiently. Frontend developers benefit from increased freedom to use tools and technologies that best suit their needs, leading to better user experiences optimized for speed and usability.

We expect this feature to gain even more attention in 2024 and to see some plugins and themes designed explicitly for Headless WordPress setup.

AI integration will be at the forefront

Still, if there is something that will certainly get the spotlight next year, it’s without a doubt the AI. With 97% of smartphone users interacting with an AI daily, it would be a genuine surprise if WordPress did not put effort into integrating it into their systems. 

There were such notions back in 2023 as well, but WordPress is adamant that they will introduce their AI only when it’s ready. So, 2024 seems like a good year. After all, Google, Microsoft, and all other tech giants are scheduling releases of AI products for 2024, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if WordPress follows suit. 

One of the AI features we expect to see first in WP’s system is some sort of content enhancement tool. Using such tools, you might be able to generate blog posts or other content based on first-hand data from your website. Naturally, there are still some questions on whether Google will stop punishing AI content in its ranking. Furthermore, as seen by Chat GPT, AI has a long way to go before it can autonomously create an appealing and interesting text.

One thing, however, that will most probably be at the forefront of WP development is AI-powered chatbots, which will enhance the e-commerce experience infinitely. Naturally, such implementation into the core WordPress system will significantly boost any website’s appeal. Especially since it will reduce the need for additional plugins, thus improving the website’s speed and security. 

So, it will be a genuine surprise if WordPress does not introduce at least an AI-powered chatbot to its core abilities. 

Sustainability at the heart

Finally, WordPress, just like most giant tech companies in the West, has pledged to fight climate change. Thus, all WordPress changes will have sustainability at their core. Moreover, the CMS leader will double down their work in providing environmentally conscious solutions to all WP users, regardless of their needs. 

Optimizing code, reducing resource consumption, and improving site speed will be focal points in WordPress development. These efforts aim not only to create more efficient websites but also to align with the global shift towards eco-friendly practices. As the digital world becomes increasingly environmentally conscious, WordPress is poised to adapt, meeting the demand for sustainable web solutions.

One significant trend that will contribute to WordPress’s sustainability initiatives is Green Web Design. This approach considers a website’s environmental footprint and energy efficiency throughout its development process. By reducing energy consumption and harmful carbon emissions, Green Web Design aligns with sustainability goals and enhances the website’s UX and performance.

Streamlined design, featuring clean and minimalistic layouts with efficient navigation, will be emphasized to reduce site load times and power consumption. Light colors and themes, known for consuming less power on displays, will be pushed forward. Additionally, reducing data consumption through minimal data usage designs will contribute to sustainability efforts by lowering energy usage on servers and user devices.

This may sound like a small effort, but in fact, such a reduction will reduce a lot of carbon emissions in the long run. This corresponds with the ever-growing demand for sustainable solutions and lowering users’ carbon footprint in any way possible. 

WordPress will remain the best

2024, WordPress will remain a global website building and CMS leader. As such, they will stay at the forefront of developing new features and changing the entire digital landscape. So, if you want to be part of their evolution, all you need is robust hosting, which will seamlessly integrate WordPress into your website. HostArmada is just that. We offer lightning-fast website loading speed, robust security, and 99.9% uptime. Check out our plans and choose the one that best suits your needs. After that, you can experience WordPress on your own with a few mouse clicks. 

The post What to expect from WordPress in 2024 appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

While this doesn’t seem like a big deal at first glance, in fact, Christmas decoration has a huge impact on customers’ behavior. In other words, these God-awful Mariah Carey songs actually boost profits. Now you might be thinking, why not add these ear tortures to your website as well if it’s so profitable? Well, consider how intrusive they are while you are in a store, and then think of how your audience will react if their speakers suddenly start blasting, “All I want for Christmas is you.” Yes, not the best idea. 

Still, some Christmas decoration on your website is not only recommended, but a must if you want to capture at least part of the massive Christmas spending. So, today, at the start of December, we’ve gathered the best Christmas plugins that will bring holiday cheer to your website and boost your sales and profits as a result. 

How does that work?

The Christmas spirit is not just a myth. Several research studies over the years have proven that people react positively to Christmas decorations, resulting in approximately $1000 on average spending on Christmas shopping alone. About 64.9% of this spending is dedicated to gifts for family, friends, and coworkers. It stands to reason that you will buy Christmas gifts from a decorated place, which gives special attention to the holiday. Not that you are keen on listening to Wham, but rather because your brain follows the path of least resistance. Shopping during the Christmas holidays is stressful, and your brain instinctively pushes you to finish it as fast as you can. So, naturally, you are attracted to the places where it’s most likely to find some Christmas presents.

You might be skeptical of this method, but US holiday sales have grown each year for more than a decade. Moreover, with 96% of Americans buying gifts for their families, this trend is not about to change anytime soon. 

What about online stores?

But why would you care about what offline stores do? You are running an online store. True, but about 63% of Americans purchase their holiday gifts online. So, yeah, you need them. Moreover, there are several other factors that can persuade your audience to spend more than a few dollars on your website. For starters, the Christmas decoration on your website works on two fronts.

On the one hand, it reminds customers that they are in the season of generosity, so buying one more gift or a more expensive item is a sign of benevolence. On the other hand, they feel pressured that Christmas is around the corner, reminding them that everyone is buying gifts, so their child’s new bike may go out of stock at any moment. The famous FOMO (fear of missing out) affects rational thinking and pushes customers to buy. 

The biggest advantage of the Christmas decoration on your online store, however, is the over-stimulation your customers will experience. This results in the so-called ego depletion, which unfortunately doesn’t mean your customers become humbler. This phenomenon actually affects people’s ability to make rational decisions. So, when they see your flashy, new, colorful website look, themed after one of the most beloved holidays out there, your audience’s rational decision-making is hindered, and they are pushed to finish a purchase without feeling buyer’s remorse.

As it seems, having some decoration on your website will definitely benefit you. As a WordPress user, you’re in luck. There are a ton of plugins that will make your website as bright as a Christmas tree. So, let’s have a look at the most useful ones in WordPress’s vast library.

8 WordPress Plugins that will make your website a Christmas fairytale

WordPress, as usual, has hundreds of plugins dedicated to making your website more festive. Many of them work fine. However, only a few can help you achieve the main goal of giving your website a Christmas makeover. We gathered our favorite 8, which are stunning and will help you achieve the already-explained customer response. 

Snow Storm

Let’s start with the basics. If the name is not revealing enough, this plugin will add a romantic snowfall to your website. This way, you can sing to your customers, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but our prices are so delightful,” or “Baby, it’s cold outside.” Jokes aside, this small touch will add a nice feeling to your website and make it season-appropriate. 

The plugin itself is highly customizable. You can adjust the color of the snowflakes, how intensive the snowfall is, and the animation interval. You can also enable some additional effects like Melt and Twinkle. Finally, you can even make the snow start gathering at the bottom of the window, which is an excellent touch. 

This is truly an essential plugin, so you can use it on pretty much all sorts of websites, regardless of whether you are monetizing by e-commerce or otherwise. 

Rocket Fireworks

This one is for those focusing on the New Year’s event. For example, if your primary audience is non-Christian, it stands to reason you’d want to showcase the New Year Celebration.  

This relatively lightweight plugin adds a fairly basic but highly effective fireworks animation. As discussed, this will overwhelm the customer’s senses and throw them into ego depletion. The best part of this lightweight plugin is that it’s straightforward to set up, and even if you are new to WordPress, you can add it without any hassle.

Once installed, it will blast multicolor fireworks directly on your website, making it festive and extremely attractive. 

Christmas Greetings

This is perhaps the best plugin to enhance your relationship with your customers. Essentially, this plugin will display greetings and messages to your audience. There are only a few customizations available, but they are quite enough to spread cheer and make your customers feel warm and fuzzy. But what’s a Christmas wish without a Christmas present? That’s why Christmas Greetings allows you to stick promotions to store products or coupons with Woo-commerce. Now that’s a genuine early Christmas gift. Naturally, you can personalize the messages, depending on what data you gather from your customers. 

This plugin is designed for e-commerce users who want to enhance their communication with their customers and offer some promotions with an unmistakable Christmas vibe. 

MMX – Make me Christmas

When it comes to making your website Christmasy, MMX is the full package. It’s an all-in-one Christmas plugin that offers header, body, and footer options. You will be able to cheer your audience with snowmen, snowfall, various types of garlands, Christmas trees, stockings, and presents. There are ten types of Christmas hangings. 

The best part is how easy it is to set up, and it comes with great features. The bad thing is that if you want access to the best, you will have to pay a small amount. Still, it’s not a huge price for spreading some cheer. 

Xmas Lights

This is another low-key Christmas decoration for your website. Essentially, you can add a string of holiday lights to welcome your visitors over the holidays. This neutral celebratory plugin will be effective for business owners with a culturally mixed audience. It does remind you of Christmas, but it doesn’t shove it in your face. 

The plugin is seamless to set up, as all you need to do is install the plugin. There are no additional settings or any other complications. The best part is that these Christmas lights are a great attention grabber without insisting on your attention per se. 

Random Christmas Fact Widget

This is among the more interesting and cultivated holiday plugins. It attracts attention not only with vision but also with exciting content. Essentially, the plugin displays one of 40 random Christmas facts in your sidebar. Each time a user refreshes the website, they will get a new fact. 

When installed, the widget will appear without any CSS formatting so that it can blend perfectly with your website’s style. 

This is an excellent way to grab attention and push your customers to interact with your website. Still, you will have to use a theme with a sidebar to use this plugin. Still, it’s perfect for all sorts of websites, regardless of their functionalities and aims. 

Christmasify

If you want to give your visitors the Christmas market experience, then Christmas is definitely the plugin for you. You can add snow, music, flying Santas, Christmas decorations for your images, and Christmas hangings. You can do this only on your home page or all across your website. The only thing missing will be the sweet aroma of eggnog, but you can always add one as a present in each order. 

The best part is that the plugin is compatible with CSS3 animation, and you can use it through a JavaScript snippet. On top of that, it’s lightweight, easy to use and free. What more can you need? 

Santa Press

Finally, we have what’s, in our opinion, the creme de la creme of Christmas plugins – SantaPress. This plugin offers individual advent calendars on your website. This way, you can give small but meaningful gifts to your customers each day. Naturally, this will stimulate customers to come back every day until Christmas just to get their small presents. In terms of this, it will build brand loyalty, and as usual, the longer someone stays on your website, the higher the chances of them buying something. 

The plugin is masterfully designed and offers eight distinct and stunning layouts. To top it all off, Santa Press also includes various features like Snowfall, WooCommerce integration, hidden mode, external links, and others. If you want to add to the fun, you can even introduce a quiz, which your audience will have to fill out if they’re going to get the price of the day. Santa Press truly gives your website a holiday spirit. 

So, think of 23 small prices that are relevant to your business. They might be small discounts, a special offer, 2 for one coupon, or anything in between. It all depends on your business and what you are ready to give. The rest is up to Santa Press.  

The only downside is that this outstanding plugin is paid, and you will have to prepare around $40 to get it. Still, it’s well worth the price.  

What to avoid

As you can see, you can make your website a genuinely stunning place. Still, there are some things you might want to avoid. For starters, don’t overdo it. Making your website practically a user’s nightmare just because you want to be more flashy, will be counterproductive. So, avoid rapidly flashing lights, as they may cause physical harm to some groups.

Moreover, don’t overuse religious symbols, especially if you are targeting not-so-religious communities. Yes, Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Still, it’s also a family holiday, celebrated by people who don’t go to church every Sunday but instead are only brought up in the Christmas traditions. 

Next, be sure to know your audience. For example, if you are advertising to Muslim or Jewish communities, Christian religious symbols won’t do you much good. Instead, opt for celebrating the new year, as this tradition is universal across the entire world (well, maybe not China, which has its own thing going on). 

Finally, don’t destroy your user experience by adding heavy plugins that will compromise your loading speed. After all, nothing is more important than your website’s load time, as a 1-second delay will cost you significantly. 

So, if you want to make your website into a Christmas fairytale, you need a robust, fast, and secure hosting service. 

HostArmada is just that. We offer lightning-fast load speed, robust security, and 99.9% uptime, making your website the best place to shop this Christmas. Check out our plans and give yourself, your website, and your customers the gift you undoubtedly deserve.

The post 8 Christmas Plugins for WordPress To Boost Your Online Sales appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

Still, before the plugins can do their magic, you must go to the beginning. Start from the essentials. You need to optimize your WordPress settings so that search engines will read your website faster, better, and more effortless. So, today, we’ve made a list of 10 settings on WordPress that will boost your SEO. We will start from the easiest and go to some more complex settings. But before we get there, let’s talk a bit more about WordPress settings and why they are essential for your SEO.

Why are WordPress settings essential for your SEO

WordPress settings are the essence of your website. They are the pillars that make its usability and, in general, its communication with the internet. Thus, ignoring them in favor of some powerful plugins is like building a skyscraper with the most high-quality materials on a cracked, sandy foundation. The best part is that these optimizations are built in, and you don’t have to install any extra plugins. They are indeed the first thing to do when you start building your website.

So, let’s go through the settings that will boost your SEO efforts and make your website easier to find and read by crawlers.

Make your website visible

Before you start improving your SEO, you must be sure that you haven’t discouraged search engines from visiting your website. Now, you might be wondering why there is even such an option. Well, when you are in the process of building your website, your SEO is absolutely terrible. For example, first, when you build your website, you fill the blank text spaces with lorem ipsum. Lorem Ipsum is a ready text that has no meaning. Thus, if at this moment Google, Bing, or another search engine comes across your website, it will nuke your SEO efforts for the next six months. Thus, when your website is being built or refurbished, you need to discourage search engines from indexing your website.

So, if you are building your website on your own, you need to activate this option by going to Settings->Reading-> Search Engine visibility.

Once your website is ready, don’t forget to unmark the box, as it will otherwise render all your other SEO efforts entirely useless.

Set up a proper tagline

The next step is to boost your SEO with a proper tagline. In a nutshell, the tagline explains what your website is all about. Now, many companies will put their slogan there. That’s not entirely a bad idea, as your slogan should represent what your business is all about. Usually, the slogan includes the unique sales proposition, the type of business, and the main benefits. Still, you might want to optimize it a bit further by adding some keywords or phrases inside. For example, if McDonald’s puts “I’m lovin’ it” on their website’s tagline, it will do nothing for their SEO.

So, thoroughly research keywords that you might incorporate in your tagline, but don’t compromise on giving a precise indication of your website and business. During this process, there is one thing to consider. Though your business may be directed toward end customers, your website might target business partners. So, make sure to target the right audience with your tagline.

In general, writing a tagline is not that easy. Give this process the due time, and don’t compromise on the result. Only a great tagline will boost your SEO efforts. Once you are ready, go to Settings->General and find the “tagline” box.

Set up your categories and tags correctly

Categories are the most basic method of grouping your content in WordPress. Naturally, on its own, this wouldn’t have such a huge impact on your SEO. Still, if you set it up properly, it will propel your website’s user experience. In terms, this will boost your search engine results.

As you can imagine, a blog post can belong to more than one category based on its topic. Still, the best practice is segregating your posts into just one category, giving users a general division to find your content. If the post touches various topics, you may use tags to connect posts from different categories.

For example, if you are a digital marketing freelancer, and you touch on topics regarding categories such as SEO, offline marketing, online marketing, social media, and others, you may have articles on SEO and online marketing sharing tags like “content,” “strategies” and others.

So, go to Posts->Categories to create your various categories. Don’t forget to place a proper slug, which will be added to your URL. Also, adding a description will help search engine crawlers better position your content. It’s a perfect place where you can add some additional keywords.

Then, make sure to assign each of your posts a category before publishing it through the dedicated option in the right hand-side sidebar.

Creating tags is similar. Try to make tags based on keywords that are relevant to your business. For example, if you are offering bike parts, you may be tempted to put a tag “forks.” However, you can see where crawlers might find this explanation a bit confusing. So, “front suspension” will be much better, as it’s far more related to your specific business niche.

Otherwise, creating tags is similar to categories. Go to Posts->Tags and create your tags with their slugs and descriptions.

Set your theme and plugin to auto-update

WordPress wouldn’t be a leader in the web-building and CMS markets without its plugins and themes. Naturally, much of the websites’ usability comes precisely from them. So, keeping plugins and themes up to date is a no-brainer. Moreover, this is more than just an SEO booster. It’s essential for your website as a whole. If you skip some major update, it can entirely crash your website, which, as you can imagine, won’t be very good for your overall usability. Naturally, this will become an SEO nightmare if you don’t notice your broken website in time.

Moreover, not updating your plugins and theme is a security issue. Usually, updates fix bugs and breaches that malicious attackers could exploit. So, keeping your infrastructure up to date is a must, regardless of your SEO efforts.

The good news is that you can effortlessly take care of this problem. All you need to do is set the theme and plugins to auto-update. This is quite easy. Go to the Plugin page and just enable the auto-update option on the right-hand side. The only downside is that you must do it for each plugin individually.

To activate the auto-update option for your theme, go to Appearance->Themes. Click on the theme you want to automatically update and enable the automatic updates right below the Headline.

Instal an SSL certificate

While SSL certificates were optional 10 years ago, today if you want anyone on your website, an SSL certificate is a must. Thankfully, HostArmada offers a robust SSL certificate as a bonus to every plan, so there is no need to go far and beyond to find a security option.

In a nutshell, SSL certificates are internet protocols that encrypt the transfer of data between the user’s browser and the website’s server. This way, third parties can’t just tag along and steal the information.

Users will see a padlock left of your URL in the browser’s search box. This will indicate that the website has an SSL certificate. Naturally, most users will entirely avoid websites without this padlock icon on the top left.

Installing an SSL certificate is a bit more complicated, so if you need more specific instructions, check out our dedicated article on SSL and the provided step-by-step instructions.

Optimize your permalink structure

The next step in making your WordPress the best pillar on which to build your SEO strategy is optimizing your permalinks. Now, if your website is more than 4-6 months old, changing permalinks will damage your SEO. So, if you do have some success in search engines, don’t change it. However, if you are just starting to build your website or you’re at the very beginning of your SEO efforts, then by all means, the permalinks must be optimized.

If you haven’t done the optimization, don’t worry. It’s not that bad, as WordPress uses the post name as a default URL tail. This means your URL will be something like “https://www.hostarmada.com/blog/why-is-ezoic-a-must-for-monetizing-your-website”

Still, you can do better. Go to Settings-> Permalinks.

Here, you will see several options:

Plain – This option will create a unique ID for your article and place it as a tail in your URL. For example, https://www.hostarmada.com/blog/123. Using this option is not a great idea, as it won’t give the search engine crawlers any information on the topic of your post.

Day and name – This is better than the plain permalink structure, but it will create extremely long URLs as it features the date and the name. So, if we used this permalink structure, this article would have had this URL https://www.hostarmada.com/blog/2023/12/17/10-settings-on-wordpress-that-will-boost-your-SEO. Not ideal, as you can see.

Month and name – The same as the day and name option, but doesn’t specify the day, only the month and the year.

Numeric – This structure is similar to the Plain, but it uses the post ID in your wp_post table. Still, it doesn’t help your SEO efforts at all, as it doesn’t provide any information to the search engine crawlers.

Post name – This is the default option, which uses the post’s title. This is a great choice if you don’t want to add additional information for the crawlers. If you do, then you need to use the custom structure.

Custom – This structure allows you to build your URL by adding the category, the author, or many other options. Adding the category is generally great for SEO, so don’t hesitate to do it. Moreover, if you rely on your name or brand as a keyword, you might also add your author’s name to the URL.

Dynamic sitemap

Adding a sitemap to your WordPress will be a game-changer. Every search engine loves having their work cut out for them. Essentially, a sitemap is a file that lists all your site’s content in a machine-readable format. As you can imagine, crawlers love this summarized version of your website rather than mapping it on their own.

More importantly, sitemaps will tell search engines which of your links are more important than others. This way, search engines will prioritize indexing them over others, putting them in the search engine faster than usual.

The best thing about sitemaps is that WordPress creates them automatically. To check out yours, simply type your domain name plus /sitemap.xml. For small business websites, that’s all you will need. However, a customized sitemap is necessary for websites with vast content or huge corporations with many pages. Dynamic sitemaps are a blessing, as they are always up-to-date.

Install an SEO plugin

This should go without saying, but still… Installing an SEO plugin will vastly improve your SEO. It will give you the opportunity to closely follow your SEO efforts and manage your content so it follows the best practices.

For example, YOAST SEO will show you whether your text has perfect readability and where exactly its problems are. This is invaluable if you want to make it to the front page of Google.

Moreover, SEO plugins will give you the opportunity to optimize your meta title and description effortlessly. This way, you can add keywords to the mix and create a general optimization for all of your content.

Optimize comments settings

Censoring your audience when it comes to commenting on your website is a terrible idea. The main point of having a blog is to start a conversation to actively seek communication with your audience. If this communication is one-sided, the audience will quickly distance itself.

On the other hand, the comment section below your blog posts should be a place for civilized conversation, not a marketplace for phishing and other schemes. Spambots and spammers will use every opportunity to flood your comment sections if they can post unchecked. So, light censorship is more than welcome.

So, to moderate your comments, go to Settings-> Discussions. There, you will find various options on how to deal with your comments section. What you will choose entirely depends on your strategy. Still, as a minimum, we suggest keeping all Default post settings on.

Furthermore, insist the author fill out their name and email and manually approve comments. This way, you can keep on top of what’s being said on your website. Still, don’t be tempted to exclude negative comments or critiques just because they do not fit your narrative. Censorship of such kind will instantly disperse any audience.

Set user permissions

Limiting contributors’ access to your WordPress dashboard’s options can play a crucial role in keeping your SEO intact. It’s no wonder that a single team usually implements the SEO strategy. They simply have the bigger picture. Moreover, you can’t expect a blog post author to have in-depth knowledge of SEO. Thus, they don’t need access to all dashboard options.

For example, an author may write a brilliant SEO-optimized post. But there’s more to great SEO than the text. The Images, the Alt texts, the meta titles. Those are post-production efforts that can be messed up if the author doesn’t see the bigger picture. Thus, giving them limited accessibility is a must.

The good news is that WordPress has some built-in roles that perfectly encapsulate everyone’s role. There are seven default roles – admin, editor, author, SEO editor, SEO manager, contributor, and subscriber. You must go to Users-> All users->Edit to change them.

Screen

You can customize what access to give these users so they can do their job without any risk of messing up anything else. This is essential if you are working with freelancers and other third-party service providers.

And that’s it

These are the most important settings you need to address to create the foundation of one truly inspiring SEO strategy. Of course, there are other small things you can do to tweak your WordPress to help you gain a foothold on Google or Bing’s front page, but these ten are the most essential.

Another essential factor for dominating the search engines is your loading speed, security, and, most importantly, reliability. A slow website will chip away not only from your SEO efforts but also from your overall performance. But nothing is more detrimental to your website than having downtime.

Luckily, HostArmada addresses all these essential problems. Having great hosting is key to a great SEO. We offer lightning-fast loading time, robust security, and 99.9% uptime, which will boost your SEO effort through the roof. Check out our plans and find the one that fits your needs perfectly. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact our team. They will gladly help you find the perfect solution to your problems.

The post 10 WordPress Settings that will boost your SEO rankings appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

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.
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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.

Twenty Twenty-Four Theme

Probably the most anticipated feature of v.6.4 is the new default theme – Twenty Twenty-Four. This entry is not really a surprise. WP has made it customary to offer a new complimentary theme each year. Typically, it is released with the final major update of the year, meaning that at least until January, we can’t expect the guys and girls at WordPress to provide us with any new significant updates.

Interestingly, unlike its predecessor, Twenty Twenty-Four has one truly minimalistic layout out of the box. The sleek and clean design is not to be underestimated, though. Beneath its rather dullish exterior lies a theme brimming with potential.

As one would expect, the new theme offers seamless integration with the Site Editor, making it the easiest choice for novice website owners. On this end, the theme offers six distinct styles, allowing for effortless customization of a website.

Furthermore, Twenty Twenty-Four includes dozens of WP block patterns, making the customization process even simpler. Among these block patterns are several section patterns, enabling users to quickly insert entire sections into their pages or templates, streamlining the web development process.

The theme has four distinct fonts, which enhance the website’s overall aesthetic. Naturally, this allows users to build truly unique pages. Thus, you can create recognizable brands without the need to spend additional money on fonts and typography. This is something that will go great with the new Font Library, which the 6.4 version has installed.

When push comes to shove, Twenty Twenty-Four is built for small business owners who want to get into business on a scarce budget and without the help of designers and programmers. Still, the theme is excellent even for larger companies, as it offers ample features to accommodate everyone.

The Twenty Twenty-Four, however, is only the beginning.

Improved Site Editor

Just like with the previous version, in 6.4, WordPress once again did a significant jump in their Site Editor upgrade. The ability to modify navigation on the run is outstanding, but it pales compared to the additional templates and patterns. Of course, there is much more to that. So, let’s have a look at the biggest changes in the WordPress 6.4 Site Editor.

Manage Fonts Across Your Website with Font Library

We already mentioned the new Font Library feature, but it’s too good to just leave it at that. As you can probably guess, this feature will empower users to deal with their fonts right from the WordPress theme. All you need to do is go to the style panel in the site editor and click on Typography. There, you will find the Library, where you can add or remove fonts. You can even upload fonts directly from your computer, giving you the opportunity to bring in your own typography on the screen.

Through the Library, you will also be able to download and install Google Fonts.

Improved pattern management

Patterns, which allow for reusing elements such as headers, footers, and testimonials, have been enhanced to provide greater site design flexibility.

One significant improvement is the ability to categorize patterns into groups, such as “Hero Sections,” “Callouts,” or “Navigation.” This categorization feature simplifies the pattern management process and boosts workflow efficiency. Users can now easily organize and access patterns according to their custom categories, saving valuable time and expediting the design process.

Moreover, the pattern creation modal maintains consistency across the WordPress platform, ensuring a unified and user-friendly experience. This improvement will undoubtedly enhance the creative process for site building and design, enabling users to tailor their pattern workflow to their specific needs and preferences.

Enlarge Images with Lightbox Popup

This one may be a minor upgrade for most website users, but for photographers and others working predominantly with images, the lightbox popup upgrade is a must. In WordPress 6.4, you can finally enable your pictures to pop up and enlarge when clicked on. The best part – you can do it with a single click from the site editor. After adding an image, just activate the Expand on Click option under block settings. This way, whenever a user clicks on the image, they will see it bigger in a popup window box.

This is great for artists trying to sell their images. Even retailers can highlight their products in this fashion.

This function is still very basic, though. So, if you have an entire gallery of images, you will have to set it up for each image individually. But still, we expect WordPress to resolve this issue in the future.

Improved Command Palette

After WordPress 6.3 introduced the command palette tool, the new version of the builder made a significant improvement. Essentially, the Command Palette is a search tool which allows users to give commands with a quick CTRL+K shortcut combination.

The first thing you will notice is the design. In v.6.4, it is much more stylish, making the elements more visible. Furthermore, the library features several new commands. Now, you can duplicate, delete, insert or transform blocks directly from the command palette. This will mainstream the design work, as you can select multiple blocks and work on them at the same time.

There are other small enhancements as well, but let’s skip them in favor of the big guns – the blocks.

Block editor enhancements

The Block editor has always been a focus of WordPress design enhancements. This is the cornerstone behind their builder, so it makes sense that some of the most significant changes from version to version will be precisely here. This release focuses predominantly on improving upon existing site and block editor features. However, there are some notable new entries as well.

Block Hooks

The new Block Hooks is, without a doubt, the thing all developers are waiting for with anticipation. This exciting feature will revolutionize the way plugins interact with the block editor, offering a new level of flexibility and convenience for users.

Block Hooks, aptly named after the hooks used in the WordPress core, will empower plugin developers to integrate their creations into the block editor seamlessly. This means that plugins can automatically add blocks upon activation, streamlining the user experience.

The core principles guiding Block Hooks functionality are clear. First, users shouldn’t be burdened with manual block insertion. Instead, blocks will be automatically placed in specific positions when certain conditions are met. Second, the user’s control over these automatically inserted blocks is paramount. This ensures they can easily manage, customize, or remove them as needed.

Block Hooks come with some important limitations. They work exclusively with unmodified templates, template parts, and patterns provided by themes or the Pattern Directory. They won’t function with post content, modified templates, template parts, or user-generated patterns. Additionally, Block Hooks are designed to work with dynamic blocks, not static blocks, so it’s important to understand the distinction between these two block types.

To learn how to implement Block Hooks, check out the instructions here

Background images for group block

WordPress continues to improve on small things as well. For example, in the 6.3 version, WP enabled users to select background and text colors for entire block groups. With 6.4, you can now set a background image as well. This will help immensely with your visual hierarchy and content highlighting.

Improved parent/ child blocks toolbar

Another small but convenient upgrade is the enhanced toolbar for parent/child blocks. In the last version, the toolbar kept moving and switching between the parent and the child whenever you were working on them. It depends on your mouse positioning. Naturally, this was not very user-friendly. Thus, with WP 6.4, the toolbar will automatically attach the child toolbar to the parent one. This will create a consistent user experience.

User Experience Enhancements

All upgrades listed so far were predominantly targeted at a better user experience. The User interface is definitely one of the highlights in this edition of the builder. Here are some of our favorite enhancements.

Theme Preview

Though listed as a minor improvement, the Theme preview is one of the highlights, in our humble opinion. By now, you had to activate the WordPress theme to see what it would look like on your website with your content. Now, you can do that by the Live Preview without activating the theme.

So, you have the ability to check out how your website will look like, and activate the theme only if you are interested.

Improved list view

In WordPress 6.4, the List View feature in the site/block editor is significantly upgraded, enhancing the usability and convenience of managing page or post layouts. The List View has always been a valuable tool, allowing users to navigate and perform various actions on blocks, groups, and patterns, particularly beneficial when dealing with intricate nested block structures.

The improvements introduced in WordPress 6.4 take this functionality to the next level. Users can now rename Group blocks directly within the List View, making it easier to understand the purpose of each Group and improving overall layout readability. Furthermore, the ListView will display previews for images and gallery blocks, eliminating the need to click and select a block to identify its content.

These enhancements make the List View a more robust and user-friendly tool, streamlining the editing process and simplifying the management of complex page and post layouts. WordPress 6.4’s List View improvements offer a more efficient and visually intuitive way to work with your content, enhancing the overall editing experience.

Style Revisions

The Style revision is another long-awaited feature that we’re happy to see in this version of WordPress. Revisions in WordPress 6.4 can be accessed by selecting the black WordPress icon at the top left of the Site Editor. At the bottom of the left pane, users will find a blue “Revisions” or “Review X change(s)…” button.

When you click on this button, a popup will appear, displaying recent changes and giving you the option to save them. This feature provides users with the ability to review and track changes made to their website, ensuring that no modifications are irreversible.

Other Improvements in WordPress 6.4

WordPress 6.4 brings not only visible enhancements but also significant under-the-hood changes for developers. Among the noteworthy improvements are the deprecation of the TEMPLATEPATH and STYLESHEETPATH constants, offering a more modern approach to theme development.

Another developer-friendly addition is introducing a framework for adding revisions for post meta, providing a more robust version control system for metadata associated with posts.

Furthermore, theme developers are now empowered to configure their own default minimum and maximum viewport widths, enhancing flexibility in calculating fluid font sizes.

Smaller but equally important improvements in WordPress 6.4 include over 170 performance updates, contributing to improved page load times. The addition of block hooks enhances developer capabilities, while over 50 accessibility improvements, including better labeling and navigation, cater to users with diverse needs. New blocks like Footnotes and Details expand content creation options, and the built-in lightbox feature enables users to add image lightbox effects without needing a separate plugin.

What do you need to try it?

If you already have a WordPress website, all you need is to update your CMS on November 7th. However, to experience the best website builder platform in the world, you need to have the best hosting in the world. HostArmada is just what you’re looking for. We offer lightning-fast website loading time, 99.9% uptime and robust security. On top of that, we offer seamless integration with WordPress, so don’t hesitate to check out our plans and get the one that best suits your needs. There is no better way to try the new WordPress, indeed.

The post WordPress 6.4: Unleashing new Features and interesting Enhancements appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Parent Theme

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

Child Theme

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

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

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

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

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

Why Use a Child Theme?

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

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

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

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

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

Advantages of Using Child Theme

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

Fallback Safety

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

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

Customization Without Risk

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

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

Safe Updates

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

Offers Flexibility

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

Ideal For Beginners

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

Disadvantages of Using Child Theme

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

Steep Learning Curve

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

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

Dependance on Parent Theme

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

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

Limited Scope of Changes

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

Slowing Down Your Website

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

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

Parent Theme Limitations

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

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

Do You Need a Child Theme on Your WordPress?

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

When Do You Need a Child Theme?

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

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

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

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

When You Can Skip the Child Theme

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

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

How to Build a Child Theme

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

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

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

Blog posts are not just to show off you know your industry and niche inside out. That’s a part of it, but not the main point. The focus of your blog is answering questions that users may have about your business, industry, and practices. However, to be efficient, these blog posts must have some qualities that will grab the user’s attention and push them to read the whole thing to the end.

Naturally, since Google is also keen on giving the best options to its users, the tech giant has some specific readability preferences. Following them will trebuchet your blog post at the forefront of the search results. Of course, this will lead to increased traffic, better CTR, more sales, higher revenue, and a bigger smile on your face. That’s what we call a win.

So, perfect readability is a must if you want to beat the odds and keep your audience around longer. But how can you make your blog posts irresistible to readers? Well, let’s have a look.

Why is perfect readability a must?

Before we get to the “How,” let’s briefly discuss the “Why.” The main reason why one visits your blog post is to find an answer to a burning question. Naturally, the quicker and easier they find the answer, the more satisfied they will be. So, building your blog posts and writing them in a clean, easily digestible, and organized manner will boost your user experience, which will inadvertently help you with your SEO score.

Still, when writing a blog post, don’t forget that you are not writing for Google and its crawlers. You’re not writing for a machine. Yes, having good SERP results is great, but when push comes to shove, you write for human beings. If you forget that simple truth, your blog is nothing more than a waste of your time and that of your audience.

So, what should you do? Well, it’s simple, really. All you need to do is please both Google and your readers. Thus, you will need a general understanding of Google’s guidelines for readability and the talent to build upon them to make your blog post not only Google-worthy but also reader-worth. The good news is that WordPress has the perfect plugin to help you appease at least Google – YOAST SEO.

What is YOAST, and should you follow its advice?

The short answer is a resounding YES. YOAST is a great tool that offers an accessible and comprehensive overlook of your blog posts’ SEO and readability. The plugin scans your text and suggests ways to improve your readability based on Google’s recommendations on how a blog post should look like. The plugin highlights several measurable readability features:

Subheading distribution

Subheadings divide your blog post into easily digestible topics within the spectrum of the overall theme. This way, if a user is interested in a specific point of your presentation, they can easily find it without having to read the entire text. For example, if you are discussing the various features of a vacuum cleaner, the user may be interested just in its suction power. Thus, having a separate subheading dedicated to this feature will help them pinpoint it faster and enhance the overall user experience.

Moreover, subheadings are the perfect way to include some additional keyphrases in your text. However, don’t be tempted to build your subheadings solely on long-tail keyword demand. This will ruin the entire blog post.

As a general rule of thumb, try to keep your subheading sections up to 300 words. This way, you won’t overexplain, but you can still have enough room to give all the relevant information with examples. If a sub-topic is more extensive and you need more words, introduce an additional layer of sub-division in the form of H3 headlines.

Paragraph length

Paragraphs are literary devices that separate different themes within a text. They come naturally within the text, making it much more readable. Still, you must be careful not to extend a paragraph for too long. You need to be able to finish your thought within 5-6 sentences, all of which should be in total 150 words.

What YOAST won’t tell you is that you must avoid one-word or one-sentence paragraphs as well. Yes, there are times when you can place such, but they are extremely rare. You are not writing a WhatsApp message. You are writing a blog post. So, use one-sentence or one-word paragraphs only when you want to underline a point heavily.

Sentence length

Have you ever read a sentence that has no end in sight? Not a great read, you will undoubtedly agree. Long sentences are sometimes a necessity. Still, if your entire blog post is filled with complex sentences with several subordinate clauses, then you might lose your readers along the way. Keep the majority of your sentences below 20 words to avoid this problem. You can, of course, have occasional lengthy sentences. Just make sure to keep them at a minimum and only when you can’t make them into two sentences. After all, you are trying to explain a complicated topic in a simple language, not creating a literary masterpiece.

Word complexity

Do not assume knowledge is one of the few golden rules of content writing. Using lingo, industry slang, and other complex words that might be known to professionals but not as much to the broader audience is a huge deal breaker to many readers. Imagine if you are looking for car tires. You open an article to see the best choices for your car, and you are flooded by definitions, measurements, and stats that mean absolutely nothing to you. Would you stay and try to understand what the writer had in mind, or would you go to another article where everything is explained simpler?

The same goes for uncommon and highly complicated words that even fluent speakers would barely understand. The English language is abundant in complex terms that only scholars and snobs use nowadays. So, try to avoid them, especially if your audience is not filled with snobs and scholars.

Transitional words

You should write as you talk. Well, not strictly, but you should follow the same logic. When you speak, you use transitional words so your listeners will follow your thoughts easily. The same goes for your written words. If you want your readers to follow the flow of your thoughts, adding transitional words is a must. The lack of such transitional words indicates the absence of a coherent idea behind your writing. So, make sure to give your text the flow it deserves through some transitional words like “so,” “therefore,” “however,” “besides that,” “also,” and others.

Passive voice

This is the bane of any text. Passive voice makes the text seem distant and boring. Moreover, it makes your sentences wordier and harder to understand. That doesn’t mean you should entirely cut passive voice from your texts. But keep them at a reasonable number and try to use an active voice where possible.

Sentence beginnings

Finally, we have the start of your text. Beginning sentences with the same word or structure are just a sign of bad writing. Of course, this rule has some exceptions, but they are extremely rare. You can use the same beginning to several consecutive sentences, only to accentuate a point and only once in your entire text. Naturally, this should be the climax of your text. Still, as a general rule of thumb, try to avoid starting the consecutive sentences with the same structure, let alone the exact words.

You can count on YOAST to track all these signs of excellent readability. Moreover, if you have made some of these mistakes, YOAST will underline them, so you won’t have to search in your entire text. That’s quite handy when you’ve written a 3000-word article. But is this enough?

Are YOAST suggestions enough?

No. These suggestions are a great start, but they are far from enough to make your text the best it can be. YOAST is excellent at its job, but its scope follows only Google’s recommendations. So, if your goal is to appease the crawlers, you can stop at YOAST’s suggestions and be done with it. However, if you want to keep your audience entertained and informed, you must go above and beyond.

After all, no one in their right mind will count what percentage of your sentences are above 20 words. That’s Google’s arbitrary suggestion that presumes that longer sentences are harder to understand. And this is not too far off. Still, there are far more important factors that can make a text easier to understand.

How to better your readability beyond YOAST’s suggestions

Most of these factors are quite intuitive. Yet many blog posts lack them for one reason or another. The main idea behind these points is not to increase your SEO rating but to better the user experience and make your blog post more readable for humans.

Know your audience

If you are a marketer, you would know that every action, no matter what it is, starts precisely with knowing your audience. Your entire establishment is dedicated to a particular group of people interested in your product or service.

Naturally, pinpointing this group will give you invaluable information on how to make your blog posts more readable for them. For example, if your blog posts target younger or non-specialist audiences, you must give them shorter and to-point answers to their questions. The younger generation has no patience for lengthy explanations.

Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t add all the relevant information. All it means is that you must format it to suit their needs. Thus, you will need shorter subheading segments, focusing more on the why rather than the how.

On the other hand, if your blog post targets professionals, they’d much rather have a full explanation with examples and specific scenarios. Thus, your subheading sections will have additional divisions. Actually, this blog post is an excellent example of this.

Don’t overbulk your post

You are not writing a high-school assignment, so there is no specific word count that you must get. Well, okay, there is. Actually, the best practices show that blog posts between 1000 and 2000 words are the norm. If you are trying to produce high-quality content, 2000 words are the minimum. However, that doesn’t mean that you must overbulk your articles. Keep it to the point. Most topics, especially those for specialists, have enough relevant information to share, so don’t worry. You will get to the recommended word count and more. Still, if the topic doesn’t allow you to reach a specific word count, don’t force it. Better to keep it short and simple rather than just blabber on and on.

For example, the topic of how to build a winning marketing strategy is obviously not something you can explain in 1,000 or even 2,000 words. It’s not an easy concept. On the other hand, an article on how to tie your shoelaces so they won’t untie can be explained faster with far less going into detail.

Don’t over-format

Speaking of overdoing it, you need to consider how much formatting you do on your blog. Yes, your blog post should be skimmable, but over-formatting will do more harm than good.

Naturally, using some italicized words is okay. The same goes for occasional bolding. But having every third word different than the last is too much.

So, instead, go for the H2 and H3 subheadings. If you need to do a further division, consider whether some bullet points won’t do the trick. However, don’t overdo it with bullet points as well. They are a great tool to list features or highlight information. But if there is a bullet list in every section, the reader will get lost. Moreover, this stops being a blog post and becomes a very bad infographic. If you want to list information with bullet points, at least put the extra effort into building a proper infographic. Check out what proper formating should look like:

Highlight key points

This being said, don’t shy away from highlighting the most important parts of your text. In general, these are the exceptions. We talked about single sentences or single-word paragraphs. We spoke about bolding, underlining, and italicizing. But when it comes to highlighting, you must use visual hierarchy to your full advantage.

Make sure all your key points are visually distinguishable. Make them look appealing and easily skimmable. You can do that by using bullet points and listings, and if there is something you want your audience to remember, then it’s time to use single-sentence paragraphs. Make sure this is the one thing you want your audience to remember, as there is a place for only one such paragraph.

Use keywords but in moderation

This is the part where content writers usually get on edge with the SEO team. The SEO team wants to follow protocol. They want to add as many keywords as possible in a single text. Google will love this. Your readers will hate it. Stuffing keywords everywhere in bulk shows you are more interested in Google than your readers, and they will quickly become frustrated. Moreover, this makes you look condescending, which is not a great look if you want to win hearts.

Break the tension with visuals

Usually, lengthy texts are heavy. Readers feel exhausted and often lose concentration. That’s inevitable, especially if you are trying to explain complex concepts. So, instead of skipping on vital information, a much better strategy is offering some tension relief.

The best way to do so is by adding a picture, a video, or another visual. Graphics often help illustrate your point while at the same time relieving the reader’s eyes of the text.

Many writers use humor to break the tension, and that’s a great idea on paper. However, jokes must be done extremely carefully, and you must have established your brand persona and brand voice as such. You can’t be all serious and place a deadpan joke out of nowhere.

So, if you are not sure if you can pull off a joke persona without offending or alienating part of your audience, just stick to the classics. Provide your audience with a visual tension break in the form of pictures or videos.

Don’t over-link

When creating your blog post, remember you are not Wikipedia, so not every sentence must contain 3-4 links. Links are a delicate art. Naturally, when you are citing someone, it’s common courtesy to link them in your text. Moreover, linking authoritative websites will give you an SEO boost.

However, this can’t be your entire content strategy. You must provide your readers with something more – to build upon existing information. Furthermore, you don’t want to divert your audience from your website. You want them glued to your page for as long as possible.

Naturally, links can’t be completely avoided. That’s what building a proper backlink portfolio is all about. However, be sure never to link your competitors or divert your audience to another website unless absolutely necessary. For example, when offering statistics.

Forget about clickbait headlines

Ten years ago, clickbait was huge when content writers used every method to gain traction and be ahead of their competitors. Today, that certainly doesn’t work. On the contrary, making your headline sound clickbait-ish is off-putting, as internet users were burned one too many times, falling for false promises. So, while headlines like “10 content strategies that you won’t believe will work (but they do)” might have worked back in 2013, today, they are avoided like the plague.

The same goes for elevating the anticipation of the readers to unbelievable heights. So, avoid headlines that promise “Unique,” “Never before seen,” or “100% fail proof…” even if you actually can fulfill your promise.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should put only dry and unimaginative headlines. Using powerful adjectives is definitely a good idea. Still, make sure that you can deliver what you promise. For instance, if you want to make the clickbait-ish headline we used for an example above into a readable blog post headline, you can transform it to “10 powerful content strategies to help you grow your audience”. The difference is obvious. You can see some additional examples in the picture below:

Get to the point straight away

Whenever you want to find out something, you don’t want to read through a boring 500-word-long introduction of the problem. You want a fast and clear answer. Then, if you have the time, you can read the detailed explanations. So, when writing a blog post, try to stick to the point from the very top.

Go straight to the topic and provide an answer right from the beginning. Naturally, topics like this don’t answer a specific question but offer a step-by-step tutorial on improving your content. So, obviously, we can’t give an answer in the intro itself. However, if we are talking about “Is SEO worth investing in?”, the resounding “Yes” should be in the first sentence. Then, you can explain why you think so.

Give your text a flow

Most importantly, your text must have a flow. This will help your readers follow it much more easily, making it a better read in general. Placing just facts without any context will give the information, but what will set you apart from everyone else in your industry is the entertainment and readability value of your content. So, structure your text soundly, use transitional phrases and words, avoid plot holes, and don’t be afraid to use pronouns. Make sure your next section starts where the previous one ended.

Your website readability starts way before you create your blog post.

There is a simple truth. A blog post is only good when the website it is on is well-maintained. This includes the load time, the up-time, and the security of your website. Even if you follow our advice to the letter and you manage to create a masterpiece of a blog post, it will all be in vain if users can’t reach it half the time. The loading speed is just as instrumental to your success as your content, as people don’t wait for a website to open. They simply move to the next one.

So, if you want to avoid this uncomfortable situation, you must find a great web hosting provider. HostArmada is just what you are looking for. We offer lightning-fast load speed, 99.9% guaranteed uptime, and top-notch security. Check out our plans and find the one that best fits your business needs.

Remember, a fast, secure, and reliable website is always the first step toward your business success.

The post How to elevate your blog’s readability beyond YOAST SEO? appeared first on HostArmada Blog.

So, if you already have your mesmerizing freelancer website ready, and all you need is to attach a few of your best works, we are here to show you the Top 7 portfolio plugins for WordPress that will give you the edge over your competitors.

Why do you need a portfolio?

Before we dive deeper into the topic, let’s first address the big question: “Why do you need a portfolio?” – Well, the answer is quite simple. You need a portfolio because any client will expect one. Especially now, in the digital age, having a portfolio is a cornerstone of finding well-paying customers. Businesses won’t just give you money and trust you with their essential projects. They’ll want proof that you can do the job. Big clients can’t afford the time to wait for you, only to turn out you are incapable of providing what you offer. They won’t call your former employers and most probably won’t have the time to send you a smaller task just to test your skills. Most well-paying customers will simply want to find someone to finish their time-sensitive task with as little need for corrections as possible.

Furthermore, a portfolio will showcase what you are best at. Thus, you won’t be bothered by people who are looking for something completely different. For example, if you are offering impressionist paintings. If someone is looking for a different style, they won’t waste your time asking if you can do it. On the other hand, if you can, you should put a sample in your portfolio so the potential customer would know if your style fits their project.

So, building a portfolio should be a top priority. Naturally, there are many things to consider when searching for the right plugin to accommodate your needs.

What to look for in a WordPress portfolio plugin

Not all portfolio plugins are built the same. More importantly, not all plugins will fit your specific needs. Thus, you must consider several key points before you choose your portfolio.

First and foremost, a good WP portfolio plugin is easy to use. Most freelancers are not web developers, and those who are probably don’t need our advice on finding the best plugin. They can simply create their own. Thus, a great WordPress portfolio should have little to no learning curve and a user interface that can be effortlessly navigated. This includes easy embedding and having some premade templates to avoid building portfolios from scratch.

On the other hand, the plugins should allow more freedom in the creative department. This means the plugins should be easily customizable. Being able to add a bit of glamor, like animations, is good to have but definitely not essential. On the other hand, the portfolio it creates must be highly responsive and look equally good on PC and mobile.

Finally, the portfolio should be fast-loading, as no one will spend their afternoon waiting for your work to come to the screen. Decision-makers often have little time and a lot of options. It’d be wise to accommodate that specifically, especially if you are in a competitive market.

Now that we know what we are looking for let’s get down to business and review the top 7 best portfolio plugins for Freelancers.

1. WP Portfolio

WP Portfolio is the go-to portfolio for a vast number of freelance visual artists, web designers, and photographers. Its vast array of features, though, can fulfill almost any freelancer’s needs.

The plugin offers over 48 ready-to-use templates segmented by profession. Thus, even the most clueless freelancer can find a gorgeous solution for his portfolio within seconds. If you desire a customized design, WP Portfolio allows users to build a portfolio that perfectly matches their branding and website style.

Moreover, the easy shortcodes simplify the entire process of embedding the portfolio in your website.

The infinite scroll feature keeps visitors engaged, encouraging them to explore more of a freelancer’s work effortlessly. It enhances user experience and increases the chances of potential clients discovering their talent.

But most importantly, WP Portfolio is compatible with the most popular page builders like Elementor and Visual Composer, thus allowing you to build your website on whatever feels most comfortable for you.

Naturally, there is a downside. The plugin is paid only. Thus, if you have a tight budget, you won’t be able to benefit from its amazing features. Still, the prices are not too steep, with an annual fee of less than 50 dollars.

So, if you are ready to spend this amount, definitely consider whether the WP Plugin will work for your needs.

2. Visual Portfolio

If you want to enhance your online presence significantly with a gorgeous portfolio, look no further than Visual Portfolio. This plugin is exceptional in presenting your work in a visually stunning manner. Naturally, photographers, videographers, and artists are its most frequent users.

The Visual Portfolio offers several layout options, each answering a specific need. Regardless of your choice, you can customize it even further to make it your own.

Visual Portfolio’s advantages extend beyond aesthetics. It includes photography-centric features like image theft protection and client photo proofing, which are invaluable for professionals in visual fields.

Furthermore, the plugin has a free version, albeit slightly cut. Some of its more advanced features are reserved for premium users. But even if you decide to invest in this astounding portfolio plugin, you will pay less than $50 a year. This way, you will be able to benefit from its social media integration, image filters, and many more features enhancing the general user experience.

The only downside of the plugin, apart from the limited features in the free version, is the sheer number of customization options. This can be a bit overwhelming to beginners.

Still, Visual Portfolio is a perfect choice for photographers, videographers, and anyone who wants to protect their images from getting stolen.

3. NextGEN Gallery

As the name suggests, this portfolio is based on a gallery. Naturally, it would be perfect for photographers and visual artists, but it works surprisingly well with portfolios in other fields as well. Since its introduction in 2007, NextGen Gallery has been the standard, and all other plugins are following.

The best part about this plugin is that its free version offers everything you need to build one stunning portfolio. It allows bulk image uploads, metadata imports, and some simple gallery customizations. You can choose from three gallery styles and two album styles. Still, that’s quite enough if you are just starting out looking for a portfolio.

The premium version is where NextGen Gallery truly shines. Freelancers can benefit from features like gallery extensions for selling images directly from their WordPress site. It also offers access to a wide range of gallery styles, photo proofing, lightroom integration, deep linking, and more. But that’s not all. The plugin includes social sharing through Pro Lightbox and compatibility with secure payment methods like credit or debit cards and PayPal. This makes it more than a mere portfolio. It elevates it to a genuine marketplace for your photos.

Of course, these benefits come at a substantially higher price than the average. Moreover, if you are just starting, the premium version and its features will be very overwhelming. So take your time to learn how they work before you jump straight into the deep.

4. Essential Grid

Essential Grid is a fantastic general-purpose portfolio plugin. Its strengths lie in its ability to create grid-style galleries, making it an ideal choice for freelancers all across the market. Freelancers can use Essential Grid’s phenomenal gallery construction ability while at the same time having the flexibility to link projects and services effortlessly. One standout feature of Essential Grid is its compatibility with various WordPress plugins, simplifying the process of importing existing galleries, thus saving valuable time.

One of its best features is the visual skin editor. It allows users to preview their page before publishing, thus reducing the stress of adding or changing the portfolio on a life website. Furthermore, the 40 customizable templates offer ample design options. So, even if you have absolutely no vision of how your portfolio should look, Essential Grid has you covered.

Essential Grid’s seamless integration with some of the most popular social media and platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Vimeo allows users to enhance their portfolio’s reach and use already published resources with a click of a button.

However, Essential Grid is a premium plugin, meaning there are no freebies when using it. While the pricing is extremely reasonable, this may be a drawback for freelancers who start their endeavor as a side gig and are not ready to invest in plugins.

Still, if you are serious about building a freelance business, Essential Grid is definitely worth checking out. Especially if you’re not a photographer or a visual artist. As you’ve already seen, most plugins cater precisely to their needs.

5. Envira Gallery

Elegance and simplicity. That’s what Envira Gallery is all about. If you are looking for a clean and straightforward way to represent your work, this plugin is definitely for you.

What sets Envira apart from other similar plugins is the extremely user-friendly interface. The drag-and-drop builder enables even complete beginners to build unique galleries for their work. If you don’t have a vision, though, worry not. Envira offers a range of pre-built templates to choose from. Just find the right one in the library, and you are ready to go.

Moreover, Envira Gallery integrates seamlessly with the WordPress block editor, making it a breeze for freelancers to embed their portfolios within their websites. The plugin also supports social media integration, which allows users to showcase their portfolios even more broadly without adding extra steps.

For those looking to monetize their portfolio, Envira Gallery offers WooCommerce support, streamlining the process of selling creative products online. Additionally, image-proofing enhances the user experience, particularly for visual artists seeking feedback on their work.

Unfortunately, if you want access to all these features, you will have to pay. The lite version is quite enough for a mere portfolio, but you will need a premium account to enhance it to a marketplace.

Another downside of Envira Gallery is its relatively small number of customization options compared to other plugins on the market. Of course, this makes it extremely easy to use, especially for beginners. Still, if you want your portfolio to look unique and exquisite, Envira won’t suffice. However, don’t be quick to discard this option, especially if you are just starting your journey.

6. Go Portfolio

When it comes to beauty and style, there is no better option than Go Portfolio. Its outstanding aesthetics make it a prime choice for all creative professionals who want to stand out and add flair to their portfolios.

One of Go Portfolio’s standout features is its ability to support various content types, from standard posts to custom post types, WooCommerce products, and multimedia content like videos. This flexibility ensures that freelancers can curate diverse portfolios tailored to their specific needs. It’s genuinely outstanding when it comes to customization options. It offers four default styles with unlimited color skins and the flexibility to adjust the column numbers. This allows even newbie freelancers to maintain their branding style and make their portfolio an integral part of their website rather than an add-on.

Moreover, Go Portfolio’s commitment to SEO optimization and full responsiveness ensures that portfolios look stunning and help freelancers expand their reach.

Unfortunately, for those on a tight budget, this aesthetic masterpiece is only premium. Moreover, while it does offer some substantial customization options, beginners may find them overwhelming and complicated as they have a slight learning curve if you want to master them.

Regardless, Go Portfolio is THE choice if you are looking for a visually stunning portfolio above all else.

7. GridKit Portfolio Gallery

Source: WPSofts

GridKit is another multi-purpose portfolio plugin that essentially allows freelancers across the entire market to have a visually stunning portfolio. Its strength lies in its versatility. It offers several gorgeous layout options combined with over 100 animations and styling options. This will allow you to build not just a visually stunning portfolio but an interactive one to separate you from the pack.

For e-commerce freelancers, Grid Kit Portfolio Gallery can be used to showcase not only their work but also team members and products. This feature is particularly valuable for those who want to integrate an online store into their portfolio website.

The plugin’s responsive design ensures that portfolios adapt seamlessly to different devices, providing an optimal viewing experience for visitors. Additionally, its support for WordPress shortcodes simplifies the process of embedding portfolios on websites.

The only drawback of this plugin is its free version. The non-premium version of the plugin is below average when it comes to functionalities. Many of the essential features are reserved for the premium version. Thus, if you decide to use this option, you must be prepared to pay the premium fee. Luckily, it’s below the average, so it won’t be such a burden on your budget.

Grid Kit Portfolio Gallery is a valuable tool for freelancers seeking to create visually stunning and interactive portfolios.

Choose wisely

Before you choose your portfolio plugin, do your research. Have a clear vision of what you need, and don’t hesitate to try out several free versions before paying for a premium one. Regardless of your choice, however, you will need a premium hosting service. HostArmada is just that. We are one of the best hosting providers on the market. We pride ourselves on our lightning-fast load speed, tight security, and unquestionable reliability. So, take a look at our plans, and if you need any help with selecting the right one, contact our team. We will happily assist you. Before you get to choose your plugin, your success depends on selecting the right hosting provider.

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