The Hostpapa Blog

10 Tips to Boost Your WordPress Security

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

WordPress is one of the most popular and accessible CMS applications on the market, used by bloggers, web developers, large corporations and media outlets alike. But being the most popular tool also makes it a target for hackers who exploit and small vulnerabilities. Don't let your WordPress site be exposed to these attacks! Our tips will help you secure and protect your website.

WordPress is one of the most popular and accessible CMS applications on the market, used by first-time bloggers, web developers, large corporations and media outlets alike. With more than 60 million devotees worldwide, WordPress is in fact the most widely used content management system (CMS) today.

Unfortunately, this popularity also attracts the attention of hackers who exploit any small vulnerability.

Don’t let all the hard work you’ve put into your blog go to waste. Review these 10 WordPress security tips – and then take a few minutes to secure your website.

Change the ‘admin’ login. When you install WordPress, the default username is always ‘admin.’ Don’t make it easy for intrusive hackers to get in – change it!
Use strong passwords everywhere. This means a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. No words or dates! This goes for all passwords, including your cPanel/FTP password and WordPress admin password. Use a different password for each of them and remember to change them frequently.
Use the latest version of WordPress. WordPress regularly issues updates, designed to address known security concerns and vulnerabilities. Install updates right away – not only will this increase your site’s security, but it will help your blog run smoother. Update directly from your dashboard or WordPress, never a third-party provider.
Mind your plugins. Always do your due diligence before downloading a plugin. Research the plugin itself and only download from a trusted source. Keep your plugins up to date at all times.
Delete any plugins or themes you’re not using. You may have downloaded plugins or themes to try out, but decided not to use them. Simply deactivating them is not enough – delete them to ensure any weaknesses cannot be exploited. Review and delete your themes or plugins by going to Appearance > Themes or Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Install the ‘Limit Login Attempts’ plugin. This will block an IP address from accessing your account after a number of failed login attempts, as well as disabling brute force attacks. You can download this plugin directly from WordPress: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/limit-login-attempts/
Install the WP Security Scan plugin. This is another must-have plugin; it scans your WordPress for security issues and, best of all, offers a solution for any vulnerabilities it finds. Download it from WordPress here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-security-scan/
Use .htaccess files to protect the ‘wp-admin’ and other directories. The .htaccess files are available in your hosting folder; you may also upload a blank index.html file to the folder to achieve the same result. Read more about .htaccess here: http://hostpapasupport.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=220
Install and activate anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Don’t forget the updates!
Back up your files regularly. Do planned manual backups at least once a week or - even better - take advantage of HostPapa Automated Website Backup. http://hostpapasupport.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=view&parentcategoryid=225&pcid=0&nav=0

These tips will help you enjoy your website experience long into the future. A little time spent tightening your website security now might just save you a lot of time and frustration later.

How to Build a Website Using WordPress in Ten Steps

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:00:00 -0400

There is no doubt that WordPress is the best content management system (CMS) for your website. Setting up your own WordPress website can seem like a daunting task, but fear not, help is on the way: read our ten easy steps to getting started on WordPress now!

Setting up your own WordPress website can seem like a daunting task if you’ve never done anything like this before. Fortunately, one of the best things about using WordPress is that it’s so user-friendly and intuitive, just about anyone can do it!

While the technical part of setting up a WordPress website isn’t really complicated, knowing what to put on your website and how to make it work for you can be a little bit more difficult.

Here’s ten easy steps to getting started on WordPress. Simply follow these and you’ll be up and running in no time at all.

Step 1: Define your site

Before you do anything involving WordPress, you need to pick your niche. Trying to develop a WordPress website about something that’s been done 10,000 times isn’t going to prove terribly beneficial. If your WordPress site isn’t for an existing business, make sure you pick a topic that truly interests you, so that it won’t feel like a chore to work on and update your site now or months down the road.

Step 2: Choose a domain name

Your domain name should relate directly to the niche you chose in step 1, and it should be a name that’s so easy for users to remember that they never forget it. Doing some keyword research can also be helpful. Stuck on a particular name but .com is taken? Try .net or .co.

Step 3: Hire a web host

Your next step is to find a reliable web host to handle your site. Here at HostPapa, we offer industry-leading servers and infrastructure. Our multilingual customer support is available via chat, email, and telephone; we also maintain an extensive knowledgebase and video tutorials. What about a shared vs. dedicated server? In most cases, shared web hosting will be just fine and it very popular with WordPress users.

Step 4: Install WordPress

At the risk of stating the obvious, once you have found your web host and domain name, it’s time to install WordPress and get up and running. At HostPapa, installing WordPress is incredibly easy and takes just minutes with our Softaculous script installer.

Step 5: Choose a WordPress theme

Next, you need to decide on a design theme for your WordPress site. There are thousands upon thousands of themes available, ranging from absolutely free to upwards of hundreds of dollars. When selecting your theme, try to ensure that it makes sense for both the topic of your site as well as the layout and content you plan to publish.

Step 6: Configure your plugins

A WordPress Plugin is a program written in the PHP scripting language, that adds a specific set of features or services to a WordPress website. WordPress plugins provide a great deal of customization and flexibility to your WordPress site, as well as valuable features and tools for your visitors. You may not start out with a ton of plugins, but the longer you use WordPress, the more you’ll find ones that benefit your site. Some of our favorites include JetPack and Yoast SEO.

Step 7: Complete your administrative pages

Important pages include your contact page, about page, privacy, and disclaimer page. Get these out of the way before you focus on adding content to your site - after all, it’s easier to add them now than later, when you’re done publishing all of the other, more exciting stuff! These pages also serve to protect both you and your site visitors.

Step 8: Publish your content. Rinse. Repeat.

After you get the important administrative pages published, it’s time to start adding interesting content. Whatever your niche, you want to make sure you include plenty of quality content for your readers. Make your pages visually rich and further, make it a priority to keep adding new content on a regular basis. If blogging, add at least one image to each and every post. Not only does this give your readers something to pin on Pinterest, it also makes your content more appealing. Whether you decide to add content daily, weekly, or monthly, creating a content calendar will help keep you on the right track.

Step 9: Don't forget marketing

Marketing your new site is a two-fold endeavor. First, there’s SEO (search engine optimization): make sure your pages have relevant keywords in the title, description, and body text. Second, take the time to promote your site in any way possible. Free options include the use of social media sites, forums, and emailing out a regular newsletter. You may also consider guest posting and commenting on blogs, forums, and communities to build up your social connections and link popularity.

Step 10: Back up your site

Your content is your most valuable asset, so make sure you back up your site! For your blog, that means backing up your content in case of a crash so you won’t have to start all over again. If you don’t back up posts, plugins, and affiliate links, it might take you a while before getting back on your feet. If you don’t have time to regularly back up your site, your web host should offer an alternative. HostPapa, for example, offers a terrific automated website backup service that takes just a few minutes to set up - no need to worry about backing up your site ever again!

There you have it - WordPress in ten easy steps!

Need more info? Check out our 6-part HostPapa WordPress video tutorial series

WordPress Super Cache and W3TC Plugins are Vulnerable

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0400

The HostPapa team has just been informed of a serious vulnerability to W3TC and WP Super Cache plugins for WordPress. The vulnerability was first reported on the WordPress.org forums, but it has gone unnoticed by most WordPress communities around the globe.

The vulnerability allows remote PHP code to be executed locally on a server for anyone running either of the plugins. This is a serious issue as it could allow an attacker to execute code on your server; for instance, using your site to deliver malware without you knowing and making you a victim of the dreaded Google Malware penalty screen.

The good news is that both plugin authors have recently pushed updated versions of their plugins, disabling the vulnerable functions by default. If you are using either of these plugins, we recommend that you update them immediately.

Here are the vulnerable versions for each plugin:

W3 Total Cache (versions 0.9.2.8 and below are vulnerable, version 0.9.2.9 and up are not) / upgrade here
WP Super Cache (versions 1.2 and below are vulnerable, version 1.3.x and up are not) / upgrade here

We also strongly recommend that you enable CloudFlare on your account. CloudFlare’s secure Content Delivery Network (CDN) is free for HostPapa customers. The current vulnerability is so critical that CloudFlare has applied a rule to their network to protect against it. The protection is applied automatically for all CloudFlare accounts. So, if you haven’t already enabled CloudFlare on your account, there’s never been a better time to do so.

Instructions for activating CloudFlare on your web hosting account can be found here:
http://hostpapasupport.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1179&nav=0,227

Remember, always keep your scripts, plugins and tools up to date, especially when a critical vulnerability like this one comes to your attention; and as an added protection, enable CloudFlare for free in your hosting account.

7 Innovative Internet Marketing Solutions to Give Your Business a Boost

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:30:00 -0400

In today’s business world, Internet marketing plays a key role in the success of virtually every company. However, with many businesses using advanced marketing strategies, no longer is it enough to whip up a company page on Facebook, sign up for Twitter, or create a profile on LinkedIn. To be successful, you’ll need to be creative and you’ll need to invest some time in new marketing methods that may be unfamiliar.

Read on to learn more about going beyond Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, with these seven key marketing tools to add to your arsenal.

1. Vine

Haven’t heard of Vine? Well, now’s the time, given its meteoric rise in popularity over the past few months. Simply put, Vine is Twitter’s version of Instagram, but instead of sharing pictures, Vine allows users to upload six-second videos.

Six seconds may seem like a pretty short video, but if you can successfully communicate your message within that time frame (or at the very least pique the interest of users enough that they check out your website or follow you on Twitter), Vine can be a very powerful marketing tool.

2. SlideShare

SlideShare is pretty much what it sounds like: an easy way to incorporate slideshows into your web content, even on social media sites like Facebook. Why do slideshows matter? Because they keep people’s attention, which translates into more interest in your message and what you offer, thereby increasing your click-through and engagement rate.

Use SlideShare to make slideshows of anything and everything – just make sure it’s interesting content. Poorly curated content might actually be detrimental for your image.

3. Facebook Graph Search

Facebook Graph Search is a relatively new tool (still in Beta, unless you signed up on the waiting list) that allows users and businesses to search for other Facebook users based on common interests. As a business user, Facebook Graph Search can help you build your network and marketing base, though you may not want to market to new contacts right away. Instead, use this tool to build connections and relationships and increase awareness of your company.

4. Pinterest

Your business probably already uses Pinterest, but if not, sign up and get pinning today. That doesn’t mean you should just like and repin anything you see. The most effective way to use Pinterest is to post comments and engage your potential audience in conversation. Of course, liking and repinning can help your cause too, so don’t stop doing that.

5. Reddit

Reddit is a community-based website, almost like a web forum, though it’s laid out a bit differently. When users like a post, they’ll up-vote it, which will get it seen by others. When they don’t like a post, they’ll down-vote it, and it will be harder for other users to find.

When it comes to Reddit, the secret is to actually make personal connections and pretty much forget about selling. Reddit community members, who commonly refer to themselves as Redditors, are a tight-knit group, and they can spot a salesman a mile away.

6. Newsletters

Newsletters are still the go-to tool of choice for the successful marketer. In today’s era of social media, email newsletters may seem downright old-fashioned, but they persist as an effective method to communicate with customers. To send an effective newsletter, don’t bombard people with information - both quantity and frequency. It might be tempting to send out five newsletters a week, but quite frankly, people find that annoying, even if they love your product.

Keep your newsletters to once per week or less, and be sure that every communication clearly provides the ability for recipients to opt out. Make sure people can easily sign up when they visit your website, too!

7. Giveaways

The reason giveaways are successful is obvious – everybody loves free stuff! So, give them some. Using tools like Rafflecopter can be a big help for many businesses, and employing a variety of different ways people can earn entries is ideal. Some examples:

Liking you on Facebook
Signing up and logging in with their email address
Sharing the giveaway on Facebook
Following you on Twitter
Tweeting about the giveaway

When you do decide to have a giveaway, make sure the prize is actually something people will want. You don’t necessarily have to give away a really expensive product, but giving something away that’s the equivalent of a pack of gum isn’t enough for most people to go through the trouble of entering.

Your Marketing Machine

There are a multitude of ways to gain exposure, to deploy your marketing strategy, and to build up the popularity or your website. The seven tools above offer great ways to help engage with your audience. Try one or try them all - only by testing them out can you determine which will work best for you and your site.

4 Ways to Thwart the Latest WordPress Hack

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0400

Have you heard about the highly-distributed global attack on WordPress installations? It’s affecting virtually every web host in existence. Due to the nature of the attack, memory consumption on targeted servers has increased. In some cases this has affected performance on the server end.

What does this mean for you, the web hosting customer? Simply put, we advise not to take this incident lightly.

To ensure that your WordPress website is secure, we recommend taking the following 4 actions:

Log in to WordPress and change your password. We highly recommend you log into any and all of your WordPress installations and update your password. Choose a password that has both upper and lowercase letters, at least eight characters, and includes “special” characters (^%$#&@*). Need help? Check out our WordPress video on how to change your password.

Enable CloudFlare (it’s FREE!) on your account. CloudFlare’s secure Content Delivery Network (CDN) is not only free for HostPapa customers, it has also already taken steps to mitigate the impact of this latest attack. So, if you haven’t already enabled CloudFlare on your account, there’s never been a better time to do so. Your website will be protected from malicious software and hackers with its cloud-based firewall. As an added bonus, it’ll also boost the performance of your website.

Instructions for activating CloudFlare on your web hosting account can be found here:
http://hostpapasupport.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1179&nav=0,227

Ensure your website doesn’t have malicious software. The good news is that there are options available for you if you want to check your website for malicious software in a hurry. The tool we’d recommend is Google’s own Google Safe Browsing. Just type this in your browser and add your domain to the end of it: http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=

For example: http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=yourdomain.com

Back up your website. Make sure that you have a backup of your website. You can use plugins from WordPress to do so, but in this particular case, the WordPress attack is global and the plugin may not be compatible with your version of WordPress. HostPapa Automated Website Backup service will automatically back up your website and allow you to restore a previous version of your site with one click!

Again, we advise that you do not ignore this threat and take action in order to protect your website. Please stay tuned to our blog, Facebook and Twitter pages for ongoing updates and information.

5 Social Media Marketing Tips To Grow Your Visibility

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:00:00 -0400

Social media marketing is more important than it has ever been, and it seems like the amount of social media outlets is growing exponentially each year. Because social media is so important, it’s important that you use it properly if you want to help your small business grow.

Most businesses use social media at this point to try and gain new customers, but few do it the right way.

1. Be Social

Being social is an important part of growing your online visibility and communicating with existing and potential customers. Using social media regularly will allow you to keep in constant contact with people that matter to your business.

The easiest way to do this is to find an app online for your phone or tablet so you can keep up with who is mentioning you, sharing your content or adding and following you. Staying abreast of these things will allow you to respond quickly – even if that means nothing more than a simple thank you note or share. Hootsuite is a great tool for this.

Making your own social content is important, and it can help you get noticed. But without actually being social within the community, you’re not going to get enough attention for your content to really matter, even if it’s outstanding.

2. Don’t Limit Yourself

There are so many different outlets out there for your business right now that you really need to attempt to take advantage of as many of them as possible. Limiting yourself to just one or two social media outlets isn’t smart, so take the time to become proficient in ways that utilize all the different social media outlets, and make sure you stay up on new features that could boost your presence.

Use Facebook’s Graph Search, which is still in beta right now. Graph Search will let you find users with similar interests – for your business, that means you can find people who are more likely to be interested in what you do.
Add Vine videos to Twitter. Vine is a new tool that allows users to upload six-second videos. It’s new, but it’s going to prove important for small business.
Always update your contributor’s section on Google+. You need your contributor’s section to reference every site to which you contribute.
Use Instagram constantly. With Instagram, you want to share as much as possible. Try to share relevant photos sometimes, but it’s actually okay to add things that give your company and your page a human feel!
Just use Pinterest! Pinterest’s largest demographic is women between 20 and 40. That’s a huge group, and one almost any business can benefit from targeting.
Use Tumblr like a blog and upload snippets of content every day. It will help keep your company in your followers’ minds.
Make videos using Animoto and other filmmaking tools that will appeal to your followers. Just have fun with this one!

3. Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

Knowing what people are saying about your company through social media outlets is extremely important. However, you’re going to have to do your part to stay connected so you can see and hear people’s comments in a timely fashion.

Being aware of what your followers saying about you could help you develop a new product or make changes to an existing one in order to increase sales and customer satisfaction.

If people aren’t talking about your products enough to get a feel for how the general public (or at least those with whom you’re connected through social media) really feels, consider hosting a giveaway or two to try and generate interest.

4. Be a Regular

You can’t expect your social media campaign to work for you if just pop in once in a while and leave a comment without communicating with others and really participating in the online discussion. Being a regular contributor on social media outlets will also make users feel like your company is more trustworthy and will show that you genuinely care about consumers buying your products.

If you don’t have enough time to contribute to social media sites regularly, download a few apps that will do things like schedule pins on Pinterest and updates on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

5. Be Original, But Don’t Be Afraid to Join In

Original, unique content that helps promote your business is essential. However, you can’t rely on it solely to make an impact when it comes to social media.

One of the best things your business can do, and one of the most commonly forgotten things, is to join in and like other users. See something funny on YouTube? Share it. Find a funny meme? Share it.

Joining in the conversation, even if it isn’t related to your business at all is an important part of using social media effectively.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Getting Started with YouTube Marketing

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:00:00 -0500

HostPapa’s YouTube channel is a lot of fun! Not only is it a chance to be creative, but it has enabled us to effectively reach, share information, and interact with customers. Have you checked it out yet? If not, you should!

What’s great about video marketing?

Studies show video offers greater retention and recall than the written word. And online videos are popular: according to Strategy Analytics, 280 billion mobile videos were viewed in 2012, up from 108 billion in 2011; online video advertising spending is on the same trajectory. YouTube is considered the second most popular search engine by volume.

In other words, people are turning to online videos for research, education, entertainment and purchasing. The time to take advantage of YouTube marketing is now.

Just like any other type of marketing, social media marketing with YouTube has to be done with a plan. Here are some hints to get you started as you build your video marketing strategy:

Research. Check out the competition. See what works and what doesn't; check out the quality, content, tone and user feedback.
Focus on content over sales. Most people don’t come to YouTube to watch a blatant advertisement – they want information. Capture their interest and provide a link to your website. Inspire trust and relatability by showing real situations in the videos as much as possible.
Make sure you have time for this. Successful YouTube marketing requires regular new content to keep viewers engaged. You should also make time to comment on other videos, respond to comments on your videos – anything to improve the level of interaction. Above all, take care to be sure you are uploading high-quality videos.
Video optimization. Increase your chance of being seen among the billions of videos competing for viewers. Apply search engine optimization tactics to your videos, just as you would to an article or blog post. Use relevant keywords in your account profile and in each video filename. Add descriptive tags if available and always be sure to properly categorize your video.
Keep it short. Your video should run between 30 seconds and two minutes. If your video is longer than that, recognize that you will lose some viewers. If you have a lot of content, consider breaking it into a number of videos.

Do not plan your video marketing strategy in isolation. Connect all the dots by adapting your video content to reach more people. Create a transcript to post as text; create eye-catching stills from your video to post on your blog, Facebook, or Pinterest. Create an audio-only version for iTunes or other audio websites.

Social media marketing with YouTube is a valuable addition to your overall marketing plan. Get your plan in place, be creative, and have fun!

HostPapa is on YouTube

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Did you know that HostPapa has a YouTube channel?

In addition to our website, knowledgebase and video tutorials, the YouTube channel features great info on our products and services, along with how-tos.

Our latest video features WordPress website hosting and shows how easy it is to get started with this powerful, feature-packed content management system.

There’s also a great video tutorial series that walks you through HostPapa Connect email marketing (which, by the way, is offered free to all shared web hosting customers).

Check it out and let us know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/user/HostPapa

And stay tuned next week, when we’ll feature a post about how you, too, can harness the power of this ever-growing medium!

5 Reasons to Use CloudFlare

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Fast web hosting: Let’s face it, all website owners want it - no, need it. That’s why we at HostPapa do everything we can to ensure our clients enjoy a high level of website performance, day in and day out.

Which brings us to CloudFlare. CloudFlare has taken the website hosting world by storm – thousands upon thousands have activated this service and reaped its benefits. CloudFlare promises to “supercharge your website” at no cost! Which sounds great, but… what exactly does it mean?

Here’s 5 simple reasons that CloudFlare is so popular:

It makes websites faster. CloudFlare distributes and stores your website’s static content in its data centres, strategically located around the world, regardless of your server’s physical location. Your visitors will be routed to the closest data centre, ensuring the fastest possible service. Your web pages will load, on average, twice as fast! As an added bonus: search engines love fast web hosting.
It optimizes website performance. CloudFlare has a number of website optimization tools to help your website look good and load quickly on both desktop computers and mobile devices. HostPapa customers report that even web pages with widgets and third-party software show a dramatic boost in website performance.
It maximizes uptime. CloudFlare’s next-generation Content Delivery Network is designed for peak efficiency, with built in redundancy. If there is ever an issue at any of CloudFlare’s 32 global data centres, your visitors will automatically be directed to another.
It provides enhanced security and protection. By enabling CloudFlare on your HostPapa account, you not only improve your website hosting experience, but you join a growing international community of users. An attack on any user is quickly identified and blocked for the entire community. CloudFlare protects against cross-site scripting, SQL injection, comment spam, bot crawlers, and much more.
It’s easy to activate. There is no code to change, no hardware or software to install. Simply set up an account and choose which domains you want to protect. HostPapa customers will see a CloudFlare icon in their cPanel – just click and get started. In as little as five minutes, you’ll be enjoying superior website performance.

CloudFlare is proving to be quite popular among HostPapa customers, for all the reasons above. We’d love to hear about your experiences – try it out and let us know what you think!

What on earth is social engineering hacking?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:30:00 -0500

Here’s another blog post inspired by a question from a HostPapa customer. We’ve had a few queries, actually, from clients looking for information about social engineering hacking and how they can prevent it.

Social engineering hacking is fraud – fundamentally no different than the cons that have been going on for centuries; trickery to try and get you to take a specific action or divulge information. This modern version is generally focused on getting victims to give away computer access or personal/financial information.

How does it happen?

Social engineering hacks don’t tend to break into computer systems or networks. They actually target a person, exploiting human vulnerabilities.

Some common examples:

A social engineering hack may call, pretending to be from a computer company. The caller says your computer needs repair. You turn on your computer, allow remote access, and the hack steals your data or implants malware.
Another hack calls, pretending to be from your credit card company or bank. She says there has been unusual activity on your card, and needs to verify certain personal information. You divulge your credit card number, password, or other details.
You get a phishing email that looks to be from your financial institution or a business you frequent. It’s not.
A social engineering hack may pretend to be a Facebook friend, and pick up information through social media. Or he or she might rifle through your trash, find a utility bill, and glean enough information to access your accounts.

You get the idea. Social engineering hacking isn’t usually high-tech – but it is effective, and it can lead to identity theft, computer infiltration, and financial fraud.

What can you do?

Plenty! The most important thing is to be vigilant. Be suspicious of any phone call or email looking for personal information or remote computer access.

As well:

Dispose of digital data properly.
Shred all mail, especially bills and statements, before throwing out.
Use different passwords with different accounts. Where reasonable, use different email addresses to link to each account too. Monitor all accounts regularly.
Remove your information from public databases. In fact, last week's blog post was about domain privacy. Here's another reason to think about signing up for it.
Never post, publish, submit, or otherwise divulge personal information unless absolutely necessary.
Back up everything.

Social engineering hacking evolves as fast as the criminally minded can think up new scams. Stay informed, stay on your toes, and stay safe!

What is domain privacy and do I really need it?

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500

What is domain privacy and do I really need it?

Did you know the contact details attached to your web hosting domain are publicly available thanks to the WHOIS listings? This is why HostPapa and other web hosting providers offer domain privacy for a small surcharge.

Now, you might ask yourself, do I really need it?

The simple answer is no. As a website owner, you do not need to purchase domain privacy. However, the service offers a number of important benefits, including reducing spam and unwanted solicitations. We think any website owner will be better off for making a small investment in his or her privacy. And in fact... tens of thousands of HostPapa clients would probably agree!

What is domain privacy?

Every domain name has a WHOIS listing, which is a searchable database of registered domains. It is available to everyone on the Internet. Without domain privacy, or WHOIS privacy protection, all of your contact information (address, phone number, name, etc) is available to the public.

With WHOIS privacy, however, your personal information is shielded and the information belonging to your domain registrar is visible instead.

Even if you have a legitimate postal address and nothing to hide, WHOIS privacy can help:

Control spam and junk snail mail.
Hide your website from competitors doing market research.
Prevent firms from capturing your information to resell to others.
Avoid stalkers and fraudsters.
Control your personal information and privacy. Do you really want everyone online knowing your address?

WHOIS privacy protection is purchased by most website owners for all of the above reasons. We believe it’s an important way to help reduce spam, scams, and unwanted Internet traffic.

There may be some businesses which welcome any added traffic and the visibility of a WHOIS listing. In most cases, however, domain privacy protection provides a layer of security and peace of mind.

As an aside, there are some domain types (such as those ending in .ca) that automatically have privacy enabled, without the need to purchase. If the domain you are using falls into this category, enjoy the added level of protection!

In summary, although domain privacy isn't mandatory, the little bit of extra cost can save you time and trouble down the road.

WordPress vs. Joomla vs. Drupal

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 -0500

WordPress vs. Joomla vs. Drupal

A choice of content management systems (or CMS) are included with every HostPapa web hosting account. Choosing the best content management system for your website – even deciding if you need one – is another decision you, as a web designer/developer, have to make. And one we’re happy to help out with!

What is a content management system?

A CMS is a web-based application that helps you create, edit, and store website content in a simple and easy-to-manage way. A CMS lets you can build and maintain your website entirely from within your web browser.

The best content management system helps users (even non-techie users) manage their websites without needing fancy programs like Dreamweaver. A CMS will automatically take care of many “behind the scenes” functions, including navigation and searchable content. No hard coding required! Like HostPapa, most web hosting companies offer these tools within their control panels.

Do you need a content management system?

Before we get to WordPress vs. Joomla vs. Drupal… do you need any of them? Yes, unless of course you enjoy designing files on your desktop then uploading them via FTP to your server (and repeating the process every time you want to make an update).

Only static, brochure-type websites that seldom change would likely get away with not using a CMS. Content management systems make life easier. Go for it. Pick one.

WordPress vs. Joomla vs. Drupal

These are today’s three most popular open-source (free) and best content management systems out there. Here’s our quick notes to help you make a fast decision:

WordPress began as blogging software; added functionality (widgets, themes, and plugins) means it’s now being used for all kinds of websites and can be scaled up as your needs grow more complex.

The easiest and most intuitive of the three.
Powerful enough to build and launch websites quickly.
Ideal for blogs, news sites, simple and easy-to-manage websites.

Joomla! currently occupies a middle ground between WordPress and Drupal.

Slightly more complex than WordPress, but still accessible.
Allows you to build more complex websites.
Ideal for social networking and ecommerce websites.

Drupal has long been called “developer-friendly,” meaning, we suppose, that it’s more technical and requires more know-how.

Requires some expertise to use.
Powerful ability to organize complex content and build advanced, versatile websites.
Ideal for: complex websites, online stores, community platforms with multiple users.

There is no best content management system here, just three strong contenders, each serving their audience capably and with ever-expanding functionality. So, if you think you need a CMS (and we recommend it for sure) consider your level of technical knowledge. Trust us... getting a CMS will make your website better and your life easier.

Reseller vs Shared: Which Website Hosting is Right for You?

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:51:00 -0500

At HostPapa, we often encounter customers inquiring about whether they should stick with shared web hosting or switch to a reseller account. New customers, too, frequently check in before signing up to ask which is “better”: reseller or shared hosting.

The answer? The best service depends on your specific needs. No surprise there! That answer is not a lot of help, so we’ve compiled some information you can use to make the decision.

First, let’s look at shared web hosting.

A shared hosting plan gives you everything you need to create and manage a website. In fact, many shared hosting plans, including HostPapa’s, let you host unlimited domains on one account – you can operate as many websites as you like for one low fee!

You get one control panel (cPanel) through which you can manage all of your domains and subdomains.

Advantages:

It’s super affordable
It’s easy: one control panel oversees all domains
You can maintain as many websites as you want

Now, on to reseller website hosting.

Reseller hosting is designed for those who want to sell web hosting. Resellers purchase space and bandwidth and allocate or “resell” it to their own clients. While those clients manage their accounts through their own cPanel, the reseller oversees all the subaccounts through one master administrator control panel.

Even if you don’t want to sell hosting, you can use a reseller plan to create web hosting accounts (each with its own cPanel account and login) for family, friends, or clients.

Advantages

You can make money with a well-run reseller business
Although the monthly fee is more than a shared hosting account, it's still very reasonable
You are in control: you set up the accounts to resell, you provide customer service – it’s your business!

What does it all mean?

If you want to host one or several personal websites, or your own small business website, shared web hosting is the cheapest, easiest, and best option.

If, however, you’re in the business of selling websites or web hosting services, or you want separate cPanel accounts for separate domains, reseller website hosting is the logical choice.

So... there you go! As with most things, what makes a hosting plan "better" really depends on your own needs. Whether you need shared or reseller web hosting, don’t forget to check out HostPapa for tools, tips and tricks to make the most of it.

Online Security: 5 Tips For Today

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Here are HostPapa, we’ve seen several unfortunate circumstances surrounding website security... or should we say lack thereof? It’s easy to blame the crafty hackers for your website’s problems. But, and we’re sorry to have to say this, too often it’s the websites running last year’s security updates or the web developers using “password” for their password that are the first to run into security issues.

“Online security” is a phrase that’s thrown around a lot, quite often to sell products and services (some of which you need, others you definitely do not). But learning how to be safe online is not always a matter of knowing what to buy, so much as what to do.

Here are 5 online security tips to get your started:

The password issue. Please, if you do one thing today, strengthen your passwords. No words, dates, or “123456.” A combination of lowercase and capital letters and numbers (and symbols if permitted) is a must. And…don’t use the same password for everything. For anything.

Update, update, update. Don’t wait. Your best hope of staying ahead of hackers is to immediately install the latest versions of all your scripts, including WordPress, Joomla!, OpenCart, Drupal, Magento, and Moodle to name but a few.

Don’t make it easy for hackers to find a way in. What websites are you linking to from yours? Make sure they are all reputable. Eliminate all bad links. Don’t give root access to your website to anyone who doesn’t actually need it. And make sure the email address you use to log in to your control panel isn’t published anywhere on your site.

Get an SSL certificate. This falls into the category of an online security product you need. An SSL certificate gets you a secure connection and encrypts all the data flowing between your computer/server and those of your customers and visitors. It’s required if you are running an online store or collecting personal information of any kind – including email addresses. It’s a small investment and a worthwhile one for almost every website owner.

Stay up to date. Read the top tech blogs for the latest news about bugs, vulnerabilities, and how to be safe online. Learn enough about your website to know what’s going on and how to spot code that doesn’t belong (check your log files regularly). Research before you download any plug-in and stay away from anything that might be suspicious.

Here’s the lesson: if your website is secure, most hackers will ignore it and move along to one that offers easier access. A little knowledge about how to be safe online will save you huge headaches.

12 Tips to Jumpstart Your Blog - Part 2

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Last week, we shared the first six blog posting ideas. As promised, this week we bring you the rest:

Tip #7: Make lists on your blog.
Similar to tutorials and how-to articles, lists make for terrific blog posts and are used liberally by the best bloggers on the web. Simple lists are great for just about every blog. You could provide a list of anything that interests you and fits your blog’s subject matter and audience. A list could be as simple as the top 10 books you read this year, plan to read next year, or that are related directly to your blog niche. Let your imagination and creativity guide you!

Tip #8: Use a guest blogger.
Another way to invigorate your blog is to feature a guest post. If you can score an influential guest to post on your blog, chances are that they will also bring some of their own fans to your blog. Even if you can’t find someone well-known within your niche, having a guest writer with a different writing style or something new to add will bring interest to your blog.

Tip #9: Create a special video blog.
A fun way to add some interesting content to your blog is to create the occasional video blog post. You can have the video hosted directly on your site, or you can have YouTube or Vimeo host the video, which can then be embedded on your site.

Tip #10: Write an interview.
Find someone well-known in your niche and contact them to see if you can do an interview. Many people will be delighted to give you an interview, but make sure you prepare ahead of time. If time permits, you can even announce the event on your blog in advance and let some of your readers come up with questions.

Tip #11: Live blog from an event.
Attending a conference or even heading out on vacation? This could be a perfect opportunity to blog live. Talk about the event, promote it on Twitter and Facebook, and encourage your readers to interact on your blog. Record video, upload photos and do some interviews as well, and you can use these in later posts.

Tip #12: Reevaluate your blog.
If you’ve tried the tips above and your blog is still not attracting new readers, it may be time for a complete overhaul. You can remain within your niche, but you might have to reevaluate the keywords that you are using in your content and the subject matter of your blog. Sometimes changing a few keywords to less-competitive ones can do wonders.

These are just 12 ideas that you could use to attract new readers to your blog and give it more life. We’d love to hear your ideas too!

12 Tips to Jumpstart Your Blog - Part 1

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:30:00 -0500

Is your blog languishing in the dust, neglected by all but a handful of dedicated readers?

Are you having trouble getting potential followers to visit your blog?

Are you new to blogging and need some ideas to get started?

HostPapa is here to help! Here are the first six tips to help get you started:

Tip #1: Connect elsewhere on the web.
Seek out other blogs, forums, and sites that have a similar subject niche and target audience as your own. Connect with people on these sites, comment on blogs, and interact on forums. You don’t have to overtly advertise your site, but people will want to learn more about you, at which point you can slip in a word or two about your own blog. Just like in the real world, making connections takes time and effort, but this is a tried-and-tested way to eventually find some loyal readers.

Tip #2: Ask questions of your audience.
Whether your audience is large or small, top bloggers effectively engage with their audience as much as possible. Ask your readers questions at the end of your blog posts to invite them to comment and share their views. Show them that you want their opinions, and make sure that you interact with your readers when they do comment.

Tip #3: Take a stand.
When you discover newsworthy events that have a connection to your blog’s niche, write about them. Even better, don’t just write about what happened - give your own opinion on the subject. Sharing opinions and opening up debate can be a great way to engage your audience interactively. Your blog could become a whirlwind of activity in no time!

Tip #4: Upload photos and graphics.
People are visual creatures. Pictures and graphics make your blog more personable and your posts more interesting. As an added bonus, when you tag pictures, they will start to show up in search engines as well, which is good for your blog’s ranking.

Tip #5: Create a tutorial or “how-to” article.
Blog posts that teach people new things can attract a wider audience and even rank higher in the search engines. Everyone is good at something, and if your blog follows your passion, chances are you have some skill or expertise that you can share with your audience. Be creative here!

Tip #6: Post on your blog more frequently.
Even if you don’t have a lot to say, shorter, more frequent posts are better than longer, infrequent ones. This is true for both followers (it keeps them engaged!) as well as search engines (they love new content!). Try to post at least once a week if you can. The more current, quality content you are able to post, the higher your traffic and search engine ranking will be.

Next week, we’ll bring you the other six tips. Until then, happy blogging!

A Great Ecommerce Site... From the Customer’s Point of View

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:30:00 -0500

If you are running an ecommerce business, you know how important it is to have a well-designed and well-serviced website.

It’s often challenging to run an ecommerce website successfully, since there are so many elements to consider. After all, you’re not just presenting your company to visitors, you are also running your business through your website - including taking orders, accepting payments, providing delivery information, and more. While you may be personally acquainted with how your website functions, it is also necessary to take into account how easy it is for customers to navigate, and also what appeals most to potential customers.

Here’s some components of an ecommerce site that contribute to a great customer experience and that can in turn increase your sales.

Design and Appearance

Since there’s no personal interaction with customers, the design and layout of your website is paramount. Think of your website as being the “face” of your company. You could have the greatest products in the world and provide customer service that’s second-to-none, but potential customers will never get to experience this unless they actually make a purchase. First impressions count!

Some quick tips:

Research how to design great websites
Keep it simple and cut the clutter
Organize and categorize your products to make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for
Get external feedback of your website from resources like Usertesting.com

Product Range

When deciding on product selection, it’s important to realize that more is not necessarily better. The number of products on your site also won’t necessarily determine the success of your business. In fact, limiting your product selection can actually prove beneficial, since it prevents customers from experiencing decision paralysis, enables them to easily locate particular products, and reduces the number of steps before a purchase is completed.

Another drawback in having too huge a selection of products is the logistical challenges this poses. The failure to source and deliver products in a timely fashion can have a negative impact on your business.

Searchability / Navigation

An often-overlooked element of an ecommerce website is an onsite search engine. An effective search tool should provide an optimal number of relevant results quickly.

Navigation is also key - and refers not just to the menu bar on your site, but the various paths that visitors can take to find products. Successful ecommerce sites allow customers to search for products by category, by brand, by simple keyword search, or even by color or size. The categories you choose of course must reflect the types of products you’re selling - but take the time here to really think through how different visitors may search. You can’t sell something that cannot be found!

Product Pages

If a potential customer is at all uncertain about whether to make a purchase on your site, what they see and read on a detailed product page can make or break the sale. Here’s where you will describe the product more fully and provide images, link to reviews and ratings, and - where applicable - suggest accessories or complementary products. Keep your product pages neatly organized and be careful of information overkill or clutter, but don’t skimp on detail.

Visuals play an important role here. Because customers cannot actually touch and feel the product, they want to at least be able to see it - with multiple views, where possible. Even customers purchasing books at online bookstores like to see images of the cover to know whether they’re hardcover or paperback.

The Point of Sale

Once the customer has his shopping cart filled and is ready to buy, your website must be able to process the transaction smoothly. However, this involves more than just having a great server and payment gateway. You’ve got the customer at the cash register... now don’t let him slip through your fingers! Barriers to completing the sale can include:

Requiring an account before the sale gets processed. Be careful here that you ask for appropriate information, but don’t make it onerous. Another option is to ask at the end of the transaction if they would like to create an account (which then will pull much of the info they’ve already input for shipping/billing details, etc.)

High shipping costs, and/or vague shipping costs. Be transparent here and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Inconvenient payment methods. Be sure to list all payments on the product page and give multiple payment methods (at least 2 types of credit cards plus PayPal, at a minimum).

Speed

Speed is especially important for an ecommerce site. Customers are impatient and the faster you can get them to the purchase point, the more likely they are to buy. Website speed is also a way that customers evaluate your reliability as a merchant.

After the Purchase

After the transaction has been completed, your customer should be able to view an order summary and receipt, which should also be provided by email to them. Including links in the receipt that direct the customer to a page on the website where they can track their order is a great way to improve your customer’s experience and build trust.

Have your own ecommerce website tips to share? Post them here and we’ll feature them in a future blog posting!

So You've Got a Website, Now What Do You Put On It?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:30:00 -0400

So you know that you need a website — good. Maybe you've even set up the site: bought the domain and hosting. But now that it's there, what do you do with it? You put up all main basic pages: About Us, Contact Us, Products/Services, FAQ. Now what? Does it stop there?

Far from it. In fact, if it does stop there your site is not liable to attract interest. A site with little content is little of a site at all, and before you can start marketing and promoting your website and expecting visitors to come and give you their email addresses, clicks or money (it's usually at least one of these) you need to populate your site with content that will interest...no captivate them. Good content not only brings a site search engine visibility but it improves the site's conversion rate. To this end, the creativity and technology website CrossComm posted an article in 2009 by Michael Stalker, a member of the CrossComm staff who specializes in "web development, website usability and SEO" offering 10 great ideas for such content.

As the owner of a website on a particular topic, you are officially an expert on that topic. That emboldens you to write expert reviews on the products sold on your site. Just be sure to post a disclaimer if you ever decide to review products given to you by another source for this purpose. Readers need to trust your credibility and if you're lauding praise onto a product you don't even represent, merely to get the promised link-back from that product's website, you're doing your own site and its visitors a disservice.

Your expertise on your website's topic, Stalker points out, should also extend to current events in your area of expertise. Not just event announcements either, which admittedly are also valuable (and another of Stalker's 10 "fresh ideas"). News happens every day and in every corner of the world. Chances are, something is happening right now in the corner of world your site focuses on, and who better to bring it to your potential visitors' attention than you. Don't be afraid to take a position, as long as it's relevant to your topic and doesn't alienate any of your audience. And remember, you can provide a compelling and even provocative viewpoint without necessarily being controversial.

And getting back to event announcements, for a moment, don't just limit yourself to announcing events put on by your company; provide some service to the community by posting events in your area, be that geographical, topical or otherwise.

Articles offer an endless trove of potential content for your website, if you're willing to dig a little. And the deeper you dig, the more article topics you'll find. Just start with a problem, relevant to your industry, to the products or services you offer, or simply relevant to your target audience; then solve that problem for them. Or write about how others elsewhere are trying to solve that problem. Instructive, how-to articles are also useful for visitors. Write about how to use the products or services you offer, how to get the best value out of them, even how to do other things related to your products, services, topics or market niche.

If your About Us page doesn't include a company history, that's another article topic that can turn into part of your site's main content.

One of the best ways to continually provide new content to your audience is with a blog. A blog allows you to write as much or as little as you want on a particular topic and then post it to the Web. Keep providing interesting content this way and people will start to subscribe to your blog, receiving your posts (or notifications of them) as updates in their emails or online readers. And as part of your website, blogs, unlike newsletters, help your SEO.

There are also a couple of ways Stalker suggests to encourage your users to contribute to your site's content. One way is with a forum in which you and they can start conversations on different topics, forming threads that anyone can read and contribute to. Another way to help users help you generate content for your website is with an expert Question and Answer section of your site. Invite people to write in with questions and answer them for all to see on this page.

Content is still king, even in this age of social media. Think about it: what are people mostly sharing on Facebook? Content. Without it, and enough of it, steadily supplied, your site may simply sink into the morass. But with it, yours can be the site notching up Facebook Likes and Twitter Follows.

Get High Quality Facebook Fans via Email Marketing

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:31:00 -0400

Brands and organizations have come to realize that having a large number of Facebook fans isn’t necessarily an indication of the real reach they have with respect to engagement with their products. Since becoming a fan on Facebook doesn’t require a person to actually buy a product or support the brand across channels, there may be thousands of hits without this really reflecting in the sales of a product or in other forms of investment in a business.

One way to get higher quality fans is through the use of email marketing, where people who have subscribed to an organization’s newsletters and other mail are also invited to become Facebook fans and to participate in social networks. This practice significantly increases the number of Facebook fans who interact with the brand at other levels. Email lists usually contain valuable customer data that needs to be effectively tapped into and converted into Facebook fans. In most cases, a brand's Facebook fan base doesn't include a high percentage email subscribers, who are really the ones with the better potential to support that brand.This is why information on a brand’s presence on social networks like Facebook should be reinforced through multiple channels, and especially through marketing emails. This can be most effective when the email linking recipients to a Facebook page promises some kind of reward for participation. One barrier to successfully pulling this off lies in Facebook no longer offering the custom landing pages option. Though it can still be done, it is now a more complex process.

An email sent by Belk Department Stores aptly illustrates how email marketing can be effectively employed to get more high quality fans. Within three days of sending out its email, its Facebook page received 16,708 fans. Since then, Belk has increased its Facebook fans to over 480,000 people; pretty impressive!

There are various features that make an email effective at garnering desirable participation on social networks. An email should not merely provide information, but should invite the recipient to actively participate in some concrete and explicitly stated way. Participation (for instance, by becoming a fan on Facebook) should entail a reward. The option to become a Facebook fan or to participate through other social networks should be offered through various channels. While the main promotion should take centre stage, other options should still be included. Also, the reward offered on participation should be available only within a fixed time frame. A good email should also contain hyperlinks allowing recipients to shop for products, which could either be a product image or a plain web link. An email should provide recipients with the alternative of unsubscribing and controlling their privacy settings and other preferences. Finally, the email should have a perfect balance of text and visuals in order to direct recipients to the Facebook page.

While the Belk email marketing campaign did get them a large number of fans, the number of coupons claimed was 34,465, more than double the number of fans. This was largely because the custom landing pages option is no longer available, so that even people who visit the page without liking it can still receive a coupon. Also, when fans and sales increase, an email marketing campaign can be considered successful even when these two variables aren’t interdependent. The email had to contain very precise directions to the coupon on the Facebook page since custom landing pages had been eliminated. Though the coupon was at the bottom of the page, a large number of people who visited the site still managed to locate it, though the number might have been higher if it were otherwise. However, other tabs more immediately visible might have been taken off for a while and replaced with an announcement of the offer instead.

There are various strategies that marketers should follow when designing emails for a marketing campaign that directs recipients to a Facebook page. Since the tools and functionalities offered on Facebook are limited, marketers need to figure out how best to use Facebook’s advertising resources together with email marketing to optimize responses from potential fans and customers.

The email itself should contain all the features of an effective marketing email described above. It should also contain clear directions on how to access the coupon on the Facebook page, given the recipients can’t directly get there by clicking on a link in the email. Also, marketers should make it a point to place at least some information concerning the reward above the fold on the Facebook Page, so people visiting the page don’t have to look for it. The time frame within which the offer can be claimed should be mentioned in the email as well as on the Facebook page so hurrying visitors to avail of the offer. Various strategies to increase participation should be employed, and marketers should monitor how well each of these strategies is working. Arriving at how effective a particular campaign is can sometimes be a challenge, given the quantity of data available and the difficulty in tracing increases in sales to a particular variable or strategy. Responses on a Facebook page are harder to assess than an email marketing campaign. Thus it is important to evolve effective benchmarks for measuring Facebook activity as well.

The aim of any marketing activity should be to get people to cross channels and actively participate in various networks. Increase in activity on a Facebook page should ideally reflect greater support for your business in terms of increased sales or increased monetary involvement and word of mouth, etc.

Increase Sales Using Pinterest

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:31:00 -0400

Do you have zillions of followers on Pinterest but haven’t seen any increase in sales? You’re not the only one. Learn how to make the most out of social marketing—before everyone else figures it out too.

The same age-range (25-44) known for their compulsive shopping habits, are the overwhelming majority on Pinterest. Businesses have been quick to hone in on this, using the simple pin-boards as a free marketing device. Still for many businesses, the idea has yet to pay off, with loads of followers and nonstop pins, there’s still little increase in actual sales.

Just last week, while enjoying a beachfront dinner, one of my friends suddenly asked, “Am I pinning too much?” She demanded we tell her the truth before going on to gush, “My boss just wants us to pin everything from the store!”

Pinterest is like a virtual heaven- where all of the things we love, are attracted to, and envy get ‘pinned.’ But my friend’s question made me stop and think - ah hah - there really is an art to pinning.

Later, at home and leisurely scrolling through Pinterest, I took note of my friend’s excessive pins. Let me tell you, I don’t know how I missed it before. My friend wasn’t joking around when she mentioned her boss’s desire to pin the world in its entirety. Quickly, I noticed how one-sided these pins were; some had 1 or 2 likes and repins, while most were getting no action at all.

What does this mean for the fancy clothing boutique my friend works for? First of all, their marketing techniques are getting them next to nowhere - being socially active is only good marketing when others are re-pinning, sharing, and creating a world of new customers for you.

Common fails, such as this one, have inspired many sites to start popping up, all in the name of helping clients make the most of Pinterest. Just to name a few - Klout, Curalate, ShareAsImage, ShotPin, and the list goes on and on. In John Brandon’s Inc. article, “7 Tools to Get More Out of Pinterest,” these sites are addressed as a way to “turn those ‘pins’ into sales.” A promising phrase for hungry businesses left wondering when - and if - their new 3,000 followers will ever pay off.

For the stubbornly independent it might seem silly, paying money for a site to “manage” your pins - for isn’t that what you hired an employee to do? But in reality, it might not be so silly at all — in fact, it could be the exact opposite, like turning pennies into gold.

“What’s Your Klout Score?”

Klout is quick to address a large misconception with its clients: it isn’t about how many followers someone has; it’s about how many of those followers actually care about the brand. This is why your Klout score only increases when your pins are appreciated and shared.

Curalate is very similar to Klout, only I’m digging their ability to track the actual images you pin - no matter what happens to the image, even if the description or title changes, the image is still traceable, allowing you to see exactly how many people have re-pinned your product. From this, one can gather exactly how much attention a product actually draws. Are your items unique enough to be shared, obsessed, liked, and purchased? Curalate will help you find out.

Looking for a less evasive way to improve sales? Do you use a WordPress template for your storefront page? Then I suggest giving WP Pinner a try. An app created for one of the most common (and easy to use) website platforms, WordPress, it allows pins to be instantly placed in your WordPress posts and then easily shared onto your actual Pinterest boards. This quick convenience will not only save you time, but it will make all social media sites coexist - increasing the general popularity of your brand.

Sales Still Low?

So your followers do actively repin, comment, and share your merchandise and still, you wonder why sales haven’t increased. Many others are finding their popular Pinterest accounts have surprisingly low conversion rates, lower than both Facebook and Twitter. This has caused some experts to argue that Pinterest might only be good for creating referral traffic, instead of actual sales. Leaving one burning question: can enlisting the help of a site like Klout change that?

I dig a little deeper and find that many business do see an increase in sales after enlisting the help of these services. Only, it’s not necessarily because people suddenly want the items you’ve been trying to sell. Instead of promoting your own, original products, a lot of these sites are really just helping businesses understand what consumers want. In a way what could be better? Like a team of perfectionists chiselling away at your product until it becomes what others are actually seeking. On the other hand, it could mean starting back at the boating docks — learning that perhaps your products are not popular enough to gain the momentum needed to sail.

Who Does Pinterest Work Best For?

Businesses that are not reliant on sales but instead make their money through traffic are a perfect match for Pinterest. Known exclusively for its ability to increase traffic, Pinterest has bumped some small businesses traffic up 80%.

Free Advice

Remember, you can own the busiest shop in town, but if no one buys anything, you make no money.

Take note; are people liking, re-pinning, and even ‘tweeting’ about your pins? If so, you are on your way to success. For everyone else, make sure your products are neatly listed on a well-presented storefront website. Even if you have the most intriguing pins in town, a lousy site can instantly turn potential customers away. Lastly, don’t ‘follow’ the trend of purchasing followers. Like spam mail, they are completely worthless. Earned followers are more like fans, customers who care enough about your pins to repin, showing off your merchandise to a whole new world of potential clients.