A client of mine told me about Gravity Forms and I have been using it on my site for the past year or so.  I am thrilled with the results. You can see examples of several of the forms and questionnaires that I use on my “Contact Page“.

The plugin is sooooo easy to use and you can have an unlimited number of forms on one site.  Here is a short video done by Rocketgenius (the creators of the Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress) that will give you more information on how it works.

Here is a list of some of the features that the Gravity Forms plugin offers:

Easy to Use.  Quickly build and design your WordPress forms using the form editor. Select your fields, configure your options, and easily embed forms on your WordPress powered site using the built in tools.

Multi-Page Forms.  The page break field allows you to break up your form into multiple pages and even show a progress bar that let’s your user know where they are in the process.

Form Settings.  Easily configure the title, description, settings and confirmation message using the form settings.

Limit Entries.  Running a contest and only want to accept 50 entries? Easily limit how many entries a form will accept and display a custom message when that limit is reached.

Standard Fields.  Need a text field, paragraph field, drop-downs, checkboxes and some radio buttons? We’ve got you covered. Our standard fields consist of all the major form field types.

Advanced Fields.  Sometimes standard form fields just don’t cut the mustard. That’s where the advanced fields come in…. from capturing names, addresses and phone numbers to email addresses, website URL’s and even file uploads.

Schedule Forms.  Only want a form available for a limited period of time? Set a start and end date to limit form access and display a custom message when the form has expired.

Pricing Fields.  Gravity Forms makes it’s easy to create order forms. Order forms can incorporate pricing specific fields to allow your users to make selections and generate a total based on product and option selections.

The Gravity Forms plugin is one of the best options when it comes to website forms and questionnaires for a WordPress website or blog.  I highly recommend it.  It currently costs only $39 for one website, but you can have multiple forms on that one website.  They also have a Business Plan for $99 where you can have up to 3 websites using the plugin.  I would definitely check it out.  It will definitely add value and functionality to your site.

When you think of many of the large companies out there and consider their brand – the logo is usually the first thing to come to mind. Why is that?

Simply put, logos are the focal point of any company’s image and can reveal a great deal about that company.  A quality logo design is one of the easiest ways to expand credibility for your business and communicate professionalism right from the start; which is when you need it most.

Not only can an effective logo design help sell whatever products or services your small business offers, but the beauty of a logo is something that can be a source of satisfaction for you.

As you consider your logo, please note that a logo design must effectively represent the company it serves.

Why does a Professional Logo Design Matter?

When designing a logo, a designer’s objective should be to capture the vision and mission of your business, while creating a symbol that your target audience will easily recognize. You want to make sure that the designer you choose has the necessary design skills, creativity and experience to ensure the most effective representation is created for your business.

Here are some examples of logo designs that we have done for our clients:

Here are Four Reasons why a Professional Logo Design is Essential:

1. It will reflect your business. Remember that your logo captures the heart of your business.  It will share what you stand for, your objectives, goals, and aspects of your business.  It is a great marketing tool to help your key customers distinguish your small business or products.

2. It offers consistency. Your logo is universal, meaning it will be used in all communication channels related with your business. It will be on your online site, business cards, stationery designs, receipts, invoices, and more.  This again is another way to keep your business on the mind of prospective clients and customers.

3. It creates a professional image.  No matter how small your business is you can’t afford to look cheap, unreliable, or confused. Your customers might interpret this as lack of concern or expertise in your industry.  A logo design gives you the professional appearance you desire for your small business.

4. It represents stability.  The bottom line is this: Using clipart pictures and lousy do-it-yourself logos can hurt your business more than help.  A high quality logo design shows you are sincere about your small business.  It also shows others that you are credible in your field and want them to receive the very best!

As you move forward with the idea of creating a professional brand through a custom logo design, note that it is a great means to conveying your message to potential clients. When you want to reach your market in a unique way, a one-of-a-kind professional logo is the starting to point.

We would be happy to help you with a custom logo design for your business.  Check out our extensive portfolio of custom logo designs.  Our prices are very reasonable.  Feel free to Contact Us today to discuss your next project!

I am sure you are feeling violated and wondering how in the world the hackers could get in.  I am sure you thought your site was secure and protected.

WordPress is a common hack entry since it is an open source platform and so many people use it.  It is easy for hackers to find things in common to look for like wp_ database prefixes or “admin” usernames.

I am not a hacker so I do not know HOW to hack a website but hackers are out there and they show up in various ways.

How do hackers get in?

• Through a hosting server.  (though the hosting company will never admit to that).
• Through Spyware and Malware – Hackers can infect your PC and steal your passwords.
• Through vulnerable WordPress databases, plugin files, and regular text/html files – this is usually the #1 cause and that is why it is extremely important to keep wordpress and plugins up to date.

Basically, if you have a computer connected to the outside world and someone wants to get in bad enough, they will find a way.  Not too reassuring, I know, but at least it CAN be fixed if it does happen to you.

Evidence of a WordPress site that has been hacked:

• Warning Window when trying to enter your site.  Google will often blacklist your site and they put up a warning that says “This site could be Malicious”.
• Website home page is completely modified with someone else’s “message”
• Website is being re-routed to another site (such as porn)
• Suspicious Content – You may notice content on your website that you did not put there.
• Stats Change – You may notice that that your site is showing up under keywords that have nothing to do with your site.
• SEO Change – You may notice that your search engine ranking drops significantly and rapidly.

What hackers leave behind:

Hackers often leave behind script code and links that have been embedded into pages and posts using non-visible code.  This can be called a “php injection attack”.  In other words, some evil person with too much time on their hands wrote a program to destroy your program files.  Do not take this personally.  Your website was not specifically targeted.  This can happen to ANYONE.

But cleaning up these type of attacks can be a HUGE pain in the neck, especially if your database has been compromised and you do not have a backup.  We had one site where we spent hours removing links from hundreds of wordpress posts.  It cost the client hundreds of dollars.  This can be prevented!

Solutions to being hacked:

• Clean up your data.
• Change your passwords.
• Upgrade your external programs (like WordPress, Joomla, plugins, photo galleries, etc) when upgrades are available.
• Notify your webhost and have them do a site restore from a backup done PRIOR to the hacking.  Please note that there are times when the hosting company does their backup AFTER the hacking which replaces the previous clean backup.  It is always best to have your own clean backup of both the site files and database saved on your computer.
• Run a Scan -  http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/scanner/
• Remove corrupt files
• Clean out any bad scripting code

Hackers will never stop finding ways to attack, unfortunately, but we can do a lot of things to prevent our WordPress sites from being hacked.  This is not fool proof but it is highly suggested.

Preventions from being hacked:

• Don’t use ADMIN as a user id.
• Always keep your upgrades current.
• Change passwords regularly (wordpress, hosting, and email passwords).  Use password generators to create passwords and then use different ones everywhere.
• Change the wp_ database prefix to something else.
• Restrict access to your wp-admin folder and wp-config.php file using .htaccess
• Keep a backup of your site files and your WordPress database (sql file) on someplace OTHER than your website server. (If they can hack your website, they can hack your backups too.)

I hope that this post will help you better understand how hackers can get in, the evidences that a site has been hacked, what hackers leave behind, solutions to fix a site that has been hacked and preventions that you can take to protect your site from hackers.

If your WordPress site has indeed been hacked, we are here to help you get it fixed and get your site back up and running again and help protect you from future attacks.

Please Fill out the form below and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.

What is the Difference Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is free for the basic setup which includes your own special url (ex. www.mysitename.wordpress.com) and you also get 3 GB of space for storing your content and images.   But remember, THEY store your content, so in other words – they OWN your content.

WordPress.com is great if you want to start a simple blog or practice blogging online.  It does offer several nice looking themes and will definitely get you online and indexed with search engines – just not in the same capacity as WordPress.org.

With WordPress.org, your blog or web site is hosted on your own server through a hosting company like HostGator (affiliate link). WordPress itself is blogging software that you can tweek and play with and place blogs onto your own domain names. Therefore it will cost you money to buy a domain and host it but you can then do whatever you like with it, such as upgrade it, theme it any way you like, add/subtract whatever plugins you like and add whatever content, links, or ads you decide are appropriate.

Using WordPress.com is like you are swimming in the community swimming pool – you have to follow their rules – no jumping, no diving, etc.  In contrast, a self-hosted site, like WordPress.org where you have total control, you pretty much make up your own rules of how to swim in the pool. If you want to do a cannon ball, it’s entirely up to you!  LOL

Factors to Consider When Choosing Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com:

The following are some factors you may want to consider before you decide to start your blog on a paid host with WordPress.org or the “free” option with WordPress.com.

• Monetization and Advertisements: WordPress.com does not allow you to include advertisements of any kind. This will keep you from earning an income by offering advertising on your site.  Also your ability to share affiliate links is greatly diminished.

• Customization: WordPress.com provides a limited amount of theme options.  WordPress.org has an endless amount of themes to choose from or you can hire a web designer to create a custom theme to fit your needs.

• Knowledge: WordPress.org requires a little more technical knowledge than WordPress.com, however it is still simple to use once you master the admin panel.

• Lack of Ownership: With a WordPress.com site, you do not own your content.  Your content is hosted on THEIR server.  You are also required to have “.wordpress.com” at the end of the domain. So, instead of your site being “thisismysite.com”, it would be “thisismysite.wordpress.com”.  Having a domain like this is often viewed as unprofessional.  There is an option to pay a monthly $15 fee to use your own domain, but if you are going to do that, then you might as well go with the self hosted option so you have mo0re flexibility.
  

While WordPress.com is a good option to get started, if you are serious about blogging, desire a professional looking website or both, WordPress.org is definitely a better option for you. WordPress.Org  is very flexible when compared to WordPress.com; and the option to build a site that conveys your message effectively makes the customizations well worth the effort.

Quick Comparison Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com

Pros of WordPress.com

• It’s Free!
• Large selection of free layouts
• Automatic site upgrades, backups etc
• Possible traffic from the .com network
• Limited features make it easy for technically challenged

As a graphic and web designer who specializes in WordPress site builds, I highly recommend that you go with the “self-hosted” WordPress option (WordPress.org).  If you have any additional questions about the differences or capabilities and need further advice on which platform to choose, feel free to Email Me directly.

Why your business needs a Facebook Fanpage:

1. Build your email list
2. Announce special offers, promotions, and events
3. Share important news & updates
4. Get feedback from your clients and prospects
5. Share photos & videos
6. Drive more traffic to your website
7. Improve search engine optimization

As many of you who are active on Facebook have already seen, many of the large companies have custom landing pages which have different calls to action for people to “like” their pages.  Some have special offers, discounts, or just a simple invitation to join their community.

Essential elements of a Facebook landing page:

• Custom graphics to match your brand
• Call to Action
• Contact info and/or link to your main website

But you can also include extras, such as:

• Video
• Optin Box
• Info about your products or services

I have created several custom Facebook welcome pages in the past, but since the change over to iFrames, things have gotten more complicated to setup and install.  But we can help!

Check out our fanpage welcome page.  This is what a person would see who is not yet a follower.  There is a clear call to action for people to connect by clicking the “Like” button.  We also have info about what we offer as well as an opportunity for followers to be entered to win a gift certificate towards graphic design work.

As you can see, the branding and colors match my website design.  This is important so that people will recognize you.  Yes, that is what branding is all about, but that is another blog post…  LOL

I have also included my photo in the profile picture which I think adds a personal touch which is great for small businesses.  I feel that people feel more comfortable seeing who they are doing business with.  It adds an element of trust.

Once people click on like, you should have a different page that people are taken to.

Here is my “liked” facebook welcome page:

I have included a thankyou for “liking” my page as well as an optin for people to sign up for my newsletter and be entered to win my quarterly drawing for a gift certificate for graphic design work.  I also include a list if things that my business specialized in and a “click here” option for more info which takes you to my website.

Are you interested in a A Custom Facebook Landing Page Design?

Includes:

• Custom page design for those who have NOT “Liked” your page yet which can include a call to action graphic or a video
• Custom page design for those who “Like” your page which can be a more complex design to include graphics, video, optin, background, etc.
• Fanpage Tab Setup & Design Install
• Set up your page so that it opens to your new landing page instead of the default wall page

Each project will be different according to what would be included in the designs and how much graphic work will be needed.  Prices range between $150 & $300 depending on the complexity.  Please fill out the questionnaire below so that we can give you an appropriate quote.

A Visitor Friendly About Page

Visitors who reads your “About Us” section are looking for reassurance that you are the real thing. They want the answers to questions like:

• Who are these guys?
• Can I trust them?
• Do they know their stuff?
• How can I contact them?

Your web site needs to answer these questions in a concise, credible way.  A brief story of how the company was founded and its main offerings and objectives combined with testimonials and details of any awards or recognition, contact details and a map and directions to your physical location will answer these questions.

It is important to remember in creating your “About” page that it is not just for customers.  It could also serves as a way for others to recruit you for speaking and media spots, if that is one of your goals, as well as providing information to potential investors.   This is what makes adding information like where you have spoken, what media junkets you may have done, and press releases pertinent to the success of an about page.

Be Transparent

To breathe life into your “About Us” section, invite the reader in and encourage interaction. Give a little bit of your character away. Be a bit transparent by sharing 10 fun facts about you or sharing a bit of your story with them.

Write conversationally rather than formally and include a few stories. Case studies and staff bios are great for this. Take snap shots of you and your team at work, or interview them. Decent quality footage taken on a mobile phone will liven up the pages, and give an intimate feel, rather than a staged one.

Include links to Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook Fan pages, and include links to other ways they can connect with you. Encourage your visitors to interact with you, and you will be that company gets the sale.

Your about page is about you so be sure to make it not just about your company but you as well.  Don’t be afraid to be authentic in sharing with others about the great things you do, how you do them and why. These elements are not a conclusive list. There are surely other ways to make your about page compelling.  Your about page will either attract or repel potential customers to your business, so do your best to offer them a clear message.

TimThumb is an image resizing feature used in many WordPress plugins and themes including Thesis and many others. The vulnerability that was reported allows third parties to upload and run malicious PHP files in the TimThumb directory. Once the code is uploaded and executed, the site will become  compromised.  This in turn runs you the risk of being blacklisted by Google and other search engines.  And getting the scripts removed and your site restored is not an easy task.

Here are a few steps you can follow to help protect yourself:

1.  Get rid of any old themes and plugins that you are not using.  Even if they are inactive, if they contain the timthumb.php file then you are potentially at risk.

2. Schedule regular backups of your site using a plugin like WP DB Backup. This particular plugin will back up your database at your selected time frame and send the backup to your email. You can select from once a month, once a week, daily or even hourly backups.

3. Install and activate the TimThumb Vulnerability Scanner plugin that was recently released by Peter of CodeGarage. This plugin will scan your entire wp-content directory for any outdated, insecure versions of the TimThumb script and it will provide a way to automatically upgrade them with one simple click.

These steps are vital to protecting your site from becoming victim to the new hackers that have emerged finding the holes in coding. If you have any questions or would like to have us help you in backing up, updating, and installing  plugins to keep your site safe – please Contact Us today!  We offer a couple different WordPress Maintenance packages which also includes checking for any TimThumb vulnerabilities.

As a small business owner you should always be on the lookout for ways to improve your business and move it forward to new levels.  Who doesn’t want to find new and better ways to connect with their audience?  Blogging is the way to go!  This user and search engine friendly technology makes a great addition to any marketing plan.

Why Your Business Needs a Blog…

• To Connect with Your Audience – A blog gives you a tool to connect with your audience on a more consistent and personal level.  Through your articles, you can be a resource for your audience.  You can keep people up to date on what is cutting edge and the new and improved things that your business has to offer.
•  To Drive Traffic –  Search engines love fresh content.  Through blogging you can capitalize on SEO tactics and social networking strategies. The end result is a boost in traffic and ultimately profits.
• To Increase Awareness – In addition to your current marketing strategy, blogging  include articles, advertising, direct mail, and autoresponders, a blog increases awareness of your company. This increases your opportunities both to expand your expertise, grow your customer base and also your partnership and business opportunities.

7 Great Reasons to Set Up Your Own Blog Today

Maybe you need a few more reasons why blogging works. Here are seven things to get you thinking about this great tool to connect with and grow your audience.

1. Search Engine Marketing – Blogs are one of the foremost tools you can use to draw ORGANIC search engine traffic to your blog. Organic search engine traffic comes simply through people who find your website by typing in a keyword or keyword phrase.
2. Direct Connection – Blogs allow you to connect with your audience in a manner that’s different than articles and social networking. As I shared earlier, a blog is more personal and intimate.
3. Brand Building – We buy from people we like and feel that we can relate to. Proper branding and personality marketing is easily achieved through your blog.
4. Niche Specific – Your blog allows you to fine tune your niche to a very specific market and audience. Whatever your niche may be, people looking for the quality information that you share will be appreciated and they may wind up sharing it with others through social media or other avenues.
5. Media & Public Relations – Blogs are great tools for the media to get to know you and what you offer. They will then be more likely to contact you.  Today journalists and even advertisers are looking at blogs more than ever before because bloggers stay on the pulse of what is going on right now.
6. Expert Status – A blog provides you with one more opportunity for publication and the capability to showcase your knowledge and expertise. The bottom line is that people tend to buy from people they perceive to be experts.
7. Low cost – Blogs offer a low startup cost seeing as though all you need is a domain name and hosting. With those two things you can be up and running with minimum time investment.

Blogging is a great way to build a business whether it’s a standalone blog or as a part of your business website. If you are not blogging then you need to be!  Create a plan, write your content and start connecting with your market in a new way.

Tips for Finding A Good WordPress Hosting Company

• Step One: Research the possibilities. Look for dependable hosts based on ease of use, reliability, longevity and most of all customer service. You want a website host that will be with you for the long haul so you don’t have to ever switch hosts.

• Step Two: The elimination process.  There are few that don’t support WordPress, so you really need to find out ahead of time if they offer support for WordPress sites.  Some may claim that they do, but then when you run into a problem in the future, you will find out the hard way that they actually cannot help.  So do your research first and ask others who have WordPress sites.  If you can take a trial or explore their administrative panel before signing up, do so because you want to make sure it is something you can work with or learn easily.  Make sure it’s easy for you to use and understand or that they offer tutorials to help you get started. If not, eliminate them. There are too many other user friendly hosts out there than to bother with one that has a steep learning curve.

• Step Three: Compare and Choose. Assuming you now have a short lists of possibilities, compare costs. Which one is the most budget friendly? Some people also recommend testing the customer service at this point. Ask a question and see how they respond. Are they prompt? Courteous? Was the customer service process easy to use and understand?

Here is a breakdown of a few popular hosting companies for WordPress:

• HostGator: Hostgator hosting service is my FIRST suggestion.  They are reliable, reasonably priced, environmentally friendly, and best of all, their customer  service is excellent! With prices starting at $4.95 per month,  it is worth noting that all web hosting plans with a 45 day money back guarantee and 99.9% uptime guarantee. Each package comes with unlimited disk space and bandwidth as well.  This one is my personal fave.  If you click the ad on the bottom of my right sidebar and sign up, I get some nice affiliate love!

• BlueHost: Starting at $6.95 with unlimited storage and bandwidth, BlueHost provides a wide variety of services suitable for the needs of individuals and small to medium sized business owners. For anyone looking for the best hosting plan at a very affordable price, they offer a great solution. With a quality customer service department, free demos, and a host of awards for customer service and support, this is definitely one company you should consider for all your web hosting needs. This great company was also voted Best Web Hosting for 2011.

• HostMonster: Like Bluehost and HostGator, HostMonster offers unlimited domains, space and bandwidth with a starting price of $7.95. After a visit to the HostMoster’s professional looking website, you will quickly discover why they are among the best. Now in their 11th year of business, HostMonster provides hosting packages for businesses and individuals that want high-powered, but affordable web hosting services.

Finally, before making your final choice, give anyone your credit card info, or buy a hosting package, you want to be sure to read the terms of service. Once you’ve made your decision, you’re then ready to direct your domain, set up your WordPress site, create a custom design, add content, and start blogging.  And if you are still not sure or need help getting started, we can help you every step of the way!

Are you an entrepreneur who is trying to obtain a web presence as a way to promote your company or business? Then, you are probably at some time or another going to, or maybe you have already ventured into the world of blogging. Blogging though it began as sort of a hobby for many, has turned into a profitable business for others, and also a way to aid you in connecting with your target audience and drawing them into your websites through a new format, the blog.

Utilizing a blog as a part of your company’s website is crucial. Here’s why:

Blogging helps to provide keyword rich content to your company’s blog and website. There are many benefits to having a company blog, these include:

• Branding – Having a blog gives you a place online to help establish your brand. It can help you to build a reputation with your readers that will give you a positive image and help lead your readers to become your customers.

• Fresh Content – Fresh, original content on your blog helps the search engines find you. The more often you can provide fresh content the better off you are.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Search Engine Rankings are where it’s at these days and you can receive higher rankings for your website by using a blog and its content to drive those rankings. We optimize your blog posts with key words that help drive traffic to your site, increasing your search engine rankings.

• More Traffic – Above all the blog helps with your traffic as previously mentioned and whether you want higher search engine rankings or just more customers, traffic is the way to receive both. And a blog with fresh content is how to get that traffic.

These amazing benefits should be enough to convince you that adding a blog or at the least maintaining your current blog is time well spent for your business. When it comes to blogging consistency is key to reaping the benefits that can come from its presence on your site. Make time in your schedule now to begin or continue blogging. You are certain to see results.

Alyssa Avant is a published author, professional speaker, Christian Business Mentor and tech magician. Alyssa has been working virtually since 2007. She has years of experience working with online professionals and business owners. Her book FaithLeaps: The Christian Moms Guide to Passion, Purpose, and Profits will release this fall. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others so they can avoid the years of trial and error that she experienced as a new online business owner.

Do you want to learn more about how to have your website be a website that lives up to the phrase, “If you build it they WILL come.” Join me for Alyssa’s upcoming FREE webinar – “If You Build it They WILL Come 60 Minute Tech Webinar”. Click here to sign up!

Great info, right?  Thanks so much Alyssa!  And this is just another reason why I LOVE WordPress because you can have both a website AND blog in ONE!  Be sure to read my article on Why Choose WordPress!