by kitzmillermedia | Nov 4, 2019 | Business, Shop, Social Media, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]We’re sharing this article for shop owners and designers who are using the Facebook for WooCommerce WordPress plugin and ran into some issues with the Check Out on Website button. By default, the button takes customers to the cart page. Not a bad solution considering how easy it is to connect WordPress to Facebook, but for us, the link skipped important configuration options each of the products require before checkout.
Kitzmiller Media recently designed and launched a wonderful new WooCommerce WordPress website for Dave Samuel with Samuel Pen Co. Dave sells gorgrous hand-turned custom pens. We were able to incorporate product addons that allowed visitors to select unique pen configurations including pen materials, pen tips, engraving, packaging options and more.
One goal of the online shop was to integrate the website catalog of products with Facebook and Instagram. Fortunately there is a plugin from Facebook that makes it reletively easy. While it doesn’t allow for much customization, it was able to integrate our entire product catalog into the Facebook shop page.
Unfortunately, the checkout button took customers to the cart. As we mentioned earlier, these products required customization before getting to the cart.
It wasn’t immediately obvious where we could adjust this link. The solution turned out to be incredibly easy and prevented us from rethinking our Facebook and Instagram marketing stategy.
To change the Facebook for WooCommerce check out button destination from the Cart to the Product Page follow these instructions.
- log into your Facebook Page as an admin
- Click settings
- Scroll down and click Shop
- Turn off Use Checkout URLS
That’s it. The button will now take customers directly to the WooCommerce Product Detail page on your website. Screenshots are below to help you find the correct setting. Let us know if it worked out for you!
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by kitzmillermedia | Aug 5, 2019 | Business, Services, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]A while back I reached out to my contacts with an offer to improve or add a privacy policy to their WordPress website following the big GDPR update in late 2018. Many of them did just that. However, the static policy we implemented may not be enough to protect their interests any longer.
You have three options to protect your business with a Privacy Policy:
- Head on over to Termageddon and sign up for their Privacy Policy generator. Fill out the online forms and place the code snippet on a new page on your website.
- Purchase one through Kitzmiller Media and we’ll handle everything.
- Contact your attorney and ask them to write one up for you. I will place it on your site for free.
New laws on the horizon
As you may or may not be aware, many states are implementing laws to protect the privacy of its citizens. Some of these laws will even allow citizens to sue businesses anywhere in the US just for not having a compliant Privacy Policy.
Over the next six months, two privacy laws will go into effect (Nevada on 10/01 and California on 01/01). In addition, there are about a dozen other states that want to pass similar laws in the near future, which will require you to not only have a Privacy Policy but continually update it as well.
To be proactive about this issue, Kitzmiller Media has partnered up with a Privacy Policy service called Termageddon. After we implement the proper code, they will automatically update your WordPress website’s policies when the laws change, and they do it at a fraction of the cost of an attorney.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/pk1aIrArbyw” align=”center”][vc_column_text]You can click the following links to take a look at our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions page. These are automatically updated by attorneys as the laws change.
Please let me know if you would like to have us set you up with Termageddon’s auto-updating policies, plan to use an attorney, or are choosing to go with what you already have.
As your web consultant, It’s important for me to at least let you know about the changes I’m seeing online. As always, I’m here if you have any questions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”rgba(8,174,234,0.2)” color_overlay_2=”rgba(8,174,234,0.52)” gradient_direction=”left_t_to_right_b” overlay_strength=”0.8″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]
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by kitzmillermedia | Feb 9, 2018 | Services, Websites, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]WordPress now powers nearly 28% of the internet. That’s a big number. While WordPress is free and open source right out of the box, it is capable of supporting both small and massive websites. Like all software, WordPress requires at least nine essential features to keep run optimally over time.
- Daily backups
- Uptime monitoring
- WordPress core updates
- Theme updates
- Plugin updates
- Disaster recovery
- Security scans
- Content changes
- Support
Let’s dive into each service and how it benefits your WordPress website.
Daily backups
Backups are critical for operating on the internet today. It’s a big place with lots of nasty ways your website can be compromised. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, and you don’t have a recent backup – ouch! Not to mention the embarrassment of receiving an email from a customer letting you know your website is down before you even know.
Every single day we backup all the files associated with your WordPress website including the database that stores all the data.
Uptime monitoring
The WP Care Plan provides 24/7 uptime monitoring. If your WordPress website goes down or offline for any reason, we’ll investigate promptly and help resolve the issue. You won’t have to worry about losing leads or revenue due to lengthy outages.
WordPress core updates
The WordPress framework is a lot like other software you use every day. Updates are released periodically and provide benefits such as increased security, improvements or new features. If you skip an update, your site could become prone to malware attacks and other security risks.
Theme updates
WordPress themes are used to give your website some style and character. It often comes bundled with features that provide WordPress additional functionality. When WordPress releases an update, theme developers typically release a newer version of their theme. This update is essential to implement correctly to avoid any conflict with WordPress
Plugin updates
Plugins are small applications that can add or change how a WordPress website functions or performs. Plugins require just as much attention as themes. When a new plugin version is released, it’s essential to back up the site in case the new plugin conflicts with WordPress or the Theme. We handle all plugin updates for you and perform a comprehensive backup before updating any software.
Disaster recovery
It can happen and has happened to a number of our clients. When this occurs, we put everything else on hold and resolve the problem. Our clients are covered regardless of how extensive the damage is. Fortunately, with the WP Care Plan, you won’t have to worry about any of this.
Security scans
Security is becoming increasingly crucial as WordPress gains popularity. We have an application that scans the site daily for any malware or potential threats. If malware is detected, we act quickly to remove and patch any problem areas.
Content changes
Our clients love this feature. Instead of logging in yourself and sorting through menus, design options, and content boxes, all you have to do is send us the desired update. Most updates can be performed within 24 hours and often include posting a new blog, adding or removing a team member or updating page text and images.
Support
One of the perks of our WordPress care plan is that you always know who to call if have questions or concerns about your site. Calling or chatting online with your hosting company can be time-consuming and quite frustrating if you don’t speak their language. All you have to do is call or email Kitzmiller Media, and we’ll take care of it for you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”rgba(30,115,190,0.11)” color_overlay_2=”rgba(238,238,34,0.11)” gradient_direction=”left_t_to_right_b” overlay_strength=”0.8″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
[icon color=”Accent-Color” animation_speed=”Slow” size=”small” icon_size=”” animation_delay=”” image=”icon-check”] Stop Worrying About Your WordPress Website
Your website is crucial to your business. It generates leads, customers and revenue (or at least it should). It’s a channel through which customers, prospects, suppliers, potential new staff and partners will find and engage you… and judge you for that matter.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by kitzmillermedia | Jan 25, 2018 | Websites, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]As you may recall in recent announcements, I mentioned the importance of installing SSL Certificates on your website. New requirements in 2018 essentially require all websites to have an SSL Certificate. If you would like to review what it is and what it does, please refer to this article here.
How do I know if my site needs an SSL Certificate?
Here’s how to determine if you need the certificate.
- Head over to your website and look at the address bar
- Do you see an “s” in the website address? Here’s an example: http://kitzmillermedia.com
- If you only see http://, you will need an SSL Certificate
How important is this?
Pretty important. This change mainly informs website visitors via a pop-up or an icon in the address bar that you do not have a certificate installed. For visitors, it’s an indicator that your website isn’t secure. If you have any form or log in on your site, you need the certificate. If you do e-commerce, you most certainly need it. Long story short, all websites will need this in 2018.
Another determining factor is that Google will start penalizing websites that do not have SSL Certificates, which means you may lose ranking in search results.
My site needs the certificate, what now?
Contact me as soon as possible. Many of my clients are already getting messages about not having the certificate installed, so it’s important to act quickly.
How much does it cost?
Not much. It depends on how your hosting account is set up. The only way to know for sure is to contact your hosting provider, which I will do on your behalf and let you know what the damage is.
As a WP Care Plan member am I covered?
While the WP Care Plan does cover many important website security features such as daily backups, software maintenance, hack prevention and disaster recovery, it does not include SSL Certificates. This is primarily due to the involvement of third-party certificate providers, and certificate costs vary from account to account.
Email or call if you would like to get this taken care of in the coming weeks. I’d be happy to take any questions as well.
Even if I didn’t build your website, I could still coach you through installing an SSL Certificate on your site. Just let me know.
Until next time![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by kitzmillermedia | Sep 1, 2017 | Websites, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]The most remarkable thing about WordPress is its flexibility. There are actually a lot of remarkable things about WordPress, but its ability to adapt, change and scale are certainly in the top 5.
We all know internet trends seem to change daily. In the design world change is constant and if you don’t keep up, your business can suffer from brand fatigue and fail to capture new, more tech savy audiences.
Change the theme
WordPress uses what are called “themes” as starting points for design and functionality. It’s basically a template or skin that is installed over the WordPress framework and offers tremendous customization from the admin area. There are a countless number of themes on the market today. When you sit down with a designer and pick a theme you are choosing a general look and feel based on what the theme’s demo is presenting. The selection process must also align with the goals of the business. It’s important to understand WordPress themes go way beyond what is presented in the demo. It’s merely a suggestion of what could be.
WordPress is designed to use themes interchangeably. If you don’t like the look or features of your current theme, you can install and activate a new theme without losing all your existing content. In most cases, some adjustments are needed for the theme to be properly integrated, but overall, it’s a straight forward process.
Extend functionality with plugins
Plugins are small applications that can add or change how the WordPress website functions or performs out of the box. In other words, if your online business objectives change, you may need to add new features to your website to achieve those goals. WordPress plugins are used to add new features and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Let’s say your business decides to try online lead generation. Naturally, you will need opt-in forms and other lead capture elements on your website to start capturing leads. If your theme doesn’t come pre-packaged with a lead capture tools, you can reach into your tool box and install a plugin that does this for you. There are thousands of plugins available to extend the features of your WordPress website.
Change the layout
The layout is how the content is organized on a page. WordPress uses columns and rows as the basis of all layout options. From there, you have limitless configuration options. Depending on your theme options these layouts can be reconfigured as easily as dragging content boxes around in the editor. I’m greatly oversimplifying the process, but with careful planning and know-how, changes can be made rather quickly.
Below is an example of what can be accomplished on a single page. Keep in mind most of the content such as text and images need to be supplied by you or your designer, but you get the idea.
Make global changes to color and style
I’ve worked with several businesses who have undergone brand changes. Since a website is the most visible, always-on component of a business’s brand, updates need to happen quickly when this sort of thing happens.
Most themes, combined with the power of WordPress, allow designers to make instant global style and color changes, including the logo. This feature gives you the flexibility to change the font, color palette, background colors and images and a host of other important brand elements on a website.
Sky’s the limit
WordPress powers over 26% of the websites on the internet today. That’s a lot of websites. Created by Matt Mullenweg in 2003, and to this day, remains an open source website technology. Millions of business take advantage of the WordPress platform and rest easy knowing their website can scale and adapt as the internet changes. WordPress is just about the only thing in your office that’s future proof.
Unlike most other technology, your business invests in, a well planned and well executed WordPress website will continue to return on the investment. With a little maintenance and occasional strategy sessions, you never have to worry about your website becoming obsolete.
I wish the same could be said about that expensive printer in the mail room. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to drop a comment if you have any questions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”rgba(30,115,190,0.11)” color_overlay_2=”rgba(238,238,34,0.11)” gradient_direction=”left_t_to_right_b” overlay_strength=”0.8″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
[icon color=”Accent-Color” animation_speed=”Slow” size=”small” icon_size=”” animation_delay=”” image=”icon-check”] Stop Worrying About Your WordPress Website
Your website is crucial to your business. It generates leads, customers and revenue (or at least it should). It’s a channel through which customers, prospects, suppliers, potential new staff and partners will find and engage you… and judge you for that matter.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by kitzmillermedia | Jan 3, 2017 | Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Websites, WordPress
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Investing in a brand new website and not getting any website traffic can be a bit of a letdown. You might not feel like your expectations were met, especially if you didn’t have the “expectations” talk with your web designer in the first place.
Launching a new website is pretty exciting, but when you eventually see that traffic is only trickling in, you might begin to rethink your investment in the first place.
The truth is, many new websites have the same problem, especially if there isn’t a plan to build traffic and awareness after launch. Here are some common reasons why your website isn’t getting any traffic.
You didn’t send out an official announcement
Shortly after launch (within a few weeks) you will want to notify your audience. Use your email contact list or even a postcard to let them know you have a shiny new website. Invite them to look around and provide some feedback. Be transparent about the process and expect some typos or suggestions to come in. The important part is that your network knows about the change.
You’re not adding fresh content
Adding new content to your website can dramatically improve website traffic. It needs to be the cornerstone of any business’s online marketing plan. Not only does it improve search engine results, it can be easily distributed through your various marketing channels such as social media, pay per click and email marketing.
New content is a great way to bring your network back to the website. Share valuable insight, trends, tips and important announcements on your blog. Update your audience every time you create a new blog post. Don’t be afraid to plug your site as often as possible… but be careful not to overdo it either.
You’re not inviting them back with email
If you have a contact list of over 40 or 50 people (and it’s growing), consider using a professional email marketing application to increase website traffic. It’s more affordable than you think and it will let you design amazing, mobile-friendly email campaigns. Once you create the template, you can just reuse that design over and over again. Email marketing can attract people back to your site in style. From welcome emails to autoresponders to drip marketing campaigns, email can do a whole lot more than send pretty HTML emails.
You’re not using social media
Many of our clients either don’t get it or just don’t have social media in the mix. I suppose there is a certain stigma that comes with social media, but considering your competitors are using, you should rethink social.
You can design and cultivate a professional social media profile. You don’t have to share cat videos or goofy birthday parties. Remember the blog I mentioned above? Social media is a great place to share those new posts. Once a month is fine, just be sure to spend a few hours every month using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for instance. Follow influential profiles, connect with prospects and align yourself with trending topics.
You didn’t have the SEO talk
SEO is a broad topic. We could spend hours on the intricacies of proper SEO, but if you’re just getting started, you need to make sure you are blogging regularly. Blog on topics your audiences care about. Use industry language and keywords that you think they are searching for. Solve problems with your blog and provide advice, news, and strategies. Your web designer hopefully spent some time with you on basic SEO. Each page needs to be optimized to focus on a specific keyword or keyphrase, and that includes every blog post you add. SEO can always be improved, so focus on creating new content first and then schedule some time to discuss proper SEO.
Your site is slow or loads poorly on mobile devices
Assuming you start implementing all of the strategies I mentioned above, it’s quite pointless if your site doesn’t load quickly. Google is now penalizing websites that are not designed properly and that includes websites that aren’t mobile-friendly. It makes sense since no one has the patience to wait for a website to load and mobile usage has now outpaced desktop usage. Mobile optimization is more important than ever.
You can test your website for speed and mobile readiness with these free Google tools. Did they pass? If not, let us know.
Take the speed test.
Take the mobile-ready test.
We’ve covered a lot of topics and it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Fortunately, you may have noticed a common thread among many of the strategies listed above. The blog. It’s a scary word, but you need to make a commitment to creating fresh and relevant content. Do it monthly if you can and share it with your audiences via email and social media. Focus on growing your sphere of influence and keep them informed and educated. You can’t go wrong with blogging and it will certainly help increase website traffic.
If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. There are a lot of ways to get in touch, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for reading![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”rgba(30,115,190,0.11)” color_overlay_2=”rgba(238,238,34,0.11)” gradient_direction=”left_t_to_right_b” overlay_strength=”0.8″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
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