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Check Your Links
A couple weeks ago, I launched a site facelift for a client. After I coded the site, another member of the team imported blog posts + added team member bios. One of those blog posts had a broken link that wasn’t discovered until launch day. It had been broken on their old design for at least 2 years (if not longer) but was caught + resolved on launch day thanks to the free tool I’m going to share with you. For many of us, keeping users engaged is the first
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A Business That Empowers
If tiny blue orange was a human, it could drive. That’s right, 16 years of owning this business + 12 years of being my own boss while building the career + life I’ve wanted since I was young. Working for myself in a creative field was always the plan. I grew up watching my dad as a self-employed architect + absolutely loving what he did. The way he approached his career appealed to little Alison + I made it my goal to follow in his footsteps, in some ways at
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Add search to your WordPress website
Have you ever stumbled upon a new business or site that seems like it might change your life? When I was training for a marathon last year, I found Jane on Instagram + quickly worked my way through the mountain of blog posts she had available to endurance runners like me. Some of our site traffic has been with us from the start. But more often than not, they are newer + don’t know all of the content you have available. Which is why having a search option + clear
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How to fix a broken WordPress plugin
Keep this post open when you’re running updates because that’s the most common time for WordPress plugins to break. Whether it’s a slow server or tackling too many plugin updates at the same time, sometimes the update process times out (stalls) + files don’t fully load. When that happens, plugins don’t work as expected. That’s when you need to fix your broken WordPress plugin to get your site functional. Step 1, disable the broken plugin First, if you can see the plugin in your Installed Plugins list, you’re simply going
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The hidden cost of WordPress plugins
What so many bloggers + website owners don’t realize is that their plugins might be costing them customers. That information can be more valuable than the up front cost of the WordPress plugins you choose to use. What’s the harm with adding plugins? I’m not even talking about the heated debates that most website owners get into on social groups… What I am talking about is the countless plugins that make your site slower than molasses in January. If you didn’t know, that’s really slow. And when your site is
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Check that you have these 404 page essentials
It doesn’t matter whether you have a funny, simple, or extensive error page on your site. Ditching these 404 page essentials could leave your site visitors so frustrated that they leave your site behind. That’s because a 404 page isn’t something you want visitors to land on. Usually they find it due to a dead end. That could be through a mistyped URL on your own content, a page you deleted on accident, or a link on social media that shouldn’t be out there. When users land on your error
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What to do with spam WordPress users
An unfamiliar Administrator in your WordPress dashboard is never something to shrug off. Before you click “Remove,” here’s the safer way to protect your site + determine whether that account is a threat or harmless.
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Signs it’s time to upgrade WordPress hosting
There are plenty of reasons why it might be time for you to switch WordPress hosting companies, but what about upgrading? Sometimes these might be the same thing — you could upgrade WordPress hosting as you move to a new host. But there are times where WordPress users simply need more as their site grows. Since upgrading almost always means an increase in cost, it’s important to know the why before you invest. Time to upgrade WordPress hosting Each hosting company can have different plans + services, but the concept
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Is the WordPress Gutenberg builder right for you?
WordPress released Gutenberg in 2020… So by now a lot of site owners + bloggers are wondering if the WordPress Gutenberg builder is right for them. While there’s no one perfect website solution for everyone using WP, there are some questions you can ask yourself before you dive into planning your next site design or revamp project. How to know if Gutenberg will work for you The reality is that Gutenberg will work for pretty much any site. Just like WordPress as a tool will work for most businesses. Which
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Signs of a good WordPress theme: error or 404 page
With hundreds + thousands of WordPress themes in existence, everyone has an opinion on which is the best. I think it’s tough to label a clear winner, but there are specific features + functions that a good WordPress theme will have. And one of those often overlooked details is a custom WordPress 404 page. What is a 404 page? We all try our best to make sure our sites are user friendly** + free of broken links. But shit happens + when a link doesn’t work because the page has
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Should you switch WordPress hosting companies?
A client reached out to tiny blue orange for some help with the layout of their site. After talking, we quickly realized there was a much bigger issue to solve first — their hosting drama. It was clearly time for them to switch WordPress hosting companies + you might be wondering if it’s time for you to do the same. Negatively impacting your site health The biggest red flag that your hosting company is holding you back can be seen right in your WordPress dashboard. Head to Tools > Site
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WordPress privacy policy resources
While I’m not a lawyer + this is not legal advice, it is important to have some legal content on your WordPress website. Since I’m guessing you’re not a lawyer either, you might be wondering what resources exist for helping you to draft your WordPress privacy policy. Thankfully there are plenty + they range in price starting at free to a monthly fee. WordPress Privacy Policy There are a few types of legal pages that site owners can consider. The privacy policy is what I label as essential. From there,
