Now is the Perfect Time for that Online Store!
Many of us are currently stuck working from home due to government and other stay-at-home requirements / recommendations. . . Now is a great time to get that online store up and running.
1. Obtain a web host – SiteGround, our favorite WordPress web host is currently offering NEW customers 3 months of web hosting for .99 per month! They are still reasonable pricing upon renewal!
2. Select a WordPress theme. There are so many out there for FREE or you can pay a small one time price for some premium themes if they work best for your needs. Great, Free WordPress – WooCommerce Themes
3. Add WooCommerce WordPress Plugin for free! Decide if you want to pay for any premium features.
4. Hire a company like Collective IT Solutions, Inc. to help you out. We can work on an hourly rate just to help get you up and running or we can discuss a contract (for a lower hourly rate).
Excellent Hosting for WordPress Websites
I can speak from experience and I have worked with many of the recommended industry “top ranked” WordPress web hosts. I must admit my favorite is still SiteGround.
I have had some websites infiltrated by malicious code in the past, I have had some websites not be ‘live’ due to various reasons by the Host having issues.
Hands down, SiteGround has been the best Host for my clients. It has had the best security against website attacks. It has also had the best ‘website up’ time. It has also had the best customer service if I’ve had any questions or issues. Thank you SiteGround; you are highly recommended in my book!
WordPress Statistics 2019
When searching the internet to help explain to others why we love using WordPress to develop new business websites, CITS found this excellent article from Kinsta:
Our favorite facts to share –
WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system powering 34% of all websites on the internet. On top of that:
- WordPress has a 60.8% market share in the CMS market
- WordPress powers 14.7% of the world’s top websites
- 500+ sites are built each day using WordPress while only 60-80 per day are built on platform like Shopify and Squarespace
- The WordPress Plugin Directory features 55,000+ plugins
- WooCommerce powers 22% of the top 1 million ecommerce sites in the world
Reasons You Need a Website
I have met some potential clients that feel they don’t really need a website. Many of them are happy with just social media. I disagree. Thank you to this Professional Web Developer in Ireland for his excellent explanation.
Give this article a read and let me know – Do you think you need a website? https://www.dannylewin.com/blog/do-you-still-need-a-website/
Choosing a good WordPress Host
Collective IT Solutions has worked with numerous WordPress website Hosts, for quite a few years even. We admit, there are many good hosts out there and you may select yours for various reasons. But if you are new to WordPress, looking to save some money or just want a good WordPress Host that takes care of a lot for you; we strongly recommend www.siteground.com.
They are inexpensive and offer a lot of features for you that other hosts do not offer. They also offer good support if you need it and they can brag about a significantly high website “Up-time.”
If our clients need a new WordPress Host, we always recommend www.siteground.com. No one has been disappointed.
Small Business – Why Should I use Social Media?
Here is a good article that explains some of the benefits of utilizing Social Media to Advertise / Grow your business. It seems like an overwhelming prospect to many, but it doesn’t need to be. Free Advertising with a potential large reach to new customers – sign me up!
If you’re really overwhelmed by using Social Media, you can hire a company such as Collective IT Solutions, Inc. to assist you. You can even decide on your budget together and that is how much time will be spent. . . Try it out for 3-6 months and decide if it meets your needs. If not, spend a few hours each week yourself posting on the best Social Media Accounts for your business!
The biggest benefits of using social media for your small business
The True Cost of WordPress Maintenance
When working with WordPress Website clients, I always try to include a Maintenance package in our signed contract. Many of the clients are all for it and see how it can help. Some clients don’t see any need for it. And sometimes, clients feel they can do it themselves (which is a great option in my opinion if they are willing to take the time and gain the knowledge to do so!).
Here is a decent article by EfficientWP explaining these 3 types of support you can have on a website:
None
Hire Someone
Do it Yourself
Is your website mobile compliant?
Check out these interesting statistics showing how the internet continues to be accessed more and more on a mobile basis. In 2019, the internet will be accessed on a mobile basis over 63% of the time. Wow! Be sure your website is up to date and mobile compliant!!
https://www.statista.com/statistics/284202/mobile-phone-internet-user-penetration-worldwide/
Reality Bytes: Second Annual Generational Study Reveals How Gen Z Behaves, Buys & Builds Online
Great Article by WP Engine confirming what most of us already knew / suspected! But it’s interesting to read about:
Reality Bytes: Second Annual Generational Study Reveals How Gen Z Behaves, Buys & Builds Online
Gutenberg – WordPress 5.0
Well, it’s finally happening. WordPress 5.0 will be a very big update and it’s being released 12/6/2108. This is a great article by WordFence that explains what I’ve been trying to tell my clients for months now: WordPress 5.0: How and When to Update
- You can use a classic editor for a few years if you do not want to use the new editing features. The new editor will have a learning curve for end users, but it should offer some improvements as well as some frustrations.
- If you have older or abandoned plugins, there is a chance they will NOT work with the new WordPress 5.0 and that could have serious effects on your website. This should hopefully be solved by locating the out of date plugins and finding new ones to use instead.
- If you have an older WordPress template or a customized template that was not kept up to date, your site may no longer work correctly. It is impossible to tell how until you update to WordPress 5.0. The solution for this is to use a new template (which will be difficult if you had one customized).
Good luck WordPress Users! Feel free to contact Collective IT Solutions if you need help!