Google Now Gives Preference to Mobile-Friendly Sites

Maybe you’ve seen it on the news; maybe you’ve received an email from Google; or maybe this is the first you’ve heard of it! As of April 21, 2015, Google is now giving search rank preference ON SMARTPHONES to sites it considers “mobile-friendly.” What does this mean? It means that if you are searching on a… Read more »

Update your Plugins – VERY IMPORTANT!

There have been some recent and VERY IMPORTANT security updates to some popular Wordpress plugins – including: Jetpack WordPress SEO Google Analytics by Yoast All In one SEO Gravity Forms Multiple Plugins from Easy Digital Downloads UpdraftPlus WP-E-Commerce WPTouch Download Monitor Related Posts for WordPress My Calendar P3 Profiler Give Multiple iThemes products including Builder and Exchange Broken-Link-Checker… Read more »

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

When I tell prospective clients that I build all sites with WordPress, a fair number of them go to WordPress.com to research, which is smart! Research is good. Except . . . WordPress.com is not what I use. There are two different flavors of WordPress — they are both similar, created by the same people, and the… Read more »

Why I LOVE WP Engine

First, a little disclaimer, to keep my conscience clear. There are some links to WP Engine below, and they are affiliate links – meaning if you click on one and you end up buying hosting, I get a little bit of cash for referring you. But please don’t let that deter you – if you… Read more »

Common WordPress Issues

WordPress is the best – really. It is amazingly flexible, expandable, SEO-friendly, and easy to use. That’s why I use it on almost every single site I build. But any web platform has its quirks, and WordPress is no exception. Plus — stuff happens. If you all of a sudden find that some aspect of your… Read more »

The Authors of 2014: Part Three

The final four of 2014! If you missed them, here are Parts One and Two. Nikki Loftin Nikki Loftin is a Texas-based author of three novels: The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, where the students begin to wonder just what exactly they are being fattened up for; Nightingale’s Nest, the story of a boy who… Read more »

The Authors of 2014: Part Two

Day two of the the Websy author sites of 2014 . . . let’s roll! Laurie Saurborn Young Laurie Saurborn Young is a writer, poet, photographer, and teacher in Austin, Texas. She does it all! This site is a hub for all her work, and she needed something clean and elegant to serve as the canvas. I… Read more »

The Authors of 2014: Part One

I am not shy about admitting that I LOVE to create author sites. A) I love to read, and am amazed by the ability to weave words, whether for a toddler, a teen, or an old coot like me, and B) it is so much fun to create a design that captures an author’s personality… Read more »

4 months of WordPress Hosting for FREE

I am going to post something longer later this month, but the short version is, I am having a love affair with WPEngine WordPress hosting. I recently changed cloud hosting companies and moved my site and several of my clients sites to WPEngine, and I have been so so so happy. Sites load quickly, tech… Read more »

Ask Websy: Force Facebook to see changes to my website!

Dear Websy, I posted a link to my site on Facebook, and saw a typo in the description! I went back and fixed the typo on my web page, but Facebook can’t seem to get over it – it keeps showing the typo! What do I do? This is indeed really annoying, and happens to everyone eventually…. Read more »

2013 Websy Daisy Wrap Up!

I clearly don’t blog often . . . but I wanted to take a break and a breath and look back over 2013 before I get geared up to start the new year! First, I have created more than 50 new websites this year! In 2013, I have had the honor of creating sites for artists,… Read more »

Ask Websy : Check email with Gmail

Note: Updated 2019 Dear Websy, I have a nice email address through my hosting provider, but I hate their webmail. Can I check my email in Gmail? Yes! In order to do this, you will need to know your email username (it is almost always the full email address itself), password, and the POP server…. Read more »