Cortex Marketing

In a continuation from WordPress Mistakes And How to Fix Them — Part 1, where I talked about the things that are the most common WordPress Mistakes, here is part 2 that covers the more advanced issues and fixes. I highly recommend that you hire a competent WordPress developer to address these issues and common WordPress mistakes.

Not resizing images for web upload

The issue: Images are often the culprit to a slow site and you should seriously consider preparing your images for upload by reducing their size. This can be done either by using an editor like Photoshop, or a plugin to resize images so they’re not taking up a huge chunk of space and causing your site to run super slow.

The fix: If you’re working in Photoshop, go to Image -> Image Size. Make sure the resolution is set to 72. You’ll then want to reduce the width of the image if applicable. 2,500 pixels on the wide side is ideal for displaying images as large on the screen—you can decrease this size to around 600 to 1,000 pixels on the wide side for regular site display.

This will reduce the file size drastically, resulting in less bandwidth required to upload images whenever someone visits your client’s site. Always set the resolution to 72 pixels/inch for web upload. If “Resample” is checked, the image’s dimensions will automatically be reduced when you adjust the resolution. Another fix is to use a WordPress plugin that optimizes images for you, like WP Smush.

Adding customizations to a parent theme

The issue: If you’re looking to customize a theme, doing so could result in a whole lot of headache if you modify the theme directly. Changing a theme’s code can create unwanted changes and potentially cause downtime for your site.

The fix: The safest way to edit a theme is with a child theme, which takes the functionality of the parent theme. A child theme allows you to make changes without ruining your original theme’s code, ensuring your modifications aren’t lost. See here for a useful tutorial on creating a child theme.

Failure to use a staging environment

The issue: Say you want to test a theme, plugin, or custom code on your site? It would be unwise to make these changes directly to the live site—you won’t be too happy if your website crashes because you’re tweaking things on the back end.

The fix: Before deploying changes to a live site, the best practice is to use a staging environment to test any changes before going public. Quality hosting providers like WP Engine offer free staging environments. Every site hosted on WP Engine has three different environments: development, staging, and production, providing customers with the needed flexibility to build and test new projects. There are also a number of plugins that enable testing environments, or you can set one up yourself from scratch.

Using the default admin username

The issue: This is a BIG no-no since about 2015, so you’ve had 5 years to correct your bad habits. By default, after WordPress is installed the username is “admin,” which is troublesome in terms of security. Hackers can easily guess that name and take control of your website.

The fix: During installation, you’ll be given the opportunity to change the admin name to something unique. If you’re already past the point of installation and need to change your default username, see here for some tips on removing the admin account in WordPress.

Using a weak password is one of the biggest WordPress mistakes

The issue: People usually create a weak password because they don’t want to forget it. However, a good password should be random and complex, not predictable or simple. Remember, the easier your password is for you to remember, the easier it will be for hackers to perform brute-force attacks and guess your password.

The fix: A strong password should include a minimum of eight characters, an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, and a special character. Try using a strong password generator if you need help coming up with a hack-proof password. To protect your passwords even further, try enabling two-factor authentication.

To keep track of all passwords, I use Dashlane Online Wallet – Check it out here!

Failing to be selective about who gets admin privileges

The issue: Giving admin rights to just anybody is like giving a kid the keys to your car. It’s extremely important that you don’t give admin rights to the wrong person. You should only give admin rights to site owners and developers who work with the back end of the website.

The fix: To change user roles and permissions, you can use a plugin like a User Role Editor or see here for additional information: User Roles on WordPress.

Accidently blocking search engines

The issue: Certain WordPress settings can impair your site’s ability to be found by search engines. If you’re ready for your site to be found by a larger audience, you’ll want to ensure that a certain box isn’t checked within your Settings to make it SEO-friendly.

The fix: To find out if you’ve made this mistake, look in your WordPress dashboard and go to Settings -> Reading. Make sure the box next to “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is not checked. When this selection is checked, it suppresses the site’s page-rank, telling search engines not to inspect the site’s content. (You’ll want it checked if your site is still under development).

Using poor/cheap web hosting

The issue: You might want to keep costs low, but choosing a generic
web host to power WordPress site is like buying cheap fuel
for a Ferrari. Your WordPress site represents your business,
your brand, your portfolio, and so on. Poor performance and
downtime reflect poorly on you and your brand and could end
up costing you more money in the long run.

The fix: Find a hosting provider that specializes in building digital
experiences on WordPress. Make sure your provider offers
services for caching, uptime, security, amazing customer
support, and expertise when it comes to building future-proof
WordPress sites. Thousands of brands and agencies rely on
WP Engine’s Digital Experience Platform for WordPress to power
amazing websites for them and their clients. WP Engine also
offers the largest Agency Partner Progam for WordPress, which
means agencies can leverage amazing tools and partnerships to
grow their customer base and delight current clients.

The bottom line to all this is that outside of a custom-coded website, a  WordPress website is an incredible and powerful extensible framework that allows businesses of all sizes to build and manage a website that can serve all their needs. However, if as a business owner you plan on doing this yourself, unless you are a WordPress website developer,  like any business-level solution, you should hire a professional to ensure you are not making the most common WordPress mistakes.

So, if you have a website that is built, or you need full website development Let’s have a no-obligation/no-cost phone chat about your ideas.

Seeing and understanding your Email Marketing Results should not have to be difficult. As an example: “My open rate is too low” is a common misconception. Take a look at the open rate for your industry below. If your open rate is close, you’re doing great!

Did You Know?

The email marketing results “total open rate” is calculated based on unique opens by contact. The “mobile and tablet open rate” and the “desktop open rate” present a breakdown of the total open rate, showing the percentage of opens that were on a mobile or tablet device versus on a desktop.

What the Numbers Mean

The open, click-through, bounce, and unsubscribe rates for your campaign give a well-rounded picture of how your emails are being received. They also give you a place to start when you’re looking to improve! Learn more about Constant Contact reports

• Open Rate – Measures the percentage of emails opened compared to sent.
  Bounce Rate – Measures the number of emails sent compared to the number of emails delivered.
• Click-Through Rate – Compares the number of people who clicked on a link within an email against the unique number of opens.
• Unsubscribe Rate –​ Measures the number of people who elected to no longer receive future emails compared to the number of people who received your campaign.

PRO TIP: Sending short emails with a clear call-to-action to a segmented list helps increase your rates while keeping unsubscribes down.

As of September 2019:

The numbers below are gathered and compiled by Constant Contact, the world’s #1 Email Marketing Service. The data is from over 200 million emails sent by Constant Contact customers who have recorded their business type. The result results below should give you a sense of how your results compare with others in your industry so that you can meet and exceed your business goals.

Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
All Industries – Overall Average	14.79%	42.83%	57.17%	6.99%	9.00%	0.01%
Accommodations (e.g., hotel, inn, B&B, campgrounds)	12.80%	51.94%	48.06%	7.57%	6.09%	0.01%
Accountant	10.64%	38.22%	38.22%	5.33%	6.25%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Animal Services	17.00%	63.98%	36.02%	7.76%	7.43%	0.02%
Art, Culture, Entertainment (e.g., galleries, museums, musicians, theatre, film, crafts)	16.41%	48.21%	51.79%	6.45%	8.49%	0.01%
Automotive Services	11.59%	48.66%	51.34%	9.58%	7.61%	0.02%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Child Care Services	18.98%	44.10%	55.90%	6.09%	6.56%	0.01%
Civic/Social Membership (e.g., associations, chambers, clubs)	20.90%	37.27%	62.73%	6.69%	9.45%	0.01%
Consultant, Training (e.g., marketing, management)	11.56%	34.67%	65.33%	5.40%	8.85%	0.00%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Education – Primary/Secondary (e.g., elementary, middle, and high schools)	24.72%	40.03%	59.97%	9.32%	7.48%	0.01%
Education – Higher Education (e.g., colleges, universities, trade schools)	16.99%	38.92%	61.08%	7.66%	8.86%	0.01%
Financial Advisor	12.73%	38.68%	61.32%	6.45%	9.05%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Fitness Center, Sports, Recreation (e.g., yoga studio, bowling alley, gym)	14.83%	50.46%	49.54%	6.25%	9.59%	0.01%
Fitness/Nutritional Services (e.g., personal trainer, wellness coach)	11.88%	44.01%	55.99%	6.58%	4.27%	0.01%
Government Agency or Services	21.64%	37.02%	62.98%	8.37%	9.75%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Health & Social Services (e.g., hospital, elder care, adoption services)	18.19%	31.17%	68.83%	6.61%	9.96%	0.01%
Health Professional (e.g., physician, dentist, chiropractor)	14.33%	34.39%	65.61%	5.84%	8.50%	0.01%
Home & Building Services (e.g., construction, HVAC, landscaping, design)	16.46%	41.63%	58.37%	5.32%	8.74%	0.02%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Insurance	13.11%	30.76%	69.24%	7.17%	8.11%	0.01%
Legal Services	17.55%	35.34%	64.66%	6.33%	11.79%	0.01%
Manufacturing and Distribution	13.76%	34.39%	65.61%	7.55%	10.61%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations	12.11%	40.80%	59.20%	9.64%	11.48%	0.01%
Other	12.49%	47.25%	52.75%	3.97%	8.77%	0.01%
Other – Non-profit	19.18%	38.55%	61.45%	7.38%	9.06%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Personal Services (e.g., dry cleaning, photography, housekeeping)	17.00%	44.47%	55.53%	6.76%	9.44%	0.01%
Professional Services (Doctor, Lawyers, etc.)	14.00%	41.61%	59.50%	7.02%	11.19%	0.01%
Publishing	14.70%	40.50%	58.40%	12.79%	8.64%	0.00%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Real Estate	14.42%	40.57%	59.43%	5.25%	11.83%	0.01%
Religious Organization	26.51%	45.32%	54.68%	7.52%	8.77%	0.01%
Restaurant, Bar, Cafe, Caterer	14.10%	51.31%	48.69%	4.11%	9.25%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Retail (e.g., brick and mortar, online)	11.63%	52.22%	47.78%	7.57%	9.14%	0.01%
Salon, Spa, Barber (e.g., nails, tanning)	10.85%	55.91%	44.09%	3.56%	11.39%	0.01%
Technology (e.g. web developer)	9.31%	32.43%	67.57%	6.50%	7.17%	0.01%
Business Type	Open Rate (Total)	Mobile and Tablet Open Rate	Desktop Open Rate	Click-Through Rate	Bounce Rate	Unsubscribe Rate
Transportation	16.67%	48.98%	51.02%	16.61%	9.62%	0.01%
Travel and Tourism (e.g., limo driver, tour guide, reservations)	12.90%	45.32%	54.68%	5.92%	8.65%	0.01%
Unknown	11.44%	43.73%	56.27%	7.95%	9.13%	0.01%

If you would like to know more about email marketing results or to get a free trial of Constant Contact, simply contact me here or call 1-888-502-3523.

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Word of Mouth now happens online. People are talking up their favourite businesses directly; they’re consuming and sharing content they find useful or entertaining from those businesses, and they’re asking connections for recommendations. This topic is brought to you by our partnership with Constant Contact.

Your business has an opportunity to be part of more of these conversations, but first, let’s get back to some basics.

People like to Talk about their successes.

The more you can do to keep your business top of mind and make it easy for others to talk about you, the more you increase the chances of people recommending or seeking you out when they need what you offer.

Beyond being part of the conversation, you must understand what people may find when they go looking for your business specifically by name, or by something your business offers.

And, of course, be aware that if people don’t find your business when they go looking online, it begs the question, “Does your business even exist?”

What do people find when they go looking online for your business?

It’s no secret that people turn to search engines like Google to get more information about the businesses they’re investigating. Let’s take a look at some of the things, including what is now considered word of mouth, that may show up on a search engine results page (or SERP) when someone searches for a business by name:

• Paid ads
• Organic (non-paid) search results
• Google My Business listing
• Social Media accounts
• Reviews
• Info from other sites

Example using “Constant Contact” as the search term

(click here for a LARGER image – a new tab will open)

What if people are looking for something your business offers?

In the example, we searched for a specific business — Constant Contact — by name. But, people don’t always search by name. Sometimes they know they want to buy a product or a service, but they don’t know who offers it. Then they type in a more generic search term, like “restaurants near me” or “tax preparers.”

Let’s take a look at an example of online Word of Mouth marketing.

Imagine you were throwing a dinner party and you want to impress your friends with a selection of cheeses not found at the grocery store. So you jump on your computer or mobile device and search “cheese shops near me.” Here’s an example of what may come up — of course, your actual results will differ.

Notice that “cheese shops near me” brings up the listings in Google Maps first. This information comes from Google My Business profiles (more on that later).

This is Part One of a three-part series. Be sure to join us for content delivered to you by filling out the form below, or on the pop-up, or in the sidebar of this blog.