Tech & Tools

How to Get a Free SSL Certificate (and Why Google is Forcing You To)

How to Get a Free SSL Certificate (and Why Google is Forcing You To)

(SSL’s have become more than a good idea…they’re just about “musts” with SERP implications. Here’s a good article from 2017 that still holds up. – Edward) By Colin Newcomer – Jan. 9, 2017 – Elegant Themes Blog Does the idea of improving your search engine rankings and offering your visitors better security sound like something you’re interested in? What if I upped the ante and told you it wouldn’t cost you a penny? SSL certificates secure your website’s connection and boost its rankings in Google. And now, thanks to services like Let’s Encrypt, you can actually get a free SSL certificate

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WORDPRESS ALERT:
Fast Secure Contact Form Plugin Removed By WordPress Due To Serious Security Issue

WORDPRESS ALERT: <br>Fast Secure Contact Form Plugin Removed By WordPress Due To Serious Security Issue

Greetings, all… One of the most popular WordPress forms plugin, the Fast Secure Contact Form plugin (which has been the standard for all Brass Ring Multimedia websites for years) has been removed from WordPress’s favorable status and listing quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Unfortunately, this was due to the actions of a nefarious individual who recently purchased the plugin from its creator…a fine developer who created, supported and evolved it for many years. We have been at risk since June when ownership changed. WordPress has now removed the plugin from its downloads and issued a “clean” version. The clean version will

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10 Things Your Small Business Can Learn About Marketing from Apple (INFOGRAPHIC)

10 Things Your Small Business Can Learn About Marketing from Apple (INFOGRAPHIC)

Building a universally loved brand without engaging in price wars against competitors is not easy. But one brand that has achieved this seemingly impossible feat is Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Behind Apple’s phenomenal success lies its strong product portfolio and design standards. But the company’s unparalleled marketing strategy has also played a crucial role in ensuring it stays on top of its game. According to an infographic created by web design company, The Website Group, Apple’s winning marketing strategy provides lessons for small businesses. by Shubhomita Bose In Marketing Tips You may READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE on Small Business Trends website The company created the infographic

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27 Amazing Online Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses With Low Budgets, by Neil Patel

27 Amazing Online Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses With Low Budgets, by Neil Patel

I love small businesses. As a small business, there are many opportunities for growth with a smart marketing strategy. But you’ve probably noticed a problem. Most of the marketing tactics out there are expensive! A simple Facebook or Google ad campaign can cost tens of thousands of dollars. So how can a small business use online marketing without the massive budgets of multinational corporations? I’ve launched a few startups of my own, and I can tell you exactly what works. Here are 27 free or very inexpensive ways to market your small business online. By Neil Patel…you can read the

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8 Ways Technology Is Improving Your Health

8 Ways Technology Is Improving Your Health

  We hear all the time about how technology is bad for us. Since the introduction of computers, we spend more time sitting at a desk than moving around at work. We have created this sedentary lifestyle that is causing havoc in our overall life. BY KAREN REED Managing Editor at Positive Health Wellness, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 What if I were to tell you that technology has produced benefits? Would you believe me if I said that technology is good for your health? Most of you wouldn’t look at first. Well, you may be able to think of a couple

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About WordPress Plugin Vulnerabilities and How to Address Them

About WordPress Plugin Vulnerabilities and How to Address Them

You work hard to make your site awesome. And with all that work you put in, the last thing you want to do is lose your site to some malicious hacker. When it comes to hackers and WordPress, plugin vulnerabilities are one of the easiest ways for the bad guys to get in. by Brenda Barron Because of its popularity, WordPress is a magnet for hackers. According to Sucuri’s Q1 2016 Website Hacked Trend Report, 78% of the hacked websites they deal with were running WordPress. And based on a survey from WordFence, 55.9% of WordPress hacks with known entry points

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Non-HTTPS Sites Labeled “Not Secure” by Chrome

Non-HTTPS Sites Labeled “Not Secure” by Chrome

by Mark Maunder On approximately January 31st of 2017, version 56 of the Chrome web browser will be released. There is a significant change in the way it displays websites that are not using HTTPS, also known as SSL. This change may confuse your site visitors or surprise you if you are not expecting it. Starting with the release of Chrome 56 this month, any website that is not running HTTPS will have a message appear in the location bar that says “Not Secure” on pages that collect passwords or credit cards. It will look like this: This is the

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Mobile And Tablet Internet Usage Exceeds Desktop For First Time Worldwide

Mobile And Tablet Internet Usage Exceeds Desktop For First Time Worldwide

Is your website ready to make you look great online? If you’re waiting to go “mobile-ready,” you’ve waited too long. Brass Ring can help! – Edward Increased traffic plus Google search rankings stress importance of mobile friendly websites Post-Brexit implications for UK business San Francisco, CA and Dublin, Ireland; 1st November, 2016: Internet usage by mobile and tablet devices exceeded desktop worldwide for the first time in October according to independent web analytics company StatCounter Its research arm, StatCounter Global Stats finds that mobile and tablet devices accounted for 51.3% of internet usage worldwide in October compared to 48.7% by

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Is Your Generic Voicemail Losing You Business?

Is Your Generic Voicemail Losing You Business?

Reaching a generic voice-mail greetings is one of my great frustrations (pet peeve?)…and I don’t leave messages, typically, if I can’t determine if I’ve gotten the right number. Why do so many people fail to program a simple greeting? I know we’re all concerned with security and privacy, and I am too, however if you’re using a number for business, you absolutely have to let people know they’ve come to the right place. All the websites, business cards, email, print advertising and social media work we do, etc. are NO good whatsoever if we lose customers because we present our potential customers

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Will the New Domain Extensions Negatively Impact Your SEO?

Will the New Domain Extensions Negatively Impact Your SEO?

by Eric Siu Five years ago, there weren’t that many options when it came to domain name extensions. You could only register a domain with a .com, .org or .net extension — and good luck if the name you wanted was already in use! More recently, however, domain name registry companies have expanded the list of options, thanks to the growing demand for URLs. Read the entire article on Entrepreneur’s website You now have dozens of other options for top-level domains, including .car, .business, and .app. And while it may be tempting to consider investing in one of these extensions

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100 WordPress Influencers To Follow In 2016

100 Wordpress Influencers To Follow In 2016

by Syed Waseem Abbas Last year, I wrote a post on 100 WordPress influencers to follow in 2015. The list was based off who I followed before 2015. All of them, in some way or another, work to improve the WordPress community. I had the pleasure of interviewing many of them over the year. Click HERE to read article on Torque website Several commenters shared their own lists of influencers and recommendations of WordPressers to follow. I connected and followed many of these people in 2015. I also followed some hidden gems in the WordPress community who are contributing to

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W3C Declares HTML5 Standard Complete

W3C Declares HTML5 Standard Complete

More than four years ago, Steve Jobs declared war on Flash and heralded HTML5 as the way to go. You could be forgiven if you thought the HTML5 standard — the follow-up to 1997’s HTML 4 — has long been set in stone, given that developers, browser vendors and the press have been talking about it for years now. In reality, however, HTML5 was still in flux — until today. The W3C today published its Recommendation of HTML5 — the final version of the standard after years of adding features and making changes to it. By Frederic Lardinois (@fredericl) If you prefer, you may

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