Mount Rainier Cruisers

Mt Rainier Cruisers

The Mt. Rainier Cruisers is a PT Cruiser car club are based in the South Puget Sound area of Washington State: from the base of Mount Rainier, north to Auburn and Federal Way, from Enumclaw, west to Tacoma.

The Digital Celt

tdc

The Digital Celt designs graphics for clan organizations, memory keepers, artists, and crafters. She also teaches digital scrapbooking, card making, paper (hybrid) arts, and creates tutorials and e-books for scrappers and beginning digital scrapbooking designers.

K9 Carry All

k9

K9 Carry All is a multifaceted company offering the original K9 Carry All pet stroller/shopping basket combo, custom logo leashes, and Click & Stay leashes.

The Clan Gregor Society

Clan Gregor Society

Rampant Web Designs has been involved with the website design and maintenance of The Clan Gregor Society’s website since the mid 90s. In that time, it has gone through many iterations with the latest version created in WordPress.

WordPress Security: How to Get Rid of the Admin Username

 security

 

The Admin username is created as your first username by default when you install WordPress. It’s also the first username that all the bad guys try. Here’s how to add a new username and get rid of the Admin one.

Tip:  Always use strong passwords which include upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.

  • Go to Users > All Users and select Admin.
  • Change the email address for Admin.
  • Go to Add New and enter a new username and your preferred email address. You can keep the same password if you want.
  • Select the Role dropdown box and choose Administrator.
  • Sign out.
  • Sign in with your new username and password.
  • Go to Users > All Users and delete the Admin username.

 

How many plugins are too many?

The answer….it depends!

WordPress plugins

Everyone’s website is different and the number of plugins they use depends on their specific needs. However, too many activated plugins will slow your site down. You should always deactivate any unnecessary plugins.

Taswir Haider has written a great article over on The Top Blogger which lists 51 of the top WordPress plugins for 2013. It’s a great read and a great tool to refer to when designing your site.

What are some of YOUR favorite plugins?

 

WordPress.org or WordPress.com – which one is best?

There is often a lot of confusion around this so in next few paragraphs I’m going illustrate the differences and the similarities between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Let’s get started…

  1. WordPress.org – You do not host anything with WordPress.org. You use the website creation platform downloaded from WordPress.org and installed on your own domain and hosting account to create a website.
  2. WordPress.com – You don’t need your own domain or hosting. It’s a web-based version of WordPress which hosts all websites created there on their servers and not on your website.

wordpress comparison

All things considered, using the WordPress platform downloaded from WordPress.org and installed on your own website is a much better option if you are looking to make a profit from your website. However, if you are a beginner that simply wants to have a presence on the web, maybe a personal blog, then creating your site on WordPress.com is a good start because of its ease of use. Even a newbie can be up and running in less than 20 minutes.

Web Designers Will Hate Me for This…

angry webdesignerI guarantee AT LEAST ONE web designer is gonna be ticked off when she reads this.

Here’s the deal: If you want to generate traffic, leads, and income for your business online, you need to have a website. Not just any website, you need a professional website that does your brand justice, is optimized for Search Engine traffic, and includes business tools you can use you grow your bottom line. That’s what the Free Blog Factory does for you.

You may have already heard of Free Blog Factory: If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. They’d like you to generate traffic, leads, and income for your business now, so for a limited time only they’re offering their $197 Business Blog Blueprint for FREE! All you have to do is sign up for their best hosting and support plan which today, will only run you $6.95 per month – that’s the same as just getting regular hosting from most other companies. Click here to try it free now.

Their websites and customer service are outstanding – I really don’t know how long they can continue to give away their exceptional blogging course for free along with it. My best advice? Check it out and hop on it now, while you still can!

Here’s to your blogging success!

Coaching Builds Credibility and Authority

Learn, Coach, LeadIn the last article, I introduced the concept of offering your own coaching program to expand your business and I promised you seven reasons why you should do it – here’s #1.

Reason One – Coaching Builds Credibility and Authority

Credibility is defined as: capable of being believed, believable or worthy of belief or confidence. In business, credibility can be achieved through a number of experiences or actions.

For example, if you provide a fantastic customer experience then you earn credibility with your customer. Also, longevity enhances credibility. A customer may be more likely to buy from a company that’s been in business for twenty years than one that has only been around for two.

Credibility can also be improved by establishing yourself as an expert in your field. Publishing is one way that many business owners seek to establish and boost their credibility. Coaching also helps establish credibility. When you position yourself to coach others, you’re essentially telling the world you’re an expert in your niche.

Authority is a bit different than credibility. Authority is achieved when you’re considered to be an expert in your field. For example, Donald Trump is an authority on commercial real estate. Authority and credibility often go hand in hand.

Why Does It Matter?

Both authority and credibility are buying triggers. They motivate people to become customers. Robert Cialdini discusses them at length in his book The Psychology of Persuasion [http://amzn.to/OYBYgH]. Essentially, people are more likely to buy from someone who they trust or they consider to be an expert in their field.

How Coaching Fits Into This Equation

Imagine you’re looking to train your dog. Perhaps your dog has begun to misbehave. You’ve hopped online to search for information about dog training. You find two websites that have information that’s helpful. One site offers an information product, a video series, on training your dog. The other site offers a similar product and they also offer coaching. Everything else being equal, you’re more likely to buy from the website that offers coaching.

Why? Because coaching implies they have expert knowledge. And if the website has testimonials supporting their coaching program, they’ve amplified their authority and credibility. They’ve set themselves apart from their competition.

You too can add a coaching program to your business and set yourself way above your competition. You’ll give your prospects and customers an impression that you have more authority and credibility simply because you coach. And you’ll have more credibility and authority with your coaching customers, which results in loyalty and repeat purchases.

Finally, the media often consults businesses with a credible and authoritative presence as well. You may find that coaching opens up a whole new world of possibilities and marketing opportunities.

Next – How Coaching Helps You Brand Your Business

 

Get Ready for Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday!

Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday

Each year on the last weekend in November, holiday shoppers look forward to all of the sales on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Small Business Saturday is the day holiday shoppers can show their support for their small, local brick and mortar stores. Cyber Monday is the day you can participate in all the online holiday sales. Many small businesses have both a physical store and an online store and while it may seem like you have plenty of time left, it’s important to start now to prepare both for the big weekend. This year, those two important dates are November 24th and November 26th.

Here’s a sample checklist of things to think about (and that we can help you complete!)

  • Evaluate your online presence.
  • Can local customers, who might be searching for you for the first time, find you?
  • Create or update your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest business pages.
  • Upload a fun, short YouTube video.
  • Make sure your website is ready for all the traffic.
  • Decide which specials you’d like to offer and create coupons, ads, and graphics for them.
  • Let your customers know you are participating in Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, or both.
  • Capture customer information for an email list.
  • Finalize website testing and optimization.
  • Promote your special offers on your social media sites.
  • Contact your customers using your email list and let them know about special offers.
  • Enjoy your success!

Rampant Web Designs can help you with a makeover, design a new web site, provide consulting on some best practices, and everything on the checklist. Send us a note with some of your ideas, wishes, and dreams and let’s work together!