Blog

  1. 25 Do’s and Don’ts of Church Websites

    Today’s society is vastly different from what it was as few as 10 years ago. If you haven’t already noticed this, then think about how many times a day you send an e-mail, answer a text, log on to a social media site or hop on the web using your smartphone. Most likely, you do each of these activities multiple times daily. Just as communication between people has changed, so has the way advertising and marketing is done.

    And, while the majority of enterprises have adapted with the times there are still those who have not. One of these groups is the church. In fact, studies have shown that nearly 25% of churches do not have a website and that many of those who do have a website, have an antiquated site that has content severely out of date (i.e. last post was 2-3 years ago). Sadly, church websites are often boring, uninviting and “too churchy.” However, a church website does not have to be bland, nor should it only appeal to the needs of your congregation. Rather, there are specific elements a church website should and should not contain. Here we will discuss some of those elements.

  2. 3 Keys to Successful Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

    There is nothing new about advertising. It has likely been in place since the first entrepreneur decided to sell their product. And, while much has changed in the world of commerce, advertising seems to be here to stay. However, the methods have changed greatly with the widespread threads of the Web. And perhaps, one of the most significant changes, is the introduction of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.

    PPC was initially introduced as a proof of concept by Jeffrey Brewer of GoTo.com in 1998; however, it was not until 2002 that the AdWords system was established. The potential of AdWords, as well as other similar programs was a turning point in how business on the Web is done.

  3. 10 Crucial Steps When Building a Church Website

    If you are planning on taking your church online, or perhaps improving your church’s online presence, then there are important steps that should be a part of the plan. In fact, according to Kevin Hendricks of Church Marketing Sucks.com, there are 10 specific steps that you need to follow. In his multi-week series, he shares tips for creating a user-friendly church website. Here we will give you an overview of his article series.

  4. Tips for Using PHP

    Many elements contribute to the overall look and usability of your website. Some of these elements are visible to everyone and others are a result of work done behind the scenes of the website. Programming languages like PHP is a good example.

    As one of the most versatile programing languages, PHP is ideal for creating exciting websites and interacting with information on the Internet. In fact, PHP (a recursive acronym standing for Hypertext Preprocessor) has a variety of features that have endeared it to web developers. Some of these features are:

    • PHP creates a webpage based on input requests.
    • It is a mediator between users and databases.
    • It helps allow a user to address a database through their browser and get a comprehensible answer back.
    • Custom PHP is compatible with nearly any Internet server.
    • It is an open source solution, so it is free to use and widely available on the Web.
    • PHP has a simple syntax that is similar to C or Java.
    • It has led to sub-disciplines like PHP web programming, PHP database programming, PHP object oriented programming and advanced PHP programming.
    • There is a strong community of PHP users, so should you have any questions during part of the web development process you are able to get help online.
    • PHP is not only free, but it is also secure.
  5. School Website Design

    While it may seem preposterous that a school might not have a website, there are many schools that either don’t have a website or don’t have one that they can manage themselves to produce timely updates. If you find yourself tasked with updating a school website, or maybe you are creating one from scratch, then there are many elements to keep in mind. The details will vary from school to school, but knowing what it takes to design a school website that is both functional and user-friendly will result in a school website that appeals to teachers, students and guests.  

  6. 8 Advantages of Hiring an AdWords Management Specialist

    While nearly anyone can use the Google AdWords results to help build a website, there are definite advantages to hiring a AdWords management specialist in Raleigh. Some of these advantages are:

    1. They understand how to run a successful pay per click campaign so that you get immediate results, a significant amount of data to help you determine if Google AdWords is a good investment for you and the ability to use Geotargeting effectively and efficiently.
    2. An AdWords management specialist knows how to track the goals of your website, work across multiple domains, install e-Commerce tracking, track non-eCommerce objectives and explore internal site search for a variety of campaigns.
    3. AdWords specialists know the best way to organize your campaign to make the most of your investment and save you money. They can also set up your Google AdWords account and payment information.
    4. They know how to optimize AdWords results and understand AdRank, quality scores, landing page quality and click through rates and understand how they affect your AdWords campaigns.
    5. They can help you select the best Google Display Network and search sites to display your ads.
    6. They recognize the importance of testing and tweaking your AdWords campaign to make sure you get the most from your campaign(s).
    7. A certified Google AdWords management specialist will help you design a campaign that results in high relevancy and quality scores.
    8. They can teach you how to understand the monthly reports so you do not have to rely on someone else to do it for you.
  7. Using Google AdWords in Conjunction with SEO

    While Google AdWords can be a great tool to build your business, this is only the case if you know how to use it. One such way is by using Google AdWords in conjunction with your SEO. After all, with SEO being one of the contributing factors to your website’s search engine ranking and the potential for Google AdWords to promote your site, using these elements together makes sense (as well as cents!)

  8. WordPress 3.3.1 Security and Maintenance Release

    Please note the below update from the WordPress team. If you are running WordPress, don’t forget to update your plugins and WordPress regularly!

    WordPress 3.3.1 is now available. This maintenance release fixes 15 issues with WordPress 3.3, as well as a fix for a cross-site scripting vulnerability that affected version 3.3. Thanks to Joshua H., Hoang T., Stefan Zimmerman, Chris K., and the Go Daddy security team for responsibly disclosing the bug to our security team.