Category: Web Development

  • You Don’t Need A Fast Website But You Need These Instead!

    You Don’t Need A Fast Website But You Need These Instead!

    This post is going to be short and I think it is time to address something very important — website speed. Take a scroll on Facebook or Google and you will see thousands talking about website speed:

    • How fast a website should load?
    • How fast should a website respond to a request?
    • How fast a website can be like when integrated with content delivery network (CDN)?
    • And many more “website speed” matters

    The truth is, you don’t need a blazing fast website. Blazing fast websites is just for speed junkies who appreciate some show off and of course, personal satisfaction for a job well done.

    What you really need is a website that loads under 3 seconds (1.5 seconds if you could) and you should be doing quite good already.

    Now, what do you really need for your website? Here’s a simple list:

    1. A good and reliable web hosting company (recommended are Kinsta and WP Engine)
    2. WordPress visual builder and Gutenberg (Elementor or Beaver Builder are great choices)
    3. Proper Google Analytics integrations (MonsterInsights plugin — hands down)
    4. Security plugin (Wordfence is a good choice for free plugin)
    5. SEO plugin (you can’t go wrong with SEOPress)

    You see, you don’t need much if you want to start a blog and have a fast loading website.

  • How To Stop DDoS Attack?

    How To Stop DDoS Attack?

    ​If you do fall victim to a DDoS attack, you are not alone. High-profile victims of DDoS attacks in 2018 include organizations as diverse as Google, Amazon, PlayStation, Pinterest, and GitHub – which was on the receiving end of the highest volume DDoS attack ever witnessed.

    In this article, you will learn how to stop DDoS attack on your website quickly and effectively.

    ​1. Identify the DDoS attack early

    The trick to stop DDoS attack is detect the DDoS attack as early as possible. The earlier the detection, the faster you can implement security measures to ​reduce and ultimately, overcome the DDoS attacks.

    To be in a position to do this, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with your typical inbound traffic profile; the more you know about what your normal traffic looks like, the easier it is to spot when its profile changes. Most DDoS attacks start as sharp spikes in traffic, and it’s helpful to be able to tell the difference between a sudden surge of legitimate visitors and the start of a DDoS attack.

    ​2. ​Enable Cloudflare security features

    Cloudflare is an excellent website security feature when it comes to avoiding DDoS attacks.

    Cloudflare Layer Security Preventing DDoS

    Cloudflare’s layered security approach combines multiple DDoS mitigation capabilities into one service. It prevents disruptions caused by bad traffic, while allowing good traffic through, keeping websites, applications and APIs highly available and performant.

    ​3. DDoS mitigation services at urgent times

    For very large attacks, it’s likely that your best chance of staying online is to use a specialist DDoS mitigation company. These organizations have large-scale infrastructure and use a variety of technologies, including data scrubbing, to help keep your website online. You may need to contact a DDoS mitigation company directly, or your hosting company or service provider may have a partnership agreement with one to handle large attacks.

    DDoS Specialist

    “If a customer needs DDoS mitigation, then we divert their traffic to (DDoS mitigation company) Black Lotus,” said Dufficy. “We do this using BGP, so it only takes a few minutes.”

    Black Lotus’s scrubbing center can handle very high levels of traffic, and sends on the cleaned traffic to its intended destination. This results in higher latency for website users, but the alternative is that they wouldn’t be able to access the site at all.

    DDoS mitigation services are not free, so it’s up to you whether you want to pay to stay online or take the hit and wait for the DDoS attack to subside before continuing to do business. Subscribing to a DDoS mitigation service on an ongoing basis may cost a few hundred dollars a month. If you wait until you need one, however, expect to pay much more for the service and wait longer before it starts to work.

    ​4. Overprovision bandwidth

    It generally makes sense to have more bandwidth available to your Web server than you ever think you are likely to need. That way, you can accommodate sudden and unexpected surges in traffic that could be a result of an advertising campaign, a special offer or even a mention of your company in the media.

    Overprovision Bandwidth

    Even if you overprovision by 100 percent — or 500 percent — that likely won’t stop a DDoS attack. But it may give you a few extra minutes to act before your resources are overwhelmed completely.

  • Bluehost Alternatives: Which is the best alternatives to Bluehost hosting?

    Bluehost Alternatives: Which is the best alternatives to Bluehost hosting?

    It has been awhile since I had talked about web hosting, particularly, BlueHost. But it is not about BlueHost but BlueHost alternatives. I know that there are many lovers and haters when it comes to BlueHost. So, this post is all about the best BlueHost alternatives that money can buy.

    Let’s get into the comparison, shall we?

    Why BlueHost Alternatives?

    BlueHost is a good web hosting service for websites of all sizes. However, they have some negative reviews in the past years, including underperforming servers, overcrowded servers and unsatisfactory customer support.

    “Finding for a good BlueHost alternatives is an excellent choice especially if you noticed the web hosting service is not working up to par.

    Reginald Chan

    The Best Alternatives To BlueHost Hosting

    SiteGround BlueHost AlternativesReliable BlueHost Alternative

    SiteGround

    When it comes to reliable web hosting alternatives to BlueHost, SiteGround is definitely the go-to option for many. SiteGround offers crafted web hosting performance with affordability in mind.

    HostWithLove Bluehost AlternativesBlueHost Alternative For Best Customer Support

    HostWithLove

    With 8 continents and 4 regions, HostWithLove is one of the BlueHost alternatives when it comes to fully managed web hosting and round the clock top notch customer support.

    Kinsta Bluehost AlternativesBlueHost Alternative For High Performance Servers

    Kinsta

    If you are looking to host a high traffic website and BlueHost doesn’t really make the cut, Kinsta hosting is a world-class fully managed WordPress hosting solutions that is powered by Google Cloud Platform. All plans come with inbuilt cache plugin and global CDN services powered by KeyCDN.

    WP Engine Bluehost AlternativesBlueHost Alternative For Enterprise Hosting

    WP Engine

    While BlueHost is an excellent hosting solution, it is often not the best for enterprise level, especially when you are hosting a large reputable website with high traffic volume. With over two decades of enterprise hosting, WP Engine offers expertise, reliability, security and highly competitive pricing to ensure that your enterprise is hosted on highly secure and high performance servers (so you can focus on your business).

    Liquid Web Bluehost AlternativesBlueHost Alternative For WooCommerce Hosting

    Liquid Web

    WooCommerce is a WordPress eCommerce plugin to help business owners to build and launch an eCommerce store with no coding skills. Liquid Web is the leading WooCommerce hosting that offers fully managed and optimized servers, specially for WooCommerce. And yes, there’s no better alternative when it comes to performance and reliability.

    How to choose the best Bluehost alternative?

    The easiest way to choose the best Bluehost alternative is to understand what you really need from a web hosting solution. “Needs” can range from having a higher performance servers, unlimited domain hosting, reseller option and even customer support, to name a few.

    Once you have determined the needs, it is much easier for you to decide which is the best option for you.

    Always remember, there is no one size fits all when it comes to web hosting services.

  • Dynamik Website Builder Review

    Dynamik Website Builder Review

    I first came across Dynamik Website Builder for WordPress back in 2013. At that time, Genesis Framework and StudioPress are two big names when it comes to premium WordPress themes—one which I was very hooked up with until today. Now, things are much different with more choices including the all-time-famous Elementor, Thrive Themes Builder, Divi Builder and Beaver Builder.Nonetheless, StudioPress themes are often seek by professional WordPress developers. And this is exactly where Dynamik Website Builder comes into play. In this article, you will learn everything about Dynamik Website Builder and how you can build a custom StudioPress child theme without coding skills.Let’s dive in with the Dynamik Website Builder review!

    CobaltApps goes beyond Genesis

    Dynamik Website Builder is apart of the CobaltApps group. If you are looking for extender plugins for Beaver Builder and OceanWP, you are in good hands. Click the button below to learn more.

    Table of ContentsCobaltApps goes beyond GenesisWhat is Dynamik Website Builder for Genesis?Video introduction: What is Dynamik Website Builder?How to use Dynamik Website Builder?Feature #1: Point and click controlsFeature #2: Preview modeFeature #3: Pre-customized Dynamik skinsFeature #4: Responsive designsFeature #5: Integration with Genesis Extender pluginFeature #6: Front-End Custom CSS BuilderFeature #7: Visual control of all Genesis hooksFeature #8: Create and export standalone child themesShould I use Dynamik Website Builder?Get Dynamik Website Builder Now

    What is Dynamik Website Builder for Genesis?

    Dynamik website builder call themselves as the ultimate Genesis Framework web design tool. Here’s what the founder has to say about what Dynamik Website Builder is all about.

    “Dynamik Website Builder is technically a Genesis Child Theme, but it’s so much more! It’s packed with no-coding design options that essentially turn your WordPress Dashboard into a Genesis web design platform, as well as custom coding and template options that provide the up-and-coming developer with that little something extra to get the job done. From the DIY dev to the professional WordPress freelancer, Dynamik is a powerful all-in-one solution!”

    Eric Hamm

    Plain and simple, Dynamik Website Builder is a Genesis Theme addon that allows WordPress website owners and WordPress enthusiasts to easily create Genesis child theme without touching a single line of code.

    Here’s the truth.

    Dynamik Website Builder isn’t all about flashing and looking great on the inside (admin area) but it certainly a powerful solution especially for those who wants to quickly build WordPress child themes with either limited or no coding skills at all.

    The best part? You don’t need any Dynamik Website Builder tutorial because it is just so easy to use!

    Video introduction: What is Dynamik Website Builder?

    How to use Dynamik Website Builder?

    I love to consider Dynamik Website Builder is one of the earliest WordPress visual builders in the market. Hey, technology was that great back in 2012-2013!

    But hey, if you are looking for Dynamik Website Builder for Genesis review, “what is Dynamik Website Builder” or “how to use Dynamik Website Builder?”, scroll down below to learn why this plugin is still one of the best WordPress builders especially for StudioPress themes.

    Feature #1: Point and click controls

    Building a website design from scratch isn’t easy but with Genesis Framework, it gives you a nie base to start with. Now, with the combination of Dynamik Website Builder, you can change anything on the page, simply by clicking on it.

    Dynamik Website Builder Design Options

    Dynamik Website Builder Design Options

    As you can see above, you can change the colours, type and padding (to name a few) on any elements e.g. body, header, navigation etc!

    Sure, you could do so manually … or the quicker way which is by using Dynamik Website Builder!

    Feature #2: Preview mode

    Sometimes, changing an element may be the best idea on theory but not in real life. That’s why preview mode in Dynamik Website Builder is definitely a powerful and lovely feature.

    Dynamik Website Builder Site Preview

    Dynamik Website Builder Site Preview

    Site Preview Mode not only allows you to see your site as your customize it, but the preview window updates everytime you save a new design change, providing you with instant front-end feedback.

    Feature #3: Pre-customized Dynamik skins

    I’m not going to lie to you but Dynamik Website Builder skins are time-saving and God send.

    The Dynamik Skin functionality provides several notable benefits. For one, you can go from a stock design to a much more refined starting point in seconds, with the included pre-customized Dynamik Skins. But they’re also perfect for saving and sharing your own work. Dynamik includes a set of “starter Skins”, but you can also get Premium Dynamik Skins as well!

    Dynamik Website Builder Skins

    Dynamik Website Builder Skins

    Feature #4: Responsive designs

    In today’s world, it is all about mobile-responsive and mobile-ready website designs. With Dynamik Website Builder, you can now design your Genesis Child theme (with responsive designs) thanks to a core set of responsive options that help keep your designs looking pretty & professional on any sized device.

    From point-n-click controls to intuitive media query custom CSS, Dynamik offers all you need to produce modern WordPress websites!

    Dynamik Website Builder Responsive Designs

    Dynamik Website Builder Responsive Designs

    Feature #5: Integration with Genesis Extender plugin

    Genesis Extender is one of the most popular builder tools for Genesis Framework and all StudioPress child themes—and thankfully, Genesis Extender is built right into Dynamik Website Builder.

    Custom coding & custom content controls? All included!

    DYnamik Website Builder Custom Coding & Custom Content Controls

    Dynamik Website Builder Custom Coding & Custom Content Controls

    Feature #6: Front-End Custom CSS Builder

    Want to build a beautiful StudioPress child theme without the help of any other addon plugins? Don’t worry—Dynamik Website Builder does it perfectly well for you.

    You can easily refine your design with ease and knock out that final dev phase without breaking a sweat, thanks to the powerful and all-time-favorite, Front-End CSS Builder.

    Dynamik Website Builder Front End CSS Editor

    Dynamik Website Builder Front End CSS Editor

    Feature #7: Visual control of all Genesis hooks

    For those using Genesis Framework and StudioPress, you know that hooks are important. Here’s where the sweet spot is.

    Dynamik Website Builder will display all the relevant hooks instead of you searching high and low, in just a few clicks.

    Dynamik Website Builder Hooks

    Dynamik Website Builder Hooks

    Feature #8: Create and export standalone child themes

    One of the best ways to make money online is to sell child themes (especially when you love website development). Thanks to Dynamik Website Builder, you can easily create, customize and export standalone child themes!

    Dynamik Website Builder Exports Standalone Child Themes

    Dynamik Website Builder Exports Standalone Child Themes

    Now, this is true power especially for WordPress developers!

    Should I use Dynamik Website Builder?

    Dynamik has a tendency to be a kind of “one size fits all” design solution since it’s features are so wide ranging and its appeal quite broad, but I would say there are two main groups that most benefit from this excellent Genesis Child Theme.

    Either the DIY web designer who wants to be able to do more than their current skill set allows, or the up-and-coming freelance developer who needs a professional grade dev tool that will not only meet them where they are, but allow them to grow along the way. 

    If you are looking for a “do it for me” option, Elementor is a better option that you should consider.

    What if you are a hard-core coder? Oxygen Builder is a better option for you!

    As a summary, Dynamik Website Builder is an excellent extender plugin for Genesis. Why don’t you try for yourself and decide?

    Get Dynamik Website Builder Now

    30-days money back guarantee and powerful point-to-click child them customizations are two reasons why you need this plugin right NOW.

  • Double Your WooCommerce Conversion With Spin To Win Tactics

    Double Your WooCommerce Conversion With Spin To Win Tactics

    How do you increase your WooCommerce conversion by double or triple? if you do a quick search on Google, you will notice that there are many actions you can take. One of the most popular solution (that is highly effective) is to have a spin to win tactic.

    A spin to win is a gamification strategy that entice the website visitors with a spin on the gaming wheel with the chance of winning a coupon, discount vouchers or even freebies.

    In this article, you will learn how you can quickly increase your WooCommerce conversion rate with a spin to win tactic.

    What is a spin to win strategy?

    Spin to Win optin is a signup form or a discount coupon wheel which adds gamification to your website. Your users play a game to win discounts, unlock special offers, or access downloads after playing the game.

    Spin To Win WooCommerce

    Various case studies have shown that gamified optins get conversion rates as high as 30% or more. And the reason is rather simple.

    Gamified optins are fun, interactive, and instantly get users’ attention. Plus, it works as an incentive for users to interact more with your site and getting a reward for their time.

    How to add a spin to win strategy with WooCommerce and WordPress?

    The integration is rather straightforward. In this sample, we will be using the new spin to win feature on OptinMonster.

    Love watching video instead? Take a look at this!

    Note: Are you looking for a quick and free spinning wheel online? Try this spinning wheel out!

    How To Quickly Install A Spin To Win Popup In WooCommerce?

    1

    Install OptinMonster

    OptinMonster is a paid service, and you’ll need their ‘Growth’ plan to access the ‘Coupon Wheel Campaigns’ feature. Click here to get the latest OptinMonster discount. Upon installing the plugin, you would need to connect it with your WordPress site with OptinMonster. Don’t worry, this step is very simple and it comes with a cool wizard.

    2

    Create a spin to win popup

    After connecting WordPress to your OptinMonster account, you need to click on the ‘Create New Campaign’ button to create your first spin to win optin. From the OptinMonster dashboard, head over to Create A New Campaign » Fullscreen (popup)

    Full Screen Campaign Type OptinMonster3

    Choose the spin to win template

    OptinMonster comes with a wide range of spin to win templates that you can choose from. Choose any one that resonates with your brand and click on it.

    Spin To Win Templates4

    Setting up the spin to win popup

    Once you select a campaign, you’ll be asked to provide a name for your template and select a website where you’ll run the campaign. Here, you can easily customize the wheel, colour, font size etc. You will also be able to adjust and customize the winning chances (which is really cool). This allows you to add coupon codes and special offers to the wheel. You can select whether or not each option has a chance of winning. When you turn an option off or on, the win percentages will be automatically recalculated. Once you are done, click on the Save button at the top to save your changes.

    Change To Win Wheel

    Does spin to win really works?

    I get it. You are wondering if spin to win tactic works for WooCommerce stores. The truth is … spin to win tactic works not only for eCommerce stores, but even on blogs and business websites.

    It is fun and interactive game that will boost your conversion rates at least twice!

    Here’s the thing. There are not many tools that offers spin to win popup. If you are serious in getting more conversion, I recommend you to try out OptinMonster today!

    Don’t worry, it comes with a free 30-days money back guarantee too!

  • WordPress Page Builders: The ONE Comparison No One Ever Talks About

    WordPress Page Builders: The ONE Comparison No One Ever Talks About

    WordPress Page Builders are created for one reason and that is to help website developers, bloggers and WordPress owners to quickly build pages on WordPress quickly and efficiently. However, there’s one thing that many page builders software that don’t talk about—how to decide which WordPress page builder to use?

    “Hear me out for a second. I love WordPress Page Builders and I had purchased nearly all of them and I had learned something major in it. Carry on reading this article (takes you less than 5 minutes) to learn more.

    Reginald Chan

    Do you know that no two page builders are created equally? For starters, WordPress Page Builders are usually known as WordPress website builders—they allow you to create WordPress website layouts without a single line of code (no coding skills required).

    Here’s where everything get a little fuzzy especially for beginners. We tend to use WordPress Page Builders to build blog posts as well!

    If this is the case, this is what you need to know (really, summary style).

    List of WordPress Page Buildes (summary)

    Fastest WordPress Page Builder

    Thrive Themes is the best and highly voted page builder for WordPress. Easy to use and highly affordable, this page builder is excellent for those who wants to build high-converting pages in just a few clicks.

    Cheapest WordPress Page Builder

    Divi Theme is the clear winner here with pricing structure. It offers yearly and lifetime licenses. In a long run, you save more money with Divi than any other WordPress page builders in the market.

    Best WordPress Page Builder for Beginners

    Elementor is one of the most popular WordPress website builder that allows you to build anything and everything under the sun. This is one of those website builder plugin that offers a limited and free builder plugin.

    Best WordPress Page Builder for Advanced Users

    Oxygen Builder is one of the best WordPress Page Builders that I had personally used. If you are looking for a completely bloat-free WordPress frontend editor, this is the best that you can ever get when it comes to bloat-free WordPress Page Builder. While Oxygen is a powerful builder tool, knowing HTML and CSS are essential to build beautiful website designs with Oxygen.

    Best WordPress Page Builder for Agencies

    As a freelance WordPress developer in Malaysia, Beaver Builder is one of my favorite WordPress page builder tool when it comes to building a WordPress site. It loads super fast and doesn’t come with huge bloatware like many of its competitors.

    WordPress Page Builders to build Pages

    If you are looking to build pages and WordPress homepages, the best option would be Divi. Divi comes with thousands of pre-made templates and that you can easily import to your WordPress site. Plus, there are many different layouts that you can use with Divi.

    At this point of writing, Divi offers the most pre-made templates available for download compared to any other WordPress page builders.

    WordPress Page Builders to build Posts

    If you are looking to build posts and landing pages, the best option would be Thrive Themes. Thrive Architect comes apart of Thrive Themes plugins and this is by far my favorite WordPress post builder. More importantly, Thrive Architect comes with over 250 pre-made templates and you can easily use it to build beautifully crafted blog posts that convert!

    Apart from that, don’t forget that Thrive Architect is the ONLY WordPress builder that doesn’t lock your content (making it gilberish) upon uninstalling it.

    List of WordPress Page Builders (with features that matters)

    Thrive Themes

    Thrive Themes is one of the most popular WordPress website builders in the world. This is a suite that contains 9 different plugins and the popular Thrive Themes Builder. This WordPress website builder allows you to create EVERYTHING from pages to crafting custom blog post layout. When it comes to WYSIWYG frontend editor, Thrive Themes excels far better than any other of its competitors.

    Thrive Themes comes with over 276 ready-made templates and the full suite comes with website theme and essential plugins to make your blog stand out from the crowd.

    Thrive Themes is also fairly affordable with either 1-time payment for plugins or monthly subscription for the full suite. For the best value-for-money option, subscribing to Thrive Members ($19 per month) is one of the best options for website owners.

    Divi Theme Builder

    Divi Theme Builder is a full suite just like Thrive Themes. It allows you to build everything without the need of a single line of code. Divi is easy to use but this software will add significant bloat to your WordPress site, affecting the loading speed in some way.

    Apart from that, there is no website builder tools that provide new and free website layouts on a weekly basis … except for Divi. All of these website templates can easily be imported directly to WordPress and you use them almost instantly.

    Divi comes in two pricing—yearly plan ($89) or lifetime ($249). All plans come with unlimited usages and therefore, it is one of the best value-for-money option for WordPress owner.

    Elementor

    Elementor is the only page builder plugin that offers free account. It is one of the most popular WordPress website builder that allows you to build anything and everything under the sun. Elementor is a fun WordPress page builder tool that allowed me to build many sites from scratch, quickly and effectively.

    While the free version offers some level of customization, the paid version (Elementor Pro) unlocks the full potential of Elementor as a page or post builder.

    Beaver Builder

    On the surface, the Beaver Builder tool looks very promising with a higher price tag. The true power of Beaver Builder comes in the page builder features. Beaver Builder offers powerful WordPress design solution, along with multiple keyboard shortcuts that make website development way faster.

    Also, Beaver Builder comes with a nice truckload of ready-made templates (which is awesome) and I love their pricing structure. Beaver Builder pricing starts at $99 (with 50% on renewals) and all plans come with unlimited website usage. Website development agencies and freelancers will be able to make the most out of this due to the unlimited usages (so no extra cost per website).

    Oxygen Builder

    Honestly, Oxygen Builder may not be one of the best option for you if you have limited knowledge in HTML and CSS. However, Oxygen Builder is one of the most powerful ones in the market if you know exactly what you are doing. It makes website development really easy with the different and clean elements. 

    Apart from that, Oxygen Builder is extremely bloat-free which makes it an excellent choice especially for those who are serious about website loading speed.