Category: Web Development

  • Gutenberg vs WordPress Visual Builders: The Deciding Factors for WordPress Users

    Gutenberg vs WordPress Visual Builders: The Deciding Factors for WordPress Users

    WordPress visual builders play an important role in my writing business. As I use WordPress CMS a lot in my daily life, WordPress visual builders such as Thrive Architect allows me to create multiple WordPress pages and posts quickly and without any coding skills.

    But, make no mistake. Since the launch of Gutenberg, I use Gutenberg a lot too. Over the months and years, Gutenberg been receiving tons of updates and while it may not be as flexible as the current WordPress visual builders, it is growing in popularity and importances — with many believe that it will take over WordPress builders in the coming years.

    In this article, we will go through Gutenberg vs WordPress visual builders for 2020 because what matters is this year and right now.

    Gutenberg vs WordPress visual builders

    When I first use Gutenberg, I thought it was messy and complicated. Hey, Gutenberg isn’t entirely a drag and drop, or point ot click WordPress editor. It is just a few blocks that work together and allowing WordPress users to create posts and pages quickly without any coding skills.

    Here’s how the Gutenberg blocks WordPress looks like.

    Gutenberg Blocks

    Gutenberg Blocks

    If you are an avid WordPress user, you know that it is pretty decent but limited functionality as compared to popular WordPress visual builders in the market.

    Here’s what some of the best WordPress visual builders look like in the backend.

    Thrive Architect

    Thrive Architect

    Here’s what it looks like with Divi (which I use quite a lot as well for my WordPress agency, WP Maven).

    Divi Builder

    Divi Builder

    Here’s another great WordPress visual builder, Elementor!

    Elementor Builder

    Elementor Builder

    Part 1: WordPress Visual Builder In Summary

    WordPress visual builder is still an important tool for website owners — both freelance and agency level. The right tools help you to create beautiful WordPress pages and posts quickly without any coding skills.

    There is no denial that WordPress visual builders is an excellent WordPress investment to go with and you can’t go wrong with any of these:

    • Thrive Architect
    • Divi
    • Elementor

    Part 2: Gutenberg In Summary

    Gutenberg has always been a nice addon to WordPress. For beginners and those who can’t afford WordPress visual builders, Gutenberg is an important WordPress tool to build WordPress posts fast and effectively, without coding skills.

    Yes, Gutenberg isn’t that great when it comes to creating WordPress pages for now out-of-the-box. If you are looking to make Gutenberg as great as WordPress visual builders, then you need Gutenberg addons such as Genesis Pro by WP Engine (review).

    Here’s a quick video on Genesis Pro.

    Summary — Gutenberg vs WordPress Visual Builders

    Until now, I find that WordPress visual builders certainly has an upper hand especially when it comes to website development. Gutenberg may not be on par with it right now but I believe this might change in the coming months.

    With the constant growth and launches of Gutenberg addons such as these, Gutenberg is getting more popular and useful by the day. Plus, Gutenberg is the baby for WordPress/Automattic, you know this is one projec that won’t hit the sack anytime soon.

    If you are serious in building great WordPress sites and fresh layouts, you can’t go wrong with Genesis Pro (click here for addon perks by WP Engine).

  • 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!