Hostwinds’ May Service Spotlight: Making Email Deliverability Even Easier With New rDNS Features
May’s spotlight is here! Our monthly service spotlight blog posts are part of a series to help keep you up to date with new happenings at Hostwinds. If you missed last month’s, which detailed recent additions to domain management, you can find it here. This month, we’re introducing you to new features that make managing your rDNS easier. What is rDNS? rDNS is a reverse DNS check. When email is received, it checks to see what nameserver and domain is associated with the IP of the email sender.Most ISPs and email hosting providers will perform an rDNS check for all incoming email. It’s a vital part of any email marketing you might do. Why? It’lll help deliver your…
Reduce HTTP/S Requests On WordPress For A Performance Boost
There are many ways you can speed up your WordPress site. Deleting plugins, optimizing images and using a cache are all commonly suggested. But you might not have heard of HTTP requests (Or HTTPS if you’re using HTTPS encryption). And left unchecked, they can easily cause your site to start acting sluggish. Don’t let the sound of HTTP/S requests scare you, either. You don’t have to be a tech genius or web developer to understand this. This guide will help you understand it. We’ll also show you how to reduce the number of HTTP/S requests to increase your site’s speed. What are HTTP (Or HTTPS) Requests? Your readers visit your site in their site in their favorite browser….
How To Fix And Prevent WordPress Spam Posts, Links & Redirects
Is your WordPress site suddenly advertising links to shady looking sites? Does your site display spammy, shady content that you didn’t publish? Is it redirecting to a totally different website? Or maybe you’ve noticed any of the following: You suddenly can’t log into admin Google says your site isn’t secure Your traffic suddenly drops or has unusually high spikes Your browser gives you warnings when visiting your site If so, you’ve probably been hacked so they can use your site for spamming their own links and content. Don’t panic. Just follow this guide and you should be able to fix this fairly quickly in most cases. Why do Spammers do it? Spammers like to hack into sites…
Hostwinds’ April Service Spotlight: Manage Your Domains Easier with These New Domain Features
On any given day, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes here at Hostwinds. Whether it’s upgrading hardware, testing new services we’re developing to make things easier for you or implementing new, unique features that have been requested… there’s always something. And in the past, these things were usually rolled out quietly. You might log in to your account one day and be like, “Um, what’s this new thing here?” So to help keep you in the loop, each month we’ll be sharing news, new services or products that you might not have known about. This month, it’s all about domains! Below you’ll learn about some new features that have recently been added to help you…
Tips to Up Your Affiliate Marketing Game in 2018
It’s a new year and if you’re like most, you already have some resolutions you’re not making good on. Don’t feel bad, though. Nearly half of those who make resolutions rarely succeed. But if your resolution is to make more money with affiliate marketing, then this post is just for you. If it’s simply just to make more money (Over 40% of resolutions are money related!), then this can help do that by getting started with affiliate marketing. Choosing which Affiliate Program to Use If you’re just getting started, the first thing you’ll have to do is find something you want to be an affiliate for. Do you already have a website or blog? If so, think about what…
Hostwinds Now Accepts Bitcoin and 14 Other Major Cryptocurrencies
We’re excited to announce that Hostwinds is now among the growing number hosting companies that accept bitcoin payments. We want to give you the opportunity to use the payment method that you’re comfortable with and prefer. Many clients have asked about paying with cryptocoins and we can understand why… Bitcoin payments are normally confirmed very fast, so you aren’t waiting around for some other payment method to clear. The transaction fees are generally very low (take that credit card companies!). And if you’re outside of the U.S. there’s no need to worry about currency conversion or any of that mess. And guess what? You can pay for your hosting in not only bitcoin, but you can also use 15…
Smart Tips to Drive More Business from Excited Holiday Shoppers
Prep Your Site and Marketing Plan Now for the Holiday Shopping Season! It’s now more than a week into October, which means we’re well on our way to the smell of pumpkin pie drifting in from the kitchen, hanging stockings and singing carols (for those who celebrate these holidays). But it also means that if you haven’t started planning for ‘tis the season and holiday specials, you’re already trailing behind many other businesses. Consider the fact that spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, Kathy Grannis, told CNBC that 40% of consumers plan to start shopping before Halloween. So you need to get on the ball now. Today. Start Getting the Word Out Now Don’t wait until a week…
Benefits of Switching to PHP7
The loading time of your website is important. Maybe more important than you realize. Every fraction of a second counts when it comes to the likelihood of visitors sticking around or losing patience (and trust) in your site and moving on. And that’s one of the biggest reasons to consider upgrading to PHP7 – An increase in pure script-reading speed (up to 2x as fast as 5.6) that can boost performance of dynamic sites using CMS platforms like WordPress. And it’s not just your visitors that you need to impress with loading times. It’s also search engines like Google. Google knows people don’t and won’t sit, even for minutes or seconds, waiting for a site to load. It’s not…
Delete a WordPress Plugin – There’s More to Uninstalling Than You Think
WordPress is an amazing easy to use CMS and the most popular one for many reasons. However, if you don’t keep your themes and plugins in check, it can evolve into a resource hog. Having unnecessary plugins (and themes) can also pose a security risk. So it’s important to clean house from time to time. But when you do, remember that there’s more to safely uninstalling plugins than just clicking deactivate and delete. Deactivate the Plugin This part is pretty simple and you’ve probably done it a hundred times (unless you’re brand new to running a WordPress site). Simply click Plugins on the admin dashboard (normally found along the left hand navigation area). Hover over the plugin you…
Starting a Website – How to Get Your Domain and Hosting Ready to Go
What did you do that last time you wanted to go do something specific in town? Unless you already knew exactly where you were going, chances are you picked up your phone and Googled it. Right? Even if you knew for sure where you were going, there’s still a good chance you did that to check the hours or other specifics. The same applies for buying something. Even if you knew exactly what you were buying and where you you were buying it from, you probably checked to make sure it was available or if there were any specials you could find. That’s just the way it is today. And exactly why having a website for your business is…