Blogging Tips Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Can using Bitly to shorten URLs hurt my blog’s Google rankings?

Posted on April 22, 2018

Question from Kevin: For a while now I’ve been using Bitly to shorten my blog post URLs before I post them on Twitter and LinkedIn so I can track the clicks on them.

Yesterday I heard that using a URL shortener can cause a website to rank lower in the search engines.

Is that true? If it is true how can I get all the Bitly links removed from Twitter and LinkedIn?

I’m asking because my blog’s Google rankings took a nosedive a few months back. Do you think Google is penalizing my blog for using Bitly?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to quickly fix a WordPress blog that was broken by installing a new plugin

Posted on April 15, 2018

If you run a WordPress blog, chances are you will install a new plugin that “breaks” your blog at some point. Trust me, it happens to most all of us at one time or another.

I remember the first time it happened to me…

Immediately after the bad plugin was installed, the screen turned solid white and displayed an error message. I couldn’t even get previously viewed pages to load by pressing my browser’s “Back” button!

Worse still, I couldn’t remove the bad plugin via the WordPress Dashboard because it wouldn’t load either! My heart sunk because I just knew I had broken my blog for good. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I tell when my blog is loading from the new server after I switch hosting companies?

Posted on April 12, 2018

Question from Jay: I have a WordPress blog and it started going down on me at random times a couple of months ago.

I’ve signed up for a better hosting account with a different company and they’ll move the blog to the new server for me at no cost.

I’m planning to put in the request for the move when I get back to the office on Monday, but I’d like to ask you a question in the meantime.

I’ve been told that it could take up to 48 hours for my blog to start loading from the new server after they make the switch. How will I be able to tell when my blog starts loading from the new server instead of the old one?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Protect your WordPress blog from hackers by disabling ‘Directory Browsing’

Posted on April 11, 2018

Do you have a WordPress blog? If so, you’re probably concerned that hackers could break into it and either deface it or hi-jack it for their own illicit purposes.

Well, I’m here to tell you that your concern is well-founded.

Hackers are always looking for vulnerable blogs to attack, and with WordPress being the most popular blogging platform on the Internet, the blogs powered by it are bombarded daily with hacking attempts. [Read more…]