Blogging Tips Archives - Page 3 of 33

Q&A: Is a ‘website’ and a ‘web page’ the same thing?

Posted on August 29, 2021

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Question from Martina: I have an Internet question for you, Rick.

I keep hearing the terms “website” and “web page” and I find them a little confusing. Is there a difference between the two or do they both mean the same thing?

Rick’s answer: Martina, the terms “website” and “web page” are closely related but they in fact refer to two very different things. Some people use them interchangeably, but they really shouldn’t.

Here’s the scoop… [Read more…]

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

Posted on August 28, 2021

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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? [Read more…]

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

Posted on August 14, 2021

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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 quite a while 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? [Read more…]

Q&A: I installed a plugin and it broke my blog. How can I fix it?

Posted on August 13, 2021

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Question from Cara G: I installed a new plugin on my WordPress blog and now my pages won’t load at all.

All I get is a white screen with an error message.

To make matters worse I can’t even get to the control panel to delete the plugin.

I’m in a panic here. How can I fix this?

Rick’s answer: This is a fairly common issue, Cara. Unfortunately, it happens a lot. And as you have discovered, when it happens it can cause one to panic.

Luckily, there’s a very easy fix for this issue that almost always works. All you have to do is use an FTP utility to delete the problem plugin from your WordPress installation. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is Chrome saying my blog is insecure?

Posted on August 8, 2021

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Question from Carol: I have a blog and my web host recently installed a free Let’s Encrypt security certificate on it for me.

When I try to access the blog with https: in the URL instead of http: Chrome displays a warning that the site is insecure.

The strange thing is this doesn’t happen on every page, just on some pages (including the Home page). The rest of the pages are marked as secure.

I sent my web host a message a couple of days ago and another one last night asking what the problem could be but so far I haven’t heard back from them.

Do you have any idea what could be causing Chrome to flag my blog as being insecure?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]