We have enhanced the WordPress Maintenance Program to now include daily malware scanning and removal.

We utilize Sucuri, the de facto standard in web malware cleanup. This new service is included in the revamped “Pro” plan. Existing subscribers will receive the malware scanning at no extra charge, and new subscribers can receive a discount off the “Pro” plan for a limited time.

Daily Monitoring

Subscribers will receive the benefit of having their site monitored for malware, blacklisting, DNS, WHOIS, SSL Certification, and site changes on a daily basis. If an alert is triggered, we take the necessary steps for you to get all the infections removed. We will be in communication with you throughout the process until your site has been cleaned.

To learn more, visit the WordPress Maintenance Program page.

This post was inspired by the 37singals.com Browser Troubleshooting page.

After we’ve invested much blood, sweat and tears into designing and building websites, when we turn it over to our client for review, we often receive some very strange responses. Anything from “The text looks fuzzy” to “When I click that image, the whole site disappears!” Believe me, we’ve had some jaw dropping responses, which result in “we’re-not-seeing-that” emails back and forth with screenshots attached for proof!

Yes, crazy, I know. Especially considering the fact that prior to turning it over, we’ve spent time testing the site in numerous browsers, making sure it works and looks right.

What we’ve found in almost every case, is that the problem is caused by the saved cache in our client’s web browser; and that clearing the cache resolves all issues, almost every time.

So… having stumbled on the post I referenced from 37signals.com, I decided to write a post offering possible solutions to our clients, which will hopefully result in much time saved, and less frustration from both parties.

If Your New Website Looks Funny, Try These Possible Solutions:

Try this first, and if the site is still showing a green background with pink dots, let us know. Maybe we’ve really goofed! But chances are, clearing your cache will do the trick!

We’re currently working on the “Official/Unofficial” fan website for Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz. The website is currently run by Sachertorte, who reached out to us saying they were in need of a complete redesign.

Christoph will be appearing in the new Quentin Tarantino movie, Django Unchained, due out in December 2012. Being fans of both Waltz and Tarantino, we jumped at the opportunity to work on the site. According to IMDB, the new film stars Jamie Foxx, Don Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The new site is set to launch in June 2012. You can see a “sneak peak” of the new design above.

Born with the gift of writing? Congratulations, you are one of the lucky few. For the rest of the world, copywriting is a tedious job. For that reason, we’ve decided to introduce professional copywriting services. Our web writing services give you the content you need to succeed. We provide professional and affordable writing and editing to support your website, blog and social media. Our copywriters have worked for some of the biggest names in business, now you can benefit from great writing at a price that won’t break your budget.

You have only 2-3 seconds to convince a website visitor to stay at your site. Successful companies know that even the most elaborate website needs great writing in order to convert that visitor into a client.

Service includes:

• Writing tailored to tell your story and focus on your key messages
• Consultation on keywords and phrases that search engines love
• Editing existing content or reworking your existing site so it sings
• One time or ongoing editorial services to keep your content fresh
• Web-savvy content with a strong call to action

In today’s hyper-connected, info-intense world, what you say and how you say it can dramatically influence your bottom-line success. With our web writing services you can keep your online presence fresh and your search engine rankings high with professionally written content that’s error-free, easy to read, and relevant to your audience.

Let our professional writers promote your expertise while you concentrate on running your business. Contact us to learn more or request a quote.

Having designed and built many WordPress websites, we have found that once the new site is handed off to our client, the one thing that is neglected the most is the task of backing up and updating WordPress.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve logged into a site to find an extremely old version of WordPress running, and multiple outdated plugins. I also see no evidence of the site being backed up.

Backing up your local hard drive on your computer is no different in concept to backing up your website. If your hard drive crashes, at least you have a backup. Now, it may not crash too often, but the reason you backup your files, is for that one time that it does. It’s like an insurance policy.

The same applies to backing up a website. It’s odd that we will invest thousands of dollars on a quality website, spend hours upon hours adding and updating content, but very little thought is given to securing the site in the event of a disaster.

The Reasons We Neglect This Important Step

From what I’ve found in working with clients over the years, the main reason WordPress sites aren’t backed up effectively is due to a lack of the necessary technical knowledge required to make effective backups. It isn’t just the WordPress database that needs to get backed up, and taking it a step further, even if WordPress is backed up, few will know how to restore the site.

WordPress Updates

Another often neglected area is that of keeping WordPress updated. New versions are released on a regular basis. Not only are there feature updates, but security updates too. So it is important to update WordPress to each new version in order to keep your site as secure as can be at the time.

The WordPress Maintenance Program

I created this program to take the hassle out of the update, backup and restoration process. I see this as an “insurance policy” for your WordPress website. Hopefully nothing will go wrong with it, but in the event that something does happen, you are protected in the sense that we will have weekly off-site backups of the website, and will restore it to the original state prior to the data loss.

We also keep WordPress, plugins and theme files updated when new versions are released. If an update breaks the site for some reason, we will fix it. All this is included in the plan.

It’s Not For Everyone

It is important to take the necessary steps to backup the entire website, not just the WordPress database. So too should WordPress be updated regularly, and it is also important to know how to restore the site when needed.

If you are handling this process yourself, then there is no need to sign up for the program. The program is mainly for those of you who don’t know how to backup and restore a WordPress website and/or don’t want to hassle with it.

To find out more, visit the WordPress Maintenance Program page.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve integrated Twitter on a client’s website, but up until just recently, Zel Creative did not have a Twitter account! Ironically, I have not been the best at embracing social media. I’ve been too focused on designing and building websites for clients, and making sure their social media integrations were being handled, but had neglected my own.

During a phone call with a good client, they told me I should really “get on Twitter” for various reasons. So, I took their advice and finally opened an account. So here I am, and followers are building slowly. I will be tweeting tips, news and anything else that may be of interest.

Click the link below to visit my new Twitter page and be sure to follow me!

@zelcreative.

It’s that time of year again where I like to look back on the past year and reflect on the lessons I’ve learned as well as to say thank you to both current and new clients.

2011 has been a great year, but it was also a tough year because I lost my sister in November after a long illness. When you experience a loss like this, you look at life differently and you realize that we really must make an effort to enjoy each day and be grateful for many things in our lives.

I am infinitely grateful for having the opportunity to do what I do. I started Zel Creative around 2008, and from very small beginnings it has grown and become a big part of my life. I am so thankful for the continued support of both new and returning clients, and if I’ve worked on a project of yours this past year, know that I truly appreciate your business. Finding something you love to do, and being able to make money doing it, is a tremendous blessing.

One of the great things about my business is that I can run it from almost anywhere in the world. All I need is an internet connection and my MacBook Pro. For the last 3 months of the year, I decided to spend time with my family in South Africa and be with my sister during her final few months with us. I have been able to reconnect with old friends who I had not seen in many years, and have also spent quality time with my family. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

As to some lessons I’ve learned this year, there are really just three important ones:

• Spend quality time with those who matter. It’s so easy to get caught up in the clamor of life, but I’ve learned how important it is to take time out not only for ourselves, but also to spend quality time with people we love and who are important to us. Achieving a good balance in our lives between work and relaxation is important because a year seems to go by so quickly.
• Do what you love. I’ve said this before and it continues to ring true. For many years, I wasn’t doing what inspires me, and it had a negative impact on many areas of my life. When I finally began doing something that I’m passionate about and that I love to do, so many things changed for the better.
• Be grateful. There can be many things in life to worry about and bring us down, and it’s really easy to spend our time focusing on those things. Over the past few years, I’ve learned to focus on the blessings in life and be grateful for them.

Let’s begin 2012 with excitement and energy over what the year will bring us. There are many things to be grateful for and let us focus on those things. Thank you again for your business during this year, and I can’t wait to continue doing what I do in 2012!

For web developers, making sites look good in all browsers can be a challenge. Or, let me rephrase that. Making sites look good in Internet Explorer is a challenge!

In all modern web browsers, and I’m referring to Firefox, Chrome, Safari and let’s say Opera, for the most part, websites will look good and render pretty much the same. They’re good modern browsers that are in constant development.

Internet Explorer on the other hand has been nothing but trouble for web developers. Up until IE9, the browser has proven to be entirely inept at keeping pace with web standards. Fortunately, Microsoft themselves have launched an effort to at least retire IE6 once and for all. IE7 and even IE8 should also follow suit as these too have numerous issues related to web standards.

In my business, I don’t support IE6 at all, unless a client specifically requests it, and to this point, no one has. I do make efforts to make sure the site looks okay in IE7 and IE8 though, as there are still users out there who run these versions of IE. It would be great if these too were phased out.

Browser updates should take place like Google Chrome. That browser is automatically updated in the background so that users always have the latest version. Firefox will soon be adopting this same philosophy from what I’ve been reading.

Zel Creative’s Browser Stats

From time to time, I take a look at the browser statistics for the visitors to my site. I like to know who my audience is in relation to the browsers they use. It says a lot about the type of clients I end up working with.

I thought I’d share some of the latest stats, and I must say, I’m really pleased to see that the vast majority of the visitors to zelcreative.com are using the very latest, modern browsers. In fact, I have no visitors using IE6 or IE7.

Depending on the date range I use, the top browser will vary between the big three, being Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

Are You Running The Latest Version of a Modern Browser?

Making sure you have a good browser in which to view websites is not just going to make the life of your web designer easier, but it will vastly improve your web browsing experience, and your security online. Web technologies continue to evolve, and it’s only the best browsers that will embrace these advancements and incorporate them into the platform.

Sites like Browse Happy are there to spotlight the latest versions of all modern web browsers and encourage visitors to update. If you aren’t running one of these, I’d encourage you to update right away.

I am often asked by clients how they should best optimize their posts so they rank well in the organic search results. Search engine optimization is a big topic and can become a little overwhelming for many people. Over the years through trial and error, and learning from others in the business, I was able to establish a set of common guidelines that should be considered when creating your WordPress posts.

Using these basic concepts, I have been able to get posts ranked within the top 3 search results for specific keyphrases. Although I believe you should focus your efforts on creating fresh and engaging content, rather than how to make your posts hit #1 for a given keyphrase, it can’t hurt to at least be aware of these rules.

I found myself answering the same questions with the same answers over and over, so I ended up writing a post about it which was published on the DIYthemes blog. So when asked, I mostly refer people to that post. It’s an important read and covers the basic, beginner concepts that you should be aware of. In addition to this post, there are others on the site that are also very useful.

Here are links to the articles:

• Beginner WordPress SEO
• WordPress SEO for Everybody

I am a big fan of the 70′s British TV show Fawlty Towers. I remember watching episodes as a kid which we’d rent from the video store down the road. Back then the video format of choice was Betamax!

Having purchased the complete DVD set a few years back, I’ve now re-watched the episodes countless times. There’s certainly an element of nostalgia for me, but at the same time, it’s a brilliantly funny, timeless classic that is as good now as it was back then. An absolute gem.

By the way, there’s a point to all this, so keep reading.

In the show there’s a character named Mr. O’Reilly who is the local builder. The problem is that he’s entirely incompetent at what he does, but Basil Fawlty insists on hiring him for certain building projects at the hotel. Every time he does, it’s a complete disaster. For example, Basil hires him to build a wall in the garden and O’Reilly gets as far as delivering the bricks, but after months go by, he still hasn’t gone back to actually cement them together and build the wall.

Basil’s rationale for continuing to hire him is that he’s ‘cheap.’ This drives his wife Sybil absolutely nuts because she simply cannot tolerate the shoddy workmanship and is willing to spend a little more money for a professional builder; but of course Basil won’t have any of it. All he’s interested in is saving a buck, and consequences be damned.

The last straw is when O’Reilly is called in to install a new door and close off another one. It’s in the episode called ‘The Builders.’ Of course, it becomes a complete train wreck when his crew ends up removing a door that was supposed to stay, and building a new doorway where there wasn’t meant to be one. When Sybil finds out, she goes ballistic!

This is the only clip I could find from the episode when Basil returns to the hotel to discover the disaster.

And Finally My Point…

I think you can guess where I’m going with this. My point is, and you can probably say the same for just about any profession, that the web design industry is full of Mr. O’Reillys, and for that matter, Basil Fawltys too.

This post was inspired by a recent experience while working on a website for a client. I was called in to fix some glaring design issues with a site after my client had been trying desperately for 3 weeks to get their web designer to make the necessary fixes. Each time a request was made, days would go by and when the updates were done, it wasn’t what was requested in the first place.

If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateurWhen I started digging into things, I was absolutely horrified by what I found. Much of the css code for the content was written as inline styles, using outdated tags like <font>. Almost every rule of modern web design had been broken and no consideration had been made to what’s generally considered best practices. I found uppercase HTML tags being used, tables where there should not be tables, it was just disgusting, and clear that whoever did that, was entirely unqualified and still living in the 90′s or whenever such practices were the norm.

Now, I’m not claiming to be the greatest web designer out there. I know I still make mistakes and do my best to learn by them and refine my skills. I’m still a student and continue to learn new things every day, but what I saw on this site was inexcusable. What irked me more was that someone was paying for this, and someone else was being paid for it.

It seems you just can’t help but come across individuals who claim to be web designers, but still use antiquated coding practices and don’t follow basic web standards.

After the first year or so of being involved with web design, I began to develop a whole new respect for the craft. Today, I take what I do seriously and it just doesn’t sit well when I see bad design or coding from people who call themselves web designers. Web design is a skill that requires years to refine. You practice, make mistakes, and then keep learning. It’s an art form that many try their hand at, but few truly master.

You Get What You Pay For

It’s easy to get websites done on the cheap. Just like Basil Fawlty who insisted on hiring O’Reilly, even after the repeated failures. He just wanted the cheapest builder he could find. The same applies to web designers. If you’re someone who is looking to have a site built or to redesign your existing site, you may want to shift your philosophy on this. Figure out how to set aside a decent budget to get a professional job. Cheapest isn’t always best, and the money you think you’re saving will be sucked up in all the extra time and frustration you spend fixing what should have been done right the first time.

Do What You Love

Having said all this, poor Mr. O’Reilly was a really nice guy. I don’t want to speak ill of people when they honestly try to do the best they can. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and it’s best not to judge someone based on their poor performance in a particular area.

You have to roll up your sleeves and be a stonecutter before you can become a sculptor – command of craft always precedes art: apprentice, journeyman, master. — Philip Gerard

Whoever massacred that website I mentioned earlier might be talented at playing the piano, something I’m completely inept at. On the other hand, it may have been someone who has no respect for the craft, no desire to improve, or might even be outsourcing the job to someone who is equally clueless. If that’s the case, then I have no patience or respect for that. People like this should do us all a favor and find something else to do.

The thing is, if you aren’t enjoying what you do, or you’re not that good at it, then either make an effort to improve and/or figure out if it’s something you feel that you could ever enjoy, and if not, move onto something else. You have to find something you love to do.