Design & Development, Email, How To, Tutorials

All About SPF Records

February 13, 2019

If you have email, you’re familiar with spam. It seems that no matter how many protocols, filters, and walls we implement, spam always seems to be finding a way through. Not only that, but sometimes spam uses our emails to seemingly send spam. This is called spoofing. Spoofing is when a spammer changes the from address to a different, legitimate email. So while we’re not actually sending the email, it will look like the email has been sent from our email. To help combat spoofing, you can use an SPF record. What is an SPF record? SPF stands for “sender…

Design & Development, Security, SEO

How Dedicated, Shared, and Parked Domains Relate to IP Addresses

February 6, 2019

What are IP Addresses? IP (Internet Protocol) Addresses are used to identify different computers and devices on the internet. It’s like an home address – the internet uses IP addresses to locate and transfer data to and from places. IP addresses are usually a bunch of letters and periods, like 216.83.241.113. While this is easy for a computer to understand and compute, we humans have a much harder time remembering a jumble of numbers. That’s why we’ve tied domain names to IP addresses. It’s much easier to remember website.com than it is to remember 216.83.241.113. That’s one of the reasons…

Design & Development, Security, Tutorials

Back that Site Up: A Backup Guide through the ACC

January 31, 2019

It’s important to ensure that you always have copies of your files and to understand how to generate your own backups to avoid losing potentially valuable information. Backups can be useful to recover files in the case of accidental deletion, to revert a site to a previous version if changes don’t work out as planned, or to restore a site after data loss. A Backup Guide for Your Site While pair Networks does keep backups of each server’s hard drive, they are only for restoration of an entire server after a drive failure. They cannot be used to restore…

Design & Development, SEO, WordPress

SEO for WordPress

January 30, 2019

Your new WordPress blog looks dazzling. The content is intriguing. It’s lights, camera, action! Now all you need is an audience. But where to find them? How do you draw visitors in? SEO for WordPress SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is an important strategy used to connect your site with the right audience. A first-page result for the right search on Google will direct much more traffic to your site. The higher the ranking, the more competitive it is, with the top three search results for popular searches being the ultimate prize. So how do you start edging…

Design & Development, Web Hosting

Shared, VPS, & Dedicated Hosting Platforms – What’s the Difference?

January 23, 2019

Web servers are the foundation for websites. However, not all servers are the same. Not only are there differences in hardware, but there are different server types that offer different amounts of security. These differences, combined with the hardware, can make up drastically different hosting packages. We’ll go over three of these popular hosting types and lay out some common characteristics of each of them. Shared Hosting Shared web hosting accounts share the resources (like memory and RAM) of a single server with other shared web hosting accounts. You can think of shared hosting like owning a single unit in…

Design & Development, Security, WordPress

Lock it Down: How to Keep Your Site Secure

January 16, 2019

In an era where websites are compromised by malicious software all the time, one of the most common security questions is ‘How do I help protect my site from hackers?’ Although it can seem daunting, there are plenty of steps you can take to help keep your site secure. How to Keep Your Site Secure Keep it Fresh Always keep your platforms (like WordPress, Drupal, etc.) and their associated plugins up to date with the latest versions. Having outdated software is one of the easiest ways for malware to break into your site. Think of an old version of WordPress…

Design & Development, Drupal, Joomla, WordPress

Content Management Systems: Joomla, Drupal, & WordPress

January 2, 2019

If you are looking to build a dynamic website without having to worry about the coding and technical aspects of it; WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal have established themselves as the leaders for online content management systems. Comparing Content Management Systems No one CMS is better than another. It largely depends on your situation, site goals, and skill level. WordPress, Joomla, & Drupal What is a Content Management System? Otherwise known as a CMS, it is a system used to manage the content of a website. It allows the account holder who may not be familiar with coding, to manage the…

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Design & Development

Why You Need an Event Website and How to Get Started

December 17, 2018

Whether you’re hosting a wedding or a conference, you can benefit from having a website for your event. You can increase awareness for your event and build anticipation more effectively with a website. A special event website will also give you more freedom and flexibility with messaging. You can easily change and update information as needed to let your guests and participants know what’s happening.

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Design & Development, SEO

Why You Need a Small Business Website

October 29, 2018

Every business needs a website even your small business. Whether you’re starting a new business or you’ve had a storefront for years, there is value in joining the global community online with your very own website. The internet is a powerful tool that you can use to your advantage and reach millions of people. A small business website acts as a storefront, a marketing platform, and more all in one accessible place.

SEO

How to Measure Your Web Traffic and Performance

October 25, 2018

Understanding your web traffic and performance metrics will help you better evaluate your site’s value. Your website is an asset to your business. You can use it to increase your online revenue as well as the overall value of your business.

SEO, WordPress

SEO for WordPress: How to Get Started

September 18, 2018

Using WordPress to build your website has never been easier. You don’t need to take a class or learn how to code to use WordPress. While building a website is easy, getting people to visit your site is where it gets tricky. Simply having a website doesn’t mean people will find it and use it. You have to let people know your website exists first. And the key to attracting humans to your website is cooperation. Getting started with WordPress requires a little cooperation with search engines like Google and Bing. This cooperation is called search engine optimization (SEO).

WordPress security do's and don'ts for beginners black and gray text above black and white image of mobile device with wordpress website

Security, WordPress

The Do’s and Don’ts of WordPress Security

August 28, 2018

Don’t let the idea of WordPress security intimidate you. You can take a few simple preventative measures to reduce the risk of compromising your WordPress site. Here are some initial do’s and don’ts of WordPress security basics to get started:

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WordPress

How to Get the Most out of WordCamp Pittsburgh 2018

August 21, 2018

Pittsburgh will host its third annual WordCamp conference on September 22, 2018. Are you ready to learn, share, and absorb everything there is to know about WordPress? Conferences offer an overwhelming amount of activities, information, and free swag. Use this quick guide to help you get the most out of your WordCamp experience!

WordPress

5 Common WordPress Problems and Solutions

August 14, 2018

WordPress is a powerful tool for creating, managing, and sharing your content. But even powerful tools need maintenance and a little help troubleshooting problems. If you want to simplify your WordPress launch, you can get a ready-out-of-the-box solution from a reliable web host.

WordPress

Our 10 Favorite WordPress Plugins

August 7, 2018

WordPress offers over 55,000 plugins to its users. Your site would probably crash if you tried all of the WordPress plugins available and you don’t have time to waste testing Worthless Plugins. So, here are several of our favorite (and useful) WordPress plugins:

WordPress

5 Security Tips for WordPress Beginners

June 27, 2018

Why Worry About Security? Security is an important part to consider when setting up a website. You’ve probably heard about a high profile security breach or attack in the recent past, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that cybercrime only happens to big companies with big assets. But any site can become a victim of cybercrime and it’s important to take steps to reduce your site’s vulnerability. We’ve compiled five security tips for all you beginners out there who want to create a site and keep it secure, too. #1 Keep Site Up-to-Date Keeping your site…

WordPress

What Does It Mean to be WordPress Optimized?

June 14, 2018

What do web hosts mean when they say optimized WordPress hosting? You already decided you want to use WordPress to build your site. Do you really need special hosting services for WordPress? It depends on what you want your WordPress site to do and your technical abilities. Here’s what you need to know about web hosting services optimized for WordPress.

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Company News, WordPress

May 2018 Update: What’s New at pair Networks?

May 22, 2018

At pair Networks, we’re always working on new ways to give you more tools, services, and options! As part of our mission to give, we updated our WP hosting services. Check out the new features designed for WordPress accounts:

Design & Development, Web Hosting

How to Choose a Web Host

May 16, 2018

Updated: May 16, 2018 Ideally, you’ll choose the right web host the first time around so you don’t have to move your site later. Often, people realize their first host doesn’t meet expectations and they end up paying someone to move their site. In order to help you get to your second host the first time around, here’s a comprehensive guide with everything you need to know as you choose a web host.

Web Hosting, WordPress

Getting Started with the WordPress Gutenberg Editor

May 1, 2018

WordPress developed a new visual editor and you can finally take it for a test drive! The WordPress Gutenberg editor, named for the inventor of the printing press with movable type, is now available as a plugin. Before you install the new Gutenberg plugin, here’s what you need to know: What Is Gutenberg for WordPress? WordPress version 5.0 will include the new Gutenberg visual editor, which you can test as a plugin before the real launch. The existing visual editor that you know and love requires more shortcodes and HTML. Gutenberg employs a block interface and is designed to simplify…

Email, How To, Tutorials

7 Tips for Writing Email Subject Lines

April 9, 2018

How many emails have you received today? With over 105 billions emails sent every day, you probably have a few unread emails in your inbox and so do your customers. Compelling email subject lines may be the difference between the emails you read and the ones you move to your trash folder. Subject lines are like first impressions; you want them to be good, memorable, and, in this case, clickable.

Email, Web Hosting

How to Get Started with Email Marketing

March 30, 2018

Email marketing can help you maintain engagement with your website visitors. Have you ever heard of FOMO or the “fear of missing out?” Even if you’ve never heard of FOMO, you’ve probably experienced it. FOMO drives people to engage with the world so they don’t feel left out. Usually FOMO refers to a person feeling anxious after realizing they missed a cool event or a fun time with friends.

Design & Development, Email

Getting Started with Your pair Email

March 14, 2018

Introduction to pair Custom Mailboxes pair Networks includes custom mailboxes on its Shared, VPS, and Dedicated hosting packages. Custom mailboxes look professional and are a great addition to any business. With so many different possible uses, having the option to create custom mailboxes is a great addition to a hosting account. If you have a pair Networks’ Shared, VPS, or Dedicated hosting account, there’s a good chance you have custom mailboxes included on your account at no extra cost. For example, our base Shared hosting packages come with 500 custom mailboxes. These custom mailboxes are based on your domain,…

Security

How to Get SSL Free

March 1, 2018

How to Get Free SSL As a website owner you want to achieve the best possible SERP ranking, but you’re not sure where to start. The Internet has been abuzz with the need for an encrypted browsing experience ever since Google announced changes to displaying websites without ‘https’ early 2017. What is SSL? Do you need SSL even if you don’t sell anything on your website? How do you access free SSL? What is SSL? The simple explanation is that SSL stands for secure sockets layer. This secure socket layer creates a privacy tunnel. The tunnel or SSL is the…

Web Hosting, WordPress

How Much Does WordPress Hosting Cost?

February 22, 2018

How Much Does WordPress Hosting Cost? The time has come for you to build your website. You’ve decided WordPress has everything you need to launch and scale in the future. All that is left on your to-do list is to learn the cost of hosting your WordPress website. Hosting Shared Hosting Shared hosting for your WordPress website is available for less with annual payment or $5.95 monthly. Shared hosting includes reliable uptime, rapid loading speed, and up to 500 custom email addresses using your .COM. For $2.95 per month, pairSIM provides 1-Click installation, automatic software updates, and management. Top level…

Design & Development, Security, Web Hosting

What is an SSL Certificate?

February 9, 2018

An SSL Certificate can be installed on your site to create an encrypted link to your visitors. This helps keep information from being stolen during transit between the browser and server. In a world with rising cyber crime, you can never be too careful with your online presence. An SSL certificate also authenticates that your company is associated with your domain, thus giving visitors peace of mind when they land on your site. Visitors will know your site is secured by the lock icon in browser URL field. It is commonly believed that you only need an SSL certificate if…

Design & Development, How To, Security

How to Serve Your Site Over HTTPS

February 9, 2018

How to Serve Your Site Over HTTPS A site served over https is more secure. Since https uses the secure port 443, which encrypts outgoing information, it is much more difficult for people to spy on your site’s information. Regular http, on the other hand, uses port 80, which sends information via plain text. Plain text can easily be compromised during transit and by using it, you risk exposing your site and its visitors’ information to the world. However, in order to use https, you will first need an SSL certificate. For more information about SSL certificates, see our What…

Design & Development

What is a CDN?

February 2, 2018

What is a CDN? A Content Delivery Network, commonly referred to as a CDN, offers a way to cut down on bandwidth usage and site load time. How does it do this? Well, that requires some explanation about how CDNs work. CDNs are a network of geographically dispersed servers. They have servers in many different locations, commonly called points of presence (PoP). CDNs can hold some of the content for your site so when visitors load your site, the content will load directly from the CDN. Loading directly from the CDN reduces the strain placed on your hosting server, who…

Design & Development, SEO

Understanding Local SEO

December 13, 2017

Supporting local businesses is essential for community growth and development. As a local business, you can’t expect all the locals to know your independent store exists or its exact location. That’s where local search engine optimization (local SEO) comes into play.

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Design & Development, SEO, WordPress

What To Do After You Build Your Website

October 25, 2017

So, you built your website. Now what? A site that simply exists on the internet isn’t enough. Hitting “publish” won’t be your last step. How will your audience find your site? Do they even know it exists? You have to let people know your site is live and make it easy for them to find. If you want your site to be successful, you have more work to do. Here’s what to do after creating a website: