Have you ever noticed that some website addresses start with ‘http://’ while others start with ‘https://’?

Perhaps you saw that extra ‘s’ when you were browsing an online shop, logged in to your internet banking or perhaps when booking a doctors appointment.

But where did that extra ‘s’ come from, and what exactly does it mean?

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection.

In plain language, that extra ‘s’ means your connection to that website is secure. Any data you enter is safely shared with that website.

The technology that powers that little ‘s’ is called SSL, which stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’. Read on to learn how SSL works, how it forms a part of your cybersecurity strategy and how you can buy an SSL Certificate to keep your website safe.

Want to learn more about SSL and why it’s so important? Check out our Top 5 tips below:

1. What is an SSL Certificate?

2. How can I tell if my website is protected by an SSL Certificate?

3. Why should I buy an SSL Certificate?

4. What are the different types of SSL Certificates?

5. Where do I buy an SSL Certificate for my website?

As a consumer, you always want to see ‘https://’ when visiting websites that involve sharing your sensitive information. This could be your credit card details or address information perhaps. Likewise; as a business owner, you will want to make sure you have an SSL Certificate to help keep your website safe and secure.

1. What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL certificate works by creating an encrypted connection between you and the website to establish trust.

One of the most important elements of online business is creating a trusted environment where website visitors and customers alike feel confident in making purchases. 

An SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate creates a foundation of trust by verifying the identity of a website and securing a connection between the web page and the web browser. If you operate an e-Commerce website and are asking your customers to input sensitive information such as their credit card number, or collect other identifiable information, an SSL certificate ensures that information transmitted to and from your website is encrypted. 

SSL Certificates form the cornerstone of modern cyber security strategies because they greatly help to reduce hacks on a businesses website.

Gartner predicts an increase of 45% in cyber-attacks by the end of 2025.

In order to assure website visitors that their connection is safe and secure, web browsers such as Google Chrome, provide visual cues which are often called EV indicators.

These indicators can be anything from a green padlock to a branded URL bar, regardless of the method – they can all be seen easily which should make you feel more confident you’re shopping in a safe place.

You can tell that a website has an SSL certificate installed when HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) appears in front of the URL (i.e https://viewfule.com/news). On the other hand, if a website does not encrypt its data you will see a warning sign and the words ‘not secure’.

So, what does an SSL certificate look like?

If you click on the small padlock that appears next to any website with HTTPS in front of the URL, you’ll be able to view the information about its SSL certificate.


You’ll see the name of the certificate holder, the issuer and the validity period. All SSL certificates expire eventually and require renewal.

An SSL certificate contains many details about the issuer of the certificate, a copy of the issuer’s public key and a digital signature of the certificate issuer. Here is what our SSL certificate looks like:

2. How can I tell if my website is protected by an SSL Certificate?

Head over to Qualys SSL Labs and perform a free SSL Server Test on your website. It will take a few minutes to complete, but once it’s done, it’ll provide you with a wealth of information on the security status of your website.

It will grade your website from A+ to F and as you can see from the test performed on our website above – it checks a lot more that just your website. They interrogate the quality of the SSL certificate and the secure protocols your web server supports too, amongst others.

The Qualys SSL Labs test is one of the best cybersecurity tools in the world – and it’s 100% free.

This is a comprehensive website security assessment which is why it’s one of the best in the world. Trust what it says. Rarely do 100% free tools come along that are worth their weight in gold, but this one truly is.

Not all website security is created equal, far from it in fact, and SSL certificates are no exception. There are strong ones and weak ones, this free checker by Qualys is superb at rooting out the weak ones that are likely to cost you in the long-term so we encourage you to act upon it’s advice. Speaking of weak certificates, we strongly recommend against using the free ‘Let’s Encrypt’ SSL Certificates, they do practically nothing to improve your website’s security posture and certainly won’t help you financially recover in the case of a hack.

The last thing you want is to believe your website is secure, to then end up being hacked because a weak SSL certificate was chosen that wasn’t suitable for your use case – ask yourself this question, is it worth the risk? We’re only talking a few extra dollars here.

If your website has a grade lower than B, please do reach out to us so we can help restore the security of your website. It’s a fast and affordable service we offer clients world-wide.

3. Why should I buy an SSL Certificate?

If you own a basic website, you should have an SSL certificate but it’s not essential. In the spirit of full disclosure, your website will work perfectly fine without one. But if you are mindful of cybersecurity and the ever present threat of hacks, you really ought to invest in one.

However, if you are running an e-Commerce website or anything that involves asking users to login with a username and password, or are collecting sensitive information such as credit card numbers, address details or financial accounts – you absolutely need an SSL certificate to ensure the transmission of the data is safe and secure. Ask yourself this question, how would you feel if the situation were reversed?

Improve your cybersecurity posture with an SSL certificate – this means less chance of a hack.

The total number of attacks, per company, increased from 206 to 270 year over year in 2021. Which is an increase of over 30% – an SSL Certificate helps to increase your website security so you don’t fall victim to an attack. As these threats are very real and increasing, adding additional layers of security is a wise move.

Many website owners choose to have an SSL certificate even if they are not collecting sensitive information (such as credit card numbers) because they don’t want to be perceived as not keeping up with the times. So many websites embrace SSL these days – over 1.8 million SSL certificates have been issued as of 2021 – and so your decision goes a long way to reassure nervous buyers you are a trustworthy company and keeping up with modern trends.

Another major perk of SSL certificates are the warranties. Some come bundled with a form of insurance should the worst happen and an SSL failure was deemed the culprit. You might be able to claim anywhere from $500k right up to $3million to help your company financially recover. For some businesses, this reason alone is worth investing in one.

Boost your search engine rankings with a premium SSL Certificate.

Lastly, Google’s algorithm rewards websites that have them. SSL certificates are directly linked to Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, so this value-add should not be overlooked. Especially if you are actively investing in your Web SEO. Your website will be given a boost in the search engine results pages (SERPs) if you have strong SSL certificate.

4. What are the different types of SSL Certificates?

There are three different types of SSL certificate. They are:

• Domain Validated (DV)
• Organization Validation (OV)
• Extended Validation (EV)

 The one that’s best suited for you will depend on your website and how much security you need:

• DV SSL is best suited to personal websites or small projects and is the least expensive of the three. A DV SSL Certificate requires that the website owner verify that the domain is registered to the domain owner, this is achieved through the WHOIS database and makes them fast to issue. These are the most popular SSL Certificates with over 80% of the market share.
• OV SSL is best suited to every day businesses or non-profits, and requires a higher level of verification to attain. As a result of these additional checks, an OV SSL Certificate is considered more secure than a DV SSL Certificate. The certificate issuer verifies the address and location of the owner prior to issue. These are popular certificates and occupy just over 17% of the market share.
• EV SSL is best for e-Commerce businesses and organisations that exchange financial data (such as Banks and Lenders) as it offers the highest level of protection. In addition, these certificates offer the highest monetary warranties to any website affected by a failure of the SSL. The downside to all this protection however is the cost, they can be 10x more expensive than a DV SSL Certificate which is why they only hold around 2% of the market share. 

It’s probably worth mentioning at this point there are variations of the types of SSL certificates outlined above. Their purpose is to make like easier if you own lots of domains or sub-domains as you only need to buy one SSL certificate and they’re all protected in one go. The variations are known as:

• Single Domain SSL Certificate (only covers a single domain name and sub-domain).
• Wildcard SSL Certificate (covers a single domain but an unlimited number of sub-domains, often include warranties).
• Multi-Domain SSL Certificate (covers all top-level domains you own for your business, such as a ‘.nz’ and ‘.co.nz’ etc, include good warranties).
• Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate covers all top-level domains as above and includes unlimited number of sub-domains, include excellent warranties)

To summarise all the information above, if you’re looking for the strongest SSL Certificate on the market for a business that operates many different domain names – consider a Multi-Domain EV Wildcard SSL Certificate.

Likewise, if you’re a small business owner who only needs one to protect their basic one page website and only own one domain name – consider a Single Domain DV SSL Certificate.

Obviously every business is different and ought to be assessed carefully for their cybersecurity needs, but this is a good rule of thumb to follow. 

5. Where do I buy an SSL Certificate for my website?

We highly recommend The SSL Store which is now part of the DigiCert family – a founding name in SSL Certificates.

The SSL Store has over 15 years of SSL & Cybersecurity experience with access to over 110+ products through their online store. They have helped over 200,000 companies around the globe protect their businesses, employees, and customers. 

With credentials that strong, this is why we proudly partner with them and actively encourage our clients to purchase an SSL certificate with them directly.

Within 5 minutes, you will have found and purchased the right SSL certificate for your website. They make the whole process really easy and include instructions how to add them too. Now, that’s one less thing to worry about!

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we intimately understand the world of online security is ever changing. Threats come from all corners of the globe these days and sometimes it can make you feel like you’re not in control. But, SSL certificates are one thing that help empower you and take back control. Your website will be much more secure with one than without. But if the worst does happen and you are hacked, even with an SSL certificate, they can come with warranties ranging from $500k – $3million to help you financially recover and get back on your feet. So if having this reassurance is of interest to you, Reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk through SSL certificates for your business to keep you and your customers online shopping experience safe.

Marketing has always been about connecting with your target audience in the right place and at the right time.

Today, that means you need to meet your target audience where they are spending most of their time. The place is on the internet.

Did you know that in 2022, there were more than 4.95 Billion global internet users? This was up from 400 million users in 2021. That is a huge number of people, a huge number of people that could be your customers too – but only if they know about you.

Want to learn more about digital marketing and learn why it’s important? Keep reading.

Digital marketing is an umbrella term for all of your company’s online marketing efforts.

Digital marketing is how your target audience will find you online, engage with your Brand, fall in love with what you offer, build trust and ultimately… buy from you.

Let’s dive in to:

1. What is Digital Marketing?

2. What are the benefits of Internet Marketing?

3. Digital Marketing Strategy vs Digital Marketing Plan

4. How do I write a Digital Marketing Strategy?

5. How do I write a Digital Marketing Plan?

Read on to learn more about Digital Marketing, what it is and how you can create a digital marketing strategy for your business to reach more customers than you ever thought possible.

1. What is Digital Marketing?

In this digital era, anyone can use technology to promote their business. Create innovative designs and share it on the internet.

Digital marketing is otherwise known as Online Marketing or Internet Marketing. It embraces many traditional marketing techniques but includes some important ‘upgrades’ so they apply effectively in the digital space.

Digital marketing is defined as the use of digital channels or technologies to sell, or promote, a product or service.

So, what does digital marketing consist of? We call them the 9 pillars of digital marketing and they are:

• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing (SMM)
• Search engine marketing (SEM)
• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Influencer marketing
• Mobile marketing
• Marketing analytics
• Affiliate marketing

All 9 pillars fall under the umbrella term ‘Digital Marketing’ and come in no particular order – all 9 are equally important these days.

But for a real-life example of these pillars in action… if you are being encouraged to buy something when you’re browsing online, that is the 9 pillars of digital marketing at work.

2. What are the benefits of Internet Marketing?

The number of potential customers or, prospects, you can find online is much larger than you’ll ever be able to attract locally.

We are talking a global audience of 4.95 billion people here, a number that is growing considerably each year. Imagine the possibilities if you opened the doors of your business to that many people.

It could be life changing for you and your family.

By incorporating only 50% of the digital marketing pillars into your digital marketing plan, you will be able to reach a global audience in a way that’s cost-effective, scalable and measurable.

Some of the key benefits of digital marketing include:

• The ability to interact with your prospects and learn exactly what they are looking for (in otherwords, get to know your customers better!).
• The ability to reach out to anyone, anywhere, as there are no geographical boundaries in the digital space.
• Target the right audience at the right time – personalisation is simpler with digital marketing.
• Communicate with your prospects at every stage of the buying process.
• Save money by reaching more customers for less.
• Get to know your audience and drive engagement to create brand loyalty.
• Gain inspiration from the power of customer loyalty schemes.
• Track and monitor responses to your marketing efforts easily and quickly.

3. Digital Marketing Strategy vs Digital Marketing Plan

Even though marketing professionals often use these two terms interchangeably – Digital Marketing Plans and Digital Marketing Strategies differ from one another.

But do keep in mind that to find success in business online, both are necessary.

The most notable differences between the two are that a digital marketing strategy is something you establish first. Followed by your digital marketing plan which outlines how you’ll accomplish all the goals you’ve defined in the digital marketing strategy.

Here are some other differences between a digital marketing plan and a digital marketing strategy:

• Definition: The digital marketing strategy is the reason you have digital marketing efforts. This might be because the business needs to earn more to support its growth, or the business requires more brand recognition to secure long-term customers. In contrast, a digital marketing plan is the method by which you’ll deliver your strategy.
• Purpose: The purpose of a digital marketing strategy is to align your digital marketing goals with the overarching goals of the business. While the purpose of a digital marketing plan is to develop the specific steps you’ll need take to realise your marketing goals.
• Focus: Another difference between a digital marketing plan and a digital marketing strategy is in what each focuses on. Your digital marketing strategy will include your goals, campaign objectives, target audience, methods of communication and competitor analysis. Comparatively, your digital marketing plan should focus on the implementation method and more tactical steps you plan on taking to achieve the goals you’ve included in the strategy.

Now that we’ve covered the differences between the two, hopefully you’re now clued up on why they’re both important. So next, we’re going to delve into how to write your own digital marketing strategy!

4. How do I write a Digital Marketing Strategy?

A strategy gives you direction, this is true in all aspects of running your business. A digital marketing strategy is no different and why it’s often described as a roadmap to grow your business online.

From our experience, many companies without a digital marketing strategy lack clear strategic goals. They often come hand-in-hand and it draws into question whether there is a deeper strategic issue within the business. If you are struggling to find the time, or just don’t know where to start – this guide from HELM can really help put you back on track.

A clearly defined digital marketing strategy provides you with clarity. Without one, it makes it very difficult to allocate resources to specific digital marketing channels and even more difficult to measure whether you’re hitting your targets. Here are three questions to illustrate this point…

• How much profit did we make?
• How well did our customers respond?
• What could we have done better?

Three very easy questions to ask that are, often, very difficult to answer – unless you have written a digital marketing strategy.

So, how do I write a digital marketing strategy?

You can start by writing down answers to these questions:

• What am I trying to achieve? (state all your goals)
• Who is my target audience? (age, demographic, location etc)
• What is the ideal customer persona (e.g a young male professional with an affinity for green living?)
• Which digital channels are most suitable? (e.g Instagram, Facebook, Google Ads based on market research)
• What is my maximum budget? (include a small contingency)
• How many staff do I need to assign?
• What is the market demand for this product/service?
• How do I measure and report on the campaign?

Once you have answered all these questions, you will be 90% of the way to have written your digital marketing strategy. Build upon it further by adding questions specific to your niche and goals. Before you know it, you’ll have a digital marketing strategy that you feel confident will drive your business forward. 

Now, let’s focus on the execution of your strategy and that is the digital marketing plan!

5. How do I write a Digital Marketing Plan?

Firstly, let’s do a quick recap – what is a digital marketing plan? We can then provide you with a template showing you how to create your own.

Remember that digital marketing is achieved through digital marketing channels, embracing the 9 pillars, as outlined above. Therefore a digital marketing plan involves a deliberate decision-making process regarding your digital marketing strategy and decides upon the most appropriate digital channels that will help you fulfill it.

In short, a digital marketing plan is defined as a step-by-step, actionable process that focuses upon delivering the digital marketing strategy. 

Now that you fully understand what a digital marketing plan is, here is a real-life example of one based on a Gantt chart.

What’s really useful about this example is that it is an interactive Gantt based template, most are offline PDF’s which don’t provide you with a great deal of value-add. But with this interactive gantt, you can clearly see step-by-step, how to build your own digital marketing plan with some realistic time frames included for each task too. Super helpful!

Now that you’re fully prepared, it’s time to write your digital marketing plan!

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we appreciate that it takes time to develop an effective digital marketing strategy and, in-turn, write an effective digital marketing plan. But if you invest the time to do so, the rewards can be huge and life changing that much is clear… engaging with a market of 4.95 Billion global internet users is no joke. Riches are to be made if you get it right and many companies do each and every day.

Should you need any guidance on writing either one or perhaps just an honest chat on digital marketing for your business. Reach our for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk through digital marketing, from effective digital channels to strategy and plans so you keep ahead of your competitors and gain market share!

Google Analytics 4, or GA4, is the fourth major release of Google Analytics since it was first released in November 2005. Google Analytics was born from the purchase of Urchin, a web statistics program, and has evolved 3 times since to become the most popular web analytics tool in the world. Check out how it evolved below:


Today, Google Analytics 3, or GA3, is installed on more than 30 million websites and holds a market share of over 82%.

There is no doubt that it has become a huge success commercially, but a lot has happened over the past 10 years – and it hasn’t all been good news.

Read on to learn more about the latest version – GA4 – why it has been released now and what it means for your business.

Including, how to migrate over from GA3 with a Universal Analytics Property.

Google Analytics 4 is a privacy-focused analytics suite to meet the needs of a changing world.

GA4 will not only become the default form of Google Analytics but it will also become their only analytics offering from July 1st 2023.

As a result of this change everybody – businesses and individuals – currently using GA3 will need to switch over to GA4.

It will not happen automatically.

This means it will be a disruptive change which will lead to business impact. In this case the impact will be a sudden loss of your web analytics tracking new hits.

Therefore, preparing for this change well ahead of time is vital to ensure you remain in control of your website monitoring and smooth sailing continues.

In this article, we are going to answer all the most important questions about GA4 so you are fully clued up about what’s coming and why. These include:

1. Why Did Google Analytics Change Now?

2. Universal Analytics (GA3) vs GA4

3. Is GA4 Cookieless?

4. How Do I Migrate To GA4?
   
   

1. Why Did Google Analytics Change Now?

Because really, Google kinda had to.

Google first announced GA4 in 2019, this release had been planned for almost 4 years so it was due. Google wanted to build better and improve upon GA3, much like they had with it’s predecessor GA2.

Their intention was to more accurately measure the performance of marketing strategies and drive business growth by showcasing the audience’s behavior in more helpful ways.

GA4 was released in October 2022 and, in many ways, re-invents web analytics as we know it. A major factor in the timing of GA4’s release, was in the recent implementation of privacy laws.

Such as:

• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe
• The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States
• The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) in the United Kingdom.

Google Analytics is heavily used in these regions, more than anywhere else in the world, so this greatly influenced why Google Analytics needed to change.

Strict new data protection laws meant an update was needed.

Google Analytics 3 did not adhere to any of them in its default setup form and as a result of this, it was ruled against in Europe. The Austrian, French, Italian and Dutch data protection authorities (DPA) ruled that the use of a default setup of Google Analytics violates GDPR.

Although the reasons for this ruling are complex, it all comes down to the where Google Analytics 3 stores the data and how it handles cookies, specifically third-party cookies. They ruled that GA3 does not go far enough to sufficiently protect personal data. 

Germany was particularly concerned with Google Analytics 3, but didn’t go so far as to ban it even though there was speculation that they might. Instead they placed the responsibility on website owners to handle visitors cookies responsibly. So far though, no fines have been issued.

France has also taken it’s own approach to further reinforce it’s stance on Google Analytics by ordering a number of websites to remove it completely in 2022.

But it isn’t just about privacy laws, industry giants are weighing in too.

Apple have not publicly commented on Google Analytics and the privacy laws aspect. But they have announced during the roll out of iOS14 that they see the world as a cookieless one, as reported by Forbes.

Apple have also rolled out an update to Safari which disables Google Analytics from tracking users completely.

As a result of all this change in consumer data protection, it was time for Google to release a new version that addressed all the legal concerns whilst reassuring users that they were taking their privacy seriously.

Their solution was Google Analytics 4 or GA4 and they used this opportunity to re-invent how visitors are tracked whilst improving the service offering. We’ll delve deeper into how they did this below.

2. Universal Analytics (GA3) vs GA4

There are a vast number of differences between GA3 and GA4.

As you can see on the comparison above, they are completely different beasts. For starters, GA4 uses a measurement model based on events and parameters. Whereas GA3 uses measurements based on sessions and pageviews. 

This is a major difference in the way GA4 tracks a user. Universal Analytics collects data at the property level with a tracking ID, whereas GA4 collects data at the stream level via a unique data stream ID. In plain language, this means it’s smart. Really smart.

Every activity taken by a user will be counted as an ‘event’ in GA4 and heavily leans on machine learning and statistical modeling to ‘fill in the gaps’ whilst providing additional capabilities at the same time. 

What GA4 means for your business, is that you will end up with much more detail on how users are engaging with your website. Especially over a period of time as GA4 does not stop tracking when a session ends anymore. By using a unique stream ID, GA4 knows it’s the same person when they come and go from your website.

GA4 is really intelligent and will provide your business far more clarity and certainty than GA3 ever did.

Let’s compare GA3 vs GA4 with the key takeaways

The Dashboard – At first glance, the differences between GA3 and Google Analytics 4 seem enormous as the reporting interfaces are completely different. This is due to many of the reports and metrics you’re familiar with being either replaced or removed. When you first login to GA4, you may also notice considerably fewer reports than with GA3. But not to worry, they will begin to generate once you start tracking events.

Sessions – In GA3, a session is a combination of page views, events and transactions (amongst others) taken by one visitor within a given timeframe. You can think of a session as a container for all the actions a visitor performs while on your website. By comparison, Google Analytics 4 sessions aren’t limited by time at all. Since it doesn’t create new sessions for source changes mid-session, your session count will likely be much lower. But your average session time will likely increase. Also, the average pages per session is no longer measured at all in GA4.

Bounce Rate & Engagement Rate – Google Analytics 4 does not measure bounce rate at all. Instead, you’ll find yourself using a new metric – the engagement rate. Rather than just looking at visitors who don’t move to another page on your website, engagement rate also considers the time spent on the landing page. This difference makes engagement rate and bounce rate incomparable. Google Analytics 4 offers a range of engagement metrics including ‘engaged sessions’, ‘engagement rate’ and ‘engaged sessions per user’ too which helps provide a more well-rounded perspective on user movement on your website.

Mobile App Tracking – Mobile app owners, GA4 is a welcome relief for you. You no longer have to measure your apps separately from your websites! With Google Analytics 4, you can accurately track cross-platform data between your website and mobile app. That’s a massive headache avoided, simplifies your tracking efforts and it’s money in the bank too.

Data Retention – The data GA4 stores will expire, at most, after only 14 months. This will be a problem for some organisations who like to retain data over many years. In GA3, you could choose your data retention timeframe: 14 months, 26 months, 38 months, 50 months and ‘do not automatically expire’ which is code for never. But with Google Analytics 4, you only have two options: 2 months and 14 months. While year on year comparisons will still be possible, accessing your historical data will no longer be possible so it’s really important that you export all your reports from GA3 so you can continue to compare in the years ahead. We recommend you do this sooner rather than later.

3. Is GA4 Cookieless?

Yes and no. There were rumours that GA4 would be entirely cookieless at launch but this has proven to be false. GA4 still uses cookies by default but it can be setup to avoid them entirely. Should you need this setup please do reach out to us as we can do it for you. But just know, you will lose some functionality.

Google Analytics 4 only uses what are called ‘first-party’ cookies and not ‘third-party’ cookies.

Not all cookies are created equal and so the issue about cookies isn’t really about whether websites use them or not per se. Such as, to remember the contents of your shopping cart for example. But rather a concern of when websites track you across multiple websites.

Over time, they can learn a lot about you and piece together your personal data. That is where the privacy concerns lie. When cookies track visitors across multiple domains, they are called ‘third-party’ cookies. Third-party cookies are where most people have concerns, and rightly so.

Third-party cookies are often used for things like re-marketing campaigns and spamming. Remember getting an email almost immediately after visiting a website? This was probably because your email address was revealed from the third-party cookies.

Although GA4 cannot solve this problem on it’s own, they are only one piece of the puzzle afterall, it will help to greatly reduce this happening as an 82% market share has a huge influence.

4. How Do I Migrate to GA4?

The migration for many of us from GA2 (Classic Analytics) to GA3 (Universal Analytics) was relatively painless 10 years ago.

But the migration from GA3 to GA4 isn’t quite as simple. It all depends on how many things like Goals and Events you currently use as they will need to be recreated.

To make things easier, we would recommend that you migrate using 6 key phases. These are:

Phase 1. Create GA4 property
Phase 2. Audit your GA3
Phase 3. Migrate items to GA4
Phase 4. Test Test and more Testing
Phase 5. Switch from GA3 to GA4
Phase 6. Archive GA3 data

We will write a separate article on how to migrate from GA3 to GA4 using the 6 phases above. It will guide you through step-by-step how to perform the migration. So, in the mean time, start making a note of your Goals and Events etc.  And although we naturally cannot cover every organisations need, it will satisfy most small businesses who use Google Analytics 3. So stay tuned for this!

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we are excited by the release of Google Analytics 4. This is without a doubt, a big step in the right direction. Google are going a long way to address consumer privacy concerns. Whilst adhering to the ever changing world of privacy laws. They also include some exciting new capabilities to provide you with more insight. But there is still a long way to go which is why we offer our own Analytics suite.

AnaTrix Web Analytics Suite offers full privacy protection and much more, whilst being 100% cookieless with the added benefit of you owning all the data 100%. But if you wish to stick with Google Analytics, we will help you get the most from it. So reach our for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk through migrating your GA3 account to GA4 with all the bells and whistles added from the start!

If you are confused by all the different web development frameworks and unsure which one to choose for your next project, you are not alone. There are literally dozens of options out there. Some of the biggest names though are Angular, CodeIgniter and CakePHP.

Each one has their fair share of advantages and disadvantages in web development. But we are going to put those three to one side for a moment and get straight to the ‘juicy bits’ by revealing another option which rules them all. So without further ado, meet the Laravel Framework – this is the ‘knight in shining armour’ your project has been waiting for. Read on to learn why!

The Laravel framework is open-source, easy to get started and super efficient.

So what exactly is Laravel? Laravel, is a web app development framework. It is not a CMS or eCommerce platform – they are built to serve a specific purpose. Laravel is more of an all-rounder.

Sure, you can use it to develop a CMS or eCommerce platform – and OctoberCMS is one – but it can do so much more than that.

From creating an elaborate website for the media giant Warner Bros. Entertainment, to developing sophisticated web-based invoicing systems at InvoiceNinja to building the global eLearning platform Alison – all 3 of these behemoths, are Laravel powered.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Laravel.

So where did it all start and why? The Laravel framework was created by Taylor Otwell in 2011, an American programmer, with the sole intention of helping website developers make complex coding simpler and faster.

Up until that point it was messy to say the least. Laravel is based upon Symfony components, but it alleviates some of the commonly executed tasks like routing, authentication, sessions and caching (amongst others) so that developers can focus on building the actual features of the app.

Simply put, this mean less time spent on the boring parts and more time spent on the fun parts people will actually see and interact with! Who wouldn’t love that.

So, now you know the history and a brief overview of what Laravel can achieve. Let’s delve into the exciting details with the Top 5 reasons why you should choose Laravel for your next web development project.

1. Laravel is Easy to Learn

2. Laravel is Open Source

3. Laravel Supports MVC Architecture

4. World Class Security is Standard for Laravel

5. Laravel has a Growing Community

1. Laravel is Easy to Learn

The first reason why developers enjoy using Laravel is because it’s extremely easy to learn the basics. Even if you’ve only dabbled in website development and familiar with the basics of PHP, you can easily develop a 5 page website in only a few hours with Laravel.

All you need is a text editor & PHP installation to get you started. It really couldn’t be easier, which is why 1000’s of developers are learning it every day.

Imagine how quickly a skilled Laravel Developer could create a complex web app or even a CMS to rival WordPress – think days rather than weeks.

But that’s not even the best part, it’s the fact it is highly secure and very fast right from the beginning. When compared to WordPress, expect the exact same website on the same web server to perform up to 40% faster – it really is that much more efficient. 

2. Laravel is Open Source

Laravel is 100% free, with no financial commitment at all. It follows WordPress in this regard and it’s proven to be a winning choice.

As of 2022 there are over 800,000 live Laravel websites, a number that has doubled since 2021 and forecasted to double yet again next year.

You can develop large and complex web applications with the only cost being the developer themselves – that’s a win for any organisation!

3. Laravel Supports MVC Architecture

It is a native MVC based PHP framework. So what does this mean exactly? It basically guarantees a tight separation between presentation layers and business logic.

MVC stands for Model, View, and Controller. It’s a design pattern that separates the model (logic, data handling), view (UI), and controller processes (interface).

By being based on MVC, the Laravel framework provides many features like high performance, increased security, and scalability in one go. This is a big deal and the main reason why Laravel is so fast and secure, all the other web frameworks that do not embrace MVC fall short in this regard.

4. World Class Security is Standard for Laravel

The Laravel framework offers a plethora of high-level security technologies built-in. Although there is no single framework that is 100% protected from online threats, Laravel goes a long way to satisfy even the most risk averse web developer or client.

The framework’s unique tools, such as CSRF tokens, look after the security of the project by checking each and every request.

Similarly, a hacker would be hard pushed to perform any SQL injection, cross-site request forgery, or cross-site scripting on a Laravel powered website. It has gained a reputation the world over for being the ‘gold standard’ for web security.

5. Laravel has a Growing Community

Laravel has a large community of highly skilled developers. They continuously provide support to make it more flexible and scalable.

If you are looking to develop a web app with complex functionalities, a lot of documentation is at your disposal free of charge and a person is never far away for help should you need one on laravel.io.

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we strive to pair our clients with the right platform for their specific use case. Laravel has a lot to offer just about any organisation based in any industry. But the real takeaway is the speed you can achieve it. What this means for business is a faster turnaround on projects which are beautifully coded and work really efficiently – that is money saved, pure and simple. So if this matters to you, reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll discuss implementing the Laravel Framework with your business.

First of all, what is a web server? In plain language, a web server is a computer that stores, processes, and delivers website files to web browsers.

Web servers consist of hardware and software that use Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to respond to web users’ requests made through the internet. Through this process, web servers load and deliver the requested webpage – such as Google – to your web browser. 

There are many different types of web server software. But the most common is Apache.


Apache runs 39% of the top one million websites in the world. Followed closely by NGINX (pronounced Engine X) with 32%, in third is CloudFlare Server holding 14%, fourth is Microsoft IIS at 8% then we have close behind at 6.5% – Litespeed.

It’s that last one, but by no means least, we’ll be focusing on in this article. Why we believe it won’t be long until it takes the top spot and why this should matter to you. Spoiler, you have a a lot to gain from Litespeed and we’ll show you why! So read on…

Litespeed Web Server is highly efficient, this means websites load faster.

Litespeed Web Server, abbreviated as LSWS, is almost a newcomer to the web server ‘scene’ having been founded in 2003. Over the last 19 years, LSWS has gained a vast, perhaps even cult-like, following among web hosting companies due to its efficiency.

With its streamlined ‘event-driven’ architecture, web hosting companies running LSWS could, in theory, double the maximum capacity of the websites on their servers if they switched from Apache.


Imagine if you are a web hosting company with 40 servers running Apache and each server could host 400 websites. The maximum number of websites you could host, theoretically, is 16,000.

But then you hear about this technology called Litespeed Web Server that could double your hosting capacity to 32,000 websites – just by installing it…

Wouldn’t you be tempted?

Litespeed Web Server is the fastest growing web server technology on the planet.

The web hosts certainly were and that’s why LSWS has authorised hosting providers on all 4 corners of the globe. It’s been a monumental success story.

Now that you know what a web server is, a few of the alternatives (NGINX etc) and know what Litespeed Web Server can achieve for the hosting business. Let’s focus on how it can benefit you, a website owner.

Those web hosting companies didn’t just choose Litespeed technology purely for the capacity benefits. They chose it for the performance advantages the technology offers too.

And let’s be honest, everyone loves a fast website so it’s an easy sell.

Litespeed vs Apache vs NGINX – it’s a show down.

Intro’s complete, it’s time we provide you with some examples of just how much faster Litespeed web server is when used with the most common CMS and web frameworks.

So let’s find out by answering the questions:

1. How much faster is Litespeed with WordPress?

2. How much faster is Litespeed with Joomla?

3. How much faster is Litespeed with Drupal?

4. How much faster is Litespeed with Magento?

5. How much faster is Litespeed with Prestashop?

To keep things as fair as possible, all platforms use recommended caching technology where possible and the performance comparisons will be based on Requests per Second, or RPS. Using the RPS metric for this comparison is sensible because it’s a key performance indicator that accurately measures the throughput of a system. This is why it is commonly chosen to measure the performance of web servers – throughput is everything.

1. How much faster is Litespeed with WordPress?

In order to use Litespeed with WordPress, a plugin is required. It’s called LSCache and is available free of charge from the WordPress plugin directory. It takes some time to configure and isn’t as fast to get up and running as say, WPRocket. But once it’s ready to go – it can’t be beaten.

Here is a direct comparison of the same WordPress website running on all three web server technology:


No contest was it? Even though NGINX shares a similar architecture to Litespeed (both are event-driven) and therefore has much more in-common with Litespeed than Apache. Litespeed still blew it away by up to 12x. Apache was left in the dust, it just can’t compete and was beaten by up to 84x.

What this confirms is, if you are running a WordPress website on an Apache web server in 2022, you need to switch to Litespeed.

This doesn’t even factor in the performance gains from upgrading to HTTP/3 QUIC – Litespeed web server was the first to embrace this new technology and the comparison was only for HTTP/2 to create a more even playing field.

Big names such as Cure, Katy Perry and The White House all use WordPress powered websites – Yes, the President of the United States uses WordPress to convey White House news.

2. How much faster is Litespeed with Joomla?

In order to use Litespeed with Joomla, a plugin is required. It’s available free of charge for Joomla 3 and Joomla 4 directly from the Litespeed website. The implementation is much the same as for WordPress – it takes time. But once its ready to go, nothing else compares.

Once again we see huge gains in requests per second. Litespeed simply dominates by handling up to 428x more requests per second than NGINX. Apache once again, is left behind.

What’s clear is if you are running Joomla, migrating to Litespeed is well worth your time.

In case you were wondering, Brands such as Roger Federer. Pro Beauty Medical Group and How Am I Going? all use Joomla powered websites. 

3. How much faster is Litespeed with Drupal?

In order to use Litespeed with Drupal, a plugin is required. It’s available free of charge for Drupal 8 and Drupal 9 directly from Github. Installation is much the same as for WordPress and Joomla, it does take time to configure and optimise. But once it’s complete – nothing beats it.


In this comparison, things changed slightly. Varnish was used as the server caching technology of choice for both NGINX and Apache. But even then, they don’t come close.

Litespeed can handle up to 6x more requests than NGINX with Drupal 8.

Interestingly, Apache isn’t quite so far behind with Drupal than it is with Joomla. This is most likely due to the lower latency and synchronous design of Apache performing better with the two architectures communicating more efficiently. That being said, Litespeed is still able to handle up to 14x more requests than Apache.

In case you were wondering, Brands such as Tesla, UNICEF and Nokia all use Drupal powered websites.

4. How much faster is Litespeed with Magento?

In order to use Litespeed with Magento, a plugin is required. It’s called LiteMage and it is available for Magento 1 and Magento 2 directly from Litespeed. Unfortunately it is not free and costs $2500USD per year – not exactly a bargain. But this does include support, updates and some installation advice.

Migrating your Magento website to Litespeed is definitely worthwhile though, costs aside. Up to 3x more requests can be handled than on NGINX and if you’re running a multi-million dollar online store – which many Magento powered websites are – what is $2500usd to them really? Peanuts.

In case you’re curious, the Brands Liverpool FC, Landrover & Nespresso are all powered by Magento.

6. How much faster is Litespeed with Prestashop?

In order to use Litespeed with Prestashop, a plugin is required. It’s called the LSCache Module and it’s available free of charge for Prestashop 1.6 & 1.7 directly from Litespeed. Installation is faster and easier than on some other website platforms but the performance gains are staggering once all is said and done.  

Migrating your Prestashop website to Litespeed is a no brainer…

Expect your website to handle upwards of 1500x more requests than NGINX and 600x more requests than Apache.

Interestingly, Prestashop actually performs faster on Apache than NGINX, more than double too, it’s the only website platform tested that does.

This could be down to the way dynamic content performs similarly on these two platforms with a slight lean towards Apache. Then there’s the latency factor, Apache with it’s synchronous design has lower latency. Either way though, once again Litespeed is your champion.

In case you were wondering, Brands such as Samsung, Theme Forest & El Pais are all powered by Prestashop.

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we encourage all our clients to choose web servers that are powered by Litespeed Technology. It’s clear from the test results above, your website will load faster if you do. All of the major website platforms experience an increase in performance with the increase varying anywhere between 3x and 1500x in requests per second. These are staggering gains and remember, a faster website is a more succesful website.

One webhost we highly recommend partnering with is HostArmada. They offer Litespeed web hosting packages on Cloud SSD servers at affordable prices with data centres located all around the globe – so they are well worth checking out!

But that aside, there are other website platforms that can benefit from Litespeed technology too. Laravel, OpenCart and PHP scripts can all work with, and benefit from, Litespeed Web Server. If you would like to implement Litespeed on your website, reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk you through it.

HTTP security headers are a fundamental part of website security and should be of top priority to everyone who publishes anything on the internet. Once the headers have been implemented, they protect your website from the most common types of attack.

These attacks are: XSS, code injection and click-jacking attacks (amongst others).

The sad truth is, security headers are often overlooked in website audits and it’s a big oversight. They involve the security of your site visitors and your customers… how would you feel if the situation were reversed?

The fallout could be really damaging to your Brand in the event of a hack, especially if it were deemed easily preventable with an HTTP Security Header. But the good news is, security headers are relatively simple to configure and will provide another layer of protection to help keep your website, and its visitors, safe.

Read on to learn what HTTP Security Headers are and how to apply the securty headers to your website.

HTTP Security Headers make your website safer for everyone.

We encourage you to check your website free of charge right now by visiting Security Headers. They will grade your website from A+ to F. Prepare yourself, you might be in for a shock. 

This is a fast way of gauging how skilled your website developer is and how secure your web server and website platform is all at the same time. Your website should not score lower than a B these days, if it does it means your website is exposed to threats.

Why not type in your web developer or marketing agencies domain name and see how security conscious they are? For reference, here is our score:

How To Implement HTTP Security Headers

There are multiple ways to implement http security headers, and one popular way is with an .htaccess file. The benefit of using the .htaccess file in this case is because it saves a web developer from adding another plugin or line of code to the website.

It’s always best to avoid the plugin option. Poorly coded plugins can become a security risk in themselves, so minimising the number of installed plugins is always a wise approach. This is especially true in the case of WordPress.

But by using the .htaccess file method, it also avoids you adding lines of code to your website files which might be ‘reset’ in the event of an update. Hard code edits always carry this risk.

To find the .htaccess file. Simply login to your web hosting and open the file manager (you can also use FTP), and you’ll fine the .htaccess file present in your root folder in most cases.

The process of adding the security headers to the .htaccess file is really quite straightforward, it’s just adding lines of text after-all, but choosing the right security headers and then developing them specifically for your website – is what takes the time.

What do HTTP Security Headers look like?

For reference, here are the headers from our website. Granted, just an extract, but enough to see what they look like ‘in action’. 

Any modern web browser can reveal these ‘Response Headers’ by simply inspecting the page code and viewing the network information.

Take a look at another website, see what they show in the response headers section compared to ours. It’s probably a lot less information than this:

So, now you’ve seen your website’ grade, seen where the headers live and know how to add them using the .htaccess file method. It’s time to discover exactly what they are.

Here are five HTTP security headers that you should consider implementing on your website ASAP. There are many more security headers, but these cover the basics at least.

Please note, each one needs to be tailoured especially to your website and should not be copy and pasted from our examples. We encourage you to reach out to your website developer for them to be safely implemented – or just ask us.

1. HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)

2. Content Security Policy (CSP)

3. X-Content-Type-Options

4. X-Frame-Options

5. Permissions-Policy

1. HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)

The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) header tells the web browser that the entire website should only be accessed by a secure HTTPS protocol. Most websites only implement a 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS which simply isn’t secure enough.

It’s very easy to intercept it with what’s called a ‘man in the middle’ attack. HSTS totally prevents this and forces HTTPS every time and for every session. This ensures the connection cannot be established through an insecure HTTP connection which could be susceptible to attacks.

All modern web browsers support HTTP strict transport security except for Internet Explorer and some lesser browsers so this is highly effective and widely compatible.

Here is an example of what the header looks like. You can include the max age, subdomains, and preload:

• Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload
  
  
  

2. Content Security Policy (CSP)

A Content Security Policy (CSP) helps prevent attacks such as Cross Site Scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks. It achieves this by defining content sources that are ‘approved’ and by doing so, allowing the browser to load them.

All modern browsers currently offer full or partial support for content security policy and it won’t impact the delivery of the content if it’s loaded on an older web browser, it will simply not execute it.

There are many directives that you can use with Content-Security-Policy. The example below allows scripts from both the current domain which is defined by ‘self’ as well as AnaTrix the VIEWFULE Analytics Suite:

• Content-Security-Policy: script-src ‘self’ https://analytics.viewfule.com
  
  
  

3. X-Content-Type-Options

The X-Content-Type-Options header prevent the web browser from ‘sniffing’ a response away from the declared Content-Type. This helps reduce the danger of drive-by downloads and helps serve the content the way you intended.

Sniffing allows the browser to figure out what the element is (an image, text, etc) and then render that element. Hackers however will try to trick the web browser into thinking that a harmful JavaScript file is actually an image (for example), allowing the browser to download the file and then subsequently execute that file.

This is bad news for a site visitor, as it can lead to a ‘drive by download attack’. This is when there is an unintentional download of malicious code to your computer or mobile device that leaves you open to a cyber-attack.

Here is an example of what the header looks like with a simple directive to avoid sniffing:

• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
  
  
  

4. X-Frame-Options

The X-Frame-Options security header helps stop click-jacking attacks. Click jacking is when a site visitor is tricked into clicking on a link or button (amongst others) which doesn’t do what they believed it would.

This hack can be used, for example, to steal login credentials or to get the user’s permission, completely without their knowledge, to install a piece of malware. Thankfully this problem is very easy to address with this security header and is compatible with all web browsers since Internet Explorer 8.

Here is an example of what the header looks like with a simple directive to use the same origin:

• X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
  
  
  

5. Permissions-Policy

Permissions Policy is a new header, formerly known as the Features Policy. It allows a website to control which features and APIs can be used in the browser. This is achieved by communicating whether or not features such as the Webcam, Speakers or USB access will be required as a part of the website experience (amongst others).

By clearly defining these on the header, you are able to broadcast your intentions and be far more transparent with your site visitors.

Here is an example of what the header looks like with a simple directive to avoid using the Camera, Speaker or USB ports:

• Permissions-Policy: camera=(); speaker=(); usb=();

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we take our clients website security seriously. HTTP Security headers are one tool we use to achieve this and when combined with a Premium SSL Certificate – it shows confidence and skill that you know how to keep your website secure for visitors and customers alike.

Implementing HTTP security headers is specific to each website and impacts whether they use an online shop or make use of external sources. The web server that’s used also matters and varies depending on whether you’re using Apache, NGINX or Litespeed. So reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk through implementing these security headers, specific to your use case, on your website.

WordPress is a Content Management System or CMS. It was never intended to become a website building tool or eCommerce platform, it was purely created for blogging. However, since it was released in 2003 its popularity has soared.

From it’s humble beginnings as a fork of Cafelog, WordPress now powers over 43% of all known websites on the planet. It’s a force to be reckoned with, no other CMS comes close to rival it. Read on to learn more about WordPress and why this CMS dominates the world!

WordPress offers control, developmental speed and value that few CMS can rival.

Here are our Top 5 reasons why you should consider powering your website with WordPress:

1. WordPress is 100% Free

2. WordPress is SEO Friendly

3. Customisable & Flexible Web Framework

4. WordPress is Highly Scalable

5. WordPress Community Support

1. WordPress is 100% Free

WordPress is open source software (OSS), this means the original source code is made freely available. This is a game changer, there are very few platforms that can be installed and used 100% for free without ever requiring a financial commitment.

WordPress is one of them and has been for almost 20 years now. Thankfully there are no plans to change this anytime soon either.

For clarity sake, it is worth mentioning that web hosting providers that offer ‘Managed WordPress’ solutions, or the like, do charge. However that is because they are a host and have their operating costs to consider, these costs are not associated with WordPress itself.

As a result of making the source code freely available, there are millions of developers who have seen opportunities to create Themes and Plugins for it. Some are Free, others offer them for a fee.

As of 2022, there are over 60,000 free plugins and over 9,000 free themes in the official WordPress Plugin Directory so you won’t be short of options or design inspiration that’s for sure!

By including these service ‘add-ons’, you are able to create a fully functional website, online store, booking engine or even a membership site – all on WordPress. For a start-up or small business, this could save thousands in upfront and ongoing costs.

Leaving the only costs to consider being any chargeable Themes or Plugins required plus the costs of the Domain name(s), Web-hosting package and the skills of a Web Designer and Web Developer to help realise your vision. 

2. WordPress is SEO Friendly

A WordPress powered website can be on the front page of Google, it is 100% search engine friendly. You don’t need expensive website builders to get you on page 1 of Google or Bing. No matter what their fancy pants marketing says. WordPress can do it too and for a fraction of the time and cost.

We’ll cover SEO in more detail over the course of a series of separate articles (such as this one) but just know – WordPress has you covered.

With only free plugins, you can assign each page and post on your website a unique meta tag, meta title, meta keyword, and meta description. In addition to generating a sitemap that self-manages. This makes it a highly SEO friendly platform.

Granted, these capabilities can be expanded upon and become more powerful with some chargeable plugins. But, the free ones do a good enough job in most cases. This all matters because it allows for more precise optimisation and better ranking in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

One plugin that can help achieve this with a lot less hassle is Yoast SEO – we would highly recommend it, the paid premium upgrade is often worth it too.

3. Customisable & Flexible Web Framework

When it comes to customisability and flexibility, WordPress is legendary. Your imagination really is the only limitation with WordPress. From beautiful animation driven websites to lush image-heavy responsive designs, WordPress delivers.

One of the major reasons why WordPress is loved the world over, by businesses and developers alike, is because it can be tailoured to meet just about any design requirement. And quite amazingly, it can achieve it fast too.

This is all thanks to using what are called ‘page builders’. The two most popular page builders on WordPress right now are Elementor and WPBakery. They will help to create a unique website that will resonate well with your target audience in a matter of days. If you need any help or inspiration with them – YouTube is your friend thanks to their excellent support base. 

Some of the most successful organisations in the world, from The New York Times, to MTV News and The Walt Disney Company – all use WordPress powered websites.

The framework is so flexible, modern and responsive that websites can be created very quickly and be easy to maintain too. Instead of days – think hours. This results in a website that is both cheaper to operate and faster to rectify if, and when, things go south.

Customisability really is King when it comes to websites. Platforms such as Wix and Squarespace have a long way to go in this regard with their highly restrictive and, sometimes, frustrating user interfaces (UI).

This translates into a longer development time, higher costs and limited capabilities. With the ongoing monthly costs to consider too, they suddenly become very expensive options when compared to WordPress.

This is probably the reason why Wix and Squarespace only power, at most, 6% of all known websites apiece. A far cry from the 43%+ that WordPress powers.

4. WordPress is Highly Scalable

With the right infrastructure, services and resources, WordPress is highly scalable. It can serve tens of thousands of logged-in users simultaneously and serve millions of page views each and every month without skipping a beat.

WordPress has the ability to process page requests immediately and can deliver lightning fast results to search queries too. As a result, WordPress is a highly scalable platform that can support almost any growing business – even multi-million dollar corporations like the ones listed above.

Two of the most powerful features of WordPress are its enterprise integration and multi-site capabilities. It has the ability, with little to no coding, to integrate with a wide variety of disparate enterprise level platforms. Including CRM systems such as Salesforce, custom data synchronisation, eCommerce stores and single sign-on systems.

Multi-site is a type of WordPress installation that allows you to create, and manage, multiple websites from one single WordPress dashboard.

This capability makes website management a breeze, making changes and updates all from just one place results in less complication and easier maintenance when you’re running lots of websites.

5. WordPress Community Support

When more than 455 million websites use the same platform, help is never too far away. There are literally tens of millions of articles and do-it-yourself guides on Google and YouTube showing you how to do things with WordPress. It’s an incredible support base and nothing else comes close.

Sourcing a developer isn’t a chore either, there are millions of them that are ready to help resolve your issue – from design to integration and everything in between. An expert is quick to find with only a Google Search these days and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Remember, no platform is perfect and WordPress is no exception. Problems happen and they often derive from updates. It’s just a matter of when, not if, things go wrong with any website platform. So it’s really important you have support on-hand when you need it and you’ll never be far away from a WordPress specialist.

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we often start our customers on WordPress. Given its a completely free, open source solution that is also a highly SEO friendly platform – we hope you understand why. But in some cases platforms such as Joomla or the Laravel framework are required, amongst others. These are custom solutions to meet the needs of custom problems. So reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll talk through your challenges to get you on the right platform that meets your use case and budget.

A Content Delivery Network, or CDN, refers to a globally distributed group of servers that work collaboratively to help make your website more reliable and load faster.

The great thing is, they are affordable to suit every budget and available from many different companies each with their own fair share of advantages.

The popularity of CDNs continues to grow, and with good reason. They do their job really well and today the majority of web traffic is served through CDNs, including popular websites such as Amazon, Facebook and Netflix. If you’re keen to join them and make your website super fast too – then read on!

Choose a CDN to make your website Faster and more Reliable.

Here are our Top 5 reasons to partner with a CDN for your website:

1. Faster Performance with a CDN

2. Synergistic Benefits of a CDN

3. Reliability & Redundancy with a CDN

4. CDNs offer Flexible Pricing

5. Easily Integrate a CDN to your Website

1. Faster Performance with a CDN

A CDN helps by delivering web content between your web server and your visitors’ location. Once the content of your website passes through them for the first time, the CDNs servers keep a copy of the static content (CSS, Images and JavaScript files etc) and then deliver it to every visitor.

This approach allows them to access the content much faster than if they went directly to your web server first. With servers located in almost every major city on the planet, you can rest assured your visitors won’t be far from one.

The secret to making this technology work is caching. There are many different types of caching technology employed these days from Browser based to HTTP caching as well as server-side caching technologies (we’ll explore these more on a separate article).

But a CDN is different by introducing an extra layer to make things even faster. And by faster, we mean it. A WordPress website can expect to see speed increases anywhere between 50-80% when served through a CDN. Who wouldn’t want a speed boost like that?

2. Synergistic Benefits of a CDN

The simple fact of the matter is web-servers, in the traditional sense, struggle to keep up with demand. With so many requests to handle, it can be challenging for a shared web server to respond in a timely fashion.

It doesn’t help that there’s no globally enforced standard to adhere to either, no rule book states a web server ‘must respond in x milliseconds‘ for example. This directly impacts your website loading speed.

One thing a CDN does really well is reduce the TTFB or ‘Time-to-First-Byte’. A slow TTFB means your web page has taken a long time (potentially several seconds) just to establish a connection with your web server and receive an initial response. Keep in mind that your visitors are likely seeing a blank white page while all of this is happening – doesn’t make a very good first impression does it?

A CDN greatly reduces this as it already has ‘oven ready’ content ready to serve. Wave good bye to those blank white pages!

A CDN can reduce up to 65% of the load from your web server and distribute it more evenly across many of their regional servers. This results in less bandwidth and resources being used. If you are on a web hosting package that’s very restrictive, with limited resources for example, this really matters and could be the difference between you needing to upgrade or change hosts entirely – that’s one big headache avoided.

3. Reliability & Redundancy with a CDN

Because CDNs have such large networks, they provide excellent redundancy. We have all experienced our website going down at one time or another. Incredibly frustrating wasn’t it?

It can be particularly embarrassing when a customer is the one that notices first. A CDN can help solve this problem.

But granted, it does depend on what plan you are on. Some CDNs offer excellent down time protection by caching much if not all of your website, while others offer bare minimum protection. So it’s important you do your research and compare the providers and plans.

It is true that by adding an extra step in the process, or ‘cog in the machine’ if you will, you are technically reducing your reliability. However, there is something important to consider. More servers spread around the globe are much more reliable than just one web server handling everything in one location. So a CDN actually is more reliable when all said and done.

4. CDNs offer Flexible Pricing

Pricing can vary considerably with CDN providers so shop around. There are free plans available with most CDN’s, however, we recommend avoiding them. They will provide you with bare minimum improvements to speed or redundancy which begs the question – what’s the point?

If you’re going to the time, effort and expense to implement a CDN you need a plan that delivers and we know of no free options that do.

Prices generally start from $10 per month but can increase quickly. The reason for this is either size of the network, for example they open more global servers to you on higher paid tiers. Or due to bandwidth, whereby some CDN’s implement traffic control mechanisms or bandwidth limitations.

Take a look at your last year of bandwidth use, your current web host can help you find this if need so reach out to them. You then have a ballpark figure of what your bandwidth use was, what the projected use is, and can then choose a suitable CDN plan around those numbers.

There are some extras we definitely recommend looking for in a provider.

For example, permitting the upload of custom SSL certificates is a positive, this improves your security posture. Custom rules help tailor the CDN for your use case and thus improve compatibility. DDOS Protection and security rules really help to protect your website from hackers and illegal crawlers.

Detailed analytics which can be exported in a variety of formats is really useful for reporting. Lastly, more servers around the globe which expands the network reach is definitely a plus, this directly improves website performance. Now you might not sell globally but that’s not the point, if they have servers located all around the world this provides you with even more redundancy – the more the better.

5. Easily Integrate a CDN to your Website

Integrating a CDN into your website is a process, but it’s not a difficult one. If you are unsure you can always reach out to a web developer for help, but if in doubt – YouTube is your friend. The first question you need to answer is – how is my website hosted?

If it’s a cloud based solution such as with WordPress.com or even with Wix, it might already be on a CDN. Check with your provider, and whilst your doing so ask if they offer different tiered plans. Remember, avoid free CDN’s.

If your website is on a traditional web hosting platform or on a VPS/Dedicated server, the process is a little more complex. You will need to update your Domain’s DNS records, specifically the Name Servers. For the sake of full disclosure, it is possible to achieve it via a CNAME record but we recommend against this approach – simply put, it just doesn’t work reliably from our experience so stick with the Name Server method and you’re good to go.

Once the DNS records are updated and the CDN is fully configured (typically within 24 hours), you will be up and running and the best part is you achieved it with little to no downtime. Now is the moment to sit back, pat yourself on the back and realise you just made a great decision for the future of your website. And when your customers start commenting on how much faster your website is – you have yourself to thank.

Your next steps.

So, which CDN’s do we recommend? A good place to start is with RocketCDN, BunnyCDN or QUIC Cloud. They are all particularly good if you’re on WordPress as they include plugins that take away all the hassle by setting everything up for you. In addition to being super fast with servers all around the globe. However, they also work on other platforms too such as Joomla, Drupal, Magento and Laravel.

With flexible integration, top notch speed, globally distributed servers and pricing plans offering great value – we highly recommend them all. At VIEWFULE, we migrate customers to content delivery networks regularly. So reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll be glad to help!

It really pays to do the research on a domain name. This is your opportunity to showcase your Brand in the digital space, you only have one chance to build trust with a visitor – so make it count.

The right domain name will be a wise investment but it can be hard to change once your website and email is all setup. So make sure you’re thinking ahead by choosing a domain that aligns with your long term vision and will long out live any current trends.  

Choose a Domain that’s original, easy to type and makes you look professional.

Here are our Top 5 tips + 2 extra! to help you decide on your domain name, embrace these and we’re confident you’ll save time and money in the long run:

1. Perform Domain Name Competitor Research

2. Think Unique & On Brand

3. Dot COM Domain Names are King

4. Register Multiple Domain Names

5. Choose a Short Domain Name

6. Make Sure Your Domain is Easy to Pronounce & Spell

7. Try a Domain Name Generator for Ideas

1. Perform Domain Name Competitor Research

Take a close look at your top 5 competitors, make sure they aren’t using anything similar to your idea. The last thing you want is a potential customer to confuse you with them so make sure it’s totally different.

There is however another reason to be wary – copyright infringement.

In New Zealand we have strong copyright and trademarking laws (which is a good thing) but when it comes to your new domain if it looks similar to another established Brand, you could be in trouble.

Take your time, thoroughly check on IPONZ and on the major search engines such as Google and Bing for anything similar within New Zealand. Then confirm if your choice is available on a Domain Registrar such as Freeparking.

Freeparking is a New Zealand owned and operated business with great service and highly competitive pricing so when the time comes that you make a decision – they are well worth partnering with.  

2. Think Unique & On Brand

Your Domain name forms a part of your Brand, the very identity of your business online. So it’s really important it’s unique and stands out. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and create something totally different but don’t draw too much inspiration from current trends. What’s popular right now, is unlikely to be next year.

One of the most important things to avoid when choosing a domain name is adjectives.

These are words that change the meaning of a noun and as a result they are used in many every day phrases and sentences – in other words, really common.

Adjectives such as Clever, Long, Helpful and Beautiful etc provide zero value to your domain so we highly recommend you steer clear. 

The last thing you want is your domain name to be lost in a massive list of 50 million search results so being unique is intimately tied to SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation. It is going to be much, much harder (and more expensive) to rank you highly in search results if your domain name is similar to lots of others – so be mindful of this.

3. Dot COM Domain Names are King

Dot COM ‘.com’ Domain names are still #1. They are perceived to be highly credible and trustworthy. They also have no association with one specific country and have become a general Top Level Domain, or TLD, for the world. Over 50% of all registered domains globally, are dot coms.

Dot com domains are also shorter and easier to type than others whilst having broad appeal too. If the ‘.com’ is available to buy, consider choosing it and assigning as your primary domain.

There are some exceptions to this advice however.

One of them involves small businesses in New Zealand who only sell or market their products (or services) to a local domestic market. If you are one of these businesses (or non-profits), you should consider registering the ‘.nz’ as your primary domain and registering the ‘.co.nz’ as your secondary. It makes it easier for your domestic audience to find you and the first place they are likely to look in New Zealand is on a ‘.nz’.

The ‘.kiwi’ domain names are a recent addition, however, we advise against registering just a ‘.kiwi’ domain on its own. They are still new and haven’t caught on in any major way just yet. As a result, there is very little analytical data available on how they perform versus a ‘.com’ or a ‘.nz’.

If you think one will provide value and help protect your Brand too, register it in addition to the others and forward it to your primary ‘.nz’ or ‘.com’ domain name.    

4. Register Multiple Domain Names

You can always buy more than one domain name. There are no rules or limits of how many domains you can buy, and in fact, it can be a powerful way to protect your Brand.

Domains can be forwarded to one another so you don’t need two or more websites, this is known as implementing a 301 redirect which is easy to do for any skilled website developer. This way one website can receive web traffic from multiple domains at once and there will be no confusion over competitors.

5. Choose a Short Domain Name

Keep it short, really short. Think about it, if you are trying to type in a long domain name on your laptop or mobile phone how long is it before you get bored and give up? Or worse yet, mistype it and get frustrated.

We’ve all been there, some domain names are just plain awful to type so avoid falling into this trap too.

It’s really important that typing your domain name is as easy as possible for your visitors so length is everything. If you’re unsure, ask a friend or family member to type it on a message to you – was it frustrating for them?

If your registered business name is a long one, shorten it or better yet use acronyms. There is no rule book that states you must have a Domain name as closely named to your business as possible – so create your own rules.  

6. Make Sure Your Domain is Easy to Pronounce & Spell

Hyphens/Dashes and Numerals more often than not, confuse people. They are hard to explain and easy to forget too. Thankfully businesses are moving away from using these so we definitely recommend avoiding special characters where possible.

The only exception to this rule are any characters used in Te Reo Māori (or other languages) as they are well ranked and widely used in New Zealand.

At the end of the day, your aim is for your target audience to remember your Domain.

So avoid anything they might misunderstand or mistype. Best case scenario, they ask again if they forget. Worst case scenario, they become frustrated and buy from your competitor. The risk just isn’t worth it so keep it simple, one word if possible, and you’re on to a winner.

7. Try a Domain Name Generator for Ideas

The chances are you have considered a list of potential domain names by now. You may have even thought of the perfect domain. However, sometimes your number one choice domain name might not be available.

Frustrating sure, but no need to panic. You can always get creative and gain some inspiration another way!

Why not try a Domain Name Generator like the one from Alpha Domain Search. Give it a try and see if it comes up with some fresh ideas? 

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we would love to save you time and the frustration with choosing a domain name. It isn’t easy to get it right, and many hours have been wittled away by people trying to choose one – you aren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last. To remind, when it comes to registering we highly recommend you consider Freeparking. They are New Zealand owned and operated with highly competitive pricing so when the time comes that you make a decision – they are well worth partnering with. Either way, remember to reach out for your FREE consultation and we’ll be glad to help!

Two really important things you need to decide for your website before you even think about the website itself are the Domain and the Web-hosting.

Both are essential services in order for your website to work. But here’s the thing, they are not provided equally… not even close.

There are thousands of hosting companies out there, all around the world, but the prices will vary greatly and so does the service offering (what you actually get for your hard-earned money!).

In this article, we’re going to help you ‘see through the marketing’ to help decide which web hosting provider, and package, is most suitable for you.

Shortlist at least 3 web hosting companies and perform detailed comparisons.

The best advice we can give right off the bat is to choose based on your needs tomorrow, not today. Choose a package that’s flexible and offers more storage, bandwidth or even more domain names than you have a need for right now.

Anything can change in a month, never mind a year, so it pays to think ahead and not be restricted right from the start. It’ll cost you more to change later so gain some breathing room right from the beginning.

For most people, the ideal web hosting provider will deliver in five key ways:

1. Technical Support

2. Affordable Hosting Packages

3. Service Uptime Guarantees

4. Server Location & Performance Technology

5. Freebies Included

1. Technical Support

We highly recommend you choose a web host that provides technical support by Phone, Email and Live Chat. Having all three options available provides you with peace of mind so you have help available to you in the form that’s easiest for you when the need arises.

It’s all well and good when a web hosting provider markets ‘support emails are replied to within 1 hour’ but if your eCommerce Website is totally down, you could be losing hundreds if not thousands of dollars in sales per hour, you need immediate help and nothing beats talking on the phone or chatting with them via live chat.

If the web host is based in the same country as you, reaching them for support is obviously going to be easier. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be available when you need them or even available on the package you bought.

Support availability is often tied to how much you pay for the package and if you bought a cheap one, expect limited support in return. It always pays to do the research and what’s clear in 2022 for companies based in New Zealand; is that web hosting providers located in Australia, Asia and the west coast of the U.S are often available immediately when you need them due to the favourable time zones.

2. Affordable Hosting Packages

Going off-shore is still the most cost-effective option for web hosting in 2022. Whether it’s a shared web hosting service, dedicated server or a cloud based solution. Choosing an on-shore web host within New Zealand can be as much as 30% more expensive for the same service offering.

For most people, this negates any benefit especially once it’s all setup and working and that initial on boarding support is no longer required. There is nothing wrong with looking off-shore, just make sure you ask the questions and read the fine print prior to buying. You will not be protected under New Zealand law if you request your money-back.

Consider pre-paying yearly or longer. Paying monthly, especially when you intend to keep the package for a few years is unwise. Hosts often provide discounts or incentives to encourage you to pre-pay for longer periods. See if the Annual, Biannual or even Triennial prices result in a good saving.

Avoid getting caught up in the marketing jargon. The word ‘Unlimited’ is being used a lot these days and it’s misleading to say the least. ‘Unlimited Bandwidth’, ‘Unlimited Storage’ etc… you’ll see these terms advertised prominently and with good reason. Simply put, they work!

These hosting companies realised long ago that advertising any caps or restrictions deter shoppers so what did they do? Just re-worded them, they didn’t really change anything on the service side of things. Therefore, the old saying ‘if it seems too good to be true it probably is’ applies here.

Nothing in the world of web-hosting is truly unlimited. Fair use policies apply in the vast majority of cases and in the rest it will be based on ‘access per second restrictions’. Such as transmitting anything more than 10MB per second results in you reaching a cap, for example. Make sure you ask them about these hidden caps and restrictions, some can be reluctant to reveal them and if that’s the case for you – our advice is to walk away.

3. Service Uptime Guarantees

Look for packages with a guaranteed up time of 99.9% or above. An up time guarantee of the ‘three nines’ or 99.9%, is currently considered to be the industry standard for web hosting services and it translates to less than 0.1% of downtime in any given month.

This equates to less than 45 minutes, roughly per month, that your website is inaccessible. Anything longer than that could lead to impact and your business being percieved as unprofessional. Is it worth the risk? 

Money-Back Guarantees are common place these days in web hosting but ‘caveat emptor’, they are not created equal.

Some companies offer very generous 90-Day Money Back Guarantees with minimal conditions. Others only 30-Days with lots of conditions applied. Always ask about your guarantees prior to ordering so if the time comes you do need to cancel, you know exactly what will happen when you do.

If a provider is offering a free Domain name with a purchase you need to ask if you’ll lose this but often they can be negotiated and retained for a small amount. Remember to check the fine print as not every provider offers a money-back guarantee but as a general rule of thumb, if they are willing to offer a strong refund policy – they are confident in their service quality.

4. Server Location & Performance Technology

Geography matters in web-hosting and directly impacts performance. Think about it, if you have to travel all the way to New York to receive data and then travel all the back to Wellington it’s going to take time and this results in your website loading slower. Especially when compared to travelling between Auckland and Wellington, for example.

But it’s important to know there are a few quick and easy ways to mitigate this and one is to ensure you are using the latest version of PHP. As of writing, PHP 8.1 is the latest and greatest.

When compared to PHP 7.4, which is still the most common version, it’s as much as 40% faster and can handle more than 50% more requests. This is a huge improvement and absolutely worth your time, so if you’re website is running php 7.4 it’s time to perform that compatibility assessment and update.

Compression is another easy win and relies upon the web server and web browser supporting it. Thankfully, most do these days but they might not be using the latest one.

Brotli compression is incredibly efficient at compressing your website down for the journey between the web server and the visitor and once it arrives it decompresses the content quickly and serves it. This is totally seamless and all happens behind the scenes.

Gzip used to be the way to do this, but Brotli is the new king. In some cases the overall front-end decompression is up to 64% faster than gzip so ensure your web server is using this.

Content Delivery Networks, or CDNs, have really helped improve website loading speeds as they are a distributed network of servers located in almost every major city. They are often called ‘nodes’, they store small amounts of data on your website such as structure and images.

When a visitor loads your website, they are directed through the node that’s closest to them and it shares what data it has. Depending on how much you pay the CDN, it can share a lot of data, perhaps even most of your websites content.

Ether way, this all helps reduce the amount of data traveling over long distances from the visitor to the web server which ultimately results in a faster loading experience for your visitor. CDN’s are a topic of themselves and we covered them in more detail in a separate article which you can find here.

The fastest web-servers in 2022 are often powered by Litespeed technology. It’s an alternative to the legacy Apache servers (which we no longer recommend) and NGINX servers which have long been considered the fastest. Litespeed cache technology is very fast and they partner with a CDN called QUIC Cloud. When these two technologies are combined, your website can load up to 67% faster than NGINX so it’s well worth asking your next web-host if they use Litespeed technology on their web servers.

5. Freebies Included

Who doesn’t love something for free?? But free doesn’t necessarily mean worthless. Especially when it could involve a free Domain Name, Free Email Accounts, Premium SSL Certificates and Dedicated IP Addresses.

We encourage all our clients to use Premium SSL Certificates, the simple reason for this is security and the guarantees they can provide. It is extremely unlikely you will be hacked if your website uses 256-bit Encryption and is protected by a GlobalSign approved SSL Certificate.

Some SSL Certificates even come with money-back guarantees to help with the recovery costs if the worst does happen. Wouldn’t you feel more at ease if you had access to $10,000 or more to help with the associated recovery costs? Premium SSL Certificates can offer you this peace of mind and in some cases could be worth their weight in gold, so consider them carefully. Try to avoid the free ‘Let’s Encrypt’ SSL Certificates, they only provide the bare minimum level of protection and are not designed for high traffic eCommerce Websites.

Another thing that really helps with security, but more so with spam protection, is having a Dedicated IP Address.

More often than not when you a buy a web-hosting package you will be put on a server with 50 or more others. These are called ‘Shared web-hosting’ services and are the most common form of web-hosting available.

The problem with this approach is that all it takes is just one of them to be flagged as a spammer and you all could be impacted because you share the same IP Address. Ask yourself this question, is the risk worth it? Do you want your business to be flagged as a potential Spam source?

We don’t believe the risk is worth it and recommend our clients choose Dedicated IP’s to avoid it. This provides them reassurance that the decisions made by others won’t impact them.

Your next steps.

At VIEWFULE, we would love to help you decide on your Web hosting package. We highly recommend HostArmada for web hosting, they offer super fast Litespeed technology on Cloud SSD servers for affordable prices with a strong money-back gurantee so why not include them in your comparisons. Either way, we would be more than happy to provide you tailoured guidance on finding the right hosting package for you. So why not reach out for your FREE consultation?