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Author: leest

Why People Upgrade from Wix to WordPress: The Advantages of Using a WordPress Website

Posted on by leest

Wix is a popular website builder that allows people to create websites quickly and easily. However, many people find that as their needs grow, Wix no longer meets their needs, and they upgrade to WordPress. In this article, we will explore the advantages of using a WordPress website compared to Wix.

  1. Customizability

One of the main advantages of using a WordPress website is the level of customizability it offers. WordPress allows you to customize your website in almost any way imaginable. With WordPress, you can choose from thousands of free and paid themes to change the look and feel of your website. You can also install plugins to add new features and functionality to your website. This level of customization is not possible with Wix, which has limited design and functionality options.

  1. Flexibility

WordPress is an open-source platform, which means that anyone can modify and extend its code to create new features and functionality. This allows WordPress to be incredibly flexible and adaptable to the needs of individual users. Wix, on the other hand, is a closed system, which means that users are limited to the features and functionality that Wix provides.

  1. SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for any website, as it helps to improve its visibility and ranking on search engines like Google. WordPress is known for its SEO-friendly features, such as clean code, responsive design, and easy customization of meta tags and keywords. Wix, on the other hand, is known to have some SEO limitations due to its closed system and limited customization options.

  1. Ownership

With WordPress, you own your website and its content. You are in control of your website and can move it to a different hosting provider if you wish. With Wix, you do not own your website or its content, and you cannot move it to a different hosting provider. This lack of ownership can be a concern for businesses and individuals who want complete control over their website.

  1. Scalability

WordPress is highly scalable and can handle large amounts of traffic and content. As your website grows, you can easily add new pages, blog posts, and media without any limitations. Wix, on the other hand, has limitations on the amount of content and traffic that can be handled on its platform. This can become a problem for businesses and individuals who want to grow their website over time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Wix is a great platform for creating simple websites quickly and easily, it may not be the best choice for individuals and businesses with more complex needs. WordPress offers a higher level of customizability, flexibility, SEO-friendliness, ownership, and scalability, making it a better choice for many people who want a website that can grow and adapt over time. If you are considering upgrading from Wix to WordPress, we highly recommend it.

The Pitfalls of Purchasing Email Marketing Lists

Posted on by leest

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to connect with their customers and promote their products and services. However, building an email list can be a daunting task, and many businesses are tempted to take a shortcut by purchasing email marketing lists. While this may seem like a quick and easy solution, it can actually be detrimental to your marketing efforts. In this article, we will explore the pitfalls of purchasing email marketing lists and why it is a bad idea for your business.

  1. Low-Quality Leads One of the biggest problems with purchasing email marketing lists is the quality of the leads. These lists are often sold by unscrupulous companies that collect email addresses from a variety of sources, including purchased lists, scraped websites, and public directories. As a result, the leads on these lists may not be relevant to your business or interested in your products or services. This can lead to a high rate of unsubscribes, spam complaints, and low engagement rates.

  2. Risk of Spam Complaints When you purchase an email list, you are essentially sending unsolicited emails to people who have not given you permission to contact them. This is a violation of anti-spam laws and can result in serious consequences for your business, including fines and legal action. Additionally, recipients of unsolicited emails are more likely to mark them as spam, which can damage your sender reputation and hurt your deliverability rates.

  3. Poor Engagement Rates Email marketing is all about engagement. You want your emails to be opened, read, and acted upon by your subscribers. However, when you purchase an email marketing list, you are starting with a group of people who have no relationship with your business. As a result, your engagement rates are likely to be much lower than if you had built your list organically. This can negatively impact your email marketing metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

  4. Negative Brand Image When you send unsolicited emails to people who have not opted-in to your list, you are essentially spamming them. This can damage your brand image and reputation, as it can make your business appear unprofessional and untrustworthy. Additionally, recipients may share their negative experiences with others, which can harm your business’s word-of-mouth marketing efforts.

  5. Wasted Resources Purchasing an email marketing list can be a costly investment, especially if you are purchasing a large list. However, if the leads on that list are low-quality or uninterested in your products or services, you are essentially wasting your resources. Not only will your engagement rates be low, but you will also be spending money on email marketing software, design, and content creation without seeing a return on your investment.

In conclusion, purchasing email marketing lists is a bad idea for businesses looking to grow their email marketing efforts. Not only are these lists often low-quality and uninterested in your products or services, but they can also lead to spam complaints, low engagement rates, and a negative brand image. Instead, businesses should focus on building their email lists organically through opt-in forms, lead magnets, and other effective tactics. While it may take more time and effort, the results will be worth it in the long run.

Why Email Marketing Is Still Alive and Kicking?

Posted on by leest

Email marketing has been around for a long time, and some people may think that it’s no longer effective in the age of social media. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing channels, with a proven track record of delivering high ROI and driving conversions.

In this blog post, we’ll explore why email marketing is still alive and kicking, and why it should be an essential part of your marketing strategy.

Personalization: One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is its ability to personalize your message to each individual recipient. This means you can segment your audience based on their interests, behavior, or demographics and send targeted messages that are more likely to convert.

Cost-effective: Email marketing is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience. Compared to other marketing channels, it’s relatively inexpensive, and you can send thousands of emails for just a few pounds.

High ROI: Email marketing has a high ROI, which means that for every pound you spend, you can expect to see a return on investment. In fact, email marketing has an ROI of 3800%, making it one of the most effective marketing channels available.

Measurable: Email marketing is easy to measure and track. You can see how many people opened your email, clicked on links, and made purchases. This data can help you refine your strategy and improve your results over time.

Permission-based: Email marketing is permission-based, which means that people who receive your emails have opted in and are interested in hearing from you. This makes it easier to build a relationship with your audience and drive conversions.

Mobile-friendly: With the rise of mobile devices, it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-friendly marketing strategy. Email marketing is easy to optimize for mobile devices, ensuring that your message is seen by as many people as possible.

Automation: Email marketing can be automated, which means you can set up campaigns that run on autopilot. This frees up time and resources, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business.

In conclusion, email marketing is still alive and kicking, and it should be an essential part of your marketing strategy. By personalizing your message, keeping costs low, and measuring your results, you can create effective campaigns that drive conversions and build relationships with your audience. With the right tools and techniques, email marketing can help your business grow and thrive in today’s competitive digital landscape.

The Future of Web Design: Emerging Technologies to Watch in 2023 and Beyond

Posted on by leest

Web design has come a long way since the early days of the internet. With the rise of new technologies and innovations, the possibilities for web design are endless. In this article, we’ll explore the future of web design and the emerging technologies that designers and developers should keep an eye on in 2023 and beyond.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing the way we live and work, and it’s also changing the way we design websites. AI can be used to create personalized user experiences based on individual user data, such as browsing history and location. AI can also be used to analyse user behaviour and make real-time adjustments to improve the user experience.

 

In the future, we can expect to see more AI-powered web design tools that can automate tasks such as layout design, content creation, and even website optimization. AI can also help designers and developers to identify potential issues before they become problems, such as accessibility issues or page speed problems.

 

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are already making waves in the gaming and entertainment industries, but they also have the potential to transform web design. VR and AR can be used to create immersive experiences for users, such as virtual product demos or interactive storytelling.

 

In the future, we can expect to see more websites that incorporate VR and AR technology to create engaging and interactive experiences for users. We may also see the emergence of new web design tools that make it easier for designers and developers to create VR and AR experiences.

 

Voice User Interface (VUI)

Voice user interface (VUI) technology is already changing the way we interact with our devices, and it’s also changing the way we interact with websites. VUI technology can be used to create hands-free user experiences that are more intuitive and natural for users.

 

In the future, we can expect to see more websites that incorporate VUI technology to create voice-activated interfaces for users. We may also see the emergence of new web design tools that make it easier for designers and developers to create VUI interfaces.

 

Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive web apps (PWA) are web applications that provide a native app-like experience to users, including the ability to work offline, receive push notifications, and more. PWAs are already gaining popularity as an alternative to native apps, and they’re also changing the way we think about web design.

 

In the future, we can expect to see more websites that are designed as PWAs, providing users with a seamless app-like experience. We may also see the emergence of new web design tools that make it easier for designers and developers to create PWAs.

 

Chatbots

Chatbots are AI-powered bots that can interact with users through a chat interface. Chatbots are already being used by businesses to provide customer support and automate tasks such as scheduling appointments. In web design, chatbots can be used to create more personalized user experiences and provide users with instant assistance.

 

In the future, we can expect to see more websites that incorporate chatbots to provide users with a more interactive and personalized experience. We may also see the emergence of new web design tools that make it easier for designers and developers to create chatbot interfaces.

 

Conclusion

 

The future of web design is bright, with new technologies and innovations emerging all the time. As designers and developers, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in order to create websites that are engaging, innovative, and user-friendly. By keeping an eye on the emerging technologies we’ve discussed in this article, designers

Revolutionizing Blog Writing with AI-Powered Content Creation Tools

Posted on by leest

Introduction:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been advancing at a rapid pace in recent years and has shown great potential in various fields. One area where AI is making a significant impact is content creation, particularly in blog writing. With the help of AI-powered tools, it is now possible to create high-quality blog posts that are informative, engaging, and SEO-friendly. In this article, we will explore how AI can be used to write blog posts and its potential benefits.

Body:

  1. How AI works in blog writing:

AI-powered content creation tools use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze and understand human language. These tools can generate content based on the data they have been trained on, including sentence structures, grammar rules, and common phrases. The algorithms can then use this knowledge to generate unique content that is engaging and informative.

  1. Benefits of AI in blog writing:

There are several benefits of using AI in blog writing, including:

  • Time-saving: AI-powered tools can generate content quickly, which can save a significant amount of time for bloggers and content creators.

  • Improved efficiency: Since AI-powered tools can generate content on their own, content creators can focus on other important tasks such as promotion and marketing.

  • SEO-friendly content: AI-powered tools can analyze keywords and phrases to ensure that the content is optimized for search engines.

  • Consistency: AI-powered tools can produce consistent content, ensuring that blog posts follow a similar tone and style.

  1. Types of AI-powered content creation tools:

There are different types of AI-powered content creation tools available in the market, each with its unique features and capabilities. Here are some of the most popular tools:

  • Article Forge: This tool uses AI algorithms to generate high-quality articles in just a few minutes.

  • QuillBot: This tool uses NLP to paraphrase and reword sentences to create unique content.

  • GPT-3: This is an advanced AI language model that can generate content in a natural, conversational style.

  1. Challenges of using AI in blog writing:

While AI-powered content creation tools have many benefits, there are also some challenges to consider. For instance, some AI-generated content may lack the human touch that readers are looking for. Additionally, AI tools may not be able to capture the writer’s voice or style, which can make the content feel impersonal.

  1. The future of AI in blog writing:

As AI technology continues to advance, we can expect more sophisticated AI-powered content creation tools to emerge. These tools may be able to capture the writer’s tone and style more accurately, leading to more personalized content. Additionally, AI-powered tools may be able to generate even more creative and engaging content, making them a valuable asset for content creators.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, AI-powered tools are revolutionizing the way we create blog posts. By using these tools, content creators can save time, improve efficiency, and generate SEO-friendly content. While there are some challenges to consider, the benefits of using AI in blog writing outweigh the drawbacks. As AI technology continues to advance, we can expect more sophisticated AI-powered content creation tools to emerge, leading to even more creative and engaging content.

Author: ChatGPT Link to website: https://openai.com/ Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company or organization

We Do Hosting

Posted on by leest

For years we have provided hosting for our clients through third party hosting providers, whether that is shared hosting, VPS or dedicated servers.  We have always searched for the best deals, not only based on price but location of data centres, support and so on.

Over the years we have formed relationships with some good companies and been let down through support with others.   We have faced sudden price increases and faced companies who simply want to charge you for every little update or change you request to a server. Some companies have removed the ability to simply pick up a phone and call them unless you pay for a premium support service and worst of all, we have quite often found that when something goes wrong, you are simply isolated, no one answers support tickets, or sends updates.  instead, you get customers worrying because their website has suddenly gone down, they are not receiving emails and so on and nobody knows why, how long it will be before the site is back up and running, or even what the issue is.  It’s very rare but it does happen. 

We also found that by having our clients websites on different servers and with different hosting companies we couldn’t manage them as well as we wanted.  We couldn’t simply make changes to a server or make tweaks without having to raise a non-urgent support ticket that can take hours to get answered or actioned.  And so, we decided it was time that we provided the hosting. 

We have been running our own servers, for our own projects for years and so we felt it was about time to offer that service to our customers, to provide a better and more secure environment for their websites and to be able to provide a level of service that doesn’t include the need for us to raise support tickets.

As of February 13th, we will be launching 1711hosting.co.uk.  where we will provide a range of hosting plans from simple shared hosting to VPS, dedicated servers, and cloud hosting, we will also be offering renewable energy hosting for those businesses who are committed to Climate change. 

Companies will be able to constantly monitor the status of their hosting from our off-site monitoring platform hosted at amilive.co.uk.  This platform will provide a real time status update on all of our services and will be updated every two minutes automatically.

So, if you are thinking about getting new hosting, starting a project or thinking about going green, then why not visit our web hosting page for more information, prices and a list of the services that we provide.

Building Your First Website

Posted on by leest

We know that starting a business can be expensive and building your first website can be daunting if you have never done it before or if technology isn’t your thing.   There are also so many options, from free web builders, cheap hosting and choosing a web designer which  can all make building your first website a nerve wracking experience.   And then of course there is the cost, how much should you pay for your website?

I founded this company on a bad experience in 2000, when I spoke to a company about building me my very first website.  We had a brief chat about what type of website I wanted, and openly I shared the name of the company.  They asked me if I had a domain and I said no not yet and they asked for the name to just check to see if it was available for me.  The next day I received a follow up email, explaining that my domain name was available and that they had just purchased it.  If I wanted them to build the website for me the domain name was free, and if I didn’t and simply wanted to buy the domain name it would coast me £12,000.

As you can imagine, I as so angry, I felt like I had been manipulated and coned in to giving them the information they wanted, not to help me, but to try and strong arm me in to paying for a development that expensive and way more than what my budget was.

So I decided to take a different approach, I done some research, spoke to a friend, and bough my very first web hosting with Easy Space, I renamed my business and bought a new domain name and armed with Microsoft front  page I built my very first website.   In building my first website, I fell in love with coding, and soon I was building websites for fun, for friends and just learning and growing my skills one language at a time until finally it become my fulltime career.

I know how difficult and daunting it can be when you are looking to start something new, I know that there are plenty of companies and people, even today who will try to do anything  good and bad to win your business and I also know that there will be companies who try to oversell you things that you don’t need. 

We wont do that, we are happy to discuss your project with you, we will answer your questions and we will give you advice, and if you want us to we will even give you a quote for the work.  And that’s where it ends.  We will not email and phone you and push you to make a decision.  We understand that there are so many different options that you need to make the best decision for yourself, without sales people calling you and trying to get you to commit to work.  Instead we will give you advice, answer your questions and hope that we provide you with enough information for you to make the right decisions, and if that decision is for us to work with you, then great but if you feel that other options, fit your need and requirements more than ours, then we wish you all the best.  The reality is we might not be the company you need today, but we hope that we will make a great first impression, that maybe sometime in the future, we maybe the company you need.

So if you have an idea, want to just discover if an idea is possible, how much it is likely to cost and how you would even get started, then why not visit our contact us page and drop us a message and we will give you a call and answer your questions with absolutely no obligations.

 

How Secure Is Your Website?

Posted on by leest

Over 43% of all websites on the internet are made from WordPress, making it the leading platform for building a website.  Whether you want a static website, a shop, a blog or a news site WordPress, has it all covered.

But with popularity comes problems. The importance of keeping on top of updates and security patches is something that can never be overlooked.  The number of times we log in to a WordPress website to make some changes or to update the design, for a customer only to find that nearly all of their plugins and even their version of WordPress is out of date. 

A quick conversation and you soon learn that they have never been informed that they need to either run automatic updates, or keep these plugins updated to maintain the security and integrity of their website. 

As a demonstration to a client, we recently installed a number of security plugins on to their WordPress website, and they were shocked by how many times a day, login attempts are made to login to their admin area.  Now this isn’t done by some hacker sat in a dark room, trying username and password one after another until they get in.  Instead, its code, sent out across the internet to look for WordPress websites.  Once they are found, the hackers try to take advantage of vulnerabilities in outdated WordPress versions or plugins. 

Time after time we have been asked to regain access to a hacked WordPress website, and to remove malicious code that has been embedded on the website to send out spam emails, add advertisements and a whole host of other things hackers do when they get access to your site. 

Quite often, you won’t even know your site has been hacked until suddenly your emails bounce back and you get an email from your hosting company saying they have noticed unusually high activity or even complaints that your Ip address and domain are sending out malicious emails.

In most cases we can regain access to websites but with a framework of several thousand pages, finding the malicious code can be impossible and so the best and safest option is to take the website down. Sometimes the Server company will simply do that as soon as they feel your website is compromised and it will stay offline until you have removed the malicious code and  the vulnerabilities.

If your website is just an information website, which simply shares information about your company, then it is simply a case of recovering and securing the domain and getting the website back up and running securely.  But what if your website is a shop? The consequences of being hacked is unthinkable.

If you own a WordPress website, it is important that you keep on top of your security.  Invest in some security plugins, or use the free versions, install an automatic updater for your WordPress plugins and even ensure to keep on top of your comments.  Login to your admin area every morning, check your updates, and comments, it takes ten minutes a day to keep your website, customers and visitors safe.

Below are a couple of links to both paid and free security plugins, that will help you keep your website safe,

We understand that not everybody has the time, or experience in keeping their website and business protected online.  Which is why we offer our clients a WordPress website management service. 

For just £49.99 per month.  We will manage your websites security, allowing you to concetrate on your business whilst we keep it safe and protected online.  If you are interested in this service then please visit our WordPress  Security  webpage for more information.

Why Don’t You Go Green?

Posted on by leest

The environment and climate change have been big topics in recent years and quite rightly so, ensuring that we take care of the planet for future generations is our responsibility, but how much do we know or even understand about how we are damaging the environment.

Car manufacturers are working hard to improve Electric and hybrid cars and to move away from the Internal Combustion Engine, in the coming years.   The aviation industry is working on developing and building more efficient and environmentally friendly jet engines whilst more and more companies and manufacturers are implementing zero carbon policies by offsetting their carbon foot print.

But what about the internet? It is estimated that the World Wide Web is as bad for the environment as is the aviation industry.  Today the internet is responsible for 2% of the co2 emissions of the planet. 

Sending emails, surfing the internet, and even storing data all play a part in polluting the environment.  Sending an email with a 1mb attachment is 19grams of CO2, which doesn’t seem very much at all, until you look at the bigger picture.  It is estimated in one hour more than 12 billion emails are sent out across the globe, which represents more than 4,000 tons of oil.

Keeping us online, means the constant use of data centres, which are energy intensive and need to be constantly cooled, through air conditioning to ensure that their servers do not over heat, catch fire and cause websites, apps and other services and systems to crash and disappear off line.  Just storing emails, means that we need to use more space in these data centres, meaning more servers, more air conditioning and so on.  But this is just the beginning, because the volume of the data we store doubles every two years and so the internet is a growing problem for our environment. 

Lets Do Our Bit For The Enviroment

1711 Digital Media Services, now provide green hosting, where our data centres are power by renewable energy.  Additionally we limit the size of email mailboxes and no longer provide unlimited email accounts where people can store thousands of emails, simply because its easier than deleting them.  We also provide a green web design service where we build a more streamlined website that uses less images and fewer pages to reduce a companies footprint on the internet, but without losing the amount of information that can be shared or providing a poorer user experience.

If you are a company who is concerned about the environment and want to reduce your internet footprint and do your bit for the environment then why not get in touch and see how we can help you achieve this

First Impressions

Posted on by leest

First Impressions count, this is what we are told, when we go for a job interview, or represent ourselves or a company.   We only get one opportunity to make a first impression.  The first impression you give to somebody says a lot about you, who you are, your professionalism and how you conduct yourself or your business.  That first impression will tell others what they can expect from you or the company you are representing.

To many companies, fail to understand that in a lot of cases the first impression your customers will have of your business will mostly come from your website.  So what  your website says, how it looks and how it functions tells a visitor what they can expect from your business.

Would you send a badly dressed salesperson, who is under informed to a business opportunity or to a meeting?  Yet so many companies make the effort to have a website and then simply fail to put the effort in to the content or the information they wish to share with their visitors.

We have lost count the times a company has asked us to copy the content or to write the content for them from scratch, even when it is in an industry that we don’t understand. 

A business goes to the effort to employ a company to build a website, they invest in a domain name and hosting and the cost of the development and simply think asking somebody else to write their content si the best way to promote their business.  Of course we can write content, writing isn’t something everybody likes to do. but we need some where to star we need to understand your business and to work closely with the company to ensure that we convey the right message or the correct information, having us or any design agency simply do the work for you with no input, is simply a disaster.

The reality is, if you get your message wrong, if you don’t engage with your visitors correctly, then they will simply leave your website without ever making contact or interacting and engaging with your content. 

The words, images and message you place on your website, is more important than most people ever imagine.  At the end of the day nobody understands your business, your drive, ambition and goals, better than you, so instead of brushing it to one side, instead of thinking that its not important, do yourself a favour, if you are thinking of owning a website or you already do, look at the content on your website, what does it say about your business, your company and you, what is the first impression you give to your visitors.

What our customers say

Carly Newman
Marketing Manager
Lee was great to work with – he achieved the end result that we wanted and was very open to revisions and solving problems. He kept us informed and updated at every stage of development and provided useful advice for how to move forward with the site post-delivery. The ongoing support we’ve received has also been brilliant.
Gary Shadwell
Director
Lee and his team made everything easy. As a relative 'technophobe', it was all very straight forward and nothing was too much trouble. They had some extra ideas that they helped me with and using their expertese I couldn't be happier with my new website. It has brought in so much more trade. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lee and the team to anyone looking for a new/updated website. Fast, efficient and hugely cost effective.

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About Us

1711 Digital Media Services Limited is a Web Design Agency based in Esssex.

London

  • 22 Wenlock Road,
    London,
    N1 7GU
  • +44 0203 925 5468
  • info@1711.co.uk

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Company Number: 15368115    Registered Office: 3 Bewick Court, Besemmer Close, Basilon SS16 5GF