Monthly ArchivesApril 2022

When you have an online business, most advice on the internet tells you to adopt a pull marketing strategy, and for good reason.

Most digital marketing tactics involve some form of inbound marketing strategy. But in this competitive ecommerce landscape, businesses will benefit more from adopting a mix of marketing strategies.

In this article, we’ll answer the following questions:

Push vs. Pull Marketing

Two of the most common promotional strategies companies use are push marketing and pull marketing. Every business needs a mix of both strategies, depending on its goals.

If you’re looking to drive sales or sell out existing items, you need to learn what is a pull promotion strategy and what is a push strategy.

A push promotional strategy (also known as an outbound marketing strategy) is recommended. If you want to build a long-term customer base, a pull promotional strategy (or inbound marketing strategy) is key.

Push Marketing — An Outbound Marketing Strategy

Push marketing is an outbound marketing strategy adopted by early marketers. The term “push” comes from the idea that marketers “push” products to customers.

Push strategies usually involve traditional advertising methods and sales tactics, such as:

• Cold calling
• Direct selling to distributors and retailers via showrooms and trade shows
• Setting point of sale displays

Push marketing is also characterized by the use of disruptive advertising and mass-media channels, such as TV, radio, and billboard advertising.

If you have a new business and want to raise brand awareness or sell out a product to the market, adopting a push marketing strategy is recommended. The downside is that it can be costly.

Pull Marketing – An Inbound Marketing Strategy

Pull marketing attracts customers to your brand. It’s called an inbound marketing strategy because its goal is to “pull” customers to you, or come into your sales funnel.

It’s important to figure out what is a pull promotion strategy because pull marketing is especially popular and effective in internet marketing, where content is created for a target audience.

These potential customers do a quick search when they are interested or in need of products and services.

Ultimately, the customer decides which content is right for them, and researches the product on their own time.

Modern pull marketing methods use different marketing channels to make the product or service visible to prospects. An inbound marketing strategy is the best method to cultivate brand loyalty and customer engagement.

Some common pull marketing examples include:

• Brand websites
• Digital marketing
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Content marketing
• Social media marketing

Knowing When To Apply Push and Pull Marketing

It’s generally believed that with an outbound and inbound marketing strategy is that outbound marketing is for big businesses with budgets for mass media advertisements. On the other hand, some people believe inbound marketing is only for niche products.

This isn’t the case.

Push and pull marketing tactics are not exclusively confined to their general use. Businesses need a mix of both push and pull marketing strategies — hence the term multi-channel marketing.

For instance, a startup ecommerce company with a niche product should know what is a pull promotion strategy, as it can make use of pull marketing by targeting customers looking for a specific product.

The company can then also leverage push marketing to raise awareness for its brand.

While pull marketing is recommended for companies that want to generate demand for a product, it can also be used by popular brands whose products are already sought after.

For instance, Apple is currently using a push marketing strategy by “pushing” or improving its other product lines, such as the Mac. But it also has a pull marketing strategy in place by focusing on branding.

You can also apply pull marketing principles to a known “push” strategy, and vice versa. For example, social media marketing is a pull marketing technique, but when used in terms of social ads, can be considered push marketing as well.

Another example of a push marketing tactic that can be done using pull marketing principles is coupon marketing.

Leveraging Pull Marketing on a Push Marketing Strategy: Coupon Marketing

When you learn what is a pull promotion strategy, consider coupon marketing.

Coupon marketing is one of the oldest techniques businesses use to entice customers. By offering deals, businesses pique customers’ interest to buy.

Coupon marketing has been used in traditional formats, but can now also be used on ecommerce shops by running an online campaign.

Benefits of Coupon Marketing

• Can be tailored to meet goals: Send your customer a coupon in exchange for taking action such as leaving a product review.
• Build your prospects list: Ask your customers to subscribe to a mailing list in exchange for a discount and use the data for future campaigns.
• Get rid of slow-moving items: Offer a big enough discount just to break even on items that aren’t selling.
• Incentivize customers to spend more: Increase average order values by offering a spending threshold. Use enticing statements like, “You’re $15 away from a 15% discount!”
• Measure channel effectiveness: You can offer different discount codes per channel and see which one attracts the most buyers.

Steps to an Effective Coupon Marketing Strategy

1. Set clear goals: Why are you implementing coupon marketing? Do you want to segment your mailing list or get rid of stored inventory? Set clear goals for your marketing strategy.
2. Decide which channels to use: Once you know your goals, decide whether to implement a push or pull marketing strategy. Are you doing a social media or email campaign, or are you going to include traditional coupons on each order that reaches a certain amount?
3. Set your coupons up for success: Ensure that your coupons communicate their perks effectively, encourage customers to take the action you want, and most importantly, create a sense of urgency.
4. Track your coupons’ performance: Learning from your campaigns will help improve results for future promotions.

Final Thoughts: Push vs. Pull Marketing: What Is a Pull Promotion Strategy + How To Create a Winning Coupon Strategy

Set your ecommerce store apart from others with a mix of push and pull marketing strategies. Decide which strategy to adopt based on your business’s goals.

You can increase sales and measure channel effectiveness when you learn what is a pull promotion strategy. You can also make use of both an outbound and inbound marketing strategy for coupon marketing.

Let Hostdedi take care of ecommerce hosting for you. Our high-performance hosting is perfect for any business size. Check out our hosting plans to get started today.

The future of ecommerce is headless. So, you may be wondering, “What is headless ecommerce?” This post will explain.

As more enterprise companies switch to headless ecommerce platforms, businesses of all sizes may want to consider if a headless approach could work for them. To help you decide what works for your business, this post aims to address some common questions about headless ecommerce, including:

What is Headless Ecommerce?

A headless ecommerce setup separates the frontend customer-facing portion of an ecommerce application from the backend ecommerce functions.

Think of it like an interchangeable screwdriver, the kind with the different heads you can swap out. The base of the screwdriver remains the same; that’s the backend. The head can change to fit your needs, whether you need a flathead, Phillips, Allen, or another type. The same ecommerce engine or backend can power different frontend applications such as mobile apps, websites, or marketplace integrations.

How Does Headless Ecommerce Work?

Headless ecommerce works through Application Programming Interfaces (API) and web services. Developers can use whatever technology or platforms they want to design the frontend customer-facing interface. Then, they make an API call to tie into the commerce system on the backend.

The ecommerce system stores data such as product information and orders and handles functions like checkout or tax or shipping calculations. One ecommerce system can serve multiple customer endpoints such as different websites or apps.

Headless Ecommerce vs. Traditional Ecommerce

The difference between headless and traditional ecommerce is a lot like ordering from a prix fixe menu or ordering your meal à la carte.

With a traditional ecommerce architecture, the backend and frontends are so closely linked, developers may find it difficult to customize things exactly the way they want. It’s like a prix fixe menu. Yes, you can build your own meal by selecting an appetizer, entree, and dessert. But, you can only pick from a small number of selections. There’s a limited number of combinations.

Features of Traditional Ecommerce Include:

• All-In-One Architecture. In this monolithic structure, the backend and frontend systems are coupled together.
• Predefined Experiences. While some options typically can be customized, the system uses predefined templates and setups for customer-facing and admin experiences.
• Frontend and Backend Editing Dependencies. To make changes, developers may have to edit the frontend code as well as the backend database and code.

In a headless architecture, developers aren’t bound by the limitations of the platform. They can choose to build websites or applications however they want and pull the data and functionality from the ecommerce engine via APIs.

Headless setups are like ordering à la carte. There are no restraints on how you want to order your meal. Want to skip an entree and order two appetizers and a dessert? Not a problem. Headless ecommerce systems give the same flexibility to frontend developers to deliver the user experience they think is best.

Features of Headless Ecommerce Include:

• Separate Backend and Frontends. In a headless setup, developers build a frontend from scratch and then tie it into the ecommerce backend with an API.
• Customized User Experiences. You can create a unique user experience for both customers and users.
• Independent Editing of Frontend and Backend. Developers can quickly make frontend changes without messing with the ecommerce backend system.

What are the Benefits of Headless Ecommerce?

Headless commerce offers many benefits to enterprises looking for flexibility, security, and a competitive edge. If you’re considering adopting a headless ecommerce approach, you’ll want to take advantage of these seven benefits of headless ecommerce.

1. Leveraging Microservices Architecture

Headless ecommerce uses a microservices architecture where individual systems only handle a limited number of functions. This structure allows each system to “stay in its own lane” and limits the chances of conflicting processes or applications causing issues. It makes managing and troubleshooting each system faster and easier.

2. Better Security

Headless systems also provide better security against unauthorized access. For example, if you use a headless ecommerce platform to enable commerce on two websites and a mobile application, if someone manages to breach the WordPress admin for one of your websites, they still won’t have access to your ecommerce backend or the other website and app. But in a traditional ecommerce system, the frontend and backend are the same, so one security breach threatens everything from your website layout to your customer and payment data.

3. More Options and Flexibility for User Experience

Headless ecommerce gives retailers a blank slate to build new customer touchpoints. Without the constraints of a traditional ecommerce platform, designers and developers can decide how to build frontend applications based on delivering the best user experience instead of trying to fit into the constraints of their traditional ecommerce platform.

4. Improved Conversion Rates

Since headless ecommerce systems can more easily adapt to customers’ preferences and implement more modern and innovative user experiences, channels using headless architecture often experience better conversion rates. When you give developers and designers the freedom to build the best experience, you can solve many of the common issues with ecommerce conversion rate optimization.

5. Easier Integrations with Other Business Systems

Headless commerce can easily integrate with your other business systems such as ERPs and CRMs. The API connections between the ecommerce engine, frontend applications, and other business systems ensure your customer and sales data stays up-to-date. Real-time connections enable you to process orders more quickly and see inventory availability without having to wait for data to sync across systems overnight.

6. Support for Omnichannel Commerce Strategies

The real-time connections between ecommerce applications and backend business systems also enable companies to more effectively and easily adopt an omnichannel commerce strategy. The goal of an omnichannel approach is to make the shopping experience seamless across all channels, including websites, apps, and traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

Here’s how headless commerce can deliver an omnichannel shopping experience. Sally browses a clothing retailer’s website looking for a new shirt. She finds one she wants but needs it tomorrow and can’t wait for two-day shipping. She clicks on the button to find it in a store near her. That click initiates an API call between the website and the ecommerce system.

The ecommerce system taps into the store inventory system and feeds back a list of the available quantities at each of the stores near Sally. Seeing that the store closest to her house has her size in stock, Sally adds the shirt to her cart and checks out by selecting the in-store pickup option. The ecommerce system handles the checkout and payment processes via API and then pushes the order into the local store’s system for fulfillment.

7. Faster Deployment and Time to Market

With headless ecommerce, companies can adapt to changing preferences or market conditions by deploying new channels or features in less time. For example, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic increased consumer demand for online shopping with curbside pickup, companies with headless systems were faster to deploy changes.

In our example of Sally shopping for her shirt, setting up API connections between the different systems to enable that experience was much faster than trying to modify a traditional ecommerce platform to handle an entirely new delivery method. With a headless system, companies can quickly develop new frontend experiences and then tap into the ecommerce backend.

What are the Drawbacks of Headless Ecommerce?

Headless ecommerce does have some disadvantages, though, mainly the costs and technical learning curve.

Costs

Headless ecommerce systems often require more development resources than traditional ecommerce systems. The flexibility offered by headless comes at a price. Yes, you can build any frontend application or website you desire, but you’ll need the developers to do it.

More traditional ecommerce systems, like an online store creator, offer all-in-one solutions that allow people to deploy an ecommerce storefront without writing a single line of code. Your development costs will likely increase with a headless ecommerce solution.

Technical Learning Curve

Many headless platforms lack user-friendly editing interfaces. For example, since product information and photos could be displayed in many combinations across different websites, applications, and devices, you lose the ability to use a WYSIWYG editor and preview the product page on mobile and desktop. Creating and testing content requires a different approach. If you’re used to a traditional ecommerce platform, you may struggle at first with the learning curve of editing things in different systems.

How Headless Ecommerce Impacts Your Customers

While headless ecommerce systems may be more difficult to manage on the backend, customers experience the opposite. Headless ecommerce can reduce friction in your digital commerce channels. The benefits for customers include more personalization, faster sites, and more channels.

More Personalization

Since headless ecommerce enables connections between multiple systems, a headless system can pull up customer preferences from a CRM or utilize in-store purchase histories to make more tailored product recommendations.

Faster Apps and Sites

Traditional ecommerce platforms often include extraneous CSS and JavaScript for features you might never use. This additional code bloats the site and slows it down. With a headless approach, developers can use the latest technology and best practices to deliver lightning-fast frontend websites.

More Channels

In addition to making in-store pickup channels easier to implement, headless commerce can enable nearly endless possibilities of customer touchpoints. As we enter the golden age of the Internet of Things, commerce is becoming an essential part of an increasing number of smart devices. You can already use Alexa to order things from Amazon. Headless commerce enables adding new channels like voice commerce a possibility.

Headless commerce also simplifies the process of adding new online channels. For example, do you want to expand into international markets? With headless commerce, you can easily enable cross-border ecommerce by building new frontend websites in the native language of each country you want to target.

Instead of trying to serve international customers from the same website and experience as your domestic customers, you can build an experience that better meets their expectations.

How Do You Get Started with Headless Ecommerce?

The first step in getting started with ecommerce is picking the right host for all your ecommerce applications and websites.

At Hostdedi, we specialize in offering quality hosting for ecommerce companies. We offer dedicated and customized infrastructure with a high-performance server cluster. Our PCI-compliant hosting exceeds the security standards set by the payment card industry, and with 99.99% uptime, you won’t have to worry about your servers going down.

Talk to one of our pre-sales cluster architects to help you find the right setup for your business.

If you’re not ready to take the leap to headless ecommerce, consider one of our managed WooCommerce hosting plans or our site-building tool StoreBuilder by Hostdedi.

If you’re running WordPress sites, you’ve probably heard the term “PHP” thrown around. Well-known sites like Facebook and Wikipedia are websites developed using the PHP language. Additionally, 40% of the web is powered by WordPress which is built using PHP. But, what is it?

Keep reading to learn about different PHP versions. Get a breakdown of the latest PHP version and details on recent PHP releases.

What is PHP?

PHP is a general purpose scripting language used in web development and is widely used by some of the largest websites on the internet. PHP stands for “PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.” The language is open source and free to use.

Why Are There Multiple PHP Versions?

Cell phones update regularly. Computer games get patches. The same goes for PHP. Each PHO version introduces new features as planned by the maintainers of the language. Versioning allows for development teams to safely update to new versions or migrate from one major version to another.

What is the Current PHP Version?

As of the time of this writing, the current PHP version is 8.1. This will be actively supported by the PHP Foundation until the 25th of November in 2023, with security updates continuing for another year thereafter.

Why It’s Important to Use the Latest PHP Version

There are a number of reasons why you’d want to use the latest PHP version. Here are a few to consider.

Latest Features

The growth of PHP has seen many new features, especially in recent years, which make PHP even more powerful. Not only is access to PHP for web development increasingly common, it also offers top notch features that compare with other powerful languages. If you aren’t using the latest PHP version, then you are missing out on these latest features.

Active Maintenance and Bug Fixes

Sustainable software is supported by frequent and consistent updates in response to bug reports. Keeping up to date with each release of the latest PHP version ensures the most stable experience that the features set has to offer.

Security Updates

It is important to remember that security issues come around and need to be addressed swiftly and effectively. Using the latest PHP version ensures the longevity of security updates. While older versions of PHP offer security updates for a time past “end of life,” the most secure option is the version that is actively maintained.

Complete Guide to PHP Versions

PHP Version	Release Date	Key Features
PHP 8.1 (PHP current version)	November 25, 2021	Enumerations, readonly properties, noreturn type, new in initializers, final class constants, fibers (asynchronous PHP)
PHP 8.0	November 26, 2020	Major performance improvements, just-in-time compilation, nullsafe operator, match expression, constructor property promotion, union types, mixed type, static return type
PHP 7.4	November 28, 2019	Custom object serialization, null coalescing assignment operator, reflection for references, foreign function interface
PHP 7.3	December 6, 2018	Reference assignment for destructured arrays, flexible heredoc and nowdoc syntax
PHP 7.2	November 30, 2017	Object type hint, abstract function overriding
PHP 7.1	December 1, 2016	Void return type, class constant visibility
PHP 7.0	December 3, 2015	Major performance improvements, null coalescing operator, return types
PHP 5.6	August 28, 2014	Variadic functions, argument unpacking

For an exhaustive list of changes, see the PHP 5.x changelog, the PHP 7.x changelog, and the PHP 8.x changelog.

It is important to note that PHP 6 was never released. While originally planned, PHP 6 was abandoned and the release following PHP5.x continued with PHP 7.x. This jump in the version number was largely to prevent confusion when discussing the abandoned PHP 6 as compared to the to-be-release version following PHP 5.6.

Additionally, PHP versions are available for download all the way back to PHP 1 on the PHP museum website, for those that are interested.

How to Tell Which PHP Version You’re On

Command Line

The command php -v will provide the active PHP CLI version. Note that this may be different than the version of PHP running on the server, which is used to serve web requests.

phpinfo() of phpversion() functions

PHP offers multiple functions for displaying server configuration information. This information is typically for debugging purposes and should not be made publicly accessible as some of the information may be abused.

In your local environment, you can use the phpinfo() function to render a table of server configuration details in an easy to read (and search) table.

Additionally, for quick access to the PHP version you can use the phpversion() function to simply return the active PHP version used by the server.

WordPress Dashboard

The WordPress administrator dashboard has a site health tool (under Tools -> Site Health) that details the server configuration on which the site is installed. Listed here is the installed PHP version.

How to Update Your PHP Version

If you want to be on the latest PHP version, here’s how to update it.

Update PHP Using apt on Ubuntu, Debian, Linux

A specific version of PHP can be installed using the apt command-line utility, following the naming convention of phpX.X, for example php8.0 or php7.4.

The below command will install PHP version 8.0:

sudo apt-get install php8.0

Multiple versions of PHP can be installed, but only one PHP version can be activated at a time.

Assuming an active version of PHP 7.4 updating to PHP 8.0, the following script will disable PHP 7.4 and enable PHP 8.0:

sudo a2dismod php7.4sudo a2enmod php8.0sudo service apache2 restartsudo update-alternatives –set php /usr/bin/php8.0

PHP Version FAQs

How Many Versions of PHP Are There?

Starting with version 1, the PHP ecosystem is currently at version 8.x. This is not to include the unreleased version 6 of PHP, so there are currently 7 major versions of PHP.

Which is the Latest PHP Version?

The latest PHP version is 8.x, which features major performance improvements in addition to major features that bring support for stability and predictability in the code.

Is PHP 7.4 End of Life?

PHP 7.4 is receiving security updates only. This means that reported security vulnerabilities will result in patch releases, but will not include any new features. Security updates will end for PHP 7.4 on November 28th, 2022 at which point PHP 7.4 will be considered end of life.

Which Version of PHP is Best?

The best version of PHP is generally the latest version of PHP that is available for use. For new projects, this will usually mean PHP 8.x is the place to get started. For existing projects, there are compatibility considerations that may require some code updates to ensure that the project is compatible with any breaking changes in the latest release.

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As a small business owner, you’re always looking for ways to make your life easier. One way to do that is by using WordPress review plugins to help gather feedback from customers and improve your business operations.

With so many plugins on the market, it’s hard to figure out which one will best gather the feedback you want for your online business.

In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to some of the best review plugins and show you how they can help improve your business. Keep reading to learn more.

Importance of Having Reviews on Your Site

As an entrepreneur, you know firsthand the importance of reviews — so it’s reassuring for potential buyers when they can see what others have said about their experience with your company. They’ll feel confident in their purchase decision because they understand what they can expect before even placing an order or signing up for a membership.

One of the best ways to gain their confidence is by having social proof: reviews, testimonials, and other forms of feedback from your customers that show others that you’re a quality vendor worth purchasing from.

Did you know that having reviews on your site or store can help boost conversion rates by up to 18%? Reviews are a great way for potential customers to see how other people feel about your products before they decide to purchase.

Customers want reassurance that the product they are buying is worth it, and reviews provide this information. The more reviews you have, the more trustworthy your site will be perceived as being. Potential customers will find comfort in knowing that others have tried what they’re thinking of.

Best WordPress Review Plugins

Let’s take a look at some WP review plugins that you can use on your website that might be beneficial for your business.

WP Review Pro Plugin

Keeping your website’s content fresh is essential for attracting and retaining customers. But creating new blog posts, product descriptions, and other types of content can be time-consuming — especially if you’re not a writer or familiar with coding or website design.

The WP Review Pro plugin makes it easy to create professional-quality product reviews, complete with ratings and images. It can also help you improve your ecommerce store.

Features:

• 19 types of snippets to review products like books, movies, games, etc.
• Multiple rating systems, such as stars, points, percentage, circles, and thumbs
• Customers interaction features (comments, ratings, replies, helpful/not helpful)
• Built on WordPress and compatible with all WordPress themes
• Easy integrations with Google, Yelp, and Facebook reviews
• Mobile responsive
• Multiple language support
• Dedicated 24×7 support

Price: Free. Premium starts at $67

Site Reviews Plugin

Have you ever wished you could show your website visitors your best reviews? With the Site Reviews plugin, you can. It’s easy to use and lets you display your reviews pretty much anywhere on your website. Plus, it integrates with Akismet so you can get rid of spam.

If something happens and you lose data, don’t worry — the backup and restore feature will take care of it. The default order of reviews can be customized, and the best ones can be pinned to the top.

Features:

• Assign reviews to categories, pages, and users
• Backup and restore function
• Import third-party reviews
• Polylang and WPML compatible
• Rating summaries
• Translations support

Price: Free. Premium starts at €89

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce Plugin

The Customer Reviews for WooCommerce plugin has everything you need if your current theme doesn’t offer an attractive review section. It’s built on the backbone of providing social proof when potential customers land on ecommerce pages, and this particular feature is what makes it particularly appealing.

This WordPress review plugin helps you enhance standard WooCommerce reviews with extra features, making reviewing easier. You can send automated, personalized email reminders to each customer after a transaction. Plus, the Q&A section on product pages ensures that customers’ questions are answered quickly and easily. You can increase customer loyalty, improve SEO, and make reviewing a breeze with Customer Reviews for WooCommerce.

Features:

• Get more reviews with automated, personalized email reminders
• Showcase extra features with WooCommerce reviews
• Answer customer questions with the Q&A section on product pages
• Increase engagement, loyalty, SEO, and sales with social proof
• Automated review reminder email service that allows quick and easy reviewing
• Aggregated form feature saves time by reducing duplication
• Enhanced features such as rating images and voting options
• Integrate reviews seamlessly across Google Shopping

Price: Free. Pro starts at $49.99

How to Get More Reviews on Your Site

Several different types of reviews can be helpful: product reviews, customer testimonials, and more.

Product Reviews allow customers to submit their opinion about your products in general or specific ones they bought from you. This is perfect for getting feedback from people who may not be able to leave feedback via email or social media channels.

Online reviews can help you attract new customers and boost your business credibility. Not only are they a great way to show potential customers what others have had to say about your business, but they can also help improve your SEO ranking.

How can you generate more reviews? Check out our list of ideas below.

• Ask your customers for feedback after they’ve had a good experience.
• Incentivize customers to leave reviews with a coupon or discount code.
• Write positive reviews for other businesses and ask them to return the favor.
• Host a contest or giveaway on social media and invite people to leave a review as part of their entry.
• Send an email requesting feedback to all of your customers.
• Add review links to your website and social media profiles.
• Respond to all online reviews promptly and courteously.

Follow these tips, and you’ll start seeing more online reviews coming in.

Consider Hosting With Hostdedi

Owning an online business can be challenging. You face the uncertainty of ever-changing technology, competition from other companies, and the pressure to grow your customer base.

But you don’t have to tackle everything alone. If you’re on WordPress or WooCommerce, consider hosting with Hostdedi. A fully managed ecommerce hosting solution like Hostdedi can provide you with many benefits, including speed, security, and support.

For instance, there’s no more worrying about backups, updates, or security patches. The expert team at Hostdedi will take care of all your hosting needs so you can focus on running your business. Plus, our expert support team is available whenever you need us, 24/7/365 by phone, chat, or email.

Finally, don’t forget that if anything ever goes wrong with our service we provide free Uptime Guarantee coverage as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee!

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DNS poisoning is a threat to both individuals and organizations alike. Keep reading to learn about DNS poisoning attacks and how you can protect yourself.

What is DNS Poisoning?

DNS poisoning is a spoofing activity in which hackers redirect original traffic to a fraudulent website. DNS poisoning makes it easy to access sensitive information on a device or in the interrupted web traffic flow.

How Does a DNS Poisoning Attack Work?

DNS stands for Domain Name Server (DNS). In DNS cache spoofing, hackers use altered DNS records to redirect web traffic. When legitimate users enter a web address, they land on a different website than they intended.

The worst thing is that the user has no idea because the fake websites look like original sites. From there, hackers can easily perform malicious activities on your device after a DNS attack.

In a DNS poisoned device, hackers can install a virus to damage data and information, steal login credentials from the device, track bank transactions, or even install a worm that can damage other devices.

How Risky is a DNS Poisoning Attack for Organizations?

DNS poisoning is a spoofing cyber attack that puts both users and organizations at risk. Once your device has fallen victim to a DNS poisoning attack, it becomes challenging to resolve. Most users don’t have any idea of the malicious activity.

In DNS cache poisoning, hackers alter the original DNS cache with false information or addresses. It can be tough to track and solve this problem because the affected device will return to a false website by default.

Related reading: Top 3 Website Security Threats To Prepare for in 2022 >>

Most hackers try to build a fake website that looks identical to a genuine website. In such cases, users don’t realize the website was fake. Sometimes, users can enter their sensitive personal or business information without knowing it is a fake website.

Other risks associated with this type of cyber attack include:

Viruses and Malware

Hackers can easily install malware software or viruses on a device once users are directed to a fraudulent web address. After successfully installing a virus on the device, they can access all data in the device and use it for malicious activities. They can also install viruses in a user’s device to damage device data or other devices that connect with it.

Theft

DNS poisoned devices are at high risk of information and data theft. Hackers can easily get away with stealing important personal as well as business information from the device. They can access sensitive information like social security numbers, house property data, or even payment details and logins.

Related reading: Ecommerce Site Security: 10 Step Audit for Ecommerce Stores >>

Security Blockers

Security blockage is another significant risk factor of DNS poisoning attacks. Spammers can redirect traffic from security providers to fake websites. It blocks devices to get critical security updates and essential information for strong device security. This approach causes severe long-term security damage that exposes devices to other security attacks like Trojans or viruses.

Censorship

Recently, a few cases of government censorship from some countries have been reported. The governments used DNS poisoning to censor certain information from websites. It allowed the governments to block specific information or traffic from websites that they didn’t want shown to citizens.

How DNS Works

It is essential to understand the working techniques of DNS in order to understand DNS poisoning methods. Paul Mockapetris designed the DNS system in 1983 — an era when there were only a few servers and websites on the internet.

The DNS system was created with a few special security measures. DNS developers never imagine someone could manipulate a DNS system to defraud users.

Web programmers prefer to use short, user-friendly web addresses in their websites. It helps websites perform better in query results and also helps users to know what a page contains before clicking on it.

However, computers only understand information in a specific language. They don’t understand the web address that humans use. When you type a web address in your browser’s search box:

• Your device contacts a DNS server to get more information about the entered web address.
• The computer understands the web address made up of dots and numbers only. The DNS looks up numerical addresses in its server.
• If your device has never visited this web address before, it contacts another server to get access to other information.
• The DNS server completes the query about the entered web address by switching it to a numerical version.
• The user is directed to the required web address. The DNS server sends you to the proper website server that hosts your web address.
• The data is stored in the form of a cache. The DNS server stores web addresses from the human version to the numerical version for future use.

Methods for DNS Spoofing or Cache Poisoning Attacks

Hackers use various methods for DNS cache spoofing or poisoning. Some standard DNS poisoning methods include:

DNS Server Hijack

Spammers reconfigure the DNS server to direct all requesting visitors to a fraudulent website. Once a spammer hijacks the DNS server with a fake DNS, all IP address requests from the poisoned domain land on the fake malicious websites.

Man-in-the-Middle Duping

In this method of DNS spoofing, the hacker steps between your DNS server and web browser to spoof both. Hackers use spoofing tools or software simultaneously on your local device to poison cache and DNS poisoning to infect DNS servers.

DNS Cache Spoofing Via Spam

Hackers often send poisoned DNS cache URLs to users through spam emails. These emails are designed to convince the user to click on the provided URL, which in turn poisons their device. Images or files from spam emails or untrusted sites can also redirect users to fake websites. Once you are directed to these websites, your device is spoofed with a malicious virus.

How to Prevent DNS Poisoning

You might be wondering how you can protect your device from DNS poisoning. From a user perspective, there are limited ways to prevent DNS spoofing.

Related reading: 10 Web Hosting Best Practices for Ecommerce Security >>

However, website owners and server providers are more authorized to secure themselves and their users. Both server providers and users can practice safe browsing with the following tactics.

Endpoint users can avoid DNS poisoning by:

• Never click on an unauthorized link or URL.
• Regularly scan your device for malware or virus.
• Use VPN (Virtual Private Network) for browsing.
• Remove DNS cache to avoid cache poisoning.

Website owners and DNS server providers can avoid DNS poisoning by:

• Use of a DNS poisoning detection tool.
• End-to-end data encryption.
• Use of domain name system security extensions.

Prevention Tips for Endpoint Users

As an endpoint user, there are a few ways that you can use to avoid DNS poisoning. You can practice these simple steps.

1.      Never Click an Unauthorized Link or URL

You can receive many links through social media platforms, text messages, or spam emails. Avoid clicking on any unrecognized link as much as possible. Always enter the original web address in your search browser manually to be on the safe side.

2.      Regularly Scan Your Device

It can be challenging for users to track and detect malicious viruses or malware in their device. Security software can help you to find and remove any hidden malware.

Poisoned websites can inject all types of malware into your device. So, regularly scan your device for all types of viruses, spyware, and other hidden spoofs.

3.      Use a VPN for Browsing

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides you with safely-encrypted browsing. Private virtual networks use end-to-end encryption for traffic. Use one of the best VPN service providers, which will give you access to end-to-end encrypted DNS servers. This will help you to avoid redirecting towards fraudulent websites.

4.      Remove DNS Cache to Avoid Cache Poisoning

Poisoned DNS cache stays in your device for a long time, unless you remove all DNS cache from your device. Use the DNS cache removing method according to your device to remove it from infected web address.

DNS Poisoning Prevention Tips for Website Owners

The safety of users from DNS spoofing attacks is the responsibility of website owners and DNS service providers. Website owners can practice several steps to avoid DNS poisoning. As a website owner, you can follow any of these DNS safety measurements.

1. Use DNS Poisoning Detection Tools

DNS detection tools actively scan all data before receiving and sending it out to users. It helps to detect any malware and virus in the data.

2. End-to-End Data Encryption

Sending and receiving encrypted data keeps it safe from hackers. Spammers cannot duplicate the unique security codes for the original websites.

3. Domain Name Security System Extension

This is a “DNS verified” domain security label. It helps a DNS to look up authenticity and prevent it from DNS poisoning.

Bottom Line

DNS poisoning attacks are prevalent and very dangerous. And unfortunately, it’s complicated for users to track any such activity on their devices — especially if you are affected by DNS cache poisoning. Since these problems are hard to solve, it’s best to prevent them in the first place.

Follow these safety steps to protect your device from DNS poisoning attacks.

And choose a host who provides added security to your website — like Hostdedi. Fully managed hosting plans come with security features such as daily backups, automatic updates, and free tools.

Check it out to get started today.

Do your social media posts go unnoticed? Is your number of followers on the social channels stuck at one figure? No matter how creative a thing you post, does your content not get the impressions it deserves?

Social media management can be challenging. You have to keep innovating and engaging the audience to ensure your business goals are met along the way.

If your social media platforms are not performing well, it’s time to rethink your social media strategies and devise a better plan.

This is where spring cleaning of social media comes into play. Like household cleaning and upkeep, cleaning and maintaining social media channels are also essential.

The Manifest’s 2021 Small Business SEO survey found that 55% of small businesses use social media channels for marketing and advertising. This shows that today’s market demands a presence on social networks.

Read along as we discuss ways to clean up your online profiles and create a strong social media presence.

Do You Need a Social Media Clean-Up?

If your social media activity falls short of expectations, the short answer to this question is yes. The rapid advancement of digital marketing strategies means that social media management is continuous. Whether you’re running an ecommerce business or a software consultancy, your social media marketing strategy needs to be revised and updated on a regular basis.

Here are some of the questions you need to answer before spring cleaning your social media:

• When was the last time you reviewed, audited, and updated your social media strategy?
• Are your social media channels creating expected engagement and traffic?
• Has your audience grown in the last few months?
• Has the nature of your target audience changed in any way?
• Has the nature of your business changed in the recent past?

The answers to these questions will help you understand the need for social media spring cleaning and create a strong social media strategy.

How To Spring Clean Social Media

When starting with the spring cleaning of your social accounts, have a clear idea of your business goals. Your business goals, combined with your social media goals, dictate the cleaning process.

Although there are no standard rules for social media clean-up, there are some ways to ensure a successful spring cleaning.

Each of these steps is highly dependent on your existing social media presence, your audience type, and your goals from your social media marketing efforts.

1. Audit Your Existing Social Media Accounts

The first step in spring cleaning social media is to audit your accounts and social media content. Find the problems and issues with the existing accounts, such as outdated content, post types, and engagement trends.

Social media analytics can help understand the performance of social accounts and direct you to areas to improve.

2. Conduct a Gap Analysis

After understanding your social media presence, the next step is to move away from social media sites and focus on your business goals. Your goals may have changed over time. So you need to revisit your short and long-term goals and define them clearly.

Comparing your existing social profiles with your business goals will help identify the gaps that need to be addressed.

3. Analyze Your Competitors’ Performance

Keep an eye on the market trends and see what your competitors do. Looking at your competitors’ online presence can help you in spring cleaning your social media.

You can learn from their strategies and see what is working for them. If you find a social media strategy you can adopt, that’ll be a huge plus.

4. Update Your Accounts

If you haven’t updated your social accounts, address that. Everything needs to be updated, from your profile picture and contact information to the cover photo and profile description.

Add information about the new products and services in the “About Us” section if your business has grown.

5. Create an Updated Social Media Calendar

Based on your findings from the audit and analysis, create an updated social media calendar. Add details about the type and frequency of posts, featured products and services, and the content that goes with your social media posts.

One of the best ways to improve your content marketing strategy on social media platforms is to refine your calendar regularly.

6. Reconnect With Your Customers

Your performance on any social platform is dependent on your customer base. You need to connect with your customers and make them feel valued.

You can do so by:

• Welcoming new followers to your Facebook page.
• Replying to their comments on LinkedIn posts.
• Using hashtags, mentions, and retweets to engage your followers on Twitter.

The best way to create a loyal audience and broaden your customer base is to stay connected with them.

7. Make Your Accounts Secure

The last, but equally important, area to work on is the security of your social media accounts. If you haven’t updated your account in a while, double-check the permission settings to ensure only the intended people have access to accounts.

Additionally, it is also important to understand social media websites’ privacy settings and stay updated with the changes.

Final Thoughts: Spring Cleaning Your Social Media Marketing

Social media spring cleaning is not just about updating your profile photos and adding more content. You need to analyze your presence on social media networks and understand your business goals.

Spring cleaning can help you keep customers engaged and create brand awareness at the same time. It ensures your social media posts’ quality meets the standards and needs of your target audience.

However, managing social media can be challenging, especially for small businesses. This is where Hostdedi StoreBuilder works its magic. Hostdedi helps you create and maintain a strong presence for your online store, letting you focus on your social media presence on all platforms.

Build your store today with Hostdedi StoreBuilder and leverage the power of social media marketing.

If you’re on Shopify but ready to leave, don’t worry. You have many choices for your ecommerce platform. There are many websites like Shopify — but without the restrictions. One of those options is WooCommerce, the open source ecommerce platform.

Keep reading to learn why you’d want to migrate to WooCommerce. And get step by step instructions on how to migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce in this blog.

Why Migrate to WooCommerce?

You may be wondering, why use WooCommerce? One of the main benefits of using WooCommerce for your online store is the cost. This open source, customizable platform is completely free to use.

You do, however, need to consider the fixed costs needed to run this platform, such as:

• Your host
• Your domain
• Payment gateway costs

Depending on what features you select, you may also want to purchase additional items to customize your store, including:

• Premium themes
• Premium plugins

Keep in mind that WordPress plugins may only be a one-time purchase, while Shopify apps may result in a recurring monthly payment. You can learn more about the differences in our article, WooCommerce vs Shopify: Key Differences.

How to Migrate From Shopify to WooCommerce

Now let’s get into the details on how to migrate to WooCommerce. The first thing to do is to set up a Woocommerce plan.

Set Up WooCommerce

Before migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce, WooCommerce needs to be set up. WooCommerce is free to download and use, but you’ll need to find a host for your new site.

There are a number of different hosting solutions available to merchants and freelancers. However, we recommend opting for a WooCommerce cloud solution. Start by visiting our WooCommerce managed hosting page, and selecting the right size solution for your needs.

Not sure what size is right for your store? Talk it over with a member of the Hostdedi team. We’ll provide advice on sizing, integrations, and anything else you need to know.

Once you’ve completed this stage, you’ll be able to log into your Client Portal and access your WooCommerce admin panel.

Make sure the WooCommerce plugin is enabled. Review our WooCommerce tutorial for more step-by-step instructions on setting up your WooCommerce store.

Manually Import/Export Products

Although it may seem a little time-consuming, manually migrating your products is free and relatively straightforward.

1. Export and Download Product Data from Shopify

Log into your Shopify account and navigate to your products in Shopify Account. Then click on export. You can export your products into a CSV file to help with several tasks.

2. Import Products to WooCommerce

In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to WooCommerce → Products.

Select Import at the top. There, you’ll find a built-in product CSV importer that will make the process easier. Click Choose File and select the CSV file that you want to import.

Click Continue and you’ll see the Column Mapping screen, where WooCommerce automatically attempts to match the column name of your Shopify CSV file to WooCommerce product fields. You may need to map some of these on your own — do so using the dropdown menus to the right of each row.

Select Run the Importer and wait until the import process is finished. Then you should have the products migrated from Shopify to WooCommerce.

How to Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce Using Plugins

Unfortunately, Shopify does not provide an easy way to export data to a WordPress-supported format. We will need to use a few plugins to migrate Shopify to WooCommerce. Let’s take a look at how you can move Shopify to WooCommerce without an expensive migration service.

1. Download Your Shopify Data

Shopify to WooCommerce migrations were not a reliable process in the past. There was no free tool to export your store data from Shopify into WooCommerce. However, the creation of the Shopify to WooCommerce Exporter has made migration easy.

First, visit the Shopify to WooCommerce website. From here, you need to enter your Shopify website URL and provide an email address.

Click the submit button to continue. It will take you to your store’s Shopify admin section, where you can download the app to automatically create a Shopify account API key for data migration. Simply click on the Install App button at the bottom to continue.

On the next screen, the app will show you the data it will export using the Shopify API. Currently, it exports all your product data, product categories, customer data, and orders.

Note: Currently, the app does not export your Shopify pages or blog posts. You’ll need to manually import them into WordPress. You’ll need to provide an email address where you’ll receive a link to download the export file.

You can go ahead and download the export file to your computer.

2. Import Shopify Data in WooCommerce

You have now exported your Shopify data. Next, you need to import it to your WooCommerce store. To do so, you need to switch to the admin area of your WordPress website.

You need to install and activate the Import Shopify To WP plugin. From there, select the Choose File button to select and export the file you want to import.

Click on the Upload button to continue. Next, you’ll see a list of exported products found in your upload file. Simply click on the Start Import button to begin importing them into your WooCommerce store.

The plugin will now start importing your data. You’ll be able to see the progress of your upload on the screen. Click on the continue button to move forward.

The plugin will now start importing your data. You’ll be able to see the progress of your upload on the screen.

4. Customizing Your WooCommerce Store

Now that you’ve successfully migrated your products, orders, and other shop data from Shopify to WooCommerce, it’s time to finish setting up your WooCommerce store.

This includes choosing a design, installing add-ons for additional options and functionality, and choosing tools to grow your WordPress website.

You will have to choose the correct theme and plugin according to your site. Once you confirm everything you migrated is in place, you can go live with your store.

Power Your Store With Fully Managed WooCommerce Hosting

Now you know how to migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce.

With WooCommerce, you get maximum customization options if you are comfortable being more hands-on. If the benefits of WooCommerce appeal to you, but you’d like to make setting up your store easier, you have options.

Check out StoreBuilder, which lets you create a unique online store powered by WooCommerce, with no coding required. It also comes with fully managed WooCommerce hosting, so you can just focus on what you do best — selling.

Check out StoreBuilder and fully managed WooCommerce hosting to get started today.

This blog was originally published in May 2020. It has since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Looking to launch a lucrative business online? If so, chances are you’ve heard about membership sites— or maybe even encountered one while browsing the web.

Sometimes referred to as subscription sites, membership sites offer exclusive content that’s “gated” or exists behind a paywall. This means that only website subscribers or paying members have access to it.

If you’re unsure whether or not a membership website model is right for your online business, this guide is here to help you learn the ins and outs. Keep reading to discover just how a membership site works, its pros and cons, and to explore a few real-world examples of successful membership sites on the web.

How Do Membership Websites Work?

When subscribing to a membership site, each user is given their own unique credentials to login and view exclusive content that non-members are unable to view. Membership sites can offer access to different types of content based on a user’s subscription, which could include free, paid, and/or tiered subscription levels. User subscriptions can also be set to different lengths for exclusive content access, such as one-time, annual, or lifetime access.

Is a Membership Site a Good Fit for My Business?

Typically, users who sign up for access to content on a membership site do so because they are highly interested in a specific niche or community, or hold a high level of respect for the quality and credibility of content the site produces.

This means that business owners who want to launch a successful membership site must create and publish exclusive high-quality content (content that offers something more than free content found elsewhere on the web) on a regular basis for their members to consume.

Common types of membership sites include content like:

• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Vlogs
• News
• Community forums
• Books or ebooks
• Listicles
• Webinars or tutorials
• Online courses
• White papers
• Downloadable content

If you’re interested in creating and publishing informative, engaging content that you can build an online community around, launching a membership site is likely a good fit for your business.

Why Do I Need a Membership Site?

Membership websites can be highly profitable — but a key factor in making a profit is convincing users to subscribe to your site in the first place. To ensure your site can start to earn money via membership fees, you must first have a solid understanding of who your target audience is and where you can find them, as well as a strong foundation of unique evergreen content relevant to your niche.

Once you’re equipped with this information and have valuable content on your membership website ready to share, you can deploy membership marketing plans—such as through search engine-optimized (SEO) blogs, ads published on social media platforms or search engines, or email marketing campaigns—to draw users into your site. In the beginning, you can attract new subscribers by offering teasers to gated content, free membership trials, or discounted memberships for the first month.

The main goal of running a membership site is to gain, maintain, and grow a loyal following that wants to pay for the content you produce on a regular basis. Once this following is well established, membership sites can generate a steady stream of income. For example, if your site has 150 subscribers who have signed up to receive exclusive content for 12 months at $10 per month, you’ll earn $18,000.

Pros of Membership Sites

There are several pros to launching a membership site for your online business, including:

Earn a steady stream of income: Profitable membership sites require subscribers to pay a monthly or annual fee, which allows business owners or entrepreneurs to earn a steady income stream. Membership sites can be a great way to diversify your income streams for your business, or even become a full-fledged business in their own right.

Help those in your community or niche: While running a membership site can earn you money, it also allows you to use your knowledge or expertise to help those in your online community or niche. Users who choose to sign up for your membership site are likely just as passionate about your niche as you are, and they are looking for you to find answers to their questions and gain knowledge to advance their own skills.

Build a loyal following: When a membership site provides accurate, useful, and unique content for its subscribers on a regular basis, those members are more likely to be loyal and not seek information or advice elsewhere. You are also more likely to develop strong relationships with your subscribers, many of which could lead to new business opportunities down the road.

Build your authority: People in your community want to consume content that provides actionable insights, answers their most pressing questions, and helps them grow as individuals. When your membership site content provides comprehensive insights and unique perspectives based on your niche, you are actively demonstrating your authority. This authority could lead to your content being ranked higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), website traffic growth, and more customers that trust your vision in the long run.

Grow your business with reduced overhead: Successful membership sites have the potential to scale quickly, which means your business could grow faster. In addition, membership sites typically don’t require business owners to design and manufacture physical products or deal with inventory management, which reduces overhead.

Cons of Membership Sites

If done incorrectly, launching a membership site can also have a few disadvantages, including:

Slow growth: Membership sites typically sell subscriptions at low price points, which means several subscriptions are necessary to grow. New membership sites are especially prone to slow growth, especially if a business owner or entrepreneur needs to build their content, authority, and audience outreach campaigns from scratch.

Lack of authority: The key to a successful membership site is subject matter authority, as most users likely will not pay for content from an individual or website they are unfamiliar with. It can be a challenge for new business owners or entrepreneurs to build their authority from ground zero, as they will need to establish a proven track record to gain the trust of users in their niche or community.

Longer time commitment: Running a membership site requires a lengthy time commitment, as site subscribers will want to consume new content on a regular basis. At its core, a membership site must continuously prove to its subscribers that the investment is worthwhile, which means new content production will need to be in progress at all times.

3 Examples of Successful Membership Websites

Curious what a high-quality membership site looks like? Here are a few examples of successful membership sites.

1. MasterClass

MasterClass is an online learning platform that offers in-depth lessons delivered by masters who are recognized in their craft. Starting at $15 a month (billed annually), subscribers to MasterClass gain unlimited access to lessons from more than 100 instructors — including professional chefs, actors, photographers, and scientists — with new lessons being uploaded monthly.

2. BassBuzz

BassBuzz is a great example of a membership site that targets a specific niche. This site provides step-by-step instructions for beginners to learn how to play the bass guitar.

While BassBuzz offers free lessons, they also offer more comprehensive instruction in their Beginner to Badass course (with both online and DVD course options) for paying subscribers. BassBuzz offers different one-time price points for their online and DVD course options, but they also provide payment plans for their customers.

3. Play On Purpose

Play On Purpose is a membership site that provides virtual games and exercises to get large groups of people connected with each other and engaged. Members of Play On Purpose — those who pay a one-time fee of $199 for a Lifetime Membership — gain access to over 80 games, as well as tools for facilitating engaging exercises online through Zoom and a curated Spotify playlist. Members also get exclusive invitations, special offers, and discounts to events.

Begin Creating Your Own Membership Site Today

Launching a membership site can be lucrative for business owners or entrepreneurs who have a unique perspective in their niche and engaging, credible content to share.

If you’re interested in learning how to start a membership site, WPQuickStart by Hostdedi is here to make it easy. Powered by Hostdedi’ Fully Managed WordPress Hosting, WPQuickStart provides an easy-to-use set-up wizard, built-in payment integrations, and perfect plugins and themes from Restrict Content Pro — enabling you to build a membership site in a fraction of the time.

Discover the most streamlined and wallet-friendly way to build a membership site on WordPress with WPQuickStart today.

Please note: this article does not constitute legal advice. It is meant only to educate.

Learning about website privacy policy requirements isn’t top-of-mind when website owners launch an online business. However, if you’re handling users from countries with strict data protection laws, a website policy statement is an important part of the legal process.

What Is a Website Policy?

A website policy (more often referred to as a privacy policy) is a statement that discloses your website’s practices regarding the collection, use, and handling of your site visitors’ personal data. It is mandatory if you’re collecting personally identifiable information or use data to identify specific persons.

Examples of these types of information include:

• First and last names
• Contact information such as shipping or billing addresses
• Email addresses
• Birthdates
• Social Security numbers
• Financial information (i.e., credit card numbers)

A privacy policy also applies to “anonymous data.” This data isn’t personally identifying when used alone but can identify a user when used in connection with other data. IP addresses are a prime example. All the data collected in Google Analytics is another.

You should inform users if you’re sharing their data with third-party services.

In addition to making sure your website is PCI compliant to protect financial information, you need to follow website privacy policy requirements to keep your website visitors’ data secure.

Why You Need A Website Policy

Personal data is a big business. Companies like Google and Facebook made a fortune selling their users’ data.

Having a website policy is a legal requirement, especially in countries with strict privacy laws. In the U.S., government agencies including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the statutes of individual states mandate the website privacy policy requirements. Most states base their privacy laws on the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

You are legally obligated to follow these laws if your website visitors live in the countries they apply to. For instance, if your ecommerce store is in Asia, but you serve customers in California, you must comply with the CCPA’s website privacy policy requirements.

Having a website policy also keeps things transparent for consumers, who are now taking a more active role in understanding how businesses use and store their information.

Website Privacy Policy Requirements

Writing a privacy policy does not have to be a complicated affair; there are several privacy policy generators online that can help you out. A basic privacy policy details the following information:

• Type of information collected
• Methods for collecting information
• Uses for the information
• Measures to ensure information is secured
• Disclosures on which third-parties the information is shared with
• Controls users have over their information

However, GDPR compliance necessitates stricter website privacy policy requirements than other national or local policies.

GDPR Compliant Privacy Policy

For a privacy policy to be GDPR compliant, it needs to be written in a straightforward and easily understood way — don’t fill it with legalese or jargon that would confuse a layperson. Be clear about how you use and protect your users’ data and think in terms of information accessibility. Here are some sections to include when writing a GDPR-compliant privacy policy:

• Introduction
• Definition of terms
• Principles for processing data
• User’s rights under the GDPR
• Your legal basis for processing data

1. Introduction

Every data privacy policy starts with basic information. Your introductory section should include:

• Legal name and business address of your company
• What the privacy policy is about
• The date the policy takes effect
• Name and contact number of your data controller
• Name and contact number of your data protection officer (DPO)

Data controllers and DPOs are responsible for ensuring data complies with the applicable data protection laws. The difference between them is that the data controllers do not necessarily have to be from the organization they’re monitoring.

“Data controller” is a general term that refers to the person responsible for data security. For instance, if you collect personal information for your or another company’s use, you can be considered a data controller.

2. Definition of Terms

According to Article 12 of the GDPR, an accessible privacy policy is clear and easy to understand. Thus it is vital to include a definition of terms.

3. Principles for Processing Data

Article 5 of the GDPR includes six principles by which personal data must be processed:

• Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
• Purpose limitation
• Data minimization
• Accuracy
• Storage limitation
• Integrity and confidentiality

This section isn’t mandatory. How you share it in your privacy policy depends on you. Some companies simply share a list and declare their compliance, while others take a personal approach.

Coca Cola shares their principles for data collection and processing in a fun graphic.

4. Users’ Rights Under the GDPR

Users should be made aware of their eight rights under the GDPR:

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights related to automated decision making and profiling

AEG shares users’ rights on their privacy policy:

5. Your Legal Basis for Processing Data

Article 6 of the GDPR only allows you to process data on these six legal bases:

• Consent: The subject has permitted their data to be processed.
• Contract: Data processing is necessary to fulfill a contract.
• Legal obligation: Processing of data is required by law.
• Vital interest: The state of someone’s life depends on the data being processed.
• Public task: The data processed is required to protect or execute a situation of public interest.
• Legitimate interest: The data is processed for legitimate interests; fundamental rights or freedoms are not infringed.

Shopify’s privacy policy includes a section on their legal basis for processing data:

Where to Put Your Privacy Policy Disclaimer?

Once you have drafted a complete website privacy policy, place it in the most conspicuous areas of your website, such as:

• Website footer: This is usually where all your navigation links are located.
• About section: This is where many visitors check for a privacy policy.
• Web forms: Web forms are used to collect personal information, making them the perfect place to ask for consent to process customers’ data.

Consider using a GDPR plugin to initiate a cookie consent popup so that users can opt to disable cookies and protect their private data as these privacy laws intended.

Final Thoughts: Website Privacy Policy Requirements

Websites that process data from persons living in countries with strict data protection laws must comply with a website policy. You can write your policy from scratch or use a free privacy policy generator, but make sure you are legally protected.

If you’re a busy entrepreneur, take the worry of data security off your list of concerns. Get your website in a compliant hosting environment with Hostdedi today.

Check out our hosting plans to get started today.

Selling courses online is a great way to monetize your brand. It allows you to earn passive income and serve more people without increasing your client workload. Plus, selling courses online is profitable.

According to SkillScouter, the eLearning industry has grown more than 900% since 2000. Not to mention, 42% of companies who use eLearning generate more income, according to TechJury.

Therefore, if you’re knowledgeable about a particular topic, there’s never been a better time to create your course. And thanks to platforms like WordPress, you can easily create a course website, even if you’re a beginner.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of how to build a course website so you can start selling your online course.

How To Build a Course Website

Let’s go over those steps more in-depth below.

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name

The domain name is what your visitors will type into their browser’s address bar to reach your site. If you’re launching a single course, it makes sense to use the course name as the domain name.

But if you plan on selling multiple courses or setting up a small business for eLearning, you might opt for a more general or unique name.

A few tips for choosing a good custom domain name include:

• Keep it short if possible.
• Make it easy to spell.
• Make it easy to remember.

Step 2: Sign Up for a Web Hosting Plan

Once you’ve decided on your domain name, the next thing you’ll need is a web hosting plan. Hosting refers to the disk space where your website files will live. It’s what makes it possible to access your domain and the content of your website.

There is no shortage of hosting companies out there, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But it’s crucial to choose a hosting company that offers plans designed with speed and security in mind.

Both of these options are crucial for course websites as you’ll want to ensure your visitors have an easy time accessing and viewing your course lessons. You’ll also want to ensure that their financial and other sensitive information is protected.

Hostdedi has hosting plans optimized for faster speeds and better WordPress security. Take a look at our pricing plans and choose one that fits your budget. Then go through the process of creating your account and submitting payment.

Step 3: Install WordPress

After you have bought your domain name and hosting plan, the next step is to install WordPress. WordPress is the best open source ecommerce platform to create your course website for several reasons.

For starters, it’s easy to use. Secondly, there are numerous high-quality themes for WordPress that make it easy to create the web design you want without having to code everything in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from scratch.

Thirdly, there are thousands of plugins that empower you to add different functionality and features to your site, like Yoast for SEO, Easy Digital Downloads or WooCommerce for ecommerce, and Jetpack for on-page optimization. Thanks to these plugins, you can easily create a course website.

Fourth, there’s a robust WordPress community to lean on should you ever have questions about the setup. Some of these WordPress resources include forums, the WordPress Codex, full WordPress news websites with the latest happenings, and WordCamps, which are local events where WordPress experts gather to learn from one another.

Lastly, WordPress is so popular that many hosting providers pre-install WordPress when you purchase a hosting package.

However, if your host doesn’t offer pre-installed WordPress, WordPress offers a one-click installation process — or you can go to WordPress.org and download it yourself. All you have to do is provide your desired username, site title, password, and the installer will take care of the rest.

When the WordPress installation process is complete, log into your WordPress dashboard. Then, go to Appearance > Themes.

You can search for a theme designed with an online course or eLearning websites in mind. Or, you can opt for a more general theme. Once you’ve found a theme you like, install it, and activate it.

Step 4: Install an LMS Plugin

To sell your course or courses, you’ll need an LMS plugin to serve as an online course platform for your WordPress site. LMS stands for Learning Management System.

An LMS plugin will give you the necessary custom features for creating modules and lessons for your course, applying whatever customization you’d like, and controlling who can access the course materials.

Here are the top course plugins for WordPress users:

1. LearnPress

LearnPress makes it easy to create a course curriculum with lesson and quiz templates included. It has an intuitive interface. You can use it to create an online course website, sell a single course, and create a full-blown online school.

2. LifterLMS

LifterLMS is one of the most popular LMS plugins for WordPress websites. It works with any WordPress theme and makes it easy to create online course websites and membership websites.

LifterLMS also works with other popular WordPress plugins for even more features for your course website.

3. TutorLMS

Next, we have TutorLMS. It allows you to create an online course website and use quizzes, challenges, and other gamification features to make online learning fun and enjoyable.

4. LearnDash

Lastly, we have LearnDash. This award-winning plugin is the only WordPress LMS created by e-learning experts. It allows you to easily create an online course website with user management tools, drip feed content options, and plenty of payment methods to offer.

Step 5: Promote Your Courses

Once you’ve created a website and added course material, the last step is to spread the word and enroll potential students.

A few marketing ideas include:

• Promoting your course on social media platforms where your target audience spends time.
• Offering a small part of the course in exchange for an email address to build your list and inviting them to sign up for the full course. That can help build up your email marketing strategy over time.
• Offering a discount code or a limited-time sale price for the course.
• Becoming a blogger and posting content related to your course topic to get people interested.
• Investing in paid ads such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads.
• Optimizing your site for search engine optimization (SEO) with keywords related to your course.

Final Thoughts: How To Build a Course Website: A Quick-Start Tutorial

Learning how to build a course website is not an easy task. But once you know what is involved and have the right tools for the job, it’s a lot easier to get started.

In this post, we’ve shared the necessary steps to build a course website and the top three LMS plugins to facilitate the process.

The only thing left to do now is to get started to sell your online courses.

Get started with a WordPress hosting plan from Hostdedi to ensure your course content is secure, accessible, and ready to serve new students.