Optimizing Your Magento Shopping Cart

Magento Shopping Cart Issue

Anyone that knows me knows that I love the Magento Shopping Cart system.  It’s just brilliant.  However its brilliance comes with a price and that price is computing power.  We all know Magento requires a lot of specifics for it to run properly.  I first started running Magento projects on my servers, along with my regular clients, but found quickly that with having 5 Magento shopping carts running on 1 server, with approx. 5000 products each I had to upgrade my ram continuously just so my server wouldn’t crash.  Even then my server slowed right down, and the Magento Shopping Carts, where running slower than the mail.  It took an average of 10-20 seconds for one page to load, which was completely unacceptable.  I had to find another solution and fast.

The Magento Shopping Cart Hosting Solution

My solution was to find a Magento specific hosting company to run my Magento websites, and I found it www.siteground.com.   Now the reason why I like running my own servers is because it gives me full control over my websites than shared hosting would.  I never run into the issue of hearing “well that’s all your package allows you’ll have to upgrade if you want more blah blah blah…”

Siteground.com offered $3 per month for its Magento specific hosting.  I had my doubts but thought I would give it a try – so I moved 1 site over as a test site to exactly see how good their support team was as well as their server capabilities.  They actually offer free site transfers, and thought why not?  Lets let them do all the leg work if they are offering and I must say I was pretty impressed, they moved it over flawlessly, no issues and I was happy.  Once the domain propagated and I was able to see my Magento Shopping Cart of 5000 products running on this Magento specific hosting plan for only $3 a month I was again blown away.   This website that took 10-20 seconds to load per page on my server was loading pages in less than 1 sec.  Boom there’s a page! Bam there’s another! Needless to say my client was a very happy camper too… he even noticed a 300% increase in sales within the first 2 weeks because customers were now utilizing the faster site (amazingly enough, he was getting $1000’s in sales prior to the move even with his old site being slow, now that’s customer commitment).

I was happy, my client was happy, his clients were happy; we were all happy what could be better!  And then it happened, almost 1 month in to its new home on SiteGround.com… A Fatal Error!

My Magento Error… Where my products should be!!

Magento Fatal Error (Allowed memory size)

Assuming that my Magento Shopping Cart issues were now behind me, I began planning the transfer of more sites over to the new hosting platform.  I get a call from my client telling me that the site is down, so I go check it out.

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 89 bytes) in home/xxxxxx/public_html/lib/Varien/Object.php on line 270

I contacted www.siteground.com and notified them of the error and the issue was fixed immediately.  “Nice” I thought that was easy.  Then the next day much to my surprise the error was back again.  I contacted www.siteground.com once again and they told me there wasn’t much they can do as my Magento Shopping Cart was taking up too much of the allocated memory within the shared hosting plan.   They told me my best bet was to upgrade to a VPS package starting at $69 per month, as that package should have enough memory allocation that this issue would go away.

This really annoyed me at the time because before I had purchased the hosting package and moved the website over to www.siteground.com I specifically called them a couple of times to confirm a few things before I had made the move. I was sure to tell them about my current issues with the site, and we spoke about all the things I needed in a new hosting provider. I even went so far to tell them how large my database was, how many products my client had, how many customers were managed, how much traffic was currently being visited every month, as well as any other little detail I could think of at the time.  They assured me “No Problem” their servers were specifically designed to handle all of my issues I had mentioned and all for the low price of $3 per month.

But now they are trying to upsell me from $3 to $69.  Where was this great support I had seen in the beginning, they made no attempt from what I could see to help correct this issue, except to tell me to upgrade to a bigger plan, as that would fix my problem? I was clearly frustrated with their short answers and their lack of commitment to help me and the website I had just transferred over.

Well at this point of the game I turned to Google, my savor as per usual.

Magento Shopping Cart Fatal Error Fixes

I knew exactly what the issue was; however being a shared hosting client my options were limited.  When you get a “Fatal error: Allowed memory size exhausted” notice in your Magento Shopping Cart that usually means one thing.  You need to up the php_value of your memory_limit. Now there are a couple of ways you can do this if you have the proper access (some shared hosting providers allow you to edit these settings, and some others do not, SiteGround.com unfortunately does not).

First you need to check and adjust your php_value memory_limit.  Magento requires a minimum memory value limit of 256M to run properly, but ideally you should have it running at 512M.  The next thing you want to check and adjust if necessary is your php_value max_execution_time.  You want to make sure that this is set to a minimum value of 18000.

## adjust memory limit

php_value memory_limit 256M

php_value max_execution_time 18000

How to Check PHP_Values on a Website

Checking PHP Values within a Magento Website

1. Login via FTP to the Magento Shopping Cart root directory


2. Locate the file php.ini.sample.php


3. Change php.ini.sample.php to phpinfo.php


4. Go to www.yourwebsite.com/phpinfo.php via your browser


5. Locate memory_limit (use CTRL+F then type memory_limit hit enter for quicker results)


6. Locate max_execution_time (use CTRL+F type max_execution_time hit enter)

That phpinfo.php file gives you all your php settings provided to you by your hosting provider.  Be sure to change the name back to php.ini.sample.php or better yet delete the phpinfo.php file all together.  You don’t want hackers to be able to view this file, as it gives them the same privy of information about your current PHP values regarding your website.  This can be very dangerous for you!

Checking PHP Values without a Magento Website

If your Magento Shopping Cart doesn’t have the php.ini.sample.php within its root directory, or you want to check your PHP Settings on a hosting account that isn’t Magento based you can easily do so by following these steps below.

1. Open Notepad


2. Add this code to the first line   <?php phpinfo(); ?>


3. Save Notepad file as phpinfo.php


4. Upload phpinfo.php to your root directory


5. Go to www.yourwebsite.com/phpinfo.php via your browser


6. Locate memory_limit (use CTRL+F then type memory_limit hit enter for quicker results)


7. Locate max_execution_time (use CTRL+F type max_execution_time hit enter)

Remember to delete this file after you are finished with it.  DO NOT leave this file in your root directory for any reason!

Magento Shopping Cart Fatal Error Solutions

Now that we know that we need to change your settings there are a couple of ways of doing it.

1. Edit your .htaccess file


2. Edit your php.ini file

Your hosting provider must grant you permission for you to adjust these settings on your own, or else they will not work.  How do you know if your hosting provider allows for you to adjust these settings on your own?  Well the best way to find out is to contact them and ask? The second way is to adjust the settings within one of the two files above and to check your phpinfo.php file to see if the settings changed at all.  If they haven’t changed once you’ve edited the .htaccess file or the php.ini file then you know for sure that doing those edits has been restricted by your provider.

Magento Fatal Error .htaccess fix

In your Magento Shopping Cart root directory (where you uploaded the phpinfo.php file) you should have a file already in there called .htaccess.  If not find the file called .htaccess.sample, download it to your computer and open it.

NOTE* Opening an .htaccess file can be tricky, if you don’t have the proper software simply change the name of .htaccess to htaccess.txt (removing the (.) period at the front and adding (.txt) at the end) this will allow you to open it in Notepad.  Before you upload it, just rename it back to its original name (.htaccess).

Once you have opened the .htaccess file scroll down to “Adjust Memory Limit” it should look like something below… (Keep in mind anything starting with # means it’s inactive.)

############################################
## adjust memory limit
#   php_value memory_limit 64M

php_value memory_limit 128M

php_value max_execution_time 18000

These were the default settings for www.siteground.com, so I made the adjustments as such…

############################################
## adjust memory limit
#    php_value memory_limit 64M

php_value memory_limit 256M

php_value max_execution_time 18000

Once you have edited the file, save it and re-upload it and check it through the phpinfo.php file.  See if any changes have taken effect, as well hit refresh on your website, see if the error code went away.  Unfortunately for me they did not, I was unable to make adjustments via my .htaccess file.

Magento Fatal Error php.ini fix

The next thing I did was take the php.ini.sample file and downloaded it to my computer.  I then opened it and searched for “adjust memory limit” once again.

; This file is for CGI/FastCGI installations.
; Try copying it to php5.ini, if it doesn’t work
; adjust memory limit

memory_limit = 64M

max_execution_time = 18000

Making the same edits as I did in the .htaccess file I did the following changes as such…

; adjust memory limit

memory_limit = 256M

max_execution_time = 18000

Once again checking it online to see if it made a difference both by refreshing my website to see if the error code went away and secondly by checking the phpinfo.php file…  Unfortunately, I was at a loss, as I wasn’t able to successfully remove the error code.  My memory limit was still exhausted; the amazing $3 hosting plan just wasn’t big enough for my 5000 products and daily traffic combined.

After taking a small break for about an hour to regroup I decided to take a different approach.  Since I wanted to stay with the $3 hosting plan (as did my client)… other than the memory exhaust issue, it was running fast, with no other hiccups (well at least it was before this issue arose.).  I just couldn’t adjust the settings I needed to because of the shared hosting status of the $3 plan, so I decided to focus on what I could change which was the settings in my backend administration area.

Magento Fatal Error the Final Solution – Victory is Mine!

After doing a little more research I began playing with the backend settings and then finally just like that the error went away and the site was running perfectly, oh what a day!  This is what I did to make it happen (the 1^st two steps most Magento users are already pretty familiar with).

Login as Admin and then…

Step 1: Enable all Cache Types

• Navigate to System> Cache Management and Enable All Cache Types and/or refresh if already enabled.

Refresh and Enable All Cache Types.

Step 2: Re-Index all Data

• Navigate to System> Index Management > then “Select All” and click on Submit. Make sure that Actions is set to Reindex Data not Change Index Mode.

Magento Index Management Window.

Step 3: Enable JavaScript File Merging

• Navigate to System> Configuration> Developer> JavaScript Settings and select “Yes” to Merge JavaScript Files, then save by clicking “Save Config” (Top right hand corner).

(This step combines all JavaScript files in your Magento system into one file base reducing the large number of HTTP requests the Magento Shopping Cart system makes to the server.  In turn giving you more speed via the more compact file.

Step 4: Combining your CSS Files

• Navigate to System> Configuration> Developer> CSS Settings and select “Yes” to Merge CSS Files just as you did with the JavaScript files. “Save Config” to save your settings.

Step 5: Turn Off Logs

• Navigate to System> Configuration> Developer> Log Settings and select “No” under Enabled.


• Clear the Cache via Cache Management so setting take immediate affect.

You will find Step3, Step4 and Step5 onto of each other.

Step 6: Enable Compilation

• Navigate to System> Tools> Compilation and select “Run Compilation Process” this is a great tool to speed up your Magento Installation.


• Clear the Cache via Cache Management so setting take immediate affect.

Clear the Cache via Cache Management so setting take immediate affect.

Step 7: Uninstall Unused Extensions

• Navigate to System > Magento Connect > Magento Connect Manager


• Login


• Through this window remove any extensions you are not currently using.


• Clear the Cache via Cache Management so setting take immediate affect.

Step 8: Disable Modules Output

• Navigate to System> Configuration> Advanced> Advanced


• These are all the Modules that are currently running on your Shopping Cart.  Anything that is Enabled is currently active on your site.  You want to “Disable” any Modules that you don’t actively use.  For example if you are not using Google Checkout, Moneybookers or PayPal UK as a payment gateway then “Disable” them.  If you don’t have downloadable products for sale then “Disable Mage_Downloadable” , if you turned off your Customer Wishlists, Product Ratings, and Polls then “Disable” them here.


• 
  
  

  Disabling Modules here will greatly improve your speed and help with any would be errors.

  
  

  – it was using this feature that ended up saving my site and allowing me to keep the $3 hosting plan.



• Clear the Cache via Cache Management so setting take immediate affect.

Next Login to CPanel…

If Mod_Deflate is installed on your hosting account you will then see an icon called Optimize Website under the Software/Services section once you’ve logged in.

You will see the Optimize Website Icon only if Mod Deflate is installed on your Server.

Step 9: Optimize Website with CPanel

• Click on Optimize Website


• Select Compress All Content> Update Settings

Select Compress All Content.

Tweak .htaccess File

• Open Your .htaccess File Again… This time we are going to Enable Compression and Disable ETags.

Enable Compression

• Activate Apache the “mod_deflate” Module.  Mod_deflate will compress content before it allows the visitor browser to grab it such as text, css files, and javascipt code resulting in a smaller download size, making your site faster over all.  To activate “mod_deflate” uncomment the lines so that your .htaccess file looks like the following…

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>

############################################
## enable apache served files compression
## http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#gzip
# Insert filter on all content

SetOutputFilter DEFLATE
# Insert filter on selected content types only

AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css   text/javascript application/javascript
# Netscape 4.x has some problems…

BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4 gzip-only-text/html
# Netscape 4.06-4.08 have some more problems

BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4\.0[678] no-gzip
# MSIE masquerades as Netscape, but it is fine

BrowserMatch \bMSIE !no-gzip !gzip-only-text/html
# Don’t compress images

SetEnvIfNoCase Request_URI \.(?:gif|jpe?g|png)$ no-gzip dont-vary
# Make sure proxies don’t deliver the wrong content

Header append Vary User-Agent env=!dont-vary
</IfModule>

The original .htaccess file will look like this…

The Magento .htaccess file will look like this by default you must uncomment the lines…

…as such to optimize your sites speed and performance.

Next…

Disable ETags

• Etags validate cached components which can slow down a site so it is best to just turn them off as shown below.

############################################
## If running in cluster environment, uncomment this
## http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#etags

FileETag none

Remove the # sign to “Uncomment a Line”

Once you have made your edits re-upload your .htaccess file and check to see if your speed has improved. There are  few more things you can do to still improve speed on your Magento Shopping Cart such as install some Magento Plugins that specifically target this issue.  As well as make a few more minor edits to your .htaccess file and admin backend.  After completing all of the above the current Magento Shopping Cart I was referring to in this article has been running perfectly now for about 4 months without any further issues while still using www.siteground.com as the hosting company, with the $3.00 plan still in use.

The minimum required memory limit as we all know to run a Magento Shopping cart is 256M, but on the $3 hosting plan with SiteGround.com they run the memory limit at 128M (which was the cause of my initial issue).  However even with such a low memory limit after utilizing all the fixes mentioned in this article I was able to have my site run perfectly and was able to keep my low cost hosting plan active.  I hope that this article helps you speed up your Magento Shopping Cart.  If you have any questions please do let me know.

Magento Shopping Cart Recap

A good way to test your website speed is by going to http://tools.pingdom.com and run a speed test.  I would recommend that you test your website before and after you make your modifications to see how big a difference it does make.  Remember too if you are new to Magento that you need to Clear you Cache in your Cache Management section when you edit changes to your Magento website, either in FTP or in the Admin backend area.  It’s always best to complete a few changes at a time and then refresh your website to make sure you aren’t causing more errors, there’s nothing worse then spending time on fixing an issue only to find out that you created a new error somehow and now have to back track to figure out what changed caused your new problem.

Optimizing Your Magento Shopping Cart

Webpage Screenshot Plugins!

Webpage Screenshots (aka Webshots)

Ever need to take a quick screenshot / snapshot of your website, or of a competitor’s website for whatever reason?  Most people will usually use the “Print Screen” button on their keyboard to take a webpage screenshot of their entire screen, but let’s be honest, that method is more trouble than it’s worth.

• First off the “Print Screen” function doesn’t capture the entire website but only what’s seen on the monitor screen at that time (Including your mouse, toolbar icons and whatever else).


• Secondly you have to paste your webpage screenshot into Paint or Photoshop just so you can edit what you’ve captured.


• Thirdly, making edits to your screenshot; cropping out unwanted sections, creating arrows to show examples, and/or adding text are extra steps that would be done a lot more efficiently if you could just do it when the webpage screenshot was taken via your browser.


• Lastly, the worst part is… if your webpage is longer than your screen, you have to slice together 2 or more different webpage screenshots just to make them all fit as 1.

What if I told you there was an easier way?

Webpage Screenshots – Webshots the Easy Way!

Over the years I have found a few amazing web tools that will help solve all of the issues I just mentioned.  As a web developer myself I require many webpage screenshots for all the projects I have completed, mostly for my portfolio, or to do research on my client’s competitors (or even mine).  These are the solutions I have found that work best for me.

*Please take note that most of the online screenshot websites don’t really do a great job and if they do, you usually have to wait for the screenshot to be process in a queue which sometimes can take a few minutes or longer.

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Webpage Screenshots – Online Tools

http://ctrlq.org/screenshots/: This is the only online screenshot website I found that doesn’t take very long and does its job correctly (if you aren’t looking to install any plugins or software this would be your best bet, as it is quick and simple to use.)

Paste the address (URL) of any web page and the tool will instantly capture a high-resolution screenshot of the full page as a PNG image

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Webpage Screenshots – Browser Plugins

I personally recommend installing a browser plugin to handle your screenshots, as they are quick, have editing capabilities and are not installed on your computer directly but only in browser.

Chrome: One of my favorite webpage screenshot browser plugins is the one I use in Chrome.  Even though I love Firefox and use it as my primary browser, the Chrome plugin does it just as nicely.  With the click of button you can take a webshot of an entire webpage no matter what its length and it will automatically scroll the whole page and save it as a high resolution png.  It works brilliantly.  Once the webshot has been taken you can automatically edit the webpage screenshot right then and there within your chrome browser without having to open it in any another program.  It even has built in tools that you would normally use when editing your webpage screenshot, such as the arrow icon.  Click on the arrow icon and you can automatically create an arrow pointing in any direction.  If you are going to use a webpage screenshot then this is definitely the one I suggest you use.

Download Chrome Plugin: Click Here

Download and Install the Chrome Plugin for Webpage Screenshots!

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Firefox: The Firefox plugin also does amazing things, just like the chrome plugin.  The Firefox plugin actually has more features in it that allows you to do a lot more in depth functions.  Such as “Save as PDF”, print after a webshot, or easy upload of a webshot to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Picasa,  ImageShack or a custom ftp / http address.  You can also set your webpage screenshot to automatically resize itself 10%, 20%, 50% or whatever size you want.  Which is very handy indeed, and I do use the Firefox plugin quite often when I need to utilize one of these extra functions.  For the most part, the Chrome plugin is a little simpler to use and I prefer the editing tool that comes within the Chrome plugin, but it all boils down to a matter of preference.  Besides it never hurts to have both, just in case.

Download FireFox Plugin: Click Here

Download and Install the Firefox Plugin for Webpage Screenshots!

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Free Screenshot – Program Downloads

If you’d like to install an actual program to do your screenshots for you – no problem – here is a list of a few different screenshot programs you can download and use absolutely free.  Again I personally prefer the browser plugins because you can activate your screenshot through your browser instead of having flip back and forth between your browser and the software just to take and edit your screen caps.

However sometimes you need to take a screenshot outside of your browser such as other programs on your desktop and that’s when these free screenshot programs would come in handy indeed.

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 Download Jing Screenshot and Screencast

Jing captures anything you see on your computer screen and lets you share it instantly.

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 Download LightShot Screen Capture Tool

LightShot webpage screenshot tool, for both Mac and Windows – Download Now!

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Download Screen-O-Matic

Online screen recorder for one-click recording for free with Screenshot-o-matic!

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Webpage Screenshots Recap!

Online Website Screenshot Tools

• URL: http://ctrlq.org/screenshots/ (Create Free Online Screen Captures)

Webpage Browers Screenshot Plugins

• URL: FireFox Screenshot Plugin (Firefox Plugin: Screen Capture)


• URL: Chrome Screenshot Plugin (Online Screen Capture)

Free Download Screenshot Software

• URL: http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html (Jing gives you the basic tools to start sharing images and short videos of your computer screen. Capture what you see, record what you do, quick & easy sharing.)


• URL: http://app.prntscr.com/ (This app allows you to select any area on a desktop and to do its screenshot by 2 clicks.  Simple interface, nothing useless and light weight makes your work with the app easier. Find visual similar images. Select any image on your screen and find dozens similar images.)


• URL: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/ (One-click screen capture recording on Windows or Mac computers with no install for FREE! Or you can download an application to launch from your Start menu.

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Credits: Featured Image by sekimura via Flickr

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Webpage Screenshot Plugins!

Download Free Fonts - Top 10 Best Font Sites!

Download Free Fonts

Now if you are like me, then you don’t like using the same old fonts over and over.  Reason being is that it tends to get a little boring after a while.  Your projects become mundane and predictable and all your work starts to look the same because they all utilize the same fonts.  I like to keep my font collection fresh, but at the same time I don’t want to spend 1000’s of dollars on new fonts.  So where does one go when they need to download some new fonts for free? Here is a list of my “Top 10 Favorite” sites to download free fonts.  Note:  Please read the terms and conditions on any website you visit and/or download from as downloading fonts may be free for personal use, but not always for commercial use.

Top 10 Sites to Download Free Fonts

• 
  

  Dafont: www.dafont.com

  
  

Archive of freely downloadable fonts. Browse by alphabetical listing, by style, by author or by popularity via www.dafont.com.

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• 
  

   1001 Free Fonts: www.1001freefonts.com

  
  

1001 Free Fonts offers a huge selection of free fonts. Download free fonts for Windows and Macintosh. License fonts for commercial use at www.1001freefonts.com

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• 
  

   Font Squirrel: www.fontsquirrel.com

  
  

Font Squirrel scours the internet in search of FREE, highest-quality, designer-friendly, commercial-use fonts and presents them for easy downloading. We don’t have the most, but we do have the best via www.fontsquirrel.com

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• 
  

  Search Free Fonts: www.searchfreefonts.com

  
  

Search Free Fonts has largest Free Fonts selection on the web. Over 13000 free fonts for Windows and Mac available to download. Free Fonts are categorized and sorted by popular vote and downloads via www.searchfreefonts.com

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• 
  

  Fonteo: www.fonteo.com

  
  

Download high quality free fonts from Fonteo.com. Free fonts are sorted by category and top downloads via www.fonteo.com.

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• 
  

  Abstract Fonts: www.abstractfonts.com

  
  

Download, view, test-drive, bookmark free fonts. Features more than 13,500 free fonts via www.abstractfonts.com

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• 
  

  Font Space: www.fontspace.com

  
  

Download 21,234 free truetype and opentype fonts for Windows and Mac via www.fontspace.com

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• 
  

  Cool Text: www.cooltext.com

  
  

Cool Text is a FREE graphics generator for web pages and anywhere else you need an impressive logo without a lot of design work. Simply choose what kind of image you would like. Then fill out a form and you’ll have your own custom image created on the fly via www.cooltext.com

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• 
  

  Fontsy: www.fontsy.com

  
  

Download fonts for free via www.fontsy.com.

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• 
  

  Google Fonts: www.google.com/fonts/

  
  

Find amazing Fonts free for use to use at Google Fonts.

Those are some of the best sites online to visit when searching for a new font to use for one of your personal or business projects.  All the free font websites above allow you to download a zip file or the free font file itself directly.

Security Tip When You Download Free Fonts

A new trend is popping up within “downloading websites” (so I’ve noticed lately) and that is files are being packed by an executable file (.exe) file.  You’ll notice this when you click on “download” free font (or what it is you are downloading) and the file name ends with .exe.  Never, ever download anything that ends with .exe unless you absolutely trust it! Reason being is because you have no idea what the file you are downloading has been packed with; it could be anything including a virus!

For example fonts don’t end in .exe.  They end in .ttf, ttc, pfb, .pfm, or .otf (all window font styles).  When a file is packed with an executable file (.exe) you don’t know what else could be in there, and when you click on it and allow it to install on your computer you are allowing whatever else is in there to run and install as well.  There is no reason that when you download a free font it needs to be packed with an .exe file.

I have just noticed this lately within a lot of downloading websites.  None of the sites mentioned in this article allows for files to be downloaded as .exe at the time of writing this article.  However other Font websites out there do and I just wanted to pass on the warning for safe keeping.

So remember that if any file you are downloading ends in .exe – DO NOT download it. If it ends in .zip, .rar, .tar.gz then that is okay, those are just compressed files.  See full list of compressed files by clicking here…

If you are ever unsure about downloading anything, simply type it in Google and see what other people are saying about it.  Avoid download .exe files directly as they will most likely harm your system or install unwanted software such as annoying ads or toolbars for your browsers.

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Download Free Fonts Recap

Remember to take note of the terms and conditions for downloading free fonts. Never download and/or open font files that end with .exe. Enjoy and download free fonts from any of the sites I have mentioned…

1. DaFont:                                www.dafont.com


2. 1001 Free Fonts:               www.1001freefonts.com


3. Font Squirrel:                     www.fontsquirrel.com


4. Search Free Fonts:          www.searchfreefonts.com


5. Fonteo:                                 www.fonteo.com


6. Abstract Fonts:                 www.abstractfonts.com


7. Font Space:                        www.fontspace.com


8. Cool Text                             www.cooltext.com


9. Fontsy:                                 www.fontsy.com


10. Google Fonts:                    www.google.com/fonts/

 

Download Free Fonts - Top 10 Best Font Sites!

Facebook Update: New Timeline

New Facebook Update: New Timeline Layout

Yes, that’s right!  Facebook is doing another big visual update to their website.  However, currently you have to request to have your Facebook profile updated.  Which I like because than it leaves you open with the choice of updating to the new look or not (at least for now anyhow).  They are actually creating this update to keep up with the iPad and iPhone displays (followed by Android), ensuring that your browsing experience is the best one yet.

Facebook Update: Waiting List

Currently unless you own an iPhone or an iPad you won’t be able to see the changes (via your pc/mac) unless you request it personally online via www.facebook.com/about/newsfeed.  Simply login to your facebook account, and scroll to the bottom where you find the “Try the new look” button.   Click on it and just wait for your account to be switched over.  I have been waiting approximately 24hrs and I still haven’t seen the new update on my Facebook Profile yet.  I have seen it on a friend’s computer, and I am excited to switch over as it looks so much better than the current Facebook Timeline setup that is in use now.

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Register to request your new Timeline Layout.

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Facebook Update: Recap

1. Go to www.facebook.com/about/newsfeed.


2. Click on “Try the new look” button.


3. And… Wait!  Unless you own an iPhone or iPad then you should already be seeing the new layout.

Facebook Update: Update

Funny enough I originally wrote the 1^st half of this article on May 29^th 2013.  I was waiting to see how long Facebook would take to complete my requested update.  My update was finally initialized near the end of June / early July.  I can’t remember the exact date but all I know is that you may have to wait a month or so for your request to be processed.  At least I did anyhow, so don’t fret if you submit your request and it takes a while for the Facebook update to happen via your PC / Mac.

Facebook Update: New Timeline

New Pricing Tables Professionally Designed 12 PSD’s

 More Pricing Tables for Download – 12 PSD’s.

We have added some amazing – high quality pricing tables for download.  We search online for great downloads that do not require strict licensing guidelines.   If you have any questions about licensing please visit the authors website that we have provided.  We hope you enjoy these pricing tables there are definitely some amazing designs in this batch of downloads.  Remember that Pricing Tables are a great tool to use to promote your products and services and if used correctly will steer customers to the pricing plan that you want them to go too.  Always choose the “Featured” and/or the “Most Popular” to be the plan you want to sell the most.  Labeling these items this way will encourage users to purchase those items even if they don’t require them. Remember that most people follow the heard, so if they see the “Most Popular” plan labelled they will more than likely purchase that plan than any other, because subconsciously they think that’s what everyone else is doing – so it must mean it’s the best one.

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01. Colorful Pricing Tables PSD

Brightly Coloured Pricing Tables, High Quality PSD

Description:  Brightly coloured pricing tables, including a header text, sign up button, lots of space to relate full details of each product and pricing.
Authors Website: www.pixelsdaily.com
License: PIXELS • DAILY is a collection of free and commercial resources for designers.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (colorful-pricing-tables.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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02. Modern Pricing Table PSD

Modern Pricing Table, High Quality PSD

Description: High Quality design business pricing tables, beautiful various colours to match what you need.  Each pricing table has a feature list, price and of course a selection button.
Authors Website: www.pixelsdaily.com
License: PIXELS • DAILY is a collection of free and commercial resources for designers.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (modern-pricing-table.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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03. Pricing Tables Box PSD

Pricing Tables Template Box, High Quality PSD

Description: Business Pricing Tables, PSD File.  Both Large and small boxes.
Authors Website: freepsdfiles.net
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (price_boxes.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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04. Web2.0 Pricing Tables PSD

Web 2.0 Pricing Tables, High Quality PSD

Description: Web 2.0 style pricing tables box, colours can easily be customized to fit your needs. High Quality beautifully designed.
Authors Website: http://shegystudio.deviantart.com
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (pricing_table.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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05. Free PSD Shiny Price Badges

Shiny Price Badges, High Quality PSD

Description:  5 different pricing badges, shiny, beautifully designed, bright colours, eye catching.
Authors Website: freepsdfiles.net
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (pricebadges.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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06. Slick Price Table UI

Sleek Pricing Table UI, High Quality PSD

Description: Pricing table 3 fold, crisp and clear design perfect for any business website.
Authors Website: SlyerD1
License: Free to Download – See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (slick_price_table_ui_by_slayerd1.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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07. Hosting Pricing Table

Hosting Pricing Table Blue, High Quality PSD

Description: Pricing table with 5 columns with 1 main column for special features. Great for web hosting plans.
Authors Website: Land-of-Web.com
License: Free to Download – See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (table.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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08. Simple Pricing Table Boxes PSD

Simple Pricing Table Boxes, High Quality PSD

Description: Simple design, but great look for business table pricing for any packaging.
Authors Website: http://prkdeviant.deviantart.com/
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (Simple-Pricing-Boxes-PSD.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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09. Rich Colours Pricing Table PSD

Rich Colours Pricing Table, High Quality PSD

Description: Four Column pricing table with rich colours.
Authors Website: inspiredcore.com
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (modern-pricing-table.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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10. Pricing Table

Five Column Pricing Table, High Quality PSD

Description: 5 Column pricing tables great for hosting, or any other service packages.
Authors Website: premiumfreebies.eu
License: License details included with download.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (PricingTable.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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11. Pricing Table

Pricing Table Purple, Four Column, High Quality PSD

Description: 4 column pricing table great for hosting plans or any other service packages.
Authors Website: webdesigneraid.com
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (layout.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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12. Strada Pricing Table PSD

Strada Pricing Table, High Quality PSD

Description: Three slick pricing table, high quality, simple yet very professional design.
Authors Website: http://bestuipsd.blogspot.ca/2011/08/strada-pricing-table-psd-ui-web-element.html
License: See authors website for license options.
Includes: High Quality PSD File: (pricing-table-1.psd)
Download Now: Click Here

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New Pricing Tables 12 PSD’s Recap

URL: Download Bundle – All 12 Files in 1 Zip!

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New Pricing Tables Professionally Designed 12 PSD’s

Free Download Business Card Designs

Download Business Card Designs

We all want to download business card designs now and again, so we have gathered 7 different downloads of variations of high quality .psd, eps, and .ai files all free for download.  This article focuses on  business card designs used by different companies for different reasons.  There are many authors and web designers out there that create amazing works of art within Photoshop and/or Illustrator.  All the .psd and vector files made available here are absolutely free to download and use.  Of course you should never take credit for someone else’s work so we have added in the Author’s Website for each .psd/vector file on this page.  We will be adding many more freebies to download from from a wide range of different avenues, so don’t forget to come back visit us again soon, as we are updating our site on a daily basis.

01.  Colorful and Abstract Download Business Cards

Collection of Variations of Abstract Business Cards (.EPS)

Authors Website: http://www.topvectors.com/vector/colorful-abstract-business-cards-vector/
License: Attribution CC BY
Includes: High Quality EPS File
Download Now: Download Business Card

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02. Ripped Design Business Cards

Ripped Design Colourful Business Cards for Download | High Quality .EPS & Jpg / MAC

Authors Website: dryicons
License: Free, Commercial or Extended 
Includes: High Quality .eps & .jpg file / Files for MAC
Download Now: Download Business Card

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 03. Modern Business Cards

High Quality EPS & JPG file / MAC

Authors Website: dryicons
License: Free, Commercial or Extended 
Includes: High Quality .eps & .jpg / Files for MAC
Download Now: Download Business Card

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04. Artistic Business Card Designs

High Quality EPS & JPG file / MAC

Authors Website: dryicons
License: Free, Commercial or Extended 
Includes: High Quality EPS & JPG file / Files for MAC
Download Now: Download Business Card

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05. Download Business Card

6 Creative Business Card Designs in 1 Download

Authors Website: vectoropenstock.com
License: Attribution CC BY
Includes: High Quality AI file
Download Now: Download Business Card

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06. Techy Business Card Set

High Quality .AI, .CDR, .EPS Files

Authors Website: http://shmector.com/
License: Free for commercial use
Includes: High Quality .AI, .CDR, .EPS Files
Download Now: Download Business Card

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07. Elegant Business Card (15 in 1 Download Business Cards)

High Quality EPS & JPG Files

Authors Website: http://sharegfx.net/
License: Personal and Commercial Use
Includes: High Quality .EPS & .JPG Files
Download Now: Download Business Card

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Download Business Card Recap!

URL: Download All Business Cards Now

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Free Download Business Card Designs

WordPress Security

WordPress Security Techniques

Now if you’re like me you probably didn’t utilize security on your WordPress website until it was too late.  After I had a hacker sneak into my backend I realized it was time to smarten up, be vigilant, and personally take charge of my WordPress Security.

Now of course I had security practices locked down on my servers; running daily virus checks, multiple firewalls, bruteforce protection programs, rootkit hunters, and many more security features being continuously added and monitored on a daily basis.  At the time for some odd reason I thought that was enough to keep my websites safe and secure, however this was not the case specifically on a user level when it came to my WordPress websites.

A hacker was able to get in somehow through my backend?  I quickly figured it out when I noticed new users with administrator access were being added to my WordPress site and since I was the only user on the site at the time.  Well it was obvious someone else had gotten in especially when they change my password on me and locked me out much to my surprise.

To fully remove the hacker from my WordPress website I had to delete and re-install my hosting account and upload my website backups (backups which I do religiously for just such a reason).  When I completed my reinstall, changed all my passwords, updated my WordPress software/plugins/themes, and removed any instance of new users.

The question remained… “What was I to do to ensure that this madness wasn’t to happen again?”

Well I did some digging online, spoke with some other professionals, and researched vigorously for the answer until I finally came up with a WordPress Security Package.   All my WordPress websites (both personal and for my clients) utilize this Security Package.  I am continuously upgrading and adding too my WordPress Security Package as new security flaws are found, and new updates are sent out.  The WordPress Security Package I put together is just a collection of different tools and plugins you install with your WordPress websites (they are all 100% free and can be found online).

7 Simple steps to ensuring your WordPress website is secure.

Keeping Your WordPress Website Secure!

STEP 1:  Keeping Everything Up to Date!

Always, always, always update your software; this is one of the most important steps to ensuring that your WordPress website is kept safe.  If you see a plugin that requires an update in your backend, than update it! If you see your WordPress version needs and update, update it!  If you one of your WordPress themes requires an update, well than update it!  Don’t wait until tomorrow, update it now.

Also before you update anything you should always read what you are updating.  All updates will have a detailed review of all the new fixes being installed for that plugin/theme/WordPress version.  Updating your software will help protect you and your WordPress website greatly.

STEP 2:  Removing Lost Password Function

One thing hackers try to do in order to access your WordPress backend is they try to utilize the Lost Password function via the Admin Login.  I recommend that you remove the Lost Password function entirely; you can do so by downloading the Lost Password Removal Plugin, uploading to your plugins folder and activating the plugin.  It will automatically remove the ability to reset your password with the Lost Password link.

STEP 3:  Installing Security Plugins

There are many security plugins that will help you to secure your WordPress installation.  Here are some of the best ones to choose from…

• WP Better Security: http://wordpress.org/plugins/better-wp-security


• WordFence Security: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordfence/


• Bullet Proof Security: http://wordpress.org/plugins/bulletproof-security/


• All In One Security and Firewall: http://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-security-and-firewall/


• MVIS Security Center: http://wordpress.org/plugins/mvis-security-center/


• Security Ninja Lite: http://wordpress.org/plugins/security-ninja-lite/


• Username Security:  http://wordpress.org/plugins/user-name-security/

WordPress Search All: http://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=security&sort=

Running both these plugins together will help you tremendously in locking out hackers.  They will guide you step by step on what to do in order secure your site.

STEP 4:  Making a Strong Password (See this article)

Never use the same password with multiple websites and always make sure your current password is a strong password.  Weak passwords can be broken within a matter of seconds.  Please read this article I wrote on how to secure your online password.

• Protecting Your Password:  http://www.redashes.com/protecting-your-password/

STEP 5: Keeping Your Site Neat and Tidy

One thing most WordPress users never do is delete any inactive plugins or unused themes they have sitting in their backend.  If you aren’t using a particular plugin or theme, than simply delete it, because believe it or not, you are leaving open opportunities for hackers to access your website through these inactive files.  A WordPress plugin or WordPress theme doesn’t have to be in use for it to be dangerous… so the rule of thumb should be that if you haven’t used your plugin and/or theme within the last week or two it should be removed immediately.  Remember you can always re-install / re-upload it if it’s need again.

STEP 6: Backups

Backing up your website is also another very important feature you need to make a common practice of, because if all else fails your backup files are all you have left.  You always want to make sure you do frequent backups of your WordPress website (whether it be twice daily, once daily, twice weekly and so on, it’s all up to you).  I backup my websites daily, and you should too especially if your website gets a lot of traffic, posts a lot of articles, and/or gets a lot of comments.  You never want to lose any of your content because your backup is 2 weeks old, that’s content you’ll never get back.

Now most web hosting providers provide backups for their shared hosting clients automatically but you should always confirm with your web hosting company if they do indeed do backups on your website specifically and of course ask them how often?  Ultimately you should never rely on your web hosting provider for your backup solutions.  Reason being they will usually charge you a fee to have your backups re-installed and even then you will have to open a ticket, or call in, and then wait until however long it takes for it to get done. If you do your own backups then you can re-install your backup files immediately at no cost to you.

Here are some great backup solutions for you and your WordPress website.

• Simple Backups: http://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-backup/


• Updraft Plus Backup: http://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/


• WordPress Backup to Dropbox: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-backup-to-dropbox/


• WordPress Easy Backup: http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-ez-backup/

STEP 7:  Think Security, Make it a Habit!

The final step to keeping your websites secure and safe is by far the hardest discipline to learn and that is making it a way of thinking.  Checking your daily logs, running daily security scans, frequently testing your weakest points on your site (penetration testing), keeping up to date with what’s new in the world of security and the software you are running.  You always have to keep security in mind when building and growing your website(s), this is the only way to keep your websites safe and out of the hands of hackers.

Eventually when you do it enough times in a day continuously it will become a habit, second nature and that’s the point you want to get too.

WordPress Security Recap!

Remember…

• STEP 1:  Keeping Everything Up to Date!


• STEP 2:  Remove the Lost Password Function on your Login Screen!


• STEP 3:  Installing Security Plugins that help lock down your site!


• STEP 4:  Secure your Passwords (See this article)


• STEP 5:  Keep it Clean… Cleaning up your website!


• STEP 6:  Backups, Backups, Backups


• STEP 7:  Make it a Habit – Think Security

Download Recommended WordPress Security Package (ZIP FILE)

• Download Now!

WordPress Security