Freelancers and small agencies deal with a range of non-design and coding issues. We become the first person our clients contact when they have a question. It happens – even when we aren’t directly involved with the subject matter.

• “I just received this message from Google. What does it mean?“
• “Why can’t I receive email from my website?“
• “My website was hacked. Help!“

Yes, we are the catch-all technical support representatives. No matter the problem, web designers are the solution. That’s what some clients think, at least.

We’re often the link between clients and technology. And perhaps we shouldn’t try to tackle every problem. But it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on a few non-design technologies.

With that in mind, here are a few areas that web designers should study. You know, just in case.

SEO & Site Indexing Basics

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a niche unto itself. Some professionals specialize in making sure websites are indexed and rank well.

That doesn’t stop clients from asking their web designer, though. Site owners want to rank highly in Google search results. And they are often in the dark about how to do it.

To that end, it’s worth learning the basics of SEO. Even if the subject makes your skin crawl.

You’ll be able to explain the hows and whys to clients. That will help them make more informed decisions about content. They may decide to jump in feet first with an SEO professional.

Clients will ask you about SEO. A little background knowledge makes you look smart!

SEO Resources

• Advanced Technical SEO: A Complete Guide by Search Engine Journal
• It’s Time to Get Back to the Basics of SEO by Eric Karkovack
• SEO Basics by Yoast
• The Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Moz

DNS & Email Delivery

Launching or moving a website often includes changing a domain’s DNS settings. These settings ensure that the site directs users to the right place.

DNS is much more than that, though. There are also settings for configuring email as well. That has become a hot topic these days.

Email providers are increasingly requiring domain owners to verify their properties. Domains without DKIM, DMARC, or SPF records may have email delivery issues. For example, Gmail blocks email from unauthenticated domains.

What does this have to do with web design? Well, websites with contact forms can fall victim to these issues. The same goes for eCommerce websites. An unauthenticated domain means clients and users will miss these emails.

Now is the time to learn how DNS works. You’ll want to pay special attention to email. Clients without an IT department may need your help ensuring smooth email delivery.

DNS & Email Resources

• About SPF records by Google Workspace
• What is a DNS DKIM record? by Cloudflare
• What Is DMARC? by Proofpoint
• What is Email Deliverability? Best Tips & Practices by Lindsay Kolowich Cox

Security for Websites and Beyond

We live in an age of online insecurity. Malicious actors don’t take a minute off. Instead, they continue to wreak havoc.

Sure, we talk about web security quite a bit. And we try our best to build a virtual mote around websites. But websites are still being compromised.

We’re learning that security goes deeper than installing updates or tweaking .htaccess files. The fitness of a user’s device also plays a role.

Stolen session cookies are a prime example. Hackers can grab them off of a compromised device. A “bulletproof” website is no match for a phone with an info stealer installed. They can waltz right in and do whatever they want.

Understanding how device security impacts the web is crucial. It’s something that can benefit us and our clients. After all, a single weak link can break the chain.

Website Security Resources

• 5 Things to Tell Your Clients About WordPress Security by Eric Karkovack
• How to Scan WordPress for Malware in 4 Easy Steps by Jeremy Holcombe
• Introduction to WordPress Security by Wordfence
• Security on the Web by MDN
• Seven Important Security Headers for Your Website by Jeff Starr

Command Line Tools

Some of us cringe at the mere thought of using a command line tool. Hasn’t that stuff gone the way of the dinosaur?

Nothing could be further from the truth. Command line tools like WordPress CLI remain popular. Why is that? It’s all about power and efficiency.

The command line doesn’t have the overhead of a graphical user interface (GUI). Thus, it handles bulk operations faster. For example, you can perform a search-and-replace operation on a database more quickly.

You can also do a lot of behind-the-scenes work with your web server. The command line may be the only way to run specific tasks.

It’s worth brushing up on command-line operations. They are a huge time saver in the right circumstances.

Command Line Resources

• Linux Commands Cheat Sheet by Linux Training Academy
• Master the Linux ‘SSH’ Command: A Comprehensive Guide by Peter Hou
• The Linux command line for beginners by Ubuntu
• WordPress CLI Handbook by WordPress

Become a More Well-Rounded Web Designer

The skills above are all adjacent to web design. And the need for this knowledge is growing.

Perhaps that has always been the case with SEO. Meanwhile, security and DNS seem to be just about mandatory these days.

Working with clients means you inevitably will face questions about these subjects. Freelancers and small agencies don’t always have an expert within reach. So, it’s up to us to find answers.

The command line is more about adding another tool to your toolbox. The improved efficiency will benefit you. And the result is better service for your clients.

Web designers tend to be specialists. We focus on the front-end or back-end. But the more we know, the more well-rounded we become.

It’s one way to stay on the cutting edge of the industry for years to come.

The post Those Non-Design Technologies Web Designers Need to Know appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Even if you’re not 100% sure what structured data is, you’ve undoubtedly run across it in Google. For instance, a search for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” brings up a wealth of information. I can see where the movie is playing, its listing on IMDB, and aggregate reviews. Much of this comes from structured data pulled from multiple websites.

But this goes beyond just finding the latest movie listings. Structured data can help almost any business, from restaurants to pet stores and everything in-between. Helpful info such as business hours, cafe menus and addresses are just a few examples of what can be mined. That’s really just the tip of the iceberg. To get a better sense of the types of data being used, check out Schema.org’s website.

So, how do you get started? In general, structured data requires adding some attributes to your site’s HTML tags. But thanks to some terrific WordPress plugins, we don’t have to do this manually. Instead, the plugins below provide an easy way to add your website to this data powerhouse.

The Top Structured Data WordPress Plugins

WPSSO Core WordPress Plugin

With support for over 500 Schema types and sub-types, WPSSO core can provide structured data in many popular formats. It works with Facebook Open Graph, Google Rich Results/Knowledge Graph, Twitter Cards, oEmbed, and Slack.

The plugin will automatically read your site’s content and third-party APIs, then generate the appropriate data. A premium version adds support for WooCommerce, Google Merchant Feed, and several popular WordPress plugins.

Schema WordPress Plugin

Schema will add valid markup to your WordPress website and supports a variety of data types. It’s a great option for publishers, as it will improve articles, blog posts, multimedia content and author profiles.

Need more? There are free extensions for marking up reviews and setting a default image.

Business Profile WordPress Plugin

Structured data spans a vast number of categories. But what if you just want to share basic business information? Business Profile will do exactly that, without all the extras you don’t need.

Enter your business name, hours, etc., and the plugin will generate a “Contact Card” widget that you can place anywhere via a shortcode. It’s an easy way to share your business info with search engines. Support for reviews can also be added via a free companion plugin.

WP SEO Structured Data Schema

For those who really want to micromanage their site, WP SEO Structured Data Schema offers options galore. An options panel will appear on individual pages and posts to let you tweak a plethora of items to your heart’s content.

The available pro version ups the ante by auto-filling page/post data, support for custom post types and more data types.

Markup (JSON-LD) for WordPress

Though a little light on documentation, Markup (JSON-LD) is a fairly straightforward plugin for adding structured data. Within its settings panel, you can choose from a number of different types of data (Article, Blog Post, Event, Local Business, Site Navigation – among others).

Simply click on the data types you want, enable them and tweak settings. While there isn’t much in the way of plugin-specific info, each data type features some helpful Schema.org/Google links for further information.

Schema & Structured Data for WordPress

With Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP, you have a comprehensive plugin that is both highly tweakable and easy to use. For instance, you can conditionally display markup fields based on a number of criteria, such as post type.

It’s also compatible with Google AMP, putting you into the good graces of the search behemoth.

Schema App Structured Data WordPress Plugin

Schema App Structured Data is another great choice if you prefer something that doesn’t require a complicated setup. Once you activate the plugin and fill out a few basic details, all of your pages, posts, categories, and more will be automatically marked up with compliant Schema.

Optionally, you can also display breadcrumb navigation that will further improve both your site and your SERP listing.

Enjoy the Benefits of Structured Data

Adding structured data markup to your website helps users get the information they need with less hassle. Instead of having to comb through your website to find business hours, they can simply ask Google. This is especially important as voice-based search becomes more prevalent.

Users no longer have to attempt the dangerous combination of typing and driving. Talking to whichever virtual assistant they’re using will provide the answers they’re looking for.

While there are certainly some concerns that users will bypass your site altogether, providing access to this data at least keeps your business in the game. If your competitors share structured data and you don’t, you could lose some potential customers. Plus, the fact that website navigation can be mined could be of some benefit as well.

In short, structured data is too important to ignore. Thankfully, the plugins above can help make the process quick and easy.

The post 7 Best Free Structured Data WordPress Plugins appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

But here I am, attempting to change my own sentiment. Why? Because it’s simply too important to ignore. Both web designers and their clients need to have an understanding of how SEO works. More than that, a healthy realization of its pitfalls is also necessary.

It’s easy to develop the wrong expectations for SEO and the required effort it takes. And the market is littered with dubious claims – making it difficult to determine sound advice from hyperbole.

In an effort to provide some clarity, I reached out to a place I knew would have some answers: Yoast. The free version of their Yoast SEO plugin has over 11 million active installations – making it one of the most popular on the market. In addition, they provide a massive amount of sound advice on their company blog.

Yoast’s Edwin Toonen Talks SEO Essentials

The following is a short Q&A with Yoast content manager Edwin Toonen, where we dive into the essentials of SEO. Some answers have been edited for clarity.

What’s the most common SEO myth or misunderstanding that you see from users?

I think people tend to forget that SEO is a lot of work. While advances in technology have made it a lot easier to build a site, it hasn’t become much easier to rank with that site in search engines. So, you really need to put some effort into it!

At Yoast, we jokingly call SEO Seriously Effortful Optimization as that is what it is. With Yoast SEO, we are lowering the barrier of entry and giving everyone a fair chance at good results in the search engines.

Unfortunately, we can only do so much. We can’t write that epic piece of content for you. We can give you hints on what to improve, but we can’t set out a strategy for you. You need to put in the work.

Some people seem to think that you’re done with SEO once you install Yoast SEO. Of course, that’s not true — it’s only the beginning.

Should every piece of content on a website be optimized, or should the focus be on the most important content?

Ideally, you should have thought about every piece of content on your website. Every article or every page should have a goal.

Of course, that’s hardly how it works in practice. You might have a site with hundreds or thousands of posts and pages collected over many years. That is the reality for many sites.

In cases like this, you have to go through all that content and make hard choices — do I really need this? Do these pieces of content fit my goals? Do they bring traffic? Do they help my brand?

You can start going over everything and improve the pieces of content you want to keep while deleting and redirecting the ones you don’t need. In addition, you can also choose to merge a couple of low-value posts into a single really good one.

And then, there’s cornerstone content. These are the epic, all-encompassing articles that show your expertise and that you want to rank with the search results. These should be your main focus. Cornerstone articles should be updated and improved regularly. Linking your supporting, relevant articles to the cornerstone helps boost their importance.

For a small, local business on a tight budget, what would be the best area to allocate their SEO resources? Is there one investment that stands above the rest?

I always say you have to build an awesome business first. Make something that customers need to have or experience.

From there, get reviews and tend to them. Build a full Google My Business profile, including up-to-date information and great photos.

In addition, make sure that your site is properly optimized for local results and write high-quality, local-oriented content that can get you local links and citations.

If one had to choose between quality content and keyword repetition, what’s the better option? Do search engines really know the difference?

Content quality should be your number one priority. It’s one of the things that Google keeps hammering on about: improve your content. Search engines are smart enough to look beyond keywords, so it is better to find ways of improving your content instead of trying to fit in more keywords.

Of course, things like keyword density have taken on a different meaning as it is no longer about fitting in a certain percentage of keywords based on the length of the text. Today, metrics like this are more like a guide that helps you keep everything in check and warns you when you are overdoing it.

How often should SEO for existing content be reviewed and tweaked?

It depends, this is not set in stone. Some content does really well, even without touching it for years. Other pieces of content need constant tweaking to get results.

The main thing to remember is that you have to keep an eye on your content. You need to know what particular content needs to do and regularly check in Google Analytics if it does what you set out to do.

If it doesn’t work, you need to fine-tune it or replace it with something else. Of course, there’s a lot of room to experiment — and sometimes you get the best results accidentally. And keep at it — SEO is not about quick results.

The Keys to Effective SEO

A hearty thanks to Edwin Toonen and the team at Yoast for taking the time to chat! If anything, I hope this helped to separate some of the fact from fiction when it comes to search engine optimization.

As Edwin points out, SEO requires a good bit of work to find success. But even then, there’s no guarantee that the likes of Google will reward you with high rankings. To be sure, there will be some trial-and-error in the process.

In addition, we learned that content should have specific goals. If you want search engines to prioritize your content, it has to be both high-quality and focused.

Above all, SEO is something that both designers and clients need to stick with for the long haul. The game is always changing. Thus, it requires regular analysis and adjustments to stay on top.

Maybe SEO isn’t quite as bad as I’ve made it out to be? While it’s still not my favorite subject, this talk has helped me exorcise some of those past demons. Hopefully it did the same for you!

The post What Web Designers and Their Clients Need to Know About SEO appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

These plugins range in their focus. Some provide comprehensive SEO improvements, covering everything from keywords to helping to boost site speed. Others zero in on specific aspects, like improving page titles and meta descriptions. This diversity means you can find a plugin tailored to exactly what your site needs.

The beauty of these plugins is their ability to fine-tune your website’s SEO strategy. Whether you’re looking to enhance your site’s visibility, increase traffic, or improve search rankings, these tools can be incredibly helpful. They’re also designed to be user-friendly, making SEO more accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise.

To give your WordPress site an SEO boost, here are ten underrated plugins. Each plugin brings something unique and could be the key to improving your site’s performance in search engine results. These plugins are worth exploring if you’re aiming for a more effective and efficient SEO approach.

Top Niche & Specialized SEO Plugin for WordPress

Simple & Effective SEO with BoldGrid Easy SEO

Need some helpful suggestions when optimizing your content? Enter a keyword or phrase, and BoldGrid Easy SEO will guide you. The plugin looks at your keyword density, content length, and other page attributes. From there, you’ll gain some valuable hints that can help you level up.

It also scans your image ALT attributes as well. If you’re looking to boost your rankings within Google Image Search, this feature is a must-have.

Meta Tag Manager WordPress Plugin

For those who want complete control over their SEO, Meta Tag Manager is worth a look. As the name suggests, the plugin enables you to create various custom meta tags for your content. You can even add Open Graph tags to enhance social media sharing.

There are two ways to add tags. The first is directly within your WordPress post or page. In addition, you can add global tags that will appear across your site or via specific post types.

Rank Math SEO WordPress SEO Plugin

Rank Math SEO has become one of the bigger names in this category, yet still under the “big two” in terms of name recognition. And there is a ton to like with this package.

Inside, you’ll find a setup wizard, Schema markup, unlimited keywords per post, and integration with Google. There are a massive number of features. However, you can easily disable anything that you don’t need via the settings.

On-site SEO with SEOPress Plugin

SEOPress aims to be a complete solution with features like on-page SEO, HTML/XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs, and structured data. There’s also the ability to manage any 301 redirects, ensuring that your traffic doesn’t suffer from any URLs that have changed.

The included import feature is also handy. You can import settings from other SEO plugins and even import metadata via CSV files. This can make the optimization process quick.

All In One Schema.org Rich Snippets Plugin

Rich Snippets are such an overlooked part of SEO (this post convinced me of it). They provide search engines with extra bits of useful info like reviews, company details (business hours, address, etc.), and a whole lot more.

All In One Schema.org Rich Snippets provides fields within the WordPress post editor that will let you customize the rich snippets in your content. It’s such a simple thing, but it can make your search listings more noticeable.

The SEO Framework WordPress Plugin

The SEO Framework is focused on automating much of the process of optimizing your site. With a little initial guidance, the plugin will change titles, add descriptions (with anti-spam warnings), canonical URLs, Open Graph tags, and structured data.

It will also notify Google, Bing, and Yandex if you’ve enabled their sitemap feature. There’s also a color-coded “SEO Bar” that will show you what areas look good and what needs further tweaking.

Optimize Content with SEO Squirrly

SEO Squirrly takes a different approach to optimizing content. First, you start by entering the topic you plan to write about in a field provided by the plugin. It then ranks keywords in that topic with a color-coded system (green is what you’re hoping for). You’ll also receive “advice” while in the process of writing your post.

The plugin also displays a listing of related, copyright-free images you can use. This is definitely a more handheld approach for those who aren’t well-versed in SEO. One thing to note is that the free version of the plugin only supports up to 5 posts per month. Paid plans are available for sites that publish more content.

ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO

Ok, I cheated. ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO is meant for those using the ubiquitous Yoast plugin. But hear me out. If your site is publishing content via custom fields – the standard Yoast SEO plugin isn’t counting that in its assessment of your post.

Installing this plugin will ensure that you’re getting accurate SEO grades while using Yoast and Advanced Custom Fields.

Bulk Edit Metadata with WP Meta SEO

WP Meta SEO enables you to edit post and image metadata in bulk – saving you the trouble of clicking into each and every item. Beyond meta, you’re also able to bulk edit image sizes and SEO link titles.

The plugin also features on-page optimization, breadcrumb navigation, social media sharing elements, XML sitemap generation, and a broken link checker. This one is an up-and-coming SEO solution.

WPSSO the Structured Data Plugin for WordPress

WPSSO will take your existing content and create appropriate meta tags and Schema.org markup. Descriptions for various providers such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are included. Your site’s media is also optimized in the deal.

WPSSO is also able to work alongside other SEO plugins and can fill in some functionality gaps.

Small Names, Big Optimization

The plugins above prove there are indeed lots of great tools when it comes to SEO beyond the big names. In some ways, they’re like searching the web in that sometimes you may have to dig a little deeper to find some gold.

Take a closer look and see which ones will help you further optimize your WordPress website.

More Essential Free WordPress Plugins

The post 10 Best Free Niche WordPress SEO Plugins appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

This set includes fifty beautifully illustrated icons that are not only visually appealing but also highly versatile. They are fully scalable and infinitely editable, giving you the flexibility to use them in any size or format you prefer. The download package also contains the icons in both SVG and PNG formats for your convenience.

Whether you’re working on a new marketing campaign or trying to improve your website’s SEO, you’ll find a relevant icon in this fantastic set. Best of all, you can use these icons in both personal and commercial projects without any restrictions!