Get a faster, more secure website – the importance of updating your PHP

Is your WordPress website telling you that you need to update to the latest PHP version for your website to run correctly?

PHP is the coding language WordPress is built on, and its version is set at the server-level by your hosting company. If you manage your own website, here are the benefits of updating your PHP:

  • A faster website will often rank higher in search engines.
  • Your web pages will load and show your images correctly, pages will scroll better, and going to linked content won’t be delayed.
  • A more secure website is better protected against hackers.

Steps to updating to the latest PHP version

If you manage your own website, you can go through these steps to prepare your WordPress website for a PHP update:

  • Make a backup of your website first
  • Make a backup of your database
  • Update your theme and plugins
  • Update your website to the latest WordPress version
  • Check your PHP compatibility with a “PHP compatibility checker”

Next, log into your webhost’s dashboard and either run a manual PHP update or request the tech support department to run it for you.

  • Update PHP to the latest version – 7.4 or higher

If you run into any issues or need help, contact a professional web developer like HTB Website Design, your hosting company, or your WordPress theme and plugins authors.

Demystifying Stock Photo Sizes for Social Media

Stock photo sizes for any social media post

I love the brilliant colors of autumn!

Add some fall colors to your social media projects with HTBphotos ‘Fall Foliage‘ Series by John and Katharina Notarianni, available on Dreamstime.

HTBphotos fall foliage series available on Dreamstime
HTBphotos ‘Fall Foliage’ by John and Katharina Notarianni has been cropped and resized to 1200×1200 pixels for social media purposes.

Stock photo sizes for any social media post

Graphics, photos, and other visuals are a necessity when posting content on social media!

And with copyright concerns, it is best to either take photos with your cell phone, digital camera or even your iPad, or leverage the many reputable stock photography sources like Dreamstime, or design services like Canva. There are even high quality free stock photo sites like Unsplash.

The question is, now that you have the perfect image for your social media post, what size image displays correctly across multiple platforms? Is that even possible? Yes!

Keep It Simple Strategy

Square images are ideal for Facebook and Instagram posts. Square format also works well for LinkedIn posts – and can work for Twitter.

Easy 1:1 ratio (square)

Instagram and Facebook photos: 1200 x 1200 pixels

Pinterest Pins (repurpose from Instagram)

All profile pictures* (allows cropping to circle format): 500 x 500

YouTube channel icon*: 800 x 800

Best size for link posts

As you can see the featured image at the top of this post also from HTBphotos ‘Fall Foliage’ Series, has been resized to 1200×630 pixels which work perfectly for WordPress blog posts as well as for several popular social media platforms that have a similar size requirement: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

For specifics on all popular social media platforms, I recommend taking time to review Louise Myers’ Social Media Cheat Sheet.

Get noticed with a Video Cover

Facebook: Tell More of Your Story

Instead of a cover photo, now you can use a video. It can be 20-90 seconds and should be at least 820 x 312 pixels.

Louise Myers, Visual Social Media

HTB | Website Design

HTB | Website Design designs, develops and hosts mobile friendly business websites. E-commerce, SEO and Social Media packages available. Please contact info@healingtimebooks.com to request a free 15 minute consultation.

What Makes A Website Great!

Is it time to update your business website?

Does your website inspire action? If the answer is Yes! then your website is doing it’s job.

If not, what can you do to make it better? Ask yourself:

Can anyone find your website?

  • are you on the map, as they say? Can search engines find your website?
  • does your domain name represent your brand?

Is it easy to use?

  • is it pleasure to click around?
  • does it look good on a mobile phone or tablet?

Does it present you and your business in a credible way?

  • are there reviews or testimonials about you?
  • does it list your credentials on the About web page?

Can the visitor easily buy or request your product or service?

  • do you have an email opt-in request?
  • do you have a contact form to request your service?
  • do you link to a shop where it is easy to buy your product or service?

Is it current or out-dated?

  • Does your website represent your current business focus?
  • does the platform get updates or upgrades frequently enough to keep up with the changing internet landscape?
  • can your website handle sudden increases in traffic?

If you answered NO! to any of the above questions, it might be time for an overhaul of your website.

Here are some steps you can take:

  1. Define the goal for your website – what do you want the visitor to learn, experience, buy etc.
  2. Streamline it so it is easy to use and content loads quickly
  3. Brand yourself. Evaluate whether you are consistently using your brand across all platforms – website, social media, email communications, etc.
  4. Make it mobile friendly – view it on your phone and tablet as well as on a laptop.

Need help?

If you don’t have time to do this all by yourself, we invite you to request a free consultation to help you achieve your goals.

Just fill out our online Contact Form, or by sending us an email at info@healingtimebooks.com

HTB Website Design by Katharina Notarianni for SEO

HTBphotos presents the ‘Easter Bunny Series’ of stock photos

Find HTBphotos stock photos on Dreamstime.com for your social media, website and print needs.

Exclusively available on Dreamstime.com, explore the new HTBphotos ‘Easter Bunny Series,’ a collection of stock photos featuring rabbits and bunnies. Have a look and see what suits your social media, website and print project design… So adorable!

Stock photographs from HTBphotos ‘Easter Bunny Series’ are exclusively available on Dreamstime

Tips for using stock photography

Here are tips from an article by bossproject.com ‘5 Ways to Successfully Use Stock Photography on Your Website.’

  1. Start with the Design – Define your brand colors and style. Once you have the design in place, it’s much easier to narrow down your search and find the right images for your project
  2. Choose the Right Photos – choose stock photos that fit your brand colors and style
  3. Customize Your Images – add text to create fun graphics
  4. Get some SEO Going – use keywords and keyword phrases as well as captions or alt titles
  5. Add in some of Your Own Images – have a professional, branded head shot made to use on your website and across social media so people know who you are

Get 10 Free Stock Photos

New to stock photos? Get started now with Dreamstime’s offer of 10 free stock photos! And, your purchase helps fight COVID-19! Dreamstime is donating 5% of all purchases to WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund

Want help with updating your website?

Contact HTB Website Design for a free consultation.

Your purchase helps fight Covid-19!

Help fight COVID-19 and Get 10 Free Images Trial with Dreamstime

Looking for photos of Spring blooms for your print, website or social media project? We can help.

We are pleased to present HTBphotos ‘Spring Blossoms’ Series of stock photos by John and Katharina Notarianni, available exclusively on Dreamstime.com.

Get 10 Free Images Trial with Dreamstime (https://www.dreamstime.com/#res16409905)

Your purchase helps fight Covid-19! We are donating 5% of all purchases to WHO’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund when you sign up for a free trial with Dreamstime.

Get 10 Free Images Trial with Dreamstime (https://www.dreamstime.com/#res16409905)

Tips for Photographers | Selling Your Images Online

Do you have hundreds if not thousands of images on your computer or iPhone and are thinking of selling them online? One option is to set up your own photography website and sell your photos through your own online store. Another option is to delegate the sales and marketing activity to one of the many stock photo sites who will host your photos. One advantage of using one of the top 10 stock photos sites is visibility. Another advantage is they do the selling, giving you more time to take photos. In exchange they host your photos and pay you a royalty on any sales they make.

HTBphotos offers many stock images for business and personal use. One of our favorite themes is taking shots of the landscape as we travel across the United States. Interestingly, our best-selling landscape photos often feature blue skies with white clouds.

HTBphotos on Dreamstime.com
HTBphotos Best Seller – White Clouds in Blue Sky – available for purchase on Dreamstime.com

We selected Dreamstime after reviewing several of the stock photo sites. It’s appeal is that Dreamstime is one of the world’s largest, hosting over 117 million images, videos and illustrations, and growing every month. They are generous with their commissions and easy to work with. Just upload your images, add keywords and submit. Quality counts, so taking time to process your images pays off. HTBphotos sells our images exclusively through Dreamstime and already has over 4000 quality images available online.

To start selling on Dreamstime you will need to set up an account and submit sample photos. If your samples are approved, your photos will then be made available for sale, and you can receive around 25-50% royalty from each sale.

If instead you decided to feature or sell your photos through your own website and need help getting started, please contact us by filling out our online Contact Form, or by sending an email to us at info@healingtimebooks.com.

Announcing new HTBphotos ‘Abstract Mood Series’ for website backgrounds

HTBphotos by John and Katharina Notarianni, available exclusively through Dreamstime.

We are pleased to announce new abstract mood backgrounds for your website and print projects.

HTBphotos ‘Abstract Mood Series’ are available in naturally calm and soothing colors with beautiful seamless gradients that are designed to emphasize your products, text and image, rather than the background itself.

Introducing HTBphotos 'Abstract Mood Series' of website background colors, available exclusively on Dreamstime.com
HTBphotos ‘Abstract Mood Series’ available exclusively through Dreamstime

Subscribe to Dreamstime.com stock photo website and get 5 free images

Featuring HTBphotos by John and Katharina Notarianni, available exclusively through Dreamstime. All rights reserved.

Bilingual Classes for Children – Monika Ruiz is an Atlanta Gem

Introducing HTB Website Design client: Atlanta based Artist and bilingual teacher Monika Ruiz.

Monika Ruiz

In case you haven’t heard of her, we are pleased to introduce Monika Ruiz, who provides a remarkable service to parents of young children in the Atlanta area. She is a successful fine-artist with a concentration in painting, has exhibited and sold her artwork around the world, and to top it all off, she is a mom herself. For over twenty years Monika has been teaching children, teenagers and adults how to develop their creative art skills through her Mundo Arte Art Time and Spanish is Fun! classes. 

Spanish Time

Spanish/English language teacher Ms. Monika is teaching her usual Fall semester classes designed for very young children – ages 3 to 8. She sometimes has children who are even younger than 3 years old.

Spanish Time Classes with Monika Ruiz are held Mondays or Wednesdays from 1:00PM to 1:45PM at IPS Atlanta
Spanish Time Classes are held Mondays or Wednesdays from 1:00PM to 1:45PM at IPS Atlanta

Spanish Time will focus on developing the child’s communication skills from the most basic concepts such as how conversation works, with questions and answers. For example, learning to ask questions like: “what’s your name?” and answering not just the name but: “my name is…” and including “what about you?” Learning to gather information about where someone comes from and study/play with the map to identify the countries of South America and where Spanish is commonly spoken. Spanish Time with Ms. Monika classes are held Mondays or Wednesdays from 1:00 to 1:45 PM.

It’s not too late to register your child for Ms. Monika’s Spanish Time class, visit www.monikaruiz.com

Art Time

Monika Ruiz provides a caring creative environment for children to express themselves. She is an artist herself, and enjoys offering a painting and construction focused curriculum.

Art Time is a class where freedom, creativity, experimentation and encouragement meet. Children learn and develop the use of different artistic media techniques while exploring their own ideas according to their personalities, ages, interests and vision, without having to conform to any ideas imposed by adults. Mundo Arte Art Time Classes with Monika Ruiz are held Tuesdays or Fridays from 1:00-2:00 PM.

It’s not too late to register your child for Art Time with Monika Ruiz, visit www.monikaruiz.com

Mundo Arte Art Time Classes with Monika Ruiz are held Tuesdays or Fridays from 1:00-2:00 PM at IPS Atlanta.

If you live in the Atlanta area and have a young child who may benefit from bilingual instruction or creative self expression, contact Monika at info@monikaruiz.com. All classes and camps are held at the International Preschool (IPS Amsterdam Walk), 500 Amsterdam Avenue NE, Atlanta GA 30306.

For more information about classes or to purchase a Monika Ruiz original work of art, please visit her website at www.monikaruiz.com. Find her on Facebook at Monika Ruiz Art.

Autumn Colors – Fall Foliage series by HTBphotos

Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year, and the United States offers a spectacular show of fall foliage with vibrant displays of gold, scarlet, and orange. New England rates as one of the top spots, but did you know there are hundreds of state parks and forests around the country, with many locations to choose from? Check out an article on TripSavvy.com for a state-by-state guide to plan your Fall trip.

Are you looking for images to add a splash of color to your website, flyer or publishing project? We now have over 3,000 images in our portfolio.

We are pleased to present HTBphotos ‘Fall Foliage’ Series of stock photos, available exclusively on Dreamstime.com.

If you are building a website that needs original high quality images, Dreamstime.com offers several subscription plans. Get 5 images for free when you sign up.

© 2019 HTBphotos by John and Katharina Notarianni. All Rights Reserved.