The journal
Ideas, notes
& useful things.
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- Matterport & Property Media (9)
- Microsoft 365 & Email (23)
- Online Safety & Scams (7)
- SEO & AI Search (20)
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- Technology & Practical Guides (18)
- Websites & WordPress (12)
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5 reasons why it might be time to update your website content
How long is it since the text on your website was updated? Have you been meaning to rewrite it for ages, but it keeps getting put to the bottom of the to-do list as more urgent work presses on your time? This is a common story for many website owners, however, it might actually be…
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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – what is a sitemap?
An XML sitemap gives search engines a list of URLs you want them to discover. It complements the links on your website; it does not replace useful navigation or guarantee that a page will be indexed. Which URLs belong in it? Use the public, canonical URLs you want considered for search. Drafts, private content, redirected…
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What is the ‘passive voice’ and why is it important in Search Engine optimisation?
If you’ve ever delved a little more deeply into search engine optimisation, you may have come across talk of the ‘passive voice’ in relation to page content. Or more specifically, why you should be avoiding using the ‘passive voice’ too much. For example, one of the most popular and widely used SEO plugins is Yoast…
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Restaurant, bar & hotel marketing – the fast way to get more customers
We’re in the midst of the Coronavirus lock-down at the moment but the restrictions on movement will be relaxed soon. Before we know it, pubs, bar, clubs and restaurants will be open again. The problem is, though, will the customers be as fast to start socialising and eating out again? How do we market our…
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Microsoft Exchange hacked? What now?
If someone may have accessed your business email, treat it as an incident rather than just an annoying password problem. Contact your organisation’s administrator through a trusted route and record what you have noticed. Contain the access An authorised administrator should follow Microsoft’s compromised-account process, which includes securing the account and reviewing active access. A…
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The origins of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
I’ve been working with websites since before search engine optimisation (SEO) was a ‘thing’. I originally taught myself HTML as a young teenager using a book I found lying about by Carol Vordernman and the rest, as they say, for me at least, is history. I’ve been providing SEO in Sheffield & further afield now…
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How to reactivate the WordPress Links Manager
If like me you’ve been using WordPress since the beginning – or at least prior to December 2012, you might remember the old WordPress Links Manager (sometimes also known as Blogroll). However, this functionality was removed by default from WordPress version 3.5 onward. Yes, on the one-hand, links like that are a bit old-fashioned, however,…
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Microsoft Outlook email signature locations
Outlook signatures are not stored in one universal place. First identify whether you use classic Outlook for Windows, new Outlook or Outlook on the web. Copying a Windows folder is not a reliable way to move signatures between all of them. Classic Outlook for Windows For local signature files, open File Explorer, enter %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures in…
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Bored at home? Here are some amazing places you can still explore without leaving your sofa
Here are 6 amazing places in & around Sheffield you probably didn’t even know existed! Pubs, restaurants, shops, cinemas, & cafes are all closed so what do we do now? There’s only so many times we can jog round the block before it becomes a bit… monotonous. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology,…
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Search Engine Optimisation – about keyword research
Having a website that isn’t ranking well within the major search engines is a problem for many businesses. As a sales tool, for virtually all businesses these days, a website is essential. For example, your word-of-mouth prospects will want to ‘check you out’ online, and your potential customers will be searching for your services on…
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A definitions for common online advertising & SEO jargon
If you work in the field of web design and search engine optimisation, you simply can’t avoid a whole host of acronyms, abbreviations, and general jargon. However, I’m also conscious that what is familiar and perfectly clear to me, is not necessarily also that clear to everyone else. Therefore, this quick post simply defines some…
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How to get Contact Form 7 check-boxes and buttons on new lines
If you’re using Contact Form 7 on your WordPress site for the contact form, you may have come across an annoying little problem when you add checkboxes or radio buttons and they all appear one after another on one line. Unfortunately there isn’t currently an easy or quick fix for this as the best solution…
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Need to change your WordPress login password in the database? Here’s how
Sometimes you just can’t reset your WordPress password. Maybe you don’t have access to the associated email address or maybe the site isn’t able to relay reminder emails. Whatever the reason, it’s possible to change manage WordPress users and your username and password directly in the database. However, before you start, firstly, make sure you’ve…
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Microsoft Exchange vs POP email vs free email
For virtually all of us, email is now a fact of life, however, not all email services were created equal. Within my career I’ve seen the first wide-scale early adoption use of business email back in the 90’s, all the way to smart phone with voice assistant here in the 20’s so I’ve certainly seen…