9 of the best WordPress themes for business, blogging, and more

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WordPress is basically the Greg Jennings of free CMSs in that it puts the team on its back — although in this case, “team” = the internet. (According to one estimate, WordPress currently powers about 33% of all websites.) This popularity can be credited to a number of different factors, a main one being its boatload of opportunities for customization in the form of WordPress themes.

What are WordPress themes?

WordPress themes are collections of files that serve as templates for your site’s content, allowing you to control and tweak the design of your WordPress site — primarily from a layout standpoint — to tailor its style and functionality. In layman’s terms, a theme gives you the power to make your site look and work a certain way. (Just don’t go developing a god complex, now.) Read more…

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WordPress tools on sale: Dragify, web hosting, and themes for cheap

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America may run on Dunkin, but the internet runs on WordPress. 

Launched in 2003, the free, open-source content management system boasts vast plugin options, a massive collection of themes, convenient support resources, and remarkable ease of use. It’s currently powering almost 33% of all websites out there, according to the web tech survey firm W3Techs. The roster of those using WordPress includes the sites of Sony Music, The New York Times, Sweden — as in, the country — and none other than Beyoncé.

And hey — if it’s good enough for Queen Bey, it’s surely good enough for you, right?

For the next few days, the Mashable Shop is offering sweet deals on six training bundles and tools that’ll help you get your own WordPress site off the ground on the cheap. From themes and hosting plans to video tutorials and more, we’ve got all you need to start the site of your dreams. Read more…

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Some of the biggest web hosting sites were vulnerable to simple account takeover hacks

A security researcher has found, reported, and now disclosed a dozen bugs that made it easy to steal sensitive information or take over any customer’s account from some of the largest web hosting companies on the internet. In some cases, clicking on a simple link would have been enough for Paulos Yibelo, a well-known and respected bug […]

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6 tools to help grow your website’s traffic, all currently on sale

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Not to be dramatic or anything, but with 57% of this year’s holiday spending expected to be done online, your business (literally) can’t afford to have a “meh” web presence right now.

Take full advantage of this year’s holiday shopping season by growing your site’s traffic with the help of these online tools and services, all of which are on sale for a limited time. You can even take an extra 15% off your purchase if you enter the code MERRY15 at checkout. 

1. Simvoly Site Builder

Build the website of your dreams without writing a single line of code — for real! — with Simvoly, a site-building platform that helps you construct user-friendly sales funnels, websites, and stores in mere minutes. Use its drag and drop builder to create unlimited pop-ups and streamlined pages that load quickly (and on any device), then break down your numbers right on your site with its built-in analytics tool. Read more…

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Master WordPress and create commercial websites with this course for under £11

As more and more of our lives move into the digital world, an increasing number of us are looking to claim a permanent spot on the web.
Having your own website is now a realistic possibility for anyone that wants one. You can use a website to give yo…

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1&1 web hosting review: You’ll save a bundle, but first-timers beware

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1&1
$7.99 a month (starting)
The Good

Very affordable! • 1&1 App Center makes it easy to install a content management system

The Bad

Uptime is spotty • No website builder included • Shared-hosting plan isn’t ‘unlimited’ • Confusing control panel

The Bottom Line

With a big name like 1&1, you’d probably expect an excellent web-hosting experience, but the base package will leave most novice users frustrated.

Mashable Score3.0
Cool Factor2.0
Learning Curve3.0
Performance3.0
Bang for the Buck4.0

Building a website in 2018 isn’t rocket science. You just need to find a web hosting provider within your budget that’s reliable. However, with confusing package names and services, how do you pick the right one? Read more…

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Fatcow review: an affordable, no-frills web hosting experience

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Fatcow Web Hosting
$14.95 a month (starting)
The Good

Full access to FTP and storage • Affordable pricing across plans • Proprietary website builder is easy to use

The Bad

Frequently up-sells you on features • Not a clean WordPress install • Install times can be long

The Bottom Line

Since Fatcow has a small number of plans, most of which are attractive from a value perspective. With a domain name and unlimited storage, Original Fatcow is a good option for a beginner looking to launch his or her first site.

Mashable Score3.0
Cool Factor2.0
Learning Curve3.0
Performance3.0
Bang for the Buck4.0

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So you want to be a blogger: How to start a blog, buy a domain name, and gain a following in 10 steps

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So you want to start a blog and carve out a little corner of the internet to call your own — that’s a pretty brilliant and popular impulse. We as humans are literally creating a whole cyber-dimension, skinned right on top of our own; having your own square inch of a brand new world is exciting! Highly recommend! 

I’ve been blogging since 2012 in some form or another, and starting a blog way-back-when has gotten me almost every single job (and many of the friends) I’ve had since. If it’s something you’re curious about doing, don’t let anything stop you from diving right in. Here’s our step-by-step guide for what you need to know to start blogging. Read more…

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Full-Metal Packet is hosting the future of cloud infrastructure

Cloud computing has been a revolution for the data center. Rather than investing in expensive hardware and managing a data center directly, companies are relying on public cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure to provide general-purpose and high-availability compute, storage, and networking resources in a highly flexible way. Yet as workflows have […]

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AWS launches translation services

 Taking to yet another front the battle with Google, Apple and Microsoft for dominance in speech recognition and natural language processing, Amazon announced a new translation service as part of its AWS extravaganza.
As part of Amazon Web Services, Translate will provide text translations for supported languages (Google and Microsoft have been offering these services for years).
Amazon is… Read More

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