Once again, Greetings everyone and thanks for visiting. I have been developing websites for nearly 20 years. When you look at this website you might think to yourself, ” I think he should probably try to find a different hobby”. Yep I get it but I just threw up this website just for a place my customers could visit in order to get support or access any membership benefits, etc. and who knows I may do product reviews later. Mostly it is simply a place where my customer can gain access to me and follow my Internet marketing Journey. I will be chronicling my choices regarding internet marketing and my path for 1019/20 and why?
So, lets talk about what matters regarding websites especially those done for marketing but still it applies to most all websites.
WordPress Or Not To WordPress That Is The Question
First there was HTML and then various versions of that and then there was front page and then there was flash, and then there were page builders like WordPress and then all scripting languages like PHP and jquery etc and Visual Basic, and now here we are 20 years later and what am I recommending, Go back to HTML. WHAT… WHY??? Maybe you didn't know it, but that is the decision that most marketers are making today. Of course people are mostly using WordPress, some HTML but the hard core folks are going back to HTML, and here is why. SPEED ! SPEED ! SPEED !
Yes I know, I didn't mention any hardcore programming languages because most web site guys today don't use them or even know them like C+, PHP, etc.
According to GTMETRIX, the average page load time is 7 seconds, and that's on a desktop, if you load that on a cellular device, that is pretty much means never load.
The one thing that needs to stand out of the pack for every single website and that SPEED ! and of course for advanced users like E-com stores and Insurance companies with Internal websites will have other priorities like security of data. If you want to check your website speed rankings and metrics for your website you can use several different websites. Here is a Popular site GTMetrix if you want to check your site.
So I will post an image and video here so you can see the score for my site and compare to other websites for speed. I will go over the numbers below. But ultimately my website Protectorian.com is vastly faster than most all other websites online and I have not yet done anything to speed it up yet except for using a special WordPress theme and I added a bunch of plugins, I don't need.
Keep IN mind that I am making changes to this site everyday and the page load times and speeds will vary greatly over time. So the test I have done is when I first put all the plugins on the site and original content and images. Plus like I said I haven't made the necessary changes to make long term speed the priority yet. The reason is that the site will be undergoing alot of changes yet.
Okay As you can see from the numbers this website is seriously faster than other sites. The first Number Page Speed Score is 97 and the average is 72. My Yslow Score is 87 and the average is 70. My page load time is 2.9 seconds and the average is 7 seconds.
If you remember earlier when I mentioned why hardcore marketers are going back to HTML in 2019 well the reason is because of Website builders, graphics, and plugins and finally server speed, caching and the cloud and then you add the fact that most people are viewing on a mobile devices, well thats a lot of slow down. Without getting into too much stuff here what you need to realize is Website builders slow your site down. The reason is they are active sites built around a GUI that allows non programmers to build websites. That requires a boat load of server power. Then in the case of WordPress as many other page builders the pages are built dynamically every time someone lands on the page. Of course caching helps but it can't replace the process.
Then there is another issue and that is Cellphones which do not have enough of anything for the internet including bandwidth and memory. So they built a language just for cellphones. However, most website designers as well as website owners, don't want to build multiple websites. So, there is a simpler way because HTML is easily used on cellphones, desktops and requires the least amount of memory. So a large amount of marketers are going back to building HTML websites. But Don't worry I have another solution.
The amount of people visiting your internet marketing website for the first time will in 90% of the cases be on a mobile device and if the website doesn't load fast enough they will leave.
So the simple answer is Go back to using HTML websites. Your first contact with your customer is likely on a cellular device so load time is everything.
Patience the solution is coming…
Since I can build websites in nearly any format I choose I would likely choose HTML or Visual Basic(VB) for more advanced features. However, the whole reason I put this article together was to help other marketers make better choices in website design.
Normally I would just recommend using cloud based website builders, designers and hosting, but that brings a whole other set of issues and problems. I bother covering them here, because I feel that cloud based options are worthless, with just a few exceptions. For instance webpages that aren't permanent or websites where SEO doesn't matter, but even then there are more issues than I care to address here.
So I, like most others will be using WordPress but only because I have found a solution that works without slowing my site down and supports not only mobile devices but a form of HTML as well.
It's Like a Miracle. Funny thing is it's been under my nose the whole time.
I use Socrates Theme. Even though I have had the theme for many years and it originally was designed for marketers, I had moved on to other themes over time. Speed wasn't a factor but that changed with the onset of cellular devices and all the bloat in WordPress and the plugins and themes. So paying for high cost servers was the only other solution and frankly it didn't replace the speed lost by using page builders like WordPress. Over time I found my websites running slower and slower, and when mobile became the big issue and speed became a priority I had to start looking at building websites from scratch using HTML. Even though I could do that, I got use to using plugins for ease of use and there were no limits as to the plugins you could get. So after months and months of Research I re-installed Socrates theme mostly because I needed one of the features it included and I knew it was a light weight theme that wouldn't slow me down. So when I got ready to install it, I found that there had been a newer version released. Well I have to admit it was probably 7 years since I used it. So here is another big benefit. Dan at Socrates did not charge me to get the newer version, it was free to upgrade. When have you ever heard of Free to upgrade but once I installed it and put in my 8 plugins I found that the site was quick, compared to other themes I had used. So after going back to Dan the Developer of Socrates and Researching all the upgrades and updates he has done to Socrates, I was shocked. So in short, you will find me using the Socrates theme in all my WordPress installations from here out. And I am only touching on the surface of all the benefits of this theme and Dan's Updates.
The Socrates Theme is fast, light weight, super streamlined code, and no added junk or unnecessary stuff to slow you down. Dan added A plugin he called the toolkit to add short code functionality to the website and more.
Here are the reasons why I will be using Socrates for everything;
- Socrates theme is super light weight and Super fast
- . All the advanced features are in a separate plugin, which keeps it out of the primary WordPress structure.
- Here is something I don't think anyone else has developed a CSS matched HTML page Document with everything you need right in it, so you don't even have to even use WordPress, which would make this page load like lightning because it is pure HTML/CSS. So I won't get into the detail of this but it can really be a big win if you just want a simple single page that will load like instantly. It's All mobile responsive.
- I found plugins and landing page builders that work with Socrates theme without problems.
- Plus because the HTML page has the matching Socrates CSS in it, the colors, fonts, menus etc will match.
- FREE Years of support, Dan has been developing this exact theme for 10 years, he isn't going anywhere, not like so many others I have seen come and go.
- Membership Site Setup very easy
- HTML/ CSS stand alone option can be used for Landing pages and more
So, for anyone wanting to still use WordPress and doesn't want to go back to the days of HTML and wants a super fast WordPress install I highly recommend using Socrates theme, but wait there's more….. Funny but true. The Socrates theme comes with a bunch of bonuses from Dan also. It comes with additional themes, like the one I am using here called the Speaker theme. It is still built on the Socrates theme structure.
I have also put together a bonus list of plugins that best work with your new WordPress Socrates Theme. Be forewarned one of the plugins I recommend is not free its around 15 bucks if you buy it the way I tell you. If you buy it on your own it would be really expensive. And no it is not my link and i don't make money from it, but I do recommend it. I think but it is super worth it. (you don't have to have this plugin, I just use it for landing page building but it's definitely not necessary) and the Socrates theme for unlimited license is 47 bucks or single is 27. But believe me it is more than worth it if you plan on building websites online today and want a theme to look good and have super speed. If that's not enough you will also get access to a free copy of a plugin that I use alot.
There is one other benefit I wasn't sure I wanted to post here But I will explain it in the PS statement at the end of the article if you are interested in super fast hosting.
So, If you want access to the one of the fastest if, not the fastest WordPress theme on the market with all its fantastic benefits and want access to my PDF on the right plugins to use, then start your Safe Journey Below;
FIRST Join my Email List Below.
SECOND Purchase Dan's Socrates Theme Here Via My Referral Link
The PDF will be on your purchase page for Socrates theme.
Once you have done that I recommend you watch Dan's training before doing anything else with my PDF or videos. Then I will send you the PDF.
Thanks for visiting, and Safe Journey !
P.S.
Okay simply put after years of paying for hosting services I have finally landed on what I consider the fastest hosting you are going to get. So here is the deal. I am willing to provide you hosting for your website(S) at a set price for install and monthly fee to put your website on my super fast hosting provider. I don't think you will find a faster hosting provider anywhere. I know, because I have been testing speeds on hosting servers for years. Unless you pay for your own vps which is super expensive.
So, before I found the Socrates theme and solution I was paying for high speed hosting solutions through A2. I won't lie It costs me about $500 for hosting. But I already had clients using it now and I have no plans on moving especially since there servers are super fast. Since I don't need all the server space, I will lease out the rest to my customer base only. if you purchase the Socrates theme or one of my other products I will provide you access to purchase space on my A2 server hosting. And I will setup your WordPress site and plugins for you. I will charge a setup fee and a monthly service fee, but I promise you won't be able to touch the pricing to get on these servers for this price anywhere. The only reason you can benefit is because I am already paying for it anyway.
Yes you will have your own cpanel and access to the A2 Speed Plugins as well as all other cpanel processes. The price isn't listed here because at the time of this writing, I haven't decided on a price and it likely will change over time. So you can check the pricing in the backend once you make your purchase. If you need to know before, just send me an email with a price request. No big deal. I just don't want to publish the price plus I don't know if that would violate A2 hosting advertising policies.
