Whether you have built your own website or hired someone to do it for you, it's now time to upgrade to the https standard. While this should be simple, it's not always that easy to do, even for someone who builds websites.
Let's start with why you want https. Google says it's good and will help your rankings. That's usually reason enough. Web browsers are also joining in, making it apparent when you're on a website that is not "secure." Even if people don't have to login to your site, they might want the assurance that it's secure.
Some of my websites will not get the https treatment because they are on an older server. These are mostly my own websites, so not a big deal. Now, it's probably possible for me to figure it all out for myself on those websites, but I don't have time to play around with them if it's not an easy fix right now, so some will just lose out.
Other websites are only sort of work. The ones I have on a CDN to help protect them from attacks don't work well once I add https. The menus disappear, and I can't find an easy way around it. These websites are only https for the non-www version, but the default version for the CDN is www, so those are a bit of a pain, and I'll probably have to drop the CDN and the hours I took setting it up if there's not a ready fix soon.
My last group of websites, generally my client sites, DO work on https, hosted by Siteground. It's a feature I didn't really have to turn on, but you don't know you have it working until you type in the https version of your website. This one works on www, too. The only issue you might have is on the website itself. I had to go into my Joomla sites and force https to all pages.
Webmaster tools also supposedly sees https differently from http. This means you're supposed to have all of the following version of your website listed there: http://, https://, http://www, and https://www. That stinks because I spent a long time creating just the http versions there. In addition, your web host might give you different numbers for visitors to the two versions of your website. This is a big deal if you are reporting to someone about monthly visits. I assume if you force the https, then the http visits should all but disappear, but I'm not sure if that's totally the case.
For now, it's worth converting my client websites. Since I want my own websites to rank well, I will also work on getting those done, too. If your organization is unclear how to do this or have a web designer telling you it can't be done for your site, then you can reach out to me.
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An Alternative to Shawnee Mission Schools
I was reading in the news about how an 8th grade student was claiming she'd been bullied. She'd had to change schools. She got into a fight. I'm not going to judge her, the student to knocked her out, or Shawnee Mission Schools. That's up to individual parents. What I do know is that some parents want options beyond the traditional public school, and my kids attend one of those optional schools in Johnson County.
Hope Lutheran School in Shawnee is where my kids go. My wife teaches there, and I have taught there as a substitute a few times. Compared to the schools I've attended or taught at, there is very little in the way of bullying or taunting of others. The kids are still kids, but fighting and swearing (as described in the article about the Shawnee Mission Schools) are not really issues.
As I drive my kids home from a school that goes through 8th grade and see a SMSD middle school, I always use my favorite line for the school: "Middle school kids in trouble!" And there's the Walgreen's Gang--all the kids who cross Quivera and climb the hill to Walgreen's for some much-needed candy. This stuff isn't bad, exactly, and I'm sure most of the kids aren't in any kind of trouble, but it's certainly a different atmosphere than at Hope.
If you're cool with the Walgreen's Gang and a large school where your kid could do some great things or get lost in the cracks, then Shawnee Mission Schools are probably a good fit. If you're looking for something a little more personalized, then Hope Lutheran School might be more your style. You don't have to be Lutheran, you don't have to live in Shawnee (we're in Lenexa), and you don't even have to live in Johnson County or Kansas, since we have kids from Missouri and sometimes overseas. No matter where the kids are from, however, it's more of a family than other schools I've taught at or attended, and there's something to be said for that.
If you look into Hope Lutheran, be sure to mention this article. We don't get any bonuses for our kids or anything, but I think the school likes to know how folks find it.
Hope Lutheran School in Shawnee is where my kids go. My wife teaches there, and I have taught there as a substitute a few times. Compared to the schools I've attended or taught at, there is very little in the way of bullying or taunting of others. The kids are still kids, but fighting and swearing (as described in the article about the Shawnee Mission Schools) are not really issues.
As I drive my kids home from a school that goes through 8th grade and see a SMSD middle school, I always use my favorite line for the school: "Middle school kids in trouble!" And there's the Walgreen's Gang--all the kids who cross Quivera and climb the hill to Walgreen's for some much-needed candy. This stuff isn't bad, exactly, and I'm sure most of the kids aren't in any kind of trouble, but it's certainly a different atmosphere than at Hope.
If you're cool with the Walgreen's Gang and a large school where your kid could do some great things or get lost in the cracks, then Shawnee Mission Schools are probably a good fit. If you're looking for something a little more personalized, then Hope Lutheran School might be more your style. You don't have to be Lutheran, you don't have to live in Shawnee (we're in Lenexa), and you don't even have to live in Johnson County or Kansas, since we have kids from Missouri and sometimes overseas. No matter where the kids are from, however, it's more of a family than other schools I've taught at or attended, and there's something to be said for that.
If you look into Hope Lutheran, be sure to mention this article. We don't get any bonuses for our kids or anything, but I think the school likes to know how folks find it.
Chromebooks for High Schools in Portland, ME
Portland has decided to make the switch to Chromebooks. Before the school district commits to paying large sums of money to a Chromebook reseller, it should consider some of the hidden fees that exist when purchasing Chromebooks. These include protection and/or insurance. For an article that discusses this scenario, see this link to Educabana.
Chromebooks are very economical and generally a wise investment for school districts. However, some districts have had parents grumbling over insurance fees or under-use of the devices in some classes. The link provides some interesting information regarding both concerns.
Chromebooks are very economical and generally a wise investment for school districts. However, some districts have had parents grumbling over insurance fees or under-use of the devices in some classes. The link provides some interesting information regarding both concerns.
Local Business Website Assessments
I know, this blog is for schools, churches, and non-profits, and that's why I am not adding business website evaluations to the mix. I am, however, letting you know that we can do those as well, so if you happen to be here because of your church but are wondering about your business, let us know.
Here's a link to the business website examinations we've done. Same format, just different customers. We're starting out where we currently reside: Lenexa, Shawnee, Overland Park, Olathe, Kansas City area. However, we will likely visit the Milwaukee greater metro area, too, since that's where we're from. The good news is that we can do this for you wherever your business is, and we're always unbiased, unlike if you were to ask your current web guy.
Here's a link to the business website examinations we've done. Same format, just different customers. We're starting out where we currently reside: Lenexa, Shawnee, Overland Park, Olathe, Kansas City area. However, we will likely visit the Milwaukee greater metro area, too, since that's where we're from. The good news is that we can do this for you wherever your business is, and we're always unbiased, unlike if you were to ask your current web guy.
The Website Assessments to Avoid
The problem with me trying to help schools, churches, and non-profits with their website design is that many of them probably get dozens of spam emails doing the same kind of thing each week. It doesn't matter that I've already done the assessment, or that I've (in the past) already built a potential website, or that I'm Lutheran and honest. People just see my contact as another spam email. Sad.
Here's an example of a spammer sending an email to ME:
Azad might be a very good guy. He might cost your company half or a quarter what I would cost. (And I'm half than most web guys in America). The problem is that his way of contacting you is wrong and using his skills might not be what your board wants done. And if Azad doesn't do a good job, you have no one to complain to and no way to give him one star to warn others.
Of course, it all still leaves Luthernet, Brave New Church, and Passive Ninja with the problem of contacting you. Even if I've created a valuable website evaluation, people will ignore my emails. When I would sometimes email one small suggestion that was totally free and effective, people would simply not respond. And it's because of Azad and all his friends. I am sorry for them, but you really have to read through some of the emails when you get them. It doesn't take a lot of effort to figure out which ones are spam and which ones can help you.
Here's a video that shows how we transformed websites just to try to get customers. We want to work, and we're good at it.
Here's an example of a spammer sending an email to ME:
These website emails are form letters, never mention a real company name (spam is illegal), and often promise more than they can do. Oh, they're almost always foreign companies, too, since American companies can't get away with doing it. I'm not saying that there aren't decent human beings with excellent computer skills in India, China, or Russia. In fact, my old hosting company failed to protect my websites from some of these experts (at least their counterparts who hack).Hi,This is Azad and I am a web design and SEO expert with some pretty impressive skills (not to toot my own horn). I was just checking out your site and it's great, but it can definitely be better and I would like to help you to improve it. My goal isn’t just to build you a website, but help you realize your vision for your business. Would you be interested in getting a proposal for a site redesign or for SEO services?Let me know if you're interested. I'd really love to work on your site. Hope to hear from you soon.Digital Marketing Expert
Sincerely,
Azad
Azad might be a very good guy. He might cost your company half or a quarter what I would cost. (And I'm half than most web guys in America). The problem is that his way of contacting you is wrong and using his skills might not be what your board wants done. And if Azad doesn't do a good job, you have no one to complain to and no way to give him one star to warn others.
Of course, it all still leaves Luthernet, Brave New Church, and Passive Ninja with the problem of contacting you. Even if I've created a valuable website evaluation, people will ignore my emails. When I would sometimes email one small suggestion that was totally free and effective, people would simply not respond. And it's because of Azad and all his friends. I am sorry for them, but you really have to read through some of the emails when you get them. It doesn't take a lot of effort to figure out which ones are spam and which ones can help you.
Here's a video that shows how we transformed websites just to try to get customers. We want to work, and we're good at it.
Christ Preparatory Academy Assessment
This FREE website assessment is for Christ Prep at http://christprep.com. It was completed by Brave New Church Website Services in order to help those who run the program see what can be done to spread their message more effectively using the internet.
Framework
This is a Wordpress website. That's a good content management system. My resources show that it's currently a Wordpress 3.9 site (2014). That's a problem because updating the website to the current version of Wordpress is usually critical for security, but it's also generally not that difficult. Here's the list of missed updates for the Christ Prep website: https://wordpress.org/news/category/releases/ .
Since it's an older website and the admin page is readily accessible, hackers may try to get in and mess up the generally nice website. The website's speed might also be a result of using an older version of Wordpress. I guess it's not a big surprise, however, since Kroma Marketing (the web builder) has a website with a 2014 copyright.
Mobile-Friendly
This website is mobile-friendly, so that's good, and it means that a framework update might be the only concern. However, it's possible this older theme is not compatible with a newer version of Wordpress.
Other Issues
That chance typically lasts about 5 seconds with your website. Having an outdated or poorly designed website can be a detriment to your business both on and offline and may possibly turn customers away.It's ironic because the website I found is not updated and won't even load in five seconds. And the web developer's own website gets a 25/100 score on Pagespeed, which pretty much makes me think they're no longer in business, especially sporting a Wordpress 3.5 website from 2013.
I have to admit that I do not love website speed tests. I think it's OK if a beautiful website loads slow sometimes. But there are some glaring concerns in this particular case.
Some of the speed issues might be about the images in the slider. One was 2.3 mb. That's a lot of data usage for an image I was able to resize to 615 kb without any real loss. I know from experience that image sliders can kill a website's speed.
Read my book A Simplified Guide to Church Websites: Purpose, Planning, and Presentation
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