These pages lend to credibility, professionalism, establishing trust, AND search engines expect legitimate websites to have them.

Every website should include the following 5 pages :

1)  The About Page

This page is your chance to tell visitors who you are, what this site is about, and any other relative information.  Obviously, what you put on this page depends on your site’s purpose. .

You might want to include:
- an Introduction/Welcome
- Site purpose/philosophy
- Short Bio (especially if you are branding your self), or a link to your bio
- How to get Started (call to action) – help your new visitors know what to do next to make the most of your site and what you are offering.

This page should give readers a sense of who they are dealing with.  The About page is typically named “About” and located in the main navigation bar.

2) The Contact Page

You are not anonymous.

Your ability to respond to customer needs, is a vital part of doing business.  Being online increases your market reach, but should not make your customers feel far away.  A contact page helps close the distance, and shows your visitors the best way to get help.

Your contact page should make sense to the type of website and business you are running.  The information should always be up-to-date, and reflect what your typical user is looking for.  It may include a simple paragraph and contact form, or provide a variety of ways that they can reach you.

At the very least, you should include an email address they can use.   You might also address specific types of questions, or establish response expectations.  You may also use this page to send your customers useful directions, such as to your FAQ page, how to get support, where they can find your Media Pages, how to contribute an article, or get an interview with you.

Keep it straight-forward, current, and useful to your customers.

The Contact page is typically named “Contact” or “Contact Us” and located in the main navigation bar.

3) Terms of Use

If you use your website for business, it is a good idea to include a Terms of Use page.  This page can be as complex or as simple as you want it. The purpose of this page is to provide information about the website, its content, restrictions, copyright information, and more.

I like to name this page “Terms” or “Terms of Service”. It is simple, direct, and familiar to visitors as well as search engines.  Some sites choose “Legal”, “Disclaimer”, “TOS”.  This page is typically located in the footer section of your websites.

4) Privacy Policy

In today’s world of technology, people have a heightened concern for privacy.  Before people hand over their information, they want to know what you are going to do with it.  Your privacy page should include information on :

• how you respect your visitor’s privacy;
• what information you collect;
• what you will do with that information; and
• what you do to keep it secure.

This page is typically titled “Privacy” or “Privacy Policy” and located in the footer of your website.

5) Archives and Sitemap Page

Your Archives and Sitemap page has two purposes.  First, to make it easy for your website users to find the content they are interested in and a look at what has been published in the past.  Second, it is used by search engines to index your site.

On WordPress, we typically use the a plugin called Dagon Design Sitemap Generator (available in the WordPress Plugin Directory or http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sitemap-generator/.)  It is easy to install and customizable.

In addition to your posts and pages, you can use your sitemap to connect your visitors to specific types of posts, or relevant pages off-site.  For example, you might sections like:

• Corporate website pages – this is handy if your blog is separate from your business site.

• Other Websites by – links to other sites you own
• Social Media Pages
• New.  How to Get Started
• Most Popular Posts
• Guest Authors

You are building a legitimate business.  Make sure the pages on your website reflect that.  If you don’t have these on your website blueprint, add them today.

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Amy Jo Yates enjoys providing creative business and web solutions for individuals and small businesses.  Fully grounded in traditional and online business needs, she emphasizes using simple tools, best practices, and personal development.  Currently, she provides technical support at a leading web hosting company, and works with clients on a referral basis.  If you wish to contact her, you can email her at info@virtualofficeace.com or visit VirtualOfficeAce.com

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

Step 1: Sign Up for Hosting (5 minutes)

Web hosts are a dime a dozen. It’s daunting to weed through them when they all seem the same.

Fortunately, we’ve been through the trenches already and found a web host that provides competitive pricing, stellar support and numerous features for the internet marketing beginner. No tech skills are needed. When starting your business or testing a new idea, the host we recommend is Bluehost.

The first step is sign up for an account with BlueHost. They have one simple option to choose from. All you need is the web address that you want to use with your site and a credit card.

If you’re not sure what web address to use, go with something that has your primary search phrase in it. We chose InternetBusinessMastery.com because it has the phrase ‘internet business’ right in the address.

Step 2: Install WordPress (5 minutes)

Now that you have hosting, we need to install an attractive, easy-to-use internet marketing site on it. Our recommendation for creating and managing your site is to use WordPress. This incredibly powerful software is free and simple. You can install it fast through Bluehost.

Installing WordPress is a cinch. Check your inbox and you’ll have a welcome e-mail from Bluehost containing details for logging into your new site.

When you log in you’ll see a dashboard. This is also called your CPanel. From here you can control the various features of your internet marketing site. Bluehost has great tutorials and help articles to guide you through using these features.

The one we are interested in right now is the box labeled SimpleScripts Installations. In that box you’ll see a WordPress icon.

Click it. This will launch a simple wizard. Follow the step-by-step instructions to install WordPress.

TIP: When your asked for a title for your site, again choose something that contains the primary keywords for your niche. If you need help with choosing your niche or keywords, the Academy has an entire course to walk you through that.

Step 3: Choose a Theme (5 minutes)

One of our favorite things about WordPress is that you can  apply a free template to it that will instantly turn your site into beautiful hub for your business.

This step could take longer than five minutes if you are the kind of person that likes to look around at all the options. I encourage you not to get too hung up on it. You can always change it later.

To help you make the decision fast, here are four free, attractive themes that are perfect for an internet marketing site.

1. Bueno
2. Simplo
3. Obscure
4. Voidy

Once you choose the theme you want, download the ZIP file from the theme site. You’ll need it in the final step.

Step 4: Install the Theme (5 minutes)

Installing your chosen theme is also simple. Check your inbox for an e-mail from your WordPress site. Use the details to log in to the dashboard.

On the left-hand side you’ll see a number of links for working with your site. Click on Appearance.

On the next page, click the big tab at the top labeled Install Themes. Then under that click the Upload link.

From here you can Browse to select the theme ZIP file and click Install Now to upload and install it to your site.

Enjoy Your Internet Marketing Site

And…shazam! There you have it — a good-looking, easy-to-use internet marketing site that was cost you next to nothing to launch.

What next? Well, now you can use the site to post content and build your e-mail list. For more insights on how to use your new site, check out the training videos in the Academy.

Now sound off in the comments below. What other questions do you have about launching your site? What’s your favorite theme to use on an internet marketing site?

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

Step 6:  Change your Admin User

“Admin” is the default user that is assigned when installing WordPress.  To change it you must use phpMyAdmin and then update your config.php file.

Step 7: Use a Strong Password

You’ve heard it before, but it must still be said.  Use a strong password, that includes letters, numbers, and even punctuation where appropriate.

Step 8: Choose a supported theme

There are a lot of WordPress themes available that are free, but before you use it make sure you can get help if you need it.  This also is an indicator that the theme will be updated and not become a problem when upgrading to the latest version of WordPress.

Step 9:  Choose Plug-in’s wisely, the fewer the better

WordPress plug-in’s are available by the truckload, but that doesn’t mean you need to use all of them.  The fewer you use, the better.  Plug-ins tend to be more vulnerable to hackers than your WordPress software, so hackers go there to infiltrate and take you down.

Step 10:  Hide your Plugin directory

Anyone can see a list of your plug-ins by going to http://mydomain.com/wp-content/plugin. To hide this folder, just open your text editor, create a blank index.html page, and upload it via FTP into the wp-content/plugin folder.

Step 11: Setup your Backup!

There are two things you need to backup, your database (all your posts and pages) and your design (your theme, layout, etc).

How often you backup is determined by how much you are willing to use. We recommend that you set your auto-backup for as often as you post.  So if you post weekly, backup weekly, etc.

You should also run an “on-demand” database backup prior to upgrading software (both WP and plugins), just in case something breaks.

In addition, plan on using your FTP to download your site periodically – especially before and after you make significant changes to your site structure, theme, etc (this kind of backup does not include your database).

Ask your host how often they backup as well, there have been times that we have been able to go directly to the host and have them restore the entire site from a specific date.  Some guarantee their backup, others do not, so go find out!

If your site is hacked, and you have a recent backup, you can have your site up and running in no-time.

Step 12: Protect Your Files and Folders

Setting proper file and folder permissions can make a big difference.  You may not realize this, but if a file or folder is writable, then it is also considered insecure.  Your host will have its own level of security, so you may want to consult with them.  In general, we use the following file permissions

-          Directories permissions of 755

-          All files should have permissions of 644

-          Theme files 666 (if you want to use the built-in editor).

Occasionally a plug-in will require something else to function.  You can review that on a case by case level.

The simplest way to change these permission is to use your FTP client, like Filezilla.

Step 13: Change to “No Indexes”

Most people don’t realize this, but anyone interested can browse your directory and see all the files and folders you have, unless you change your index manager to “No Indexes.”  If you don’t see it, then contact your Host support.

You can also make changes to your .htaccess file.  This is a sensitive file, so make sure you download it completely off your site, make a copy, and then make the changes.

For more information on directory browsing and how to change your .htaccessfile, go read this article at “The Internet Patrol”.

http://www.dialme.com/m/articles/view/How-to-turn-off-directory-folder-browsing.

Step 14:  Keep Your Software Current!

If you don’t upgrade your site to the most recent version, it is vulnerable.  It really is that simple.  If you can only do one thing to protect your site, upgrading your WordPress and WordPress plug-in software should be it.

Some web developers are concerned about upgrading to a new version without testing it with the current sites functionality.  This is a valid concern, but it shouldn’t keep you from waiting too long to upgrade.  We have had very few problems doing immediate updates, but it is not impossible.

However, if you have a very sophisticated site, then I definitely recommend setting up a test site.  Upload your current site into a test site, and simulate the version updates to ensure everything is going to work smoothly.

If you have a good Virtual Assistant, or Virtual Programmer, they can do the testing for you.  Incremental testing is the best approach.  That means you update one thing at a time so if something breaks you can tell what triggered it.

Regardless of whether you do a live update, or test the software first, you should do a complete backup.  This will give you peace of mind and save you from potential headaches that could come up.

Summary

Although, following these steps does not guarantee that your site will never be hacked, if you follow them it will strengthen your WordPress site security and reduce the risks.

Since applying these steps to our WordPress sites at the end of 2009, we haven’t had to repair any sites due to malicious attacks.

Some of the Resources Reviewed for this

http://www.noupe.com/how-tos/wordpress-security-tips-and-hacks.html

http://www.problogdesign.com/wordpress/11-best-ways-to-improve-wordpress-security/

http://blogbuildingu.com/wordpress/wordpress-security

http://how-to-blog.tv/security/wp-malwatch/

http://semlabs.co.uk/journal/how-to-stop-your-wordpress-blog-getting-hacked

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AJ Yates is a Virtual Assistant providing creative business and web solutions for individuals and small businesses.  Fully grounded in traditional and online business needs, AJ helps her clients extend their office resources and get things done so they can focus on what they do best.  For more information on AJ and her Virtual Office Team visit VirtualOfficeAce.com

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

That being said, malicious hackers still break through and infect sites mostly because some simple security measures are not followed.

In order to protect our sites and the sites of our clients, we developed this 14 Step checklist to creating a hacker resistant WordPress site.

NOTE: Although most hosting companies offer automatic WordPress installation, we prefer a manual installation of WordPress, as it gives us more control over the setup.  For those of you who use an installations script provided by your hosting company, you may not be able to apply all of these steps.

Step 1:  Install the latest version of WordPress into a subdirectory, instead of your root.

Giving your WordPress its own directory will not only keep the clutter out of your root directory, if someone does hack into your site, your root directory is protected.

You can find instructions for a manual installation at http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress

Some hackers target WordPress sites specifically, when installing WordPress, consider changing the default table prefix from wp_ as an advanced strategy for protecting your site.  If you use the Wp-Security-Scan plugin we mention later, it will also suggest this when evaluating your site for security holes.

Step 2: Change Your Index.php location

Changing your index.php location allows your blog to remain in the root directory, and creates a cleaner url.

Sign in to your wordpress site, and go to Settings, then General and change your “Blog address (URL) to the root url.  For example:  www.mywebsite.com.

Open your FTP client and copy the index.php file to from the subdirectory (where you installed WordPress), into the root directory.

Edit your index.php file to add in the WordPress subdirectory.  For example:

/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require(‘./subdirectoryname/wp-blog-header.php’);

If you have questions about this, there is link right next to this field that will give you all the details you need to do this right.

Step 3:  Protect Your wp-includes folder

This step is simple, just copy your .htaccess file in to the wp-includes folder.  You may need to set your FTP client to view hidden files in order to see this file.

Step 4:  Protect your wp-admin folder

Upload your .htaccess file into the wp-admin folder

Upload .htpasswd into the root directory

Go to http://www.htaccesstools.com/htpassword-generator/ to create a password.

Edit the .htaccess file to have the proper path to your .htpasswd file.

Step 5:  Upload and activate security plug-ins

Currently, we use the following security plug-ins to protect our site.

Login-Lockdown: this plugin helps prevent “brute-force password discovery” by disabling the login function if a certain number of login attempts and failures are detected from a given IP address.

WP-Db-Backup:  this plugin will backup your core wordpress database and other tables (usually created by the plugins you are using).  You can schedule your backup or issue an “on-demand” backup when needed.

WP-Security-Scan: this plugin will scan your wordpress site for security vulnerabilities (most of which should be fixed by following the steps we have posted here.

Wp-MalWatch:  This plugin scans your site every night for signs of foul-play and will alert you where to go look if it finds a problem.

We are also evaluating WordPress Backup by Blog Traffic Exchange, as it will backup the upload directory, the plugin directory, and the current theme directory.  It is important to note that the database backup plugin we listed only backups databases, and that backing up the theme and images, etc should not be overlooked (see step 11 for more)

In the next post, I’ll go over step 6-14, you can see that post HERE.

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AJ Yates is a Virtual Assistant providing creative business and web solutions for individuals and small businesses.  Fully grounded in traditional and online business needs, AJ helps her clients extend their office resources and get things done so they can focus on what they do best.  For more information on AJ and her Virtual Office Team visit VirtualOfficeAce.com

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

In this episode of Internet Business Mastery we talk about the launch of our brand new site design and give 7 tips for creating your own killer site design, plus a quick tip for quickly and efficiently capturing ideas that you have on the go to be sure you don’t lose a single one.

Items mentioned in this episode:

• Jott.com – AWESOME voice notes to transcribed email, check it out!
• http://kuler.adobe.com/ – Color Scheme Finder
• www.xhtmlized.com/
• www.psd2html.com
• http://docs.google.com – This is the Google Documents page we use DAILY
• www.GrabTheDvd.com – Dan Kennedy’s “The Phenomenon” DVD

For finding a designer:

• Elance
• Rentacoder
• Craigslist

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.

In this episode we talk about the #1 purpose of your internet business web site (and it’s probably not what you’re thinking). It even takes precedence over selling products.

Also, Sterling reveals how he boosted his monthly profit by thousands of dollars with one simple change to his system. This leads us to discussion of how it is important to be flexible as an internet entrepreneur. We also talk about the strategy retreat we had in New York City to discuss our goals for Internet Business Mastery.

Finally, we give an Internet Business Quick tip on how to get better response rates on your Google Adwords campaigns.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Email List Management – this is the system that we both use to manage our email lists

Google Adwords Course – this course is the best out there on how to use Google Adwords to drive traffic to your site

Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting your own profitable internet business, please visit http://www.freeaudiogift.com.