Category: tips

Best WordPress speed optimization practices in 2023!

Optimizing a WordPress website for speed can be a complex task, but by following a few basic steps, you can significantly improve the loading time of your site. Here are some key steps to take when optimizing a WordPress website for speed:

  1. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that are distributed across different geographical locations. By using a CDN, you can ensure that your website’s content is served from a server that is closest to the user, which can greatly improve the loading time of your site.
  2. Optimize images: Images are often the largest files on a website, and they can greatly slow down the loading time of a page. Optimizing images can be done by compressing the images, using the appropriate file format (such as JPEG for photographs and PNG for graphics), and properly sizing images before uploading them to your site.
  3. Minimize the use of plugins: Plugins are a great way to add functionality to a WordPress website, but they can also greatly slow down the loading time of your site. Be sure to only use plugins that are essential to your site, and make sure to keep them up to date to ensure that they are not causing any performance issues.
  4. Use a caching plugin: Caching plugins create a static version of your website and store it on the user’s browser. This can greatly reduce the loading time of your site, as the user’s browser does not need to fetch the same data over and over again. Some popular caching plugins include W3 Total Cache and WP Super Cache.
  5. Optimize your database: Over time, your WordPress database can become cluttered with unnecessary data. Optimizing your database can be done by removing post revisions, spam comments, and other unwanted data. You can also use a plugin like WP-Optimize to automate the process.
  6. Use a fast and reliable hosting service: Your hosting service plays a crucial role in the loading time of your site. Be sure to choose a hosting service that is optimized for WordPress and that has a good reputation for uptime and speed.
  7. Use a fast and lightweight theme: The theme you choose for your WordPress site can greatly affect the loading time of your site. Be sure to choose a theme that is lightweight and fast, and that is optimized for speed.
  8. Minimize HTTP requests: Every time a page loads, the browser has to make multiple HTTP requests to fetch all of the elements of the page. Minimizing the number of HTTP requests can greatly improve the loading time of your site. This can be done by using a plugin like WP Minify to combine and minify CSS and JavaScript files.

By following these steps, you can greatly improve the loading time of your WordPress website. Keep in mind that optimizing a website for speed is an ongoing process and it’s important to regularly check the performance of your site and make adjustments as needed.

A Quick Python Automation Guide

If you are looking for a fast, easy, and comprehensive guide to Python automation, then you have come to the right place. In this guide you will learn how to write a robot that can generate reports, emails, and even visualizations. We also provide a list of resources that will help you in your quest to master the art of automation.

Sending emails

Python makes it easy to send emails with the built-in smtplib module. The smtplib module uses the RFC 821 protocol to send SMTP email. It also works with a local SMTP debugging server for testing email functionality. Alternatively, you can use a transactional email service to send large volumes of emails.

In addition, you can integrate a transactional email API into your Python application. This will enable you to send email notifications when new users sign up, when something goes wrong in production, or when they perform a certain action. Another option is to use a multichannel notifications service. For example, Mailgun offers a free 3-month trial.

You can also set up an email spam filter. These programs are useful because they’ll make sure that your emails are actually coming from you, rather than from other people. Also, they’ll delete any email they find.

If you’re using an SMTP service, you’ll need to know the port number for your email server. Most email services use the same connection ports.

Querying a webpage to populate a list of available tracks

There are many Python automation testing tools available on the market. The most popular is the browser based scripting sander. This is a good thing, as you can easily test out new code without affecting your production line. However, in order to stay competitive you need to make sure your code is agnostic. That means you need to use a well vetted scripting tool that can withstand the rigors of production and make you look smart, not stupid.

If you are a Python buff you may be interested in a little bit of Python scripting to complement your front end work. You can also experiment with different scripting languages to see which one fits your needs best. Of course, you will want to avoid the pitfalls that plague many a novice tester. To get started, you should read up on the different types of scripting languages and the pros and cons of each. Fortunately, there is a plethora of documentation on the subject.

Generating automated reports and visualizations

Writing automated reports and visualizations with Python can be very useful in a number of situations. Reports are often used by data scientists and software developers to help them demonstrate how a machine learning model performs. However, writing these reports can be a time-consuming and repetitive task. This article will show you how to automate this process with Python.

The first step to creating a report is to generate data. This can be done with either an embedded data source or an external data source. Either way, the data is captured and saved on your machine. Depending on the type of data, different types of visualizations will be available to you. A table view, for instance, allows you to identify dimensions and measure.

quick python automation guide

Another option for creating a report is to use a spreadsheet. An Excel file, for example, can be exported to a PDF file. While it’s easy to write code for an Excel file, you might find it easier to use a library to create the report.

Creating a robot

The Robot Framework is an open-source software development platform that is used for creating robotics. It provides a programming language like Python and offers a way to write automated tests. Among its features, it has a modular architecture, and it incorporates multiple open-source tools.

The Robot Framework includes an array of standard libraries. They include built-in libraries for testing, test libraries, date-time handling libraries, and screenshot libraries. There are also third-party libraries that can be added to the framework. Those libraries can be used as drivers for the Robot framework.

Robots can be equipped with various sensors. These can include cameras, light sensors, proximity sensors, bumpers, and others. You can also add other sensors that provide information to the robot that it cannot directly observe.

Once you have a basic knowledge of robotics, you can move on to more advanced programming. Python is a popular programming language for robots and is widely used in data collection and low-level hardware control.

How to choose your WordPress hosting for France ?

When I have to choose a web host to create a website, I look at the following criteria:

  • The performance of the server and its specs (CPU, Ram, etc)
  • The pricing
  • The storage available and type of disks
  • Security (SSL) and tools
  • The automatic backups of your work in progress
  • the reactivity and quality of the customer support

Which French Web host to choose for WordPress?

Here is a ranking in order of preference of the best web hosts to host your WordPress site:

  1. O2switch
  2. WP Server
  3. Infomaniak
  4. PlanetHoster
  5. IONOS

Moreover, some of them offer a free domain name for the first year or for LIFE; this will allow you to save easily about ten euros in registration fees or more!

My favorite Web hosting plans for WordPress (in French)

The following list of French web hosts is the best in terms of qualityand price ratio and performance. Most of them offer a module to install WordPress in 1 click which is ideal to start on WordPress without wasting time with the technicalities!

WordPress Hosting with O2switch

O2switch is by far the best web hosting offer that exists on the French market if you want to create a WordPress site. There are not 40 thousand offers at this hosting company: there is only one! So you are not lost and know what you are buying. It is a reliable, efficient host with a very good customer service. It offers in particular:

A free domain name (the 1st year)
a 1-click WordPress installation module.
Unlimited hard disk space
Possibility to host several websites on the same hosting
A 30 days money back guarantee
Technical support available 7 days a week
price (H.T.) : 7 € / month

WordPress hosting with WPServeur

WPServeur is for me the best French hosting company for WordPress websites. It could be more widespread among website owners if it wasn’t that expensive.

I used it for one year on a blog for a French project and I was very satisfied not only with the performance of this host but also by the quality of the customer service. Among the many features offered:

Ultra simple and intuitive interface
An architecture 100% optimized for natural referencing
Automatic backups of all your work on WordPress
Possibility to restore backups at D-1, D-2, up to D-15.
Possibility to clone your site to test other versions of it
SSL certificate
Automatic update of all your WordPress plugins
9 premium WordPress themes offered with the subscription
FTP and PHP Admin access
High quality and responsive customer support
A data center (resources & FAQ) very provided
price (excluding VAT): from 19 € / month

avis wpserveur hosting

This French hosting review website offers a 10% promo coupon as well as an in depth avis WPServeur.

WordPress hosting with Infomaniak

Infomaniak has a great all-in-one offer (hosting, email pro, sending newsletters (emailing), etc. …). It is also one of the few hosting companies that has environmentally friendly datacenters.

100 GB of SSD disk space
unlimited domain names & MySQL databases
80 free professional themes (Elegant Themes)
Integrated pro emailing tool
Pro VOD/AOD platform to store, stream and protect your videos and podcasts
Daily backups
Easy restoration of your work
Automatic security updates
green hosting
price (excl. VAT): from € 7.42 / month

WordPress hosting with PlanetHoster

PlanetHoster is a little more known in Canada than in France but remains one of the best web hosting companies on the web both for its reliability and its ALL-inclusive offer. The offer is complete and offers a LOT of features for a very good price:

1 free domain name for life
Backup of your work every 12 hours
Multi-Sites + Unlimited sites + 100% isolated
Unlimited disk space
Unlimited bandwidth and traffic
Unlimited Databases
Unlimited Email Accounts
Dedicated SSL certificates per domain
SiteBuilder included (Page Builder)
Anti-DDoS Protection
Anti-Malware Protection
14 days money back guarantee
Free inbound migration
24/7 support
price (incl. VAT): from 6 € / month

Planethoster hosting plans

WordPress hosting with IONOS

The web hosting company IONOS has more than 25 years of experience in website creation and web hosting. The company, which originates from Germany and operates internationally, also offers WordPress solutions. These differ according to your needs and are particularly cheap for the first 12 months. This hosting company is highly recommended because of its excellent price/performance ratio. Key features of all three of their WordPress solutions include:

Domain included, SSL certificate(s) and email included
Easy installation
Website Scan anti-malware protection
Optimized CPU and memory resources
Guaranteed 2GB of RAM and 360Gbps connectivity
Daily backups with Jetpack
1-click data recovery
Automatic updates
24/7 support
Environmental protection and sustainability in its data centers
price (excluding VAT): from 1 € / month

Core Web Vitals: Google’s method for optimising web performance

Google recommends a method and tools to audit, improve, and monitor your web performance.

For several years, Google has been encouraging developers to offer fast websites that provide a fluid user experience that is appreciated by Internet users. This desire has been translated into the Page Experience update on June 16, 2021. The goal is to integrate web performance criteria into the algorithms that rank search results. To help developers get good scores over time, Google offers tools and a clear method in three steps.

Step 1: Evaluate the health of the site and identify the critical points.

Google reminds us that the Core Web Vitals Indicators (LCP, FID, and CLS) are built from data recorded from real users of your website. Before optimising these KPIs, you should perform an audit of their performance.

  • Use the CrUX dashboard to assess the health of your site.
  • Use the Search Console to identify pages that need attention.
  • Use PageSpeed Insights to drill down into specific pages.

You can get a snapshot of your site’s performance with the Chrome UX Report (CrUX) data-driven dashboard. It displays Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, and CLS) on desktop and mobile, as well as other performance KPIs (FCP, TTFB, etc.). Historical data are available to visualise the evolution of scores.

The Search Console also offers a web performance report. Discover the number of web pages to improve on mobile and desktop and identify the types of pages (templates) that require optimization.

PageSpeed Insights goes further, using CrUX and lab data obtained via Lighthouse. The tool designed by Google is useful to identify and understand the technical elements that are causing problems and degrading your Core Web Vitals score.

Step 2: Debug and optimise core web vitals metrics.

The audit is complete; you now have an overview of the health of your site and have identified the types of pages that need your attention.

  • Use Lighthouse to perform an audit at the page or template level.
  • Use the Web Vitals extension to see Core Web Vitals in real time.
  • Use Chrome DevTools (F12) to test the impact of technical changes.

Google recommends separating quick optimizations, which should be done immediately to see immediate results, from those that require more substantial work.

With Lighthouse, you’ll discover interesting opportunities. The tool is able to identify elements that block loading and degrade Core Web Vitals indicators. For each issue identified, technical documentation is provided to help developers improve their code.

The Chrome extension allows you to quickly test a web page, but beware: the tool performs a desktop analysis. To get mobile data, you need to switch to mobile emulation mode. The analysis is not as fine as with CrUX data.

Finally, Chrome’s developer tools help developers on several levels. The Performance tab displays a waterfall graph representing the loading of your page. It helps identify problems and understand CWV scores. You can test the technical changes you make before putting them into production to ensure that they improve the indicators. Also, it is advisable to activate the Layout Shift Regions feature (search for it from the command menu, accessible with the DevTools shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P). This will allow you to view screenshots taken during loading and identify the elements that increment your CLS.

Step 3: Monitor your performance and avoid regressions.

You have audited your site and made technical optimizations to improve your score. Now you need to make sure they have had an impact and put tools in place to avoid regressions in your next deployments.

  • Automate data collection from real users, design dashboards, and set up alerts with CrUX tools (API, Big Query), the PSI API, and web-vitals.js.
  • Use Ligthouse-CI to automate lab testing and prevent regressions on Core Web Vitals caused by other developments.

Google notices that after optimising their performance, most websites experience regression within six months. It is important to implement tools to avoid the degradation of core web resources and maintain a high level of performance.

Google Maps: how review moderation works

In this article, we are going to learn how Google moderates and fights inappropriate content on Maps.

Today, online reviews are an integral part of the purchasing and consumption process of Internet users. In fact, according to the European Consumer Centre France (ECC), nearly 90% of consumers rely on online customer reviews before ordering a product or booking a service.

At the same time, the growth of online reviews generates numerous frauds: false positive reviews, negative reviews published by competitors, deletion of negative reviews… Customer review platforms must therefore be more vigilant. Google, which publishes reviews via Google Maps, now explains the moderation process of this continuous flow of information.

Strict rules imposed by Google

In order to fight against abusive content published by Internet users, Google has established a strict policy, which may change depending on the societal context (such as the pandemic or the presidential elections).

The rules dictated by the Mountain View firm have two main objectives:

  • The opinions must be based on real experiences,
  • Illegal, irrelevant or disrespectful comments should not be published.

Types of reviews that violate Google’s policies

Google has published a list of the types of reviews that violate these policies:

  • deliberately false content and spam,
  • copied or stolen photos,
  • off-topic reviews,
  • defamatory language,
  • personal attacks,
  • unnecessary or incorrect content.

It should also be noted that these rules apply to all user-generated content, namely

  • the texts of reviews,
  • notes,
  • images and videos,
  • questions and answers,
  • captions,
  • hashtags,
  • tags,
  • links,
  • metadata.

Google uses a machine learning system to moderate reviews

To facilitate the management of abusive reviews, Google uses an automatic moderation system that supports the teams in charge of this mission.

As we receive a large number of reviews, we realized that we needed both human analysis, for the finesse of its evaluation, but also machine learning, for its capacity in terms of volume.

The machine learning system is therefore able to identify repeating patterns and remove undesirable content before it is even online, thus reducing the workload of the teams involved.

The machine learning system evaluates several factors:

  • the content: the algorithm analyzes whether the content is prohibited or subject to possible restrictions, based on the rules defined by Google,
  • the account: the system checks the user’s profile, and detects potential suspicious activities,
  • the location: the machine learning tool inspects the number of reviews received in a defined period of time, and whether this establishment has already encouraged users to publish false reviews, via social networks or the press in particular.

If the algorithms do not detect any violations, Google says the review can be posted in just a few seconds.

Google encourages users to report malicious reviews

Even if the moderation system by automatic learning is constantly optimized, it sometimes happens that an inappropriate review slips through the net. To address this issue, Google makes it easy for users to report reviews.

If the review concerns your establishment, simply go to the dedicated help page, which allows you to manage your reviews as well as your removal requests. As a consumer, you can also report a review that is deemed inappropriate.

In addition to the deletion of the malicious review, its author is exposed to two risks: to see his account suspended, and to be subject to legal proceedings.

What is a graphic charter and what is its purpose?

The graphic charter is related to the visual identity of a company/brand.

It is a document that will include all the graphic elements related to your site with a guide for using the various visual elements.

This includes the logo, its use, its variation, the fonts, their sizes, their weights, the color palette, etc.

The objective of the graphic charter is to ensure harmony between the various communication media. This does not only concern the website but all the media around the brand:

  • The print (all printed materials used in marketing), such as flyers, business cards, brochures and leaflets, envelopes and correspondence paper, etc.
  • The supports for the events, such as the shows, kakemonos, stand, covers, goodies, etc.
  • This also includes digital media: email signatures, PowerPoint presentations, visuals used on social networks or in newsletters, etc.
  • There are many examples, but to summarize, it is everything that requires the work of a graphic designer.

All these elements allow to identify a company and to enhance its brand image.

The components of a good graphic charter

Focus on the different elements that make up a graphic charter:

  • There is of course the logo, which is the strongest and most distinguishable element of an identity. The charter will specify how the logo should be used: its size, the protection zone (or neutrality) to be kept around it, the colors and possible variations, on a white background, black background, in black and white, etc. There are different types of logos: typographic like Coca-Cola for example, with a whole word or an acronym for that matter, illustrative like Apple, a pictogram like Twitter, we can imagine a mascot like Michelin, an emblem like Ford, something more abstract like adidas, or a combination of several elements. The possibilities are endless.
  • Next comes the typography or font. Here, it’s best to keep it simple with one main font for text and a secondary one for headlines; too many fonts will hurt readability/consistency in any case. The fonts must be readable! And let’s forget about the comic without MS…
  • With the logo come the colors that will identify the universe of the brand. There are sites that can help you create a harmonious color palette. On the graphic chart, the color codes can be indicated in different ways: quadrichrome, pantone, RGB or web.
  • A site without photographs would be a bit sad! The photos are also part of the charter, as well as the illustrations. That’s why we have written about this subject so that you can find free and royalty-free images on the internet.
  • There are also pictograms and small visual elements used in addition such as arrows, buttons, favicon, etc.
  • The graphic charter details how all these elements must coexist to form a harmonious whole. It also specifies what is forbidden.

As you can see, a graphic charter is essential in a communication strategy. Depending on the size of your company or your sector of activity, you will not necessarily be concerned by all types of support. Start with the ones that will be most useful to you right away.

Weareobeo can help you carry out your graphic design project; do not hesitate to contact our graphic design team.

How to clear your WordPress cache

It’s a good idea to have a caching plugin on your WordPress website and we explain why in this new article.

What is the cache of a website?

The purpose of the cache is to store data temporarily, to load web pages faster from a browser. It is a storage space dedicated to this purpose.

What data is stored in the cache? Static data such as images, HTML, Javascript, CSS.

Ultimately, the cache will optimize the loading speed of the site. This results in a better user experience (Ux) and the sending of positive signals to search engines and the natural referencing of the website. Google indeed gives importance to the loading speed of a site.

Why empty the cache of his website?

On a website, the cache is emptied so that changes made to the administration interface of the site are visible online.

The cache system stores a version of the files at a time T and gives them back to the users. If an administrator makes changes that affect these files and does not empty the cache, the old files will always be restored. The changes will therefore not be visible online. Clearing the cache allows you to store new versions of files to be restored.

Note that this operation is done by the owner of the website.

How to empty the cache of your WordPress site?

If you don’t have plugins allowing you to manage the cache for your website, this point doesn’t concern you. This second step can be done if you have a plugin in place. Several extensions allow to have a caching of the pages of the site.

Let’s take WP Rocket for example. It is a paid extension but not all of them are. When the plugin is activated, in one click, the cache is emptied.

You can often find an option like “Clear Cache” in the settings of your WordPress site in the plugin settings.

Here are other plugins that allow you to do this: WP Super Cache, Litespeed Cache, W3 Total Cache, or WP Fastest Cache.

Even if it seems obvious, you should only install one cache module on your website.

What is the browser cache?

It is different from the cache system present on the website as described above. Browsers also store information when you surf on websites. And sometimes these web browsers do not detect the changes that have been made on the site.

How to empty the cache on a browser?

This action can be performed regardless of the browser used; Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, to name only the most popular.

Unlike the website cache, which is emptied by its owner, the browser cache must be emptied by the user.

To empty the cache on Chrome, for example

  • click on “More tools
  • and then on “Delete browsing data”.

You now know what the different types of cache are and why they are important for displaying up-to-date information on websites.

Don’t hesitate to contact our team if you want to entrust the optimization of your website to a professional.

7 reasons to redesign your website

It is generally said that a website becomes obsolete after 4 or 5 years. The web domain is in constant evolution, graphically and technically. An aging website can no longer meet the needs of the company, the expectations of Internet users and search engines. It is therefore strategic to update it in order to propose a functional, modern and unique site.

However, this decision is not trivial. It requires significant work and must bring a real benefit to the company. Here are 8 reasons that can help determine if a website needs a redesign.

1- The graphic design of the website is outdated

When browsing the website of your competitors, you may have the impression that your website is graphically outdated, that it gives your company an unmodern image. Some companies abandon their site over the years. A visual redesign is therefore necessary. A web professional specialized in redesigns will propose the following axes :

  • definition of the need,
  • layout,
  • graphic integration,
  • development,
  • addition of content,
  • work on your SEO.

2- The site is not well positioned in search results

SEO, also known as search engine optimization, must be a subject addressed from the first stages of the creation or redesign of a site. If this was not the case, it is likely that many optimizations are still possible on the website to better position the keywords in search engines.

There are simple solutions to improve the search engine optimization of a site (optimization of title tags and meta descriptions), but sometimes it will be necessary to consider heavier measures. Because SEO is partly linked to the technical performance of a site. Consequently, a poorly structured site will be strongly penalized. A redesign can therefore be really beneficial for SEO.

3- The structure of the site no longer meets your needs

In addition to no longer meeting the expectations of users, an outdated website also no longer meets the needs of the company. A company evolves with time and its products or services have probably evolved as well.

To solve this problem, a work of analysis and redesign of the tree structure and contents is necessary. A website with outdated content creates a gap between the commercial discourse of a company and the perception that customers have of it.

4- The site does not adapt to mobile formats

The site is functional on the computer but does not display well on mobile devices? Today, more than half of the users browse the internet from their phone or tablet, and this trend is growing year after year. It is therefore essential to offer users a version of the site adapted to the mobile support, in order to guarantee them a good experience, whatever the format of the screen consulted. This advice is also taken up by the American giant Google, which gives more prominence in search results to websites designed to offer a good user experience on a smartphone.

Mobile user experience

5- The site lacks functionality

The graphic, technical, SEO and responsive aspects must be worked on in order to make a site efficient. But to reach the set objectives and maximize performance, a site must also include practical features, which, in addition to offering a more pleasant experience to users, can help differentiate it from competitors. These are for example a blog, contact forms, the declination of the site in different languages, the creation of a private personal space or the tracking of orders in the case of an e-commerce site.

6- The site is complicated to administer by yourself

Some websites are difficult to administer from a technical or financial point of view if the web service provider invoices all modifications requested by the customer, for a simple change of text or the setting on line of a new article of blog for example.

Not having control over your content is a good reason to redesign your website. The idea is to be trained by the provider to be able to manage the content of your website yourself. The WordPress CMS offers for example a very intuitive administration interface, easy to learn.

7- User experience and conversion rates are not optimized

UX/UI design is a “discipline” that has become very popular in recent years. It is about optimizing the user experience on the website in order to increase the efficiency of the website. The user finds immediately the content he is looking for and the company optimizes its sales.

This is done through different actions :

  • flattening the tree structure to optimize the hierarchy of the pages/information
  • adding call-to-actions and links
  • optimizing the design
  • setting up animations that make reading more fun
  • improvement of the quality of images and videos
  • work on the purchase tunnel for e-commerce sites
  • rewriting texts for more clarity

All these actions will ultimately aim to increase the conversion rate.

If you check several of these boxes, it may be time to contact a qualified web agency to assist you in the redesign of your website.