We have added a new feature to eXtend called ‘Check Site Permissions’. This new feature has been added to let you bulk check your websites file permissions without having to go through them all manually one by one. It will:

1. Check that the permissions make any sense at all, e.g. that a directory is accessible or that a script is executable

2. Check for conditions which would make the web server refuse to run a script for security reasons

3. Check for permissions which are likely to lead to security problems on your site

4. Where appropriate, recommendations for changes to the existing permissions will also be given to make your website more secure. You can then agree to the recommended permissions through this page (or choose to ignore them).

Customers who have ‘File Manager’ enabled as a feature will automatically get access to this in their control panel.

The name of a domain directly affects the overall success of a website, not only through search engine optimization, but also through the eyes of the visitors themselves. A memorable domain name will ensure repeat traffic in many cases, based simply on the fact that most visitors will find it easy to return to a site with a domain name that is easy to remember.

To simplify the process, consider some of the following factors when choosing a domain name.

Domain Extension

The domain name extension or TLD is a crucial factor. The extension of a domain is simply the letters that follow the dot, for example – .com, .net, and .org – are all domain extensions. Dot com domains seem to outperform their counterparts in almost all instances, however .org and .net domains also rank well in the search engines.

Domain Name Length

The length of the domain name is also very important, as it directly affects the memorability of the name. If a domain name is 30 characters and 4 words long there is a very slim chance that someone will remember it. Thus, it is very unlikely that you will receive repeat organic traffic unless you are highly ranked for a common keyword.

Domain Syntax

Another important factor to consider is the syntax; the arrangement of words or letters within the domain name. A domain name with numbers that substitute words are generally less valuable. For example, the domain name food4thought.com would be less valuable than the domain name foodforthought.com. The reason for this is simple, when someone executes a search for a particular keyword, the chances of them typing in the number 2 or 4 instead of the words “to” or “for” are very low. Following the same reasoning, dashes also take away from the value of a domain name, as most people do not include dashes in their search queries.

Keyword Optimization

Perhaps the most important aspect of a domain name is the keyword that it is targeting. The most valuable kind of domain name is one that is an exact match of a keyword that is commonly searched for. Also known as an exact match domain, these names are sought after because they tend to go straight to the top of the search engines for specific phrases, with little or no effort. For example, if someone searches for the term “shopping,” it would not be surprising to see shopping.com in one of the top spot, even if the content and on-page design has not been search engine optimized. Registering a domain name with one of these phrases is becoming increasingly rare, however it is possible.

Domain names can be registered here

The load time of websites is one of the most important factors affecting its usability. When a user is opening your website every object on the page (e.g. images or scripts) will require a round trip to the server. Those HTTP requests will delay the response time of your site, and if you are loading dozens of objects this delay can add up to several seconds.

The first step to reduce the delay from HTTP requests is to reduce the number of objects on your website. Get rid of unnecessary images, headers, styling features and the like. If possible you can also combine 2 or more adjacent images into a single one.

Secondly make sure that your requests for external files or scripts are combined in a single location. For example instead of using three CSS files to create the layout of your page:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/header.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/body.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/footer.css" />

You should use a single one with all the styling information:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/style.css" />

With javascript libraries such as jQuery, Mootools and Prototype becoming increasingly popular and an array of ready built plug-ins available that can give your website that extra functionality it is very easy to end up with multiple javascript file calls in the web page. By combining these files into one single file you would reduce the number of http request dramatically.