I had another snag in deploying a CodeIgniter application the other day.

GoDaddy doesn’t allow you to have access outside of the web root. This is kind of a problem for CodeIgniter, because you really should install the system files outside of the web root for security reasons.

The way I handled this, while still trying to have some sense of security is to install the system folder in the web root, then rename it to a very long, cryptic string, like aPt5HatJeaB0AmueXeu. As long as you have a blank index.html in every system folder, that should be fairly secure. You’ll need to remember to change your index.php file, under the SYSTEM FOLDER NAME section to read something like this:

$system_folder = "../aPt5HatJeaB0AmueXeu";

The other “gotcha” with GoDaddy is that you have to change your /application/config/config.php file under the URI PROTOCOL section to read this:

$config['uri_protocol'] = "QUERY_STRING";

Or,

$config['uri_protocol'] = "REQUEST_URI";

Just try both, one of them should work.

Related posts:

1. HostGator and CodeIgniter: How to fix mod_rewrite

This is one of those services that you discover and go “That’s Brilliant!”

Grasshopper.com is a virtual phone system, 800 phone number service, and voice mail all wrapped in one. It’s priced competitively and it has a lot of great features.

If you run a small business, and especially if you are a “virtual” business, this is the way to present a professional image and deal with phone issues all at once.

Check it out… http://grasshopper.com/

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I came across this problem today. I just purchased a HostGator Baby account. I got everything installed, and CodeIgniter will pull up a home page, but any other page redirects to the home page.

After a little digging, I discovered a solution. You just have to open your /application/config/config.php file and replace this…

$config['uri_protocol'] = "AUTO";

with this…

$config['uri_protocol'] = "REQUEST_URI";

I hope that helps someone out!

Related posts:

1. CodeIgniter and GoDaddy Hosting Issues

I had to create an email Open-Rate tracking system for a client the other day, so I thought I’d share it. This code hides a 1×1 pixel, also called a Web Bug or Clear GIF, in the email, so that if the person views the email, it “phones home” and adds the incident to a MySQL table.

The thing to keep in mind is that the person must view the graphics in the email, so for instance, I use Thunderbird, and by default graphic are turned off and I have to click a button that say “View Images” (or something like that) to see any images (including the Web Bug). So, this may skew your statistics just slightly, but from my testing, it seems a lot of people view images in email.

Final note… this method does not require any graphics libraries (like GD) to be loaded. I found several solutions that required GD, and I didn’t want to go that route, so that’s why I picked this solution.

So, create yourself a table.

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `database`.`emailstats`;
CREATE TABLE  `database`.`emailstats` (
`id` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
`ip` varchar(45) default NULL,
`host` varchar(255) default NULL,
`referrer` varchar(255) default NULL,
`date` date default NULL,
`time` time default NULL,
`email_title` varchar(255) default NULL,
PRIMARY KEY  (`id`),
KEY `index_2` (`date`),
KEY `index_3` (`email_title`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM AUTO_INCREMENT=5359 DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1;

Next, create a index.php in a path something like /images/logo.gif NOTE: logo.gif is a FOLDER, not a file. This will be explained later… for now, just create a FOLDER named /images/logo.gif and add an index.php with the following code.

<?php
$email_title = 'Ad-Hoc Email '.date("m-d-Y");

@ $db = new mysqli('localhost', 'user', 'pass', 'database');

if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
	//echo 'Error: Could not connect to the database..';
	//exit;
}

if (!empty($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'])) {
	$ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
	$host = gethostbyaddr($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']);
	$referrer = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
	$date = date("Y-m-d");
	$time = date("H:i:s");

	$sql = "INSERT INTO database.emailstats (id,ip,host,referrer,date,time,email_title) VALUES (null,'$ip','$host','$referrer','$date','$time','$email_title');";
	$db->query($sql);
}
header( 'Content-type: image/gif' );
echo chr(71).chr(73).chr(70).chr(56).chr(57).chr(97).
      chr(1).chr(0).chr(1).chr(0).chr(128).chr(0).
      chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).
      chr(33).chr(249).chr(4).chr(1).chr(0).chr(0).
      chr(0).chr(0).chr(44).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).chr(0).
      chr(1).chr(0).chr(1).chr(0).chr(0).chr(2).chr(2).
      chr(68).chr(1).chr(0).chr(59);
?>

Finally, insert this into your email.

<img src="http://www.domain.com/images/logo.gif" border="0" alt="" />

Does that make sense now? It looks like its an image (which is really is, but just in a sneaky way), but it logs the server call in the database. From there, you can code up something to report your impressions, open-rate, and click-thru rate.

Feel free to comment. I’m always open to other ways of doing things.

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I was just thinking that it’s a great time to be in the following businesses:

• Gun shop
• Auto Mechanic/Auto Repair

I won’t go into the gun shop thing, but I just heard a report that people aren’t buying new cars, and they are hanging onto their existing cars.  Well… cars break no matter what the economy, right? So, if people aren’t buying new cars, that means they are getting them repaired, right?

Auto Repair shop owners… Look to the Internet for your Marketing!!!

If your shop is not listed in Google Local, Yahoo Local, and MSN Local, then I assure you that you’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime increase in business opportunity.

Yellow Pages doesn’t work anymore… the Internet is how people are finding products and services

Click Here! to learn how to use the Internet to get more business for your auto repair shop.

Think about it… this is like a Power Play in hockey! You’re one player up, but if you’re not taking advantage of Internet Marketing, you might as well just be giving the puck to the opponent the whole time!

Don’t know how to get your Auto Repair business traffic from the Internet??

Click Here! to learn how.

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Here’s 5 quick tips for improving the marketing effectiveness of your website.  I’ve used these techniques successfully on almost every site I work on (including this site!)

1. Effective copy-writing

Here’s where most site owners fail to convert viewers into callers or purchasers. I use the following 3-step, persuasive copy-writing technique right on the home page:

1. Identify a problem your potential client is having
2. Explain how your services solve their problem
3. Display a simple, clear call-to-action

2. Make an offer they can’t refuse!

Offer a FREE 1st time consultation if you sell professional services. If you’re a persuasive sales person, then once you get them in the door, you can convert them into a client.  The hard part is getting them in the door!

Depending on your industry, you’ll have to think of clever, irresistible offers to make from your website to get people to call you.  You’re after the face-to-face meeting or phone call, so have your website channel people to call or meet with you.

3. Improve the readability of your site

People don’t read websites, they scan. Write small paragraphs with headers. Look at this post as an example… I use large, bold headers, and short paragraphs throughout. Typical behavior is to scan the headers, and if something catches your interest, to read the paragraph. Use this to your advantage!

4. Put your contact info on the home page!

You’d be surprised how many people think contact info should only be on the Contact Us page! Truth is, most people make instant judgments on your company from your home page. If you make them look around for your contact info, the more likely they’ll just click BACK. Make sure your address and phone are prominently on the home page, not just your Contact Us page.

5. People don’t care about you… they care about how you can help them

Okay, this is a little hard on the ego, but your website should not be about you. Make your website about your potential clients and how you can help them.

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If you’re reading this, you probably searched on something to do with ‘recession’, ’seo’, and maybe ‘bad economy’.  This means that you are probably educating yourself on looking for the most effective marketing during the recession. Good for you. This post is to get some ideas rolling in your head to make your Internet Marketing more effective.

Small Businesses are feeling the pinch, so make your Internet Marketing more effective during the recession

The answer is not to pull out of your marketing strategy. You’ll go out of business if you do that. You just need to be more effective in your marketing strategy during a recession. Face it, during the good times, there’s a lot of wasted dollars on marketing. Most small businesses that I deal with wasted lots of money on print Yellow Pages, and even YellowPages.com, and they don’t even know what the return on their investment was!! (Yellow Pages ROI is pretty bad, by the way).  They didn’t need to track their marketing dollars because money was plentiful. Well that has all changed.

First things: Differentiate your business on customer service

This isn’t necessarily about SEO, but it’s SUPREMELY important. You aren’t going to beat the WalMarts of your industry on price. Stop trying! You can, however, keep your existing loyal customers, and attract new customers by providing excellent customer service.

Here’s an example… Every morning I make the choice to walk 100 yards to the corner 7-11 and get a coffee refill for $.99.  Or, I can make a 2 mile drive to Starbucks and pay $1.98 for my coffee.  I choose Starbucks.  Why?  It’s not because I’m brainwashed by Starbucks, or even because I think they have better coffee.  It’s because I take my dog with me and they give me a dog treat when I go through the drive-thru.  That’s excellent customer service! The ladies greet my dog (by name) every day. They give me a wonderful customer experience. That’s why I spend the extra time and money to get my coffee at Starbucks.

So, first things first… get your customer service in line. That means getting rid of the 20-something person answering your phones that is not nice to your customers. That means look for ways to go above and beyond and create a unique customer experience for your patrons. That means acutally being friendly and genuinely greeting customers as they enter your store. That means not letting your staff conduct personal conversations in front of customers (this one particularly annoys me).  You get the point.  There are plenty of people looking for work, don’t settle for staff that doesn’t demonstrate excellent customer service skills… there are 20 people lined up behind them with families to feed that can probably do their job better. You might have to subtly remind them of that point. Don’t let your business suffer because your employees aren’t nice.

Once you get your customer service in check, look for ways to make your marketing more effective. My business is INTERNET MARKETING, and I’ve seen plenty of businesses GREATLY BENEFIT from effective Internet Marketing.  I’m not saying that Internet Marketing should be your only strategy, but it should be part of your overall Marketing Plan. Here are a few ideas to think about.

Update your website: On-page SEO and persuasive web copy

Now’s the time to whip that website into shape that you haven’t updated in 5 years! Follow my tips for redesigning your website with SEO in mind. Your website communicates the image of your business. If you still have a 1990’s looking website, please update it.  It’ll be the best thing you’ll do this year.

Next, start thinking in terms of PERSUASIVE text on your website. There’s nothing worse than having a website where when people view it, their eyes glaze over because all you do is present them with dry information and facts. They tend to hit the BACK button.

Here’s a tried and true formula for turning website visitors into buyers or callers. Three steps to persuasive web copy:

1. Pose a problem that the person might have that you can solve. If you run a Plumbing business, your opening headline could be “Are you having plumbing problems and are looking for a Plumber you can trust?”  Note, I didn’t stop at “are you looking for a plumber”.  Most people looking for services are concerned with being able to trust service people. So, expand your thinking to consider what people really want.
2. State how your business solves their problem… but do it in terms of BENEFITS, not facts or features. A benefit explains how it helps the person. A feature is about you. A benefit is about them. So instead of just saying “We are XYZ Certified Plumbers”, say “You can be assured we know what we’re doing – we are XYZ Certified”.  Make sense?
3. Have a CLEAR call-to-action. “CALL NOW!!! (555) 555-1234″.   Or, “Fill in this web form now and we’ll respond within 24 hours!”.   Make sure the call-to-action is big, bold, and unmistakably clear to follow.

Monitor your competition: Re-evaluate your keyword phrases

If you are already doing some SEO effort, or are thinking about it, you should be aware of the importance of targeting keyword phrases on your site. This post is not about keyword phrases, but it is about re-thinking your SEO during the recession. So consider this novel idea about keyword phrases.

Some medium to large sized businesses are going out of business because of the economy. You should watch for openings for marketing opportunity. Are there some strategic keyword phrases that other companies used to dominate that aren’t any more? Re-evaluate all your keyword phrases and look where you can fill the gap and go after the long-tail search phrases.

If you’ve always gone after the most compeititve search phrases, you’re probably a small fish in a big pond. Try going after some phrases that pick up long-tail searchers. I’m not going into exactly how you do that in this post (Google it), but you can certainly experiment with some PPC ads to identify those search phrases. You might be surprised at how much traffic you can pick up.

Ride it out and set yourself up for the upswing

Those businesses that don’t use the down-turn to maximize the effectiveness of their marketing strategies aren’t going to make a killing once the good times return. Those that put in the effort right now will get an EXPONENTIAL pay off when things start picking back up.

On the flipside, those that don’t tweak their marketing right now will try to do so when the good times are back again…. but it will be too late.  Those that worked hard on their Internet Marketing strategy during the bad times, will already dominate the Search Engine Rankings, and there will be no easy entrances into those search query spaces.

Good luck! I’ll share more ideas as they come to me. These are hard times, but it forces us to think more strategically, and sometimes, that’s a good thing for business.

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I don’t know what Google calls it, but I call it the “Google bump”.  That is when new pages soar straight to the top of the rankings.  The problem is that a week or two later, they sink right back into oblivion.

I’ve been studying this effect for a couple of years now. I can repeat it consistently. Within a week, I can get a page ranked within, or near the top 10 for my targeted keyword phrase. Within two weeks of that page hitting the top ranking, it sinks back, sometimes several pages!

Check your expections, and scrutinize your SEO firm!

First of all, the reason for this post is to inform small business website owners to be aware of this pattern. An SEO firm can (if they know what they’re doing) get your page to quickly rank for a search phrase.  The temptation is for them to send you this ranking report saying “look what we did… you’re #3 for [insert search phrase]!”     The problem is that they don’t follow up two weeks later with “your page is now #89 for [search phrase]“.

So, just be informed that you will see quick results from optimization efforts, but those efforts will last about two weeks, then die off quickly.  These are expected results… it just happens that way.  But don’t let your SEO give you some hokie explanation for the up and down.

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I recently discovered a company called LotusJump that I will be partnering with to refer Do-it-yourselfers to for link-building efforts.

Are you a small business owner who works on your own website?

Some of you are savvy enough to work on your own websites… I’ve bumped into many of you. Unfortunately, some websites lock you into features that may restrict exactly how much control you have over the 5 Most Important Elements in Designing your Website… such as an eCommerce software site, or a turn-key website solution.

In these circumstances where you don’t have the detailed control over the On-Page SEO elements, you must turn to Off-Page SEO strategies to influence the rankings of your site.  Enter LotusJump!

LotusJump, in a nutshell, takes the trial and error out of link building. Their software does the back-end research and creates a task-list of link building efforts you should follow.  You can pick which tasks to execute and ignore the ones you don’t want to do. LotusJump builds your task list according to your preferences.

Click the banner and get started on Link Building Today!

LotusJump has a 14 day trial, so you have nothing to lose!   Get started today!

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When it rains, it pours… at least that’s my observation of spyware and virus activity. Every so often I get calls from my small list of personal computer consulting clientele.

It appears that a flurry of spyware and virus activity happened last week. I got four phone calls in one week!

This prompted me to write about what I think to be the ultimate combination of anti-virus and spyware software that I highly recommend to my personal clients. Best of all, it’s FREE!

Anti-Virus

I know it’s tempting to go out and purchase Norton Anti-virus, or McAfee, but please don’t! You can get top-notch anti-virus software for FREE from AVG. Visit http://free.avg.com/ and make sure you download the free version. AVG is free for personal use, so make sure you are using this on your personal computer.

Here’s why AVG is better, in my opinion. Norton and McAfee are bloated, and seemingly take over your system and use up a lot of memory. AVG is very lean and mean, taking up much less system resources, while still providing excellent anti-virus protection.  I’ve been using AVG for years and I’ve never gotten a virus.  I’ve switched many, many clients over to AVG and they no longer get viruses either. I strongly endorse using AVG for your computer computer.

Anti-Spyware

I recommend a two-pronged attack on spyware… Spybot Search & Destroy and AdAware are the tools I use. Again, if you download them, make sure you’re downloading the free version. Also, both are free for personal use.

I haven’t found a single anti-spyware software that catches everything yet. However, Spybot and AdAware, together, seem to catch the majority of spyware.  So use them in conjunction. I generally run Spybot first, then AdAware, and I run it monthly, or if my system ever seems to be slowing down, that’s usually a sure sign that I’m spyware-laden.

Stay away from…

If you install and use AVG, Spybot S&D, and AdAware, you should not need other software. Trust me.

In particular, I would definitely NOT let Windows Defender install itself if you are running my combo. Windows Defender will conflict and slow your system down drastically.

Also, do not run Norton or McAfee in conjuction with AVG. Besides slowing your PC to a crawl, you’ll probably run into conflicts.

Finally, whatever you do, DO NOT click on Internet Ads claiming to be free spyware checkers. These are usually gimmicks that end up installing spyware on your system. What better way to lure someone into installing spyware than by offering a “free spyware scanner”?

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