Hightown Hill: BlogBloghttps://hightownhill.com/Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:12:32 GMTurn:store:1:blog:post:11https://hightownhill.com/tiktok-and-woocommerce-integrationTikTok and WooCommerce Integration<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d5olk" data-offset-key="t0-0-0"> <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="t0-0-0"><span data-offset-key="t0-0-0"><img style="width: 100%; height: auto;" src="/images/uploaded/tiktok-for-business.png" alt="TikTok for Business" width="1000" height="524" /></span></div> <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="t0-0-0">&nbsp;</div> <h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="t0-0-0">Looking for an ecommerce channel to sell products using your existing WooCommerce store?</h2> <h3 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="t0-0-0"><span data-offset-key="t0-0-0">Checkout the TickTok for Business integration!</span></h3> </div> <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d5olk" data-offset-key="6a67n-0-0"> <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="6a67n-0-0"><span data-offset-key="6a67n-0-0">TikTok for WooCommerce - WooCommerce </span><span class="Link__LinkStyled-sc-1uawdhd-0 kciYvb"><span data-offset-key="6a67n-1-0"><a href="https://woocommerce.com/products/tiktok-for-woocommerce/">https://woocommerce.com/products/tiktok-for-woocommerce/</a></span></span></div> <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="6a67n-0-0">&nbsp;</div> <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="6a67n-0-0"><a title="Discuss your project? - Book Us!" href="/discuss-a-project-book-us"><span class="Link__LinkStyled-sc-1uawdhd-0 kciYvb"><span data-offset-key="6a67n-1-0">Discuss your project? - Book Us!</span></span></a></div> </div>urn:store:1:blog:post:9https://hightownhill.com/wave-financial-softwareWave Financial Software<p>Financial software is costly.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Here's a terrific alternative to QuickBooks, without the cost! Yes, that's right, Wave has a fully featured FREE version.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For small business owners, non-profits and for personal use, this makes Cents (saves some) :)</p> <p><a class="btn" title="Wave finanical software" href="https://www.waveapps.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.waveapps.com</a></p> <p><a title="Wave finanical software" href="https://www.waveapps.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 100%; display: block;" src="/images/uploaded/wave-software.jpeg" alt="Wave financial software" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Hightown Hill</p> <p><a title="You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A14&amp;version=NASB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew 5:14</a></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:8https://hightownhill.com/how-can-you-securely-communicate-by-emailHow can you securely communicate by email?<p>If you find yourself searching for a solution to pass credentials or other confidential information between you and another party, look into Sendinc.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Free account, encryption, MS Outlook Add-In, terrific option for sending secure email!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a class="btn" title="Sendinc" href="https://www.sendinc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.sendinc.com/</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img style="max-width: 100%; display: block;" src="/images/uploaded/sendinc-blog-news-social-share.jpg" alt="Sendinc - Secure Email" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;- Hightown Hill</p> <p><a title="You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A14&amp;version=NASB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew 5:14</a></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:6https://hightownhill.com/the-best-prevention-to-phishing-and-getting-caughtThe best prevention to phishing, and getting caught<p>The best prevention to being caught by phishing: Never follow (click) a link from an email to login to an account. Use your browser to navigate to the website and login. Stay secure.<br /><a class="btn" href="https://zd.net/2Rip8ny">https://zd.net/2Rip8ny</a></p> <p>Test yourself with the Phishing IQ test:<br /><a class="btn" href="http://bit.ly/2tGReQo">http://bit.ly/2tGReQo</a></p> <p>What does phishing look like from CompTIA:<br /><a class="btn" href="http://bit.ly/38zosQD">http://bit.ly/38zosQD</a></p> <p>&nbsp;<img src="/images/uploaded/lock-and-key.png" alt="Confidential Information" width="134" height="114" /></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:10https://hightownhill.com/free-social-media-toolkit-from-semrushFREE: Social Media Toolkit from SEMRush<p>SEMRush is now providing their Social Media Toolkit for Free! We highly suggest any business owner (or social marketer even on a personal level)&nbsp;take advantage of the offer. You can share to multiple social channels at once, track performance, gain insights and more.</p> <p>Simplify the process and reduce your time managing social posts.</p> <p><a class="btn" href="https://www.semrush.com/social-media/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=semrush_news&amp;utm_campaign=free-semrush#smp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check it out!</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.semrush.com/social-media/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=semrush_news&amp;utm_campaign=free-semrush#smp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 100%; display: block;" src="/images/uploaded/social-media-toolkit.jpg" alt="SEMRush Social Media Toolkit" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At Hightown Hill we utilize SEMRush on nearly all web design and development projects internally and for clients. It's an valuable tool for SEO and SEM. If you're looking for assistance with search engine optimization and search engine marketing, <a href="/contactus">Contact Us</a> today!</p> <p><a class="btn" title="SEO Services" href="/search-engine-optimization-seo">Search Engine Optimization - SEO</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Hightown Hill</p> <p><a title="You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A14&amp;version=NASB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew 5:14</a></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:7https://hightownhill.com/beware-not-all-web-hosting-is-equalBeware, not all web hosting is equal.<p><img style="max-width: 100%; display: block;" src="/images/uploaded/web-hosting.jpg" alt="Beware, not all web hosting is equal" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>There are many web hosting options available. All seem to offer the same or similar features, but in reality, it's not the same level of service.</strong> </p> <p style="background-color: #f7f7f7; text-align: centered; padding: 1rem; border: 1px solid #eee;"><a href="/web-hosting-and-domain-services">If you need help managing your web hosting, configuring your website or looking to migrate to another hosting provider, allow us to tackle the technical aspects of your business so you can get back to work!</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Recently, a client was affected by a ransomware attack on a major web host which crippled over 400,000 websites. While in the process of restoring the client's site, we were tasked with reviewing and providing a list of alternative hosting providers. Needless to say, not all hosting providers are the same, even when they seem to offer the same services and features. Your intellectual property, users and customers private information is at stake. Instead of a lengthy list of mediocre, confusing and shady web hosts, we have narrowed down those hosts we personally have dealt with which had the best security, reliability, prices, features, ease of use, and support(customer service).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.ionos.com/hosting/web-hosting?ac=OM.US.USf11K357091T7073a&amp;kwk=591689763" target="_blank">IONOS</a></strong></p> <ul type="disc"> <li>Currently $1 domain registrations, free private registration and SSL cert. You can't beat that!</li> <li>Web Hosting promo starting at $1 per month (typically around $4) with free SSL.</li> <li>30-year history and ISO 27001 certified data centers.</li> <li>Customer service is responsive and helpful.</li> <li>You can host nearly anything built for Windows or Linux. With a few caveats, see below…</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong><a href="https://partners.hostgator.com/c/1991615/183672/3094" target="_blank">HostGator</a></strong></p> <ul type="disc"> <li>Web Hosting starting at around $3 per month with free SSL.</li> <li>cPanel and Plesk Hosting Control Panels means simple and documented management. Good for users of all skill levels.</li> <li>Friendly and knowledgeable customer service.</li> <li>Again, you can host nearly anything built for Windows or Linux, with some exceptions…</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Microsoft Azure</strong></p> <ul type="disc"> <li>Microsoft Azure costs can be managed in various ways. Keep in mind you pay for what you use.</li> <li>Nearly anything can be hosted.</li> <li>Security and complete control over nearly all aspects of the hosting environment.</li> <li>A great solution for e-commerce sites and other websites where security is paramount.</li> <li>Azure typically will require management by a knowledgeable party.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Now for those exceptions, our particular client required Windows hosting for the shopping cart platform <a title="AspDotNetStorefront" href="https://www.aspdotnetstorefront.com/">AspDotNetStorefront</a>. Due to the platforms technical requirements, IONOS, HostGator and a handful of other hosts, could not support the latest release of <a title="AspDotNetStorefront" href="https://www.aspdotnetstorefront.com/">AspDotNetStorefront</a> due to their internal hosting configurations at the present time. For those searching for hosting for <a title="AspDotNetStorefront" href="https://www.aspdotnetstorefront.com/">AspDotNetStorefront</a>, your best bet is to host with <a title="Vortx" href="https://www.vortx.com/">Vortx</a> (Parent company). <a title="Vortx" href="https://www.vortx.com/">Vortx</a> has developed the fully featured, secure shopping cart platform <a title="AspDotNetStorefront" href="https://www.aspdotnetstorefront.com/">AspDotNetStorefront</a>, and they know how it runs best! A couple other viable hosting options would be a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine, IONOS or HostGator Virtual Private Servers.</p> <p><strong><a href="/contactus">When you have hosting questions, please drop us line, we'd love to chat!</a><br /></strong></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:5https://hightownhill.com/my-hope-essentials-e-commerce-build-and-launchMy Hope Essentials - E-commerce Build and Launch<p>We proudly present <a title="My Hope Essentials - Live Life" href="https://myhopeessentials.com">My Hope Essentials</a></p> <p>At Hightown Hill, we had the wonderful opportunity to take the owners ideas of establishing the startup e-commerce store, My Hope Essentials and provide a fully featured turn key e-commerce solution, leaving nothing out. We desired to see the project through from start to finish, providing a roadmap to the owner and handling all technical and business aspects related building and operating an e-commerce store.</p> <p>Please visit <a title="My Hope Essentials - Live Life" href="https://myhopeessentials.com">My Hope Essentials</a> and let us know what you think!</p> <p><a class="btn" title="My Hope Essentials - Live Life" href="https://myhopeessentials.com"><img src="/images/uploaded/hope-essentials-sharepoint.jpg" alt="My Hope Essentials" width="322" height="321" /></a></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:4https://hightownhill.com/enhancing-security-with-your-guest-networkEnhancing security with your guest network<p>Your Guest Wi-Fi Network(available on most routers) has additional uses besides temporary internet access.</p> <p>By separating Wi-Fi access on your network with the Guest Network SSID and separate WPA2 passphrase, you can protect your normal Wi-Fi passphrase from being discovered. Additionally, you should restrict the Guest Network so that it doesn't have access to your local network. This reduces the possibility of discovering and compromising the other devices (the important ones) on your local network.</p> <p>We suggest placing all IoT devices(when possible) on your Guest Network if you are not required to access them by IP address, that is when they are accessible through the internet via an app. Devices like SONOS speakers which require connecting to the local IP address must be connected to the same local network as your handheld device or tablet. Ring and similar devices can be placed on the Guest Network since they require an internet connection and are accessible through the internet via the app on your handheld device or tablet.</p> <p>If you need help determining if this is feasible with your specific IoT device, please leave a comment with the device Mfg. and model number.</p> <p><img style="width: auto; max-width: 100%;" src="/images/uploaded/IoT_Network_Diagram.jpg" alt="IoT Network Diagram" /></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:3https://hightownhill.com/to-update-or-not-to-update-on-mobile-there-is-no-questionTo update or not to update? On mobile there is no question...<p>There are instances&nbsp;when updating production servers, dev machines and other business critical resources which have unintended results like discovering a new issue&nbsp;arose from the update itself. At times these updates must be put off and patched later.</p> <p>Most end user devices, laptops and computers don't suffer from the same pitfalls of updating business critical software and hardware and should be updated immediately especially when it comes to security.&nbsp;</p> <p>If you are an Android user, don't wait to update! However, the same is true for any mobile OS. Take the time to install updates.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2019/12/07/google-confirms-critical-android-8-9-and-10-permanent-denial-of-service-threat/#2daf473f66fe">https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2019/12/07/google-confirms-critical-android-8-9-and-10-permanent-denial-of-service-threat/#2daf473f66fe</a></p>urn:store:1:blog:post:1https://hightownhill.com/what-do-we-do-exactlyWhat do we do, exactly?<p>Hightown Hill is a tech solution provider that aims at assisting business growth by leveraging technology.</p> <p>At Hightown Hill, we specialize in the development and maintenance of business websites, digital marketing, improving and securing business systems and networks. We help navigate, plan and implement solutions to assist in business operations, simplify internal processes, and promote sustained business growth.</p> <p>We have over 10 years of experience in e-commerce, marketing, advertising, technical SEO, SEM, web design and development, system, security and network administration.</p> <p> </p>urn:store:1:blog:post:2https://hightownhill.com/who-are-we-exactlyWho are we, exactly?<p>Hightown Hill E-Commerce Specialists came about through the desire to assist e-commerce organizations with our vast experience with the e-commerce technology, marketing and business operations to grow and stay profitable.</p> <p>The business name Hightown Hill originates from our family name <q>Heaton</q>, meaning <q>the high town or hill, from Hea, high, and ton (Saxon)</q>. The logo incorporates Christ as the center of the two <q>H</q>s (as He is the center of our lives), and we desired to visually communicate that vital point. The two <q>H</q>s give the impression of a high three dimensional building.</p> <p>At Hightown Hill, we are a Christ centered, family owned company with a desire to serve web dependant businesses (e-commerce and services). We seek to glorify God in all that we do and share the hope that is in us!</p> <p class="quote centered">Matthew 5:14 - <q> You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.</q></p>