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      How to Create a Winning Social Media Strategy (A Comprehensive Guide)


      Social media can help you reach new audiences, promote your content, and ultimately grow your brand or business. However, it isn’t as simple as just posting links to your blog posts across Facebook and Instagram. To succeed on social media, you’ll need to create a detailed strategy and establish a plan of attack.

      The good news is that you can begin your social media marketing journey by following a few best practices. Plus, there are plenty of third-party tools that can help streamline the process of publishing content and fostering social engagement.

      In this guide, we’ll explore the characteristics of a social media strategy and why it’s so vital to your business. Then, we’ll explain how to create a winning social media plan, with tips and tools to help you along the way. Let’s get started!

      Why You Need a Social Media Strategy

      A social media marketing strategy is an overarching plan for how you will create content, share it on social platforms, and engage with your audience. It covers every step of the process, from performing market research to posting content and evaluating your results.

      Without a clear strategy, you’ll likely struggle to see results. Randomly posting links to your blog posts is unlikely to truly engage your audience and attract them to your website. Plus, if you don’t have clear social media goals in mind, you won’t know if your efforts are paying off.

      With that in mind, let’s examine some key benefits of using social media to engage with your followers.

      Increase Your Reach

      You probably already know how popular social media is. As of July 2022, approximately 59% of people worldwide use social platforms. That’s around 4.7 billion users, and the numbers keep growing!

      Plus, the average person uses social media for almost 2.5 hours every day:

      An infographic of social media statistics from DataReportal

      Image source: DataReportal

      The statistics are even more encouraging if you’re paying for ads on social networks. Advertisements for Youtube and Instagram have a potential reach of 2.4 billion and 1.4 billion, respectively.

      As you can see, social media offers a great opportunity to get your business’ name out there and display your content in front of fresh eyes. You just need to choose the right platforms for your blog!

      Build Brand Awareness

      Brand awareness is simply how familiar people are with your brand, as well as with your products and/or services. It’s a step beyond brand recognition because it measures the extent to which the public can recall specific information and impressions of your company.

      Twitter is especially helpful on this front. Many brands have become well-known through their personas on this platform.

      Consider Wendy’s, for example. This brand is known on social media for its witty tweets and sarcastic responses:

      Wendy’s on Twitter

      Increasing your brand awareness is the key to gaining leads and retaining current customers. If your products or services are the first that come to people’s minds when they need something you can provide, they’re more likely to choose you over your competitors.

      While Twitter provides ample opportunities to refine your brand identity and build awareness, posting across multiple networks is ideal. This will help you reach various demographics and expand your audience more quickly.

      Establish Authority Online

      Since consumers have access to so much information via the internet, becoming an authority in your industry is crucial for driving conversions. Shoppers want to feel confident that they’re purchasing quality products. Proving that you know what you’re talking about is one way to reassure them that your brand provides the most bang for their buck.

      The best route for accomplishing this will depend somewhat on your target audience. For example, LinkedIn commands a certain amount of authority by default because it’s a network for professionals to connect.

      Publishing articles on LinkedIn is a prime opportunity for your brand to demonstrate extensive knowledge of subjects relevant to your industry:

      An example of building authority on LinkedIn

      However, this is only helpful if your target audience tends to be highly active on LinkedIn. Another option is to share articles related to your brand or industry on Facebook. It’s still the most popular social media site and is better suited to posting long-form content than Twitter or Instagram.

      Boost Engagement

      Engagement — loosely defined as any direct interaction between consumers and your brand — can help boost your business’ success in various ways. It increases brand awareness, solidifies customer loyalty, and can even improve your overall visibility online.

      Social media is an ideal venue for engagement. For starters, it provides a variety of ways for users to interact with your brand, including:

      • Following your accounts
      • Commenting on your posts
      • Re-posting your content
      • “Liking” or “reacting to” your content
      • Using branded hashtags

      Several of these modes of engagement are highly interactive, too, allowing you to respond to users’ comments or posts and drive further brand exposure and awareness:

      An example of an engaging Twitter post from Oreo

      Additionally, social media engagement is usually public and, therefore, can help your brand by providing word-of-mouth marketing. Users may incorporate branded hashtags or even post about products they love to promote your company of their own volition:

      An example of word-of-mouth marketing on Instagram

      Responding to posts like these can instill more loyalty to your brand on the part of your supporters.

      Provide Customer Support

      Customer support is integral to helping your buyers have a positive experience with your products and/or services. What’s more, it is also essential for building brand loyalty. Prompt and thorough responses to customer problems or complaints demonstrate that you value their business and encourage them to purchase from you again.

      While there are many ways to provide customer service, social media is a simple way for people to get in touch with you fast. Some may find messaging or simply tagging your brand in a post more straightforward than navigating your knowledge base, chatting with a bot, or tracking down your contact information and waiting for a response.

      In some ways, social media support is a chance to improve your image further. Publicly responding to customers can showcase your attentiveness and timely service (although it’s wise to take the conversation private after an initial response to keep customer information safe).

      Amazon is particularly well known for its Twitter support account. By dedicating an entire profile to helping customers, it can deliver answers to users’ questions quickly. For instance, this particular response was given nine minutes after the customer’s initial tweet:

      An example of customer support on social media.

      Your brand may not be large enough to warrant a separate account for your support team. However, it’s wise to devise a system for tracking support messages and ensuring that someone responds to them promptly. Later in this post, we’ll explore some tools that can help you automate this process.

      How to Create a Winning Social Media Strategy (In 9 Steps)

      By now, you should hopefully understand why creating a social media strategy can benefit your brand. So, let’s look at how to create an effective plan in nine easy steps!

      Step 1: Learn More About Your Audience

      The first step in creating a social media marketing plan is getting to know your target audience.  This means identifying your users’ demographics, interests, desires, and problems, so you can develop content that meets their needs.

      Creating generic social media posts might seem like a decent approach because you won’t alienate anyone. However, you’re unlikely to fully capture the attention of those who are most likely to engage with your brand or purchase your products.

      You can start by researching your target market and creating a customer profile (if you don’t already have one). You’ll want to identify their age, location, profession, preferred social media platform, and pain points.

      When identifying your target audience, we also recommend keeping in mind the “four Ps” of marketing:

      • Product: How is your product different from the competition, and which unique problems can it solve?
      • Price: What price is too high or low for your target market?
      • Place: Where does your target market shop?
      • Promotion: Which marketing strategies will be most effective for your ideal customer?

      A social media tool such as Audiense can help you build a high-quality customer profile. It uses social intelligence to help you learn more about your audience, what they’re looking for, and how to appeal to them.

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      Step 2: Investigate the Competition

      It’s also worth researching what similar companies are doing on social media. While we don’t advocate copying another brand’s approach, there’s almost always something to learn from your competitors.

      You can start by looking up other brands on different social media platforms. Here you can evaluate metrics such as:

      • How frequently they post
      • What kind of content they post
      • How much they engage with followers through comments, retweets, etc
      • How many followers they have, and how many accounts they follow
      • If they work with influencers (and which ones)

      It could be worth jotting down this information to have a general baseline for your social media marketing strategy. You can then adapt your approach according to the metrics and goals you identify in the next few steps.

      Step 3: Learn About Metrics

      If you use an analytics tool for your website, then you should already be familiar with standard metrics such as hits, click-through and conversion rates, and more. When you shift your focus over to social media, a lot of the same metrics still apply.

      For example, you will pay close attention to click-through rates from social media platforms to your website. However, some metrics are unique to social media, and you’ll need to know what they are so you can set practical goals.

      Some of those metrics include:

      • Likes, comments, retweets, and other engagement measures. On social media, you measure engagement using metrics such as likes, comments, shares, retweets, and more. The specific metrics available vary from platform to platform.
      • Post engagement. The percentage of people who engage with your posts as compared to overall impressions (views) determines your engagement rate.
      • Mentions. When other social media accounts mention you, this can work as a referral and convey trust from one brand to another.
      • Reach. Some platforms give you an idea of how many people your posts can reach, which varies depending on your follower count.

      Social media platforms understand the value they provide to businesses. That’s why most of the big names in social media include built-in analytics tools out of the box, so you can measure individual metrics without third-party tools.

      Twitter, for example, enables any account to access analytics data:

      An example of social media analytics.

      On other platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest, you’ll need business accounts to access their metrics (or “Insights,” as Instagram calls them). Fortunately, these accounts are generally free to create.

      If you want, there are also a lot of third-party tools that enable you to access more in-depth analytics and peruse data from multiple platforms. We’ll talk about tools later on — for now, let’s explore how to choose the best social platform(s) for your strategy.

      Step 4: Choose Your Social Platforms

      It might feel tempting to target every social media platform so that you can reach as many people as possible. However, this approach can quickly become overwhelming, unless you have an enormous marketing team at your disposal. Plus, if you’re rushing to create content, then you’re likely compromising on quality.

      Therefore, we recommend focusing your efforts on just a few social media platforms. The right sites for your business will depend on several factors, including:

      • The age of your target audience. If you’re aiming for a younger crowd, then TikTok could be the way to go, with the majority of its users aged under 24. By contrast, Facebook is more popular with people aged 25-34.
      • The gender of your target audience. If you’ve been running your blog or business for any substantial period, think about what a typical member of your tribe looks like. Male, female, non-binary? Then, think about where your customers and readers are hanging out online. For instance, women tend to hang out on Pinterest: 76% of its users are women.
      • The nature of your business (and its products). If your products are highly visual, such as clothing or home decor, it could be worth focusing your efforts on Instagram. Alternatively, YouTube could be an excellent option for demonstrating complex products, such as gadgets and software. You’ll need to consider which platform will best show off your items and incentivize users to click on your links.

      Keep in mind that some social media platforms are linked. For instance, you can run simultaneous advertisements across Facebook and Instagram since they both belong to Meta.

      Step 5: Set Specific Goals

      Once you know where you want to focus your efforts and what metrics you care about, it’s time to set actionable goals. Using social media to “grow your website” is fine, but that’s not the kind of thing you can measure.

      When it comes to marketing campaigns, the smart move is to set incremental goals that you can easily track to see how you’re progressing. You can do this by using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based):

      SMART goals

      Image source: Wikimedia Commons

      Let’s say, for example, that you decide to focus on Facebook as the heart of your social media marketing efforts. Some of the different goals you might want to set include:

      • Aiming for a specific number of followers for your business page
      • Increasing your engagement rate to X percent
      • Publishing a set number of posts during a specific period
      • Increasing the click-through rate to your website by X percent

      For most websites, the underlying marketing goal of social media is to get more traffic and conversions. That means you can either direct traffic back to your website or use social media to promote specific offers.

      The approach you take will depend on what your endgame is. However, it’s necessary to set realistic and measurable goals. That way, you can look back on your progress after a few months and see whether your approach to meeting those goals is working.

      Step 6: Create a Social Media Calendar

      By now, you should have a good idea of which platforms you’re going to use in your social media strategy and the goals you’re aiming for. However, before creating your content, it’s worth setting up a social media content calendar.

      During this step, you’ll want to decide how frequently you’ll post on each platform. You’ll also need to determine what time of day is most likely to generate engagement from your target audience.

      Posting too frequently could annoy your followers, whereas not publishing enough content means your brand could get buried in newsfeeds. Overall, studies suggest that posting just once or twice per day hits the sweet spot.

      Furthermore, many marketers report that posting between 6 and 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays yields the highest engagement. This is consistent across various platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

      You can use a content scheduling tool such as CoSchedule to plan your social media posts:

      The CoSchedule content scheduling tool.

      CoSchedule uses a visual layout so that you can easily organize your marketing materials. It can also automate your posting schedule and keep creative assets on file to speed up your workflow.

      Step 7: Create Engaging Content

      So far, we’ve talked a lot about planning and the tools you can use to make your life easier. However, whether you’re growing a website or a social media presence, what matters most is the content you publish.

      You can have a rock-solid strategy based on data and an impressive array of measurable, achievable goals. However, if you don’t publish engaging content regularly, your social media presence isn’t likely to grow.

      Your mission, therefore, is to create and curate content that your audience cares about. Fortunately, content marketing and creation is something you already have experience in if you’ve been running your website for a while.

      However, social media is all about easily-digestible content: images, short videos, on-the-mark tweets, and more.

      An example of highly visual content on social media.

      Regardless of the content medium you choose, it’s all about quality. This means taking high-definition photos and videos, writing engaging (and accurate) copy, and editing everything before publishing. You’ll also want to try telling a story with your content so that you can make a lasting impression on readers.

      Additionally, hashtags can help increase your reach, particularly on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ll want to start by exploring popular and trending hashtags within your niche. Then, you can tailor your content accordingly.  You may also want to include your company name as a hashtag so that users can find you easily.

      Step 8: Engage With Your Audience

      Publishing content on social media isn’t a “set and forget” approach. Simply posting content is unlikely to deliver the engagement and results you’re looking for. Instead, we recommend dedicating time to engaging with your followers.

      This engagement can take various forms, such as:

      • Responding to comments
      • “Liking” or reacting to comments
      • Sharing content from your followers and customers

      For instance, the fashion brand Zappos frequently uses Twitter to answer customer questions and respond to feedback:

      An example of a brand engaging with followers on social media.

      Engaging with your followers shows them that you care about their feedback and opinions. This can foster better brand loyalty and even encourage customer testimonials.

      You don’t need to like or respond to every single comment or tweet on social media. However, making an effort to do this for an hour or so every day can make a big difference.

      Step 9: Track Your Results and Adjust Your Strategy

      Since you’re working towards very specific goals, it makes sense to pause from time to time and see if what you’re doing is working.

      Let’s say, for example, that your goal is to increase your Instagram following to 10,000 within a three-month period. To get there, you’ve been publishing new content with a focus on infographics:

      Infographics on social media.

      At the end of those three months, if you hit your goal, then you’ll know you’re doing something right. That means you can double down on the strategy you’ve been using by increasing your posting frequency, spending more time and money on better infographics, and so on.

      If you didn’t hit your goal, it could be due to any of the following reasons:

      • The type of content you’re publishing doesn’t resonate with your audience.
      • You haven’t been using hashtags effectively to expand your content’s reach.
      • You’ve been posting at the wrong times, which caps your potential reach.

      At this point, it wouldn’t make much sense to double down on the same strategy. That means you can either a) try a different content strategy or b) switch gears when it comes to the times you post and the hashtags you use. You could also try something new entirely, such as using influencer marketing.

      In a nutshell, what you’re doing is running experiments in social media marketing. You’ll make a hypothesis and test it as thoroughly as possible. If it turns out to be false, then you return to the drawing board to brainstorm with your team. Failure is part of the process, so don’t get discouraged.

      Outside of the built-in social media analytics tools, it could be worth using a third-party platform to analyze your success further. For instance, Agorapulse breaks down various key performance indicators, including customer engagement and audience growth. Plus, it uses one-click reporting to simplify the process.

      4 Bonus Pro Tips

      By now, you should have a general idea of how to develop your own social media strategy. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your approach!

      1. Link Everything

      Users are unlikely to spend time digging around and looking for links to your content. Therefore, we recommend setting up accessible links between your social media content and your blog (and vice versa).

      On your website, you can include social media icons that link directly to your profiles:

      The Dreamhost website with visible social media icons

      Many social media platforms enable you to link prominently to your blog or website within your profile:

      The Dreamhost Facebook page with a link to its website

      We also recommend including links directly to your blog posts and pages within your social media content. That way, users can navigate to your site with a single click. Here, you can use a link-shortening tool such as Bitly to create shorter and more attractive URLs for your posts.

      2. Create Campaigns

      You could create a long content schedule of engaging but separate posts across various social media channels. This approach could help you reach a wide audience and generate engagement.

      However, why not take things one step further and create a campaign? This is a collection of curated posts that follow a specific theme. The campaign might even have its own hashtag:

      An example of an Airbnb social media campaign

      Campaigns can catch the momentum from popular movements or social issues. Additionally, creating a cohesive campaign can help cement your message and further communicate your brand’s core values.

      As with all social media strategies, we recommend creating specific goals for your campaign. For instance, you might direct visitors toward one of your products or aim for more comments on your social channels.

      3. Keep Up With the Trends

      Creating original content can help your brand stand out from the crowd. That being said, following trends on social media is one of the best ways to show that you’re tuned in to the current moment. Furthermore, using trending hashtags can help you attract users who might not otherwise see your content.

      This approach can work even better if the trends are directly related to your industry or niche:

      An example of social media trends

      You can easily identify trending hashtags on Twitter or TikTok by navigating to the Explore tab of each social platform. For other social networks, it can pay to use the sites frequently and see which themes pop up in the accounts you follow.

      Additionally, exploring hashtags in your niche can help you connect with potential customers. Even if the hashtags aren’t trending, using them can make your content more visible to your target audience.

      4. Use Your Brand Voice

      Social media is, by its nature, more conversational than a traditional website. It enables you to speak directly to your followers and engage with them on a more personal level. That’s why it’s a good idea to zone in on your brand voice and use it to better connect with your audience.

      For example, if you have a fashion or food blog, you can use humor and casual language to engage your audience:

      An example of a brand using casual language on social media.

      This approach, along with sharing memes and jokes, can be beneficial if your target customer belongs to a younger demographic.

      However, if you work in a serious and professional industry, it’s worth maintaining a formal tone within your social media posts. After all, you’ll be targeting a completely different type of customer. Just keep your target audience in mind when you’re writing your copy, and that should reflect in your tone.

      5 Time-Saving Social Media Tools

      Creating and maintaining your social media marketing strategy can require a lot of time and effort. Fortunately, you can use some tools to streamline the process. Here are five of the best social media tools!

      1. Revive Old Posts

      Revive Old Posts

      Creating fresh and relevant blog content is essential to your content marketing strategy, and it also provides you with plenty of posts to share on social media. However, with Revive Old Posts, you can get the most out of your older content, too.

      Revive Old Posts can schedule your content on rotation and share it automatically to various networks. Furthermore, it can add optimized hashtags to your content to expand its reach.

      Pricing: The core plugin is free. Revive Old Posts premium plans start at $75 per year.

      2. BuzzSumo

      BuzzSumo homepage

      If you’re looking for new content ideas or insight into current trends, BuzzSumo could be the way to go. This all-in-one tool can help you with various parts of your social media marketing plan, from learning about your competitors to content research.

      BuzzSumo is also an excellent monitoring tool since it tracks your brand mentions across the web and alerts you to any issues. Additionally, it can help you identify and connect with influencers in your niche.

      Pricing: BuzzSumo has a free plan. Paid plans start at $99 per month.

      3. Canva

      The Canva website

      Part of social media success is having beautiful graphics in your content. With Canva, you can access a wealth of social media templates and design tools, including stock photography, color schemes, and layouts.

      Canva comes with a drag-and-drop editor, so you can quickly put together attractive posts. It also includes social media guidelines for all the major platforms, helping you create more engaging content.

      Pricing: Canva has a free plan. Paid plans start at $12.99 per month.

      4. Brand24

      Brand24 social monitoring tool

      Keeping track of all your brand mentions across social networks can be highly time-consuming. Fortunately, Brand24 can automate the process and send updates when users talk about your company.

      Brand24 can also calculate the “sentiment” surrounding your brand. This is how customers generally feel about your business, from positive to negative. Then, you can learn more about your audience and adjust your approach accordingly.

      Pricing: Brand24 plans start at $39 per month.

      5. Influential

      Influential influencer marketing company

      Working with influencers can increase your reach on social media and solidify your brand as a trusted authority. With Influential, you can easily find and connect with influencers within your niche.

      Influential uses machine learning and transparent data to determine which influencers are most relevant to your business. Therefore, it can quickly streamline the process of finding social media stars.

      Pricing: You can request a quote directly from Influential.

      Expand Your Reach on Social Media

      Social media platforms have billions of users who could potentially become your customers. However, you’ll need to create a plan if you want to succeed on social networks.

      To create a winning social media strategy, you’ll first need to research your target audience and competitors. Setting goals and choosing social media platforms is the logical next step. Once you’ve spent some time creating your content and engaging with your audience, you can track your metrics to see if your approach is working.

      Do you need a little help with your social media strategy? At Dreamhost, we offer Pro services for social media marketing. Our team of professionals can create engaging content for your brand, optimize your online profiles, and track your progress. Check out our plans today!

      Get Social and Grow Your Business with DreamHost

      Our experts will help create a powerful social media strategy and level up your execution so you can focus on running your business.

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      Beginner’s Guide to the WordPress .htaccess File


      Keeping your site safe should be a top priority for every administrator. WordPress is a secure platform out of the box, but that doesn’t mean it’s impervious to attacks. Fortunately, even if you aren’t a security expert, you can use a file called .htaccess to harden your site’s security policies.

      .htaccess is a configuration file for the Apache web server, which serves many WordPress sites. It’s a powerful tool that helps safeguard your site and boost its performance through some minor tweaks to its code. By editing this file, you can ban users, create redirects, prevent attacks, and even deny access to specific parts of your site.

      An Introduction to the .htaccess File

      .htaccess is short for “HyperText Access.” It’s a configuration file that determines how Apache-based servers interact with your site. In simpler terms, .htaccess controls how files in a directory can be accessed. You can think of it as a guard for your site because it decides who to let in and what they’re allowed to do.

      By default, an .htaccess file is typically included in your WordPress installation. The main purpose of this file is to improve security and performance. Plus, it also enables you to override your web server’s settings.

      You’ll most likely find your .htaccess file in your site’s root directory. Since .htaccess applies to both its own directory and any subdirectories within that main folder, it impacts your entire WordPress site.

      It’s also worth noting that the .htaccess file does not have a file extension. The period at the start simply makes sure the file remains hidden.

      How to Edit Your WordPress .htaccess File

      Editing the .htaccess file is, in practice, as simple as editing any other text file. However, because this is a core file, making changes to it can have unintended consequences.

      For this reason, it’s vitally important that you back up your site before you begin, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer.

      When you’re ready to edit your .htaccess file, you can access it using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) or Secure Shell (SSH). You will find .htaccess in your site’s root directory:

      WordPress .htaccess file

      Open the file using your preferred text editor, such as TextEdit or Notepad. If the file hasn’t been edited before, you’ll see the following default information:

      WordPress .htaccess file

      It’s important not to add or change anything between the # BEGIN and # END tags. Instead, all new code should be added after this block.

      At this point, all you need to do is add your code and save the file. When you’re including multiple new functions, it’s best to save and test each one separately. If an error occurs, this will make it much easier to troubleshoot which change caused the problem.

      While almost all WordPress installations will already contain an .htaccess file, in some cases, you may need to create one. You can do this using a text editor of your choice, as long as you save it with the right file name: .htaccess with no extension.

      It’s also important to configure the file’s permission settings correctly. You can then upload .htaccess to your site’s root directory.

      9 Things You Can Do With Your WordPress .htaccess File

      Now that you’re familiar with the .htaccess file, it’s time to get up close and personal. We’re going to introduce a number of ways you can easily boost your site’s security and performance by editing this file.

      Simply use the code snippets we’ve provided below, and remember to create a backup before you start!

      1. Deny Access to Parts of Your Site

      One of the most useful things you can do with .htaccess is deny access to certain pages and files. There are a few files you should consider hiding in this way for security reasons, such as your wp-config.php file.

      You can do this by adding the following code, which will cause a 404 error to appear if anybody attempts to view the file:

      <Files ~ "/wp-config.php">
      Order Allow,Deny
      Deny from All
      </Files>

      In cases where sensitive data should be hidden, it can be useful to restrict access to the corresponding directory. Since many WordPress sites use the same folder structure, this setup can leave your site vulnerable. If you add the following line, it will disable the default directory listing functionality:

      Options -Indexes

      This will stop users and robots from viewing your folder structure. If anybody tries to access it, they’ll be shown a 403 error page instead.

      2. Redirect and Rewrite URLs

      Creating redirects enables you to automatically send users to a specific page. Redirects can be particularly useful if a page has moved or been deleted, and you want users who attempt to access that page to be taken somewhere else.

      You can accomplish this with a plugin such as Redirection, but it’s also possible to do it by editing the .htaccess file. To create a redirect, use the following code:

      Redirect /oldfile.html http://www.example.com/newfile.html

      You can probably see what’s going on here. The first part is the path to the old file, while the second part is the URL you want visitors to be redirected to.

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      3. Force Your Site to Load Securely With HTTPS

      <style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class=’embed-container’><iframe src=’https://www.youtube.com/embed/QeicRf_Ri3Y’ frameborder=’0′ allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

      If you have added an SSL certificate to your domain, such as DreamHost’s free Let’s Encrypt certificate, it’s a good idea to force your site to load using HTTPS. This will ensure that your site is safer for both you and your visitors.

      You can make it happen by adding the following code:

      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
      RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

      Your site will now automatically redirect any HTTP requests and direct them to use HTTPS instead. For example, if a user tries to access http://www.example.com, they will be automatically redirected to https://www.example.com.

      4. Change Caching Settings

      Browser caching is a process where certain website files are temporarily saved on a visitor’s local device to enable pages to load faster. Using .htaccess, you can change the amount of time that your files are stored in the browser cache until they are updated with new versions.

      There are a few different ways to do this, but for this example, we’ll use a function called mod_headers. The following code will change the maximum caching time for all jpg, jpeg, png, and gif files:

      <ifModule mod_headers.c>
      <filesMatch "\\.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$">
      Header set Cache-Control "max-age=2592000, public"
      </filesMatch>

      We’ve set the maximum time to 2,592,000 seconds, which equates to 30 days. You can change this amount if you want, as well as the file extensions that will be affected. If you want to add different settings for different extensions, simply add more mod_header functions.

      5. Prevent Certain Script Injection Attacks

      Script injection (or ‘code injection’) attacks attempt to change how a site or application executes by adding invalid code. For example, someone might add a script to a text field on your site and then submit it, which could cause your site to actually run the script.

      You can add the following code to protect against certain types of script injection:

      Options +FollowSymLinks
      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\<|%3C).*script.*(\>|%3E) [NC,OR]
      RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} GLOBALS(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2}) [OR]
      RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} _REQUEST(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2})
      RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php [F,L]

      Your site should now be able to detect and stop script injection attempts and redirect the culprit to your index.php page.

      However, it’s important to note that this example will not protect against all types of injection attacks. While this particular code can certainly be useful, you should not use it as your only protection against this type of attack.

      6. Stop Username Enumeration Attacks

      Username enumeration is a process where usernames from your site are harvested by looking at each user’s author page. This is particularly problematic if someone manages to find your admin username, which makes it much easier for bots to gain access to your site.

      You can help prevent username enumeration by adding the following code:

      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp-admin [NC]
      RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} author=\d
      RewriteRule .* - [R=403,L]

      This will stop certain attempts to enumerate usernames and throw up a 403 error page instead. Bear in mind that this will not prevent all enumeration, and you should test your security thoroughly. We also recommend strengthening your login page further by implementing Multifactor Authentication.

      7. Prevent Image Hotlinking

      Image hotlinking is a common problem that happens when images on your server are being displayed on another site. You can stop this by adding the following code to .htaccess:

      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
      RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^https://(www\.)?example.com/.*$ [NC]
      RewriteRule \.(png|gif|jpg|jpeg)$ https://www.example.com/wp-content/uploads/hotlink.gif [R,L]

      Replace example.com with your own domain, and this code will prevent images from loading on all other sites. Instead, the picture you specify on the last line will load. You can use this to send an alternative image to sites that try to display graphics from your server.

      Beware that this may cause issues when you might want images to appear externally, such as on search engines. You might also consider linking to a script instead of a static image, then respond with a watermarked image or an image containing an ad.

      8. Control Your File Extensions

      By using .htaccess, you can control how files of different extensions are loaded by your site. There’s a lot you can do with this feature, such as running files as PHP, but we’re just going to look at a basic example for now.

      The following code will remove the file extension from PHP files when they’re loaded. You can use this with any file type, as long as you replace all instances of “php” with the extension you want:

      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /.*index\ HTTP/
      RewriteRule ^(.*)index$ http://example.com/$1 [L,R=301]
      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
      RewriteRule ^([^/]+)/$ http://example.com/$1 [L,R=301]
      RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /(.+)\.php\ HTTP/
      RewriteRule ^(.+)\.php$ http://example.com/$1 [L,R=301]
      RewriteRule ^([a-z]+)$ /$1.php [L]

      This will cause all PHP files to load without displaying their extension in the URL. For example, the index.php file will appear as just index.

      9. Force Files to Download

      Finally, when a file is requested on your site, the default behavior is to display it in the browser. For example, if you’re hosting an audio file, it will start to play in the browser rather than being saved to the visitor’s computer.

      You can change this by forcing the site to download the file instead. This can be done with the following code:

      AddType application/octet-stream mp3

      In this example, we’ve used mp3 files, but you can use the same function for txt, mov, or any other relevant extension.

      Improve Your Site’s Security and Performance

      The .htaccess file provides flexibility for controlling how your web server behaves. You can also use it to increase your site’s performance and get more control over exactly who can access what information.

      With .htaccess, you can deny access to particular parts of your website. Additionally, it allows you to redirect URLs, force your site to load over HTTPS, and prevent some script injection attacks.

      Editing your .htaccess file is just one way to improve your site’s security. Choosing a secure WordPress hosting provider is another. Check out our DreamPress managed hosting plans to see how we can boost your website’s security and performance!

      Do More with DreamPress

      DreamPress Plus and Pro users get access to Jetpack Professional (and 200+ premium themes) at no added cost!

      Managed WordPress Hosting - DreamPress



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      A Complete Guide to the nslookup Command


      The nslookup command is a useful tool for investigating domain name propagation issues. It allows users to obtain information regarding domain names and IP addresses from the Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure. This guide introduces and explains how to use the nslookup command, and provides several examples.

      What is the nslookup Command?

      The name of the nslookup command is an abbreviated version of “name server lookup”. nslookup sends a request to the local domain name system server asking for information from its DNS records. In response, the DNS server returns the IP address or relevant domain information for a specific website or server. However, it can also return the domain associated with a particular IP address.

      The nslookup command can be used in either interactive or non-interactive mode. It is available on Linux, macOS, and Windows systems, and provides several useful options. The command relies on the underlying TCP/IP and networking system tools.

      Here are some of the main purposes of the nslookup command:

      • nslookup quickly returns the IP address for any domain. It is considered one of the best tools for troubleshooting DNS problems. It is especially handy for situations where the IP address of a domain has recently changed, but requests for the domain are not resolving.
      • It is used to investigate suspicious domains. A good example is a web address designed to closely mimic an existing domain, for instance, examp1e.com in place of example.com.
      • It can defend against cache poisoning in which invalid domain information is sent to secondary DNS servers, known as resolvers.

      How Do DNS Lookups Work?

      Each DNS server maintains a list of mappings between domain names and their associated IP addresses. When a DNS server receives a DNS request for a particular domain name from a web server, it translates the domain into an IP address. It then returns the address to the web server, which uses it to request the web page. Every internet client uses DNS services to properly transmit outgoing TCP/IP packets.

      Typically a DNS responds to a request by retrieving information from its cache. The cache is updated when updates are received. If the domain name entry for a particular domain has been recently changed, the server might not have received the updated information yet. In this event, the nslookup command still receives the outdated information from the DNS. This allows users to see what the local DNS record points to and determine whether the DNS update has propagated fully.

      The nslookup command typically sends its request to the local DNS server. However, an alternate DNS can be specified, such as the root system within the DNS zone. Not all servers are accessible because many internal DNS systems are private and do not respond to external requests. Therefore, private DNS servers don’t respond to external nslookup requests.

      Note

      In actual practice, there are two types of DNS services. A recursive DNS service, also known as a resolver, maintains a cache of the domain name mappings, but does not process any updates.

      In many networks, a resolver initially handles DNS queries. If it does not have the information, perhaps because the entry has aged out, it forwards the request to an authoritative DNS. Authoritative DNS systems maintain the master DNS records and are responsible for keeping the tables updated. The authoritative DNS returns the IP address to the resolver, which relays it back to the original web server. The resolver also caches the mapping for future requests.

      What Information Can the nslookup Command Retrieve?

      A DNS server maintains several different types of domain records, covering topics including reverse lookups, mail servers, and time-to-live settings. Here is a list of all the available DNS records.

      • Address (A) Record: Lists the IP address of the domain. Each address for the domain is described using a separate address record, so a domain can have multiple addresses and “A” records.
      • Canonical Name (CNAME) Record: Lists any aliases for the host.
      • Mail Exchange (MX) Record: Provides information about the mail servers within the domain.
      • Name Server (NS) Record: Lists all primary and secondary name servers for the domain.
      • Pointer (PTR) Record: A pointer record enables reverse lookups. It lists the host name associated with an IP address.
      • Start of Authority (SOA) Record: An SOA record indicates the most authoritative host for the DNS zone. A zone groups together multiple domains within the same organization.
      • Text (TXT) Record: A TXT record contains notes about the domain. Administrators often use this field to verify ownership and prevent spam.
      • Time-to-Live (TTL) Record: This setting indicates how long resolvers should cache the DNS information.

      Before You Begin

      1. If you have not already done so, create a Linode account and Compute Instance. See our
        Getting Started with Linode and
        Creating a Compute Instance guides.

      2. Follow our
        Setting Up and Securing a Compute Instance guide to update your system. You may also wish to set the timezone, configure your hostname, create a limited user account, and harden SSH access.

      Note

      This guide is written for a non-root user. Commands that require elevated privileges are prefixed with sudo. If you are not familiar with the sudo command, see the
      Users and Groups guide.

      How to Use the nslookup Command

      nslookup is available for the Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems. However, the syntax is structured slightly different on Windows. This guide focuses on how to use the command on Linux-based systems, but the commands are very similar on macOS. Information on how to use nslookup on Windows can be found in the
      Microsoft documentation.

      The nslookup command supports both interactive and non-interactive modes. Interactive mode is useful for script development, troubleshooting, and exploratory searches. The non-interactive command is better for quick searches for a single piece of information. The non-interactive command can be fully integrated into scripts and software applications.

      nslookup is pre-installed and ready-to-use on most Linux-based systems. If it is not, it easily can be installed from the command line.

      • Debain and Ubuntu:

        sudo apt-get install dnsutils
        
      • AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, Fedora, and Rocky Linux:

        sudo dnf install bind-utils
        

      Using nslookup in Interactive Mode

      To use nslookup interactively, simply enter the command nslookup from a terminal with no additional parameters. The interactive prompt should appear.

      nslookup
      
      >

      Note

      If you receive an error message when running the nslookup command, the network services might have been stopped. Reboot the system to reinitialize the process.

      The interactive prompt accepts requests for server information without requiring the nslookup command. To use nslookup to find the IP address for the English-language Wikipedia domain, enter the following:

      en.wikipedia.org
      

      The local DNS server returns its own address along with information about the en.wikipedia.org domain. The reply lists the canonical name of the server and its Ipv4 and Ipv6 addresses:

      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      en.wikipedia.org	canonical name = dyna.wikimedia.org.
      Name:	dyna.wikimedia.org
      Address: 91.198.174.192
      Name:	dyna.wikimedia.org
      Address: 2620:0:862:ed1a::1

      Note

      This answer is said to be non-authoritative because it is provided by the local DNS, not the DNS associated with the domain.

      To change the request type, use the set directive and append the preferred option. The following example sets the type for all further requests to ns. This instructs the nslookup utility to request information about the name servers used within the domain.

      set type=ns
      

      When nslookup sends another query about the domain, a list of nameservers is retrieved.

      wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns0.wikimedia.org.
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns1.wikimedia.org.
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns2.wikimedia.org.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      To exit interactive mode, use the exit keyword.

      exit
      

      Using nslookup Non-interactively

      nslookup can also be used in non-interactive mode, in the same way as other Linux commands. To use the nslookup command non-interactively, use the format nslookup [options] domain_name. The command returns the same information it did in interactive mode. This is the correct mode to use in scripts and applications requiring accurate DNS information.

      To display basic information about a domain, enter the nslookup command and the name of the domain. This example displays the “A” records for the domain. An “A” record lists the IP addresses for a web host.

      nslookup wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 91.198.174.192
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 2620:0:862:ed1a::1

      To validate the results on a different DNS server, append the name of the server to the end of the command. This example requests the IP address of wikipedia.org directly from a Wikipedia name server. The response contains the authoritative answer for the domain.

      nslookup wikipedia.org ns0.wikimedia.org
      
      Server:		ns0.wikimedia.org
      Address:	208.80.154.238#53
      
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 91.198.174.192
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 2620:0:862:ed1a::1

      nslookup Examples

      Although users are most often searching for nameserver and IP address information, nslookup provides access to all DNS records. This section includes examples showing how to use nslookup to obtain more detailed DNS information.

      Specify the type of record to search for using the type option. Add the option -type=option_type directly after the nslookup directive and before any domain name. Replace option_type with the name of the record type. For instance, to view the nameservers for a domain, use -type=ns. The following example displays nameserver information for wikipedia.org.

      nslookup -type=ns  wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns0.wikimedia.org.
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns1.wikimedia.org.
      wikipedia.org	nameserver = ns2.wikimedia.org.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      To view mail server information for a domain, set the type to mx.

      nslookup -type=mx  wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      wikipedia.org	mail exchanger = 10 mx1001.wikimedia.org.
      wikipedia.org	mail exchanger = 10 mx2001.wikimedia.org.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      nslookup can also retrieve the official Start of Authority (SOA) record, containing vital information about the domain. This information includes the email address of the administrator and DNS parameters such as refresh time. Use -type=soa to search for this information.

      nslookup -type=soa wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      wikipedia.org
          origin = ns0.wikimedia.org
          mail addr = hostmaster.wikimedia.org
          serial = 2022030414
          refresh = 43200
          retry = 7200
          expire = 1209600
          minimum = 3600
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      It is often useful to compare SOA records between sites. The SOA record for amazon.com has much lower refresh and retry numbers, suggesting the domain information might change more frequently.

      nslookup -type=soa amazon.com
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      amazon.com
          origin = dns-external-master.amazon.com
          mail addr = root.amazon.com
          serial = 2010161662
          refresh = 180
          retry = 60
          expire = 3024000
          minimum = 60
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      The TXT records are used to validate domain information. Use -type=txt to retrieve this information.

      nslookup -type=txt wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      wikipedia.org	text = "google-site-verification=AMHkgs-4ViEvIJf5znZle-BSE2EPNFqM1nDJGRyn2qk"
      wikipedia.org	text = "yandex-verification: 35c08d23099dc863"
      wikipedia.org	text = "v=spf1 include:wikimedia.org ~all"
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      Use the option -type=any to view the full DNS records for a domain.

      nslookup -type=any google.com
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      Name:	google.com
      Address: 216.58.212.206
      Name:	google.com
      Address: 2a00:1450:4009:81e::200e
      google.com	mail exchanger = 10 smtp.google.com.
      google.com	nameserver = ns4.google.com.
      google.com	nameserver = ns3.google.com.
      google.com	nameserver = ns1.google.com.
      google.com	nameserver = ns2.google.com.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      Note

      Some domains are not configured to return all information in response to this request, and only return the name servers. In this case, you must request each type of record separately.

      It’s also possible to ask for information about a particular name server. Use nslookup and the name of the domain, along with the canonical name of the name server. This example demonstrates how to find out details about Wikipedia’s ns0.wikimedia.org name server.

      nslookup wikipedia.org ns0.wikimedia.org
      
      Server:		ns0.wikimedia.org
      Address:	208.80.154.238#53
      
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 91.198.174.192
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 2620:0:862:ed1a::1

      To debug the information from nslookup, use the -debug flag. Debug mode displays the queries sent to the DNS server along with the replies received in response.

      nslookup -debug wikipedia.org
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      ------------
          QUESTIONS:
          wikipedia.org, type = A, class = IN
          ANSWERS:
          ->  wikipedia.org
          internet address = 91.198.174.192
          ttl = 600
          AUTHORITY RECORDS:
          ADDITIONAL RECORDS:
      ------------
      Non-authoritative answer:
      Name:	wikipedia.org
      Address: 91.198.174.192
      ------------
          QUESTIONS:
          wikipedia.org, type = AAAA, class = IN
          ANSWERS:
          ->  wikipedia.org
          has AAAA address 2620:0:862:ed1a::1
          ttl = 600
          AUTHORITY RECORDS:
          ADDITIONAL RECORDS:
      ------------
      Name: wikipedia.org
      Address: 2620:0:862:ed1a::1

      For more information on the list of available nslookup options, consult the
      Linux man page.

      Note

      Most DNS requests are sent and received using TCP port 53. To request DNS information from a different port, use the -port flag, for example nslookup -port=55 wikipedia.org. In most cases DNS servers are configured to refuse these requests, resulting in the error message communications error to 127.0.0.53#55: connection refused.

      How to Use nslookup for Reverse Lookups

      Although nslookup can find the IP address for a domain, it can also reveal the domain mapped to an IP address. This is referred to as a reverse DNS lookup. To perform a reverse lookup, apply the nslookup command to the IP address under investigation. The following example illustrates how to find the domain that is mapped to the address 91.198.174.192.

      Note

      The output displays the IP address in reverse order, so 91.198.174.192 is transposed to 192.174.198.91 in the display. The octets are presented in reverse order due to complex technical reasons involving the in-addr.arpa domain tree specification.

      nslookup 91.198.174.192
      
      192.174.198.91.in-addr.arpa	name = text-lb.esams.wikimedia.org.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      A second alternative is to use the -type=ptr option and the address in reverse order to find the domain. The pointer record confirms the domain owns the address in question.

      nslookup -type=ptr 192.174.198.91.in-addr.arpa
      
      Server:		127.0.0.53
      Address:	127.0.0.53#53
      
      Non-authoritative answer:
      192.174.198.91.in-addr.arpa	name = text-lb.esams.wikimedia.org.
      
      Authoritative answers can be found from:

      Conclusion

      The nslookup command is used to discover DNS information about a domain. It can work in either interactive or non-interactive mode, and is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows servers. nslookup can return the IP address for a domain, along with information about its nameservers, mail servers, and State of Authority record. It can also handle reverse DNS lookups for translating an IP address into a domain. For more information, see the
      Linux nslookup man page.

      More Information

      You may wish to consult the following resources for additional information
      on this topic. While these are provided in the hope that they will be
      useful, please note that we cannot vouch for the accuracy or timeliness of
      externally hosted materials.



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