Webinar Wednesday 111 – April 7, 2021

Update: Free Trials Without Requiring Credit Cards (00:02:40)

• The free trials add-on now has a setting that allows members to sign up for a free trial period without requiring a Credit card, which was previously mandatory, even for free trials (00:02:42).
• This new setting can be found under the finance tab on a per membership plan basis, and it gives the option to choose whether to collect a credit card initially or allow members to sign up without adding a credit card (00:03:18).
• The membership plans that grant free trial periods can be edited to enable or disable the free trial setting, and the new free trial options include the ability to select no credit card required for the free trial (00:03:44).
• When the no credit card required option is selected, the sign-up page will not have any credit card input fields, and members can register with an email and password to start the free trial process (00:03:57).
• For users of the Stripe, Inc. payment gateway, there are additional settings that allow for authorizing a one-dollar charge or the full subscription when a credit card is required, which can help ensure that a valid credit card is being entered (00:04:13).
• The system already performs some checks to ensure a valid credit card is entered, but the authorization options provide an extra layer of verification, and the authorize function simply checks if the credit card can handle the amount that would be billed without actually processing a charge (00:04:32).
• The new setting provides more flexibility for members to sign up for free trials without requiring a Credit card, and website owners can add cues in the member dashboard or send email reminders to encourage members to upgrade to a paid plan after the free trial period is over (00:05:02).
• The sign-up page for a plan with a free trial will display a message indicating that the plan includes a free trial period, and there will be no credit card input field, allowing members to complete the sign-up process without entering credit card information (00:05:08).

Update: Track Newsletter Submissions within “Forms Inbox” (00:05:45)

• The ability to track newsletter subscriptions within the forms inbox area of the admin is now available, allowing users to collect and view newsletter submissions in the same area as contact forms and custom lead capture forms (00:05:46).
• Newsletter submissions will be tracked within the forms inbox, providing users with information such as the URL where the subscriber signed up, and any additional fields that were collected, such as first name, last name, and phone number (00:05:49).
• Users can view full inquiries to see all the additional details and metadata collected from the newsletter form, and can also export inquiries by filtering by form, such as the newsletters form (00:07:36).
• The ability to create smart lists based on the forms that people have filled out is coming soon, allowing users to send targeted e-newsletter campaigns to specific groups, such as newsletter subscribers or contest participants (00:08:18).
• The ultimate goal is to enable users to segment inquiries, build smart lists, and email those lists, with potential integrations with third-party platforms like Mailchimp and Constant Contact to export lists more easily (00:09:01).

Update: SPAM Protection: Timed Security for Sign Ups (00:09:20)

• The third item on the list is a feature to help minimize spam signups through free sign-up pages by implementing a timed security measure for signups, which can be enabled in the advanced settings by searching for “spam protection” (00:09:20).
• This timed security feature works by setting a minimum time requirement for submitting the sign-up form, for example, three seconds, and if the form is submitted quicker than this time, it will be flagged as a spam submission (00:10:12).
• The recommended setting for the submission time is three seconds, as this is considered a reasonable amount of time for a real human to fill out the sign-up form, and this feature can be employed on the site to minimize unwanted signups (00:11:18).
• To utilize this feature, users can search for “spam protection” in their advanced settings, and the system will block submissions that are made quicker than the set time, assuming that submissions made after this time are from real humans (00:11:13).
• The purpose of this feature is to prevent bots from filling out sign-up forms quickly, as they can often do so in a matter of milliseconds, and to help site owners prevent unwanted signups on their free sign-up plans (00:09:31).
• By setting a submission time, site owners can help minimize and prevent spam signups, and this feature is particularly useful for those who are experiencing unwanted signups on their free sign-up plans (00:11:01).

Update: Find Members by Their Additional Locations/Service Areas (00:11:40)

• The multi-location listings add-on allows members to list their single profile in additional locations, enabling them to be headquartered in one location, such as Los Angeles, while also servicing other areas like New York and Austin, Texas, and this feature can be utilized in the admin area to search for members by those locations (00:11:40).
• In the admin area, under the “My Members” and “Search Members” section, there is a search location feature that enables searching for members by their main headquarters location, such as Las Vegas, Nevada, and also by their additional service areas (00:12:12).
• A checkbox can be selected to find members who have listed a specific location as either their headquarters or one of their service areas, resulting in more search results because it includes members with service areas in the searched location (00:12:38).
• The multi-location listings add-on is required to use this feature, as it allows a single profile listing to be listed in multiple locations at the same time and be found in multiple locations on the site (00:13:03).
• The add-on provides flexibility for members to be listed in multiple locations, and it can be useful for members who serve multiple areas, and more information about the add-on can be found through a shared link (00:13:08).

Update: Hide Main Menus (00:13:29)

• The design settings area allows for the specification and selection of separate main menus for public visitors and logged-in members, with the option to hide the main menu altogether for either group (00:13:31).
• A previous update enabled the selection of separate main menus for public visitors and logged-in members, but required selecting a menu with the nickname “main menu” (00:13:35).
• The current update provides the ability to choose and hide the main menu specifically for public visitors or logged-in members, offering flexibility in menu display (00:13:39).
• The option to hide the main menu can be useful in scenarios where public visitors or logged-in members do not require a main menu, and can instead use mini navigation menus in the header (00:13:47).
• The design settings area provides the functionality to customize the display of main menus for different user groups, including the ability to hide the main menu for public visitors or logged-in members (00:14:03).

Update: Top Header Menu Font Size (00:14:32)

• The top header menu font size can now be specified, allowing for customization of the links and font size in this area, which was previously hard-coded to 12 pixels (00:14:32).
• The font size of the top header menu can be adjusted by going to the headers area and selecting the desired size, with the option to save changes and see the updated font size in real-time (00:14:38).
• Increasing the font size of the top header menu links can make them appear as the main menu, which can be useful in certain situations, such as when there is no main menu (00:15:20).
• An upcoming feature will allow for the selection of a top header menu for both public visitors and logged-in members, providing more control over what is displayed after a member logs into their account (00:15:28).
• This feature will enable the placement of important links in the top header menu for logged-in members, while hiding unnecessary links, such as the member login link, once they are already logged in (00:15:41).

Update: Font-Family for Homepage Titles (00:15:52)

• The font family for homepage titles for the streaming sections on the homepage can now be customized, allowing for a different font family to be used for these titles compared to the main design heading font family (00:15:52).
• Prior to this update, the font family for the titles of the streaming sections on the homepage would fall back to the main design heading font family, but now a specific font family can be chosen for these section titles (00:16:03).
• The new font family option can be found by going to the “Home Page” and “Section Title Font” settings, where a specific font family can be selected to apply to all section titles on the homepage (00:16:25).
• This update provides more control over the section title font, allowing users to choose a font that stands out or has a casual look, such as a handwriting font (00:16:48).
• The ability to customize the section title font provides more flexibility and options for users to personalize their homepage (00:16:55).

Coming Soon: Design Setting to Pop-Up Images in Posts (00:17:04)

• A design setting will be available to allow users to add images to blog posts that can be clicked on to pop up and appear larger (00:17:04).
• The images can be added anywhere in the article, such as in the middle of the text, and will have the option to be enlarged when clicked (00:17:06).
• This feature will provide an alternative to embedding images directly in the article, allowing them to be displayed in a larger format when desired (00:17:14).
• The development of this feature is currently in progress, with work being done on integrating it with Google pages (00:17:22).

Coming Soon: Google Pagespeed Score Optimizations (00:17:23)

• Speed score optimizations are being worked on to help all directory sites load faster and improve their Google PageSpeed scores, which can also have a positive impact on SEO rankings (00:17:25)
• The goal of these optimizations is not only to increase the loading speed of the sites but also to bump up the Google PageSpeed scores (00:17:27)
• The improvements in Google PageSpeed scores are expected to have a beneficial effect on SEO rankings, and work is currently being done to achieve this (00:17:29)

Coming Soon: Create Smart Lists from Forms Inbox (00:17:37)

• A new feature is being developed to create smart lists from the forms inbox page, which will allow users to capture leads from a landing page where email addresses are collected (00:17:37).
• The smart lists feature will enable users to save the collected email addresses as a smart list, making it easier to manage and organize leads (00:17:39).
• The smart list can then be used to email the captured leads in a newsletter campaign, providing a seamless way to follow up with potential customers (00:17:41).

Coming Soon: Improve Workflow for Matching Leads with Members (00:17:55)

• Improvements are being made to the workflow for matching leads, which is an ongoing process (00:17:55)
• The goal of this improvement is to enhance the efficiency of matching leads with members, although specific details of the changes have not been provided (00:17:55)
• The development of this improved workflow is expected to be implemented soon, with the exact timeline not specified (00:17:56)

Coming Soon: Better UI Create Newsletters and View Statistics (00:17:58)

• Improvements are being made to the user interface for email newsletters and statistics, allowing for better reporting after sending a newsletter (00:17:58).
• The ability to view statistics and reporting after sending a newsletter is a key feature that will be available, providing valuable insights (00:18:02).
• Ongoing development will continue to enhance the overall experience, with the goal of making it more efficient and user-friendly (00:18:05).

Coming Soon: Ongoing Updates to Make Finding Admin Settings Easier (00:18:06)

• Ongoing updates are being made to improve the admin area, making it easier and more robust for users (00:18:07).
• The updates are intended to enhance the overall experience before moving forward with other developments (00:18:10).
• An opportunity is provided for users to ask questions about the updates, with the option to raise their hand and pose a question or two (00:18:15).
• The goal is to address any inquiries or concerns users may have regarding the updates to the admin area (00:18:18).

Does the new timed security for sign-ups spam protection only work on sign-up forms? (00:18:24)

• The timed security for sign-ups spam protection is currently only available for sign-up pages and forms, which may not address spam issues on other pages with forms, such as the “report this page” button (00:18:45).
• To combat spam on other forms, it is recommended to review the spam messages, identify common phrases or keywords, and add them to the blocked keyword list in the general settings, specifically in the integrations tab (00:19:37).
• The blocked keyword list is a comma-separated list that can be used to block form submissions containing specific keywords, and users can also restore the recommended block list or add their own custom keywords (00:19:42).
• The recommended block list includes common keywords known to be used in spam form submissions, and users can add their own custom keywords or phrases to this list to improve spam protection (00:20:05).
• By using the blocked keyword list, users like Peter can help prevent spam on their websites, and this method has been shown to be effective in reducing spam form submissions (00:20:16).

Will BD be implementing lazy load on all pages to further improve Google Pagespeed scores? (00:20:22)

• The consideration of implementing lazy load on all pages to improve Google PageSpeed scores is being discussed, with Eric suggesting this approach for general content, especially for pages with a lot of images, such as events (00:20:26).
• The approach to improving Google PageSpeed scores will be done in two steps, first by working on better checks and balances for when JavaScript should and should not load on pages, as erroneous JavaScripts can affect the score (00:20:56).
• The second step involves lazy loading images on the site, starting with the images at the top of the screen and then loading additional images as the user scrolls down the page, which will reduce the page size and increase the loading speed (00:21:15).
• This two-step approach is expected to improve the Google PageSpeed score, with the goal of optimizing the loading of pages, especially those with a lot of content, such as images (00:21:42).
• Eric’s suggestion is acknowledged as being on the right track, and his input is appreciated, with the discussion moving on to the next question from Colette (00:21:47).

How will the new timed security for sign-ups spam protection handle sign-ups with Facebook or Google accounts? (00:21:59)

• The new timed security for sign-ups spam protection will be impacted when users sign up using Facebook or Google, as it is triggered when the sign-up page loads, at which point they would have to click on the sign-up with Facebook button (00:22:00).
• To avoid blocking legitimate sign-ups, it is recommended to start with a smaller threshold, such as one or two seconds, as bots can fill out forms in under a second, and adjust as needed (00:22:18).
• It is suggested to test the spam protection by signing up to the site with a Facebook profile and trying to do it as quickly as possible to see if the set time threshold gets blocked, for example, setting it to three seconds and checking if it gets blocked (00:22:40).
• The goal is to find the right balance and not set the threshold too high, which is why testing it out personally, such as signing up to the site with a Facebook profile, is recommended to see how it works (00:22:35).
• Colette is mentioned as the person being addressed in the conversation, indicating that the discussion is interactive and responding to questions or comments (00:22:56).

How to make images uploaded by members automatically resize? (00:23:00)

• The system can automatically resize images uploaded by members to a specified maximum width and height, which helps optimize the image for the website by reducing its file size and dimensions, for example, resizing a 2000-pixel image to 200 pixels (00:23:05).
• To achieve this automatic resizing, the maximum width and height for profile images can be set under the image settings, such as setting the max width and height to 200 pixels (00:23:23).
• If images take a long time to upload, it is recommended to email support and ask if there are any optimization options available for the page, as they may be able to identify issues that are not immediately apparent (00:24:02).
• Additionally, users can also ask for help in the Facebook group or request a second look at the issue to identify what might be slowing down the page speed (00:24:17).
• The automatic resizing of images helps with page speed optimization, which is an important consideration for website performance, as discussed in the context of Google Page Speed (00:23:00).

Tip of the Week: 3 Ways Website Visitors Can Help Grow Your Business Directory (00:24:32)

• The topic of discussion is the “Tip of the Week” which focuses on three ways website visitors can help grow a business directory, a topic chosen after reviewing trends and interests in a Facebook group (00:24:33).
• The discussion aims to highlight some overlooked and obvious methods, referred to as low-hanging fruit, that can help with the growth of a directory website (00:24:57).

Typical Ways to Boost Website Traffic (00:25:10)

• Publishing content, such as blog articles, videos, podcasts, images, or ebooks, is a common method to boost website traffic, as it caters to the target demographic’s preferred media consumption (00:25:10).
• Having a social media presence across various platforms is another approach, as many businesses strive to establish a strong online presence, which will be discussed further in a future slide (00:25:25).
• Advertising on Google and social media, including Google and Facebook ads, as well as Instagram and YouTube, is a prevalent avenue for increasing Web traffic (00:25:41).
• Writing guest posts on other websites with larger audiences or relevant interests can help gain more visibility and backlinks to one’s own site (00:25:53).
• Collaborating with other websites or businesses can also help notify their audience about one’s website and its offerings (00:26:05).
• Improving a website’s SEO, both on-page and off-page, including title tags, keywords, and content, can increase website traffic (00:26:15).
• Capitalizing on existing website visitors through a directory is considered an easier way to boost traffic (00:26:29).

Capitalize on Existing Website Visitors (00:26:32)

• A website will tend to get more traffic over time from unregistered users than from active members, so using this to an advantage can help grow the website and its traffic (00:26:33)
• Three low-effort ways to use unregistered visitors to help grow the website and attract more visitors include using social share buttons, suggesting a business, and establishing targeted credibility to follow on social media channels (00:26:48)
• Implementing a feature that allows users to suggest a business can help get more members signed up on the site and can be a huge feature request from business directory website owners (00:27:05)
• Typical ways to boost Web traffic often put the burden on the website owner to promote it and create content, but utilizing unregistered visitors can help with some of the heavy lifting to gain more exposure (00:27:40)
• Registered members can also be utilized to increase website traffic by sharing their listing on their own social media profiles, attracting reviews, and replying to reviews (00:28:06)
• Capitalizing on unregistered visitors does not necessarily require them to register, but rather to share the website, promote it, and get more traffic, which can be considered low-hanging fruit (00:28:29)

1. Social Media Share Buttons on Profiles (00:28:49)

• To encourage unregistered website visitors to share business profiles, a graphic such as an icon or animated GIF can be used, along with an emotional message, for example, “share this page to show your support for local businesses” (00:28:51).
• The default social media share buttons can be overlooked by visitors, so using a graphic and emotional message can help grab their attention and encourage sharing (00:28:56).
• A business directory can use this method to encourage visitors to share business profiles, especially for local businesses that need support after lockdowns (00:29:22).
• The share widget on a demo site can be customized to include a heart icon and a message such as “share this page to show your support for local businesses” (00:29:34).
• The share widget can be edited to change the title and add a font awesome icon, and the text label can be modified to include a specific message, such as “share this page to support Detroit doctors” (00:31:07).
• The SEO template for member profile pages, template number 100, can be used to control the social media share settings and customize the message that appears when a visitor clicks on the share button (00:32:27).
• Customizing the share widget and social media share settings can help focus the visitor’s energy on the tasks that the directory owner wants them to perform, such as sharing business profiles (00:30:29).
• The meta titles and descriptions, as well as keywords, can be customized, and the social sharing message can be tailored to be more specific and attention-grabbing when a page is shared (00:32:40).
• The social share message can include a description and other details, and the website name can be used instead of a full name, allowing for a more general message to be shared (00:32:50).
• When sharing a page, the title of the shared content can be customized, and a message can be added to make it more eye-catching and proactive, encouraging others to click on the shared content (00:33:27).
• The social share image can be updated by going to SEO templates and selecting the profile page, which can be found under social media sharing, allowing for a more visually appealing shared post (00:34:11).
• The profile page sidebar can be customized to be wider or slimmer, depending on the desired layout, and the sidebar alignment can be chosen for specific pages, such as member profile pages or search results (00:34:31).
• The design settings allow for options to be chosen for the sidebar alignment on certain pages, including member search results, member profile pages, and post search results, giving the website owner control over the layout (00:34:47).
• The goal of customizing the social sharing message and sidebar layout is to draw more attention to certain modules and encourage engagement, such as following the website or sharing content (00:35:21).

Engage Website Visitors With Enhanced Social Share Buttons (00:35:39)

• Enhanced social share buttons can be added to a website to engage visitors, and there are free tools available that provide more control and aesthetically pleasing buttons, which are easy to embed on a site (00:35:46).
• Most website visitors who want to share a page will likely do so on their own terms, such as copying the URL, texting it to a friend, or posting it on Twitter, rather than using social share buttons (00:36:10).
• Adding graphics, making text larger, and using emotional images can encourage visitors to share a page, either through the provided buttons or their own means, by triggering an emotional response (00:36:26).
• Using a generic message like “share this page” is less effective than providing a positive reason to share, such as “share this page to show your support for xyz”, which can elicit more actions and encourage the use of social share buttons (00:36:44).
• Suggesting a reason to share a page, such as to “show your support” or to “share the awesomeness”, can be an effective way to encourage visitors to use social share buttons and share the page with others (00:37:06).

2. “Suggest a Business” Page/Button (00:37:07)

• A business page feature has been implemented, allowing visitors to suggest businesses that are not currently listed in the directory, which can help grow the member community (00:37:10).
• The feature is versatile and can be utilized in different ways, such as creating a claimable listing and notifying the business owner if the claimable business listings add-on is available (00:37:43).
• A new form was created for visitors to suggest businesses, which includes fields such as business name, email, phone number, and website, and the submissions are saved in the forms inbox (00:39:21).
• The form is embedded on a new page, which was created by cloning the contact us page and using a table with two columns, and the hero section is enabled to show additional information (00:40:17).
• The page includes a header menu with options to add a business or suggest a business, and the suggest a business option is highlighted with a red background to guide visitors (00:38:57).
• The goal of the feature is to find established businesses that are ready to connect with more customers and have been serving the local community, and to encourage visitors to suggest these types of businesses (00:39:36).
• The website owner can follow up on the submissions and take actions such as creating a listing for the suggested business or reaching out to the business owner (00:39:32).
• A form was created with fields for business name, email, phone, website, and location, and a shortcode was generated to embed the form on a webpage (00:40:48).
• The form was filled out with sample information, including “Jason Inc” as the business name, “jason.com” as the website, and “We have been serving the community for 10 years” as a description (00:41:00).
• The form was created by clicking the “new form” button, giving it a nickname, and adding fields as needed, with the option to add new fields or modify existing ones (00:41:40).
• The shortcode for the form can be copied and pasted into a webpage to embed the form, and the form’s settings can be edited to customize the thank you message and redirect URL after submission (00:42:24).
• The form’s submissions are collected in a forms inbox, where they can be viewed and followed up on, with options to add the business to a directory, send a sign-up link, or follow up with a paid sign-up option (00:43:43).
• The form allows visitors to suggest businesses to join a site, which can be a powerful way to get more members through referrals and word-of-mouth (00:44:24).
• The form’s settings can be customized to personalize the thank you message and redirect URL, with options to redirect to another page or display a success pop-up message (00:42:51).
• The form can be used to collect information and manually add businesses to a directory, or to send sign-up links and follow up with businesses that have been suggested (00:44:06).
• To add a link to a page with a form, the link can be added in the main menu or in a sidebar widget, and the process of adding the link is demonstrated by creating a main menu item and making its background red by using the font awesome plus icon and linking to the suggest page, and then adding CSS classes to the outer li class (00:44:55).
• The main menu item is created by going to the menu manager and the header main menu, and the background is made red by adding the btn danger class, which corresponds to the danger button color selected in the design settings (00:45:31).
• A custom widget can be created in the widget manager to add a link to the suggest page, and the widget can be made a button with a class of button danger and button lg, and the text can be made bold (00:46:00).
• The custom widget can be added to the sidebar manager and placed in any of the respective sidebars, such as the member profile page, and the widget can be searched for and placed at the top (00:46:56).
• The custom HTML snippet can be copied and used in different places on the site, such as the member search results page, and the widget can be added to the top of the page (00:48:10).
• The custom widget can be shared with others by copying the HTML snippet and sharing it in the chat, and the location of the page can be updated to reflect the user’s own page (00:47:31).
• The custom widget can be refreshed and updated on the page, and it can be used to create a button that looks good on different pages, such as the search results page (00:47:58).

3. Follow One Social Media Profile (00:48:38)

• Encouraging website visitors to follow a business on just one social media profile, rather than all of them, can help focus energy on promoting that one platform, and this might bring more followers to that specific platform (00:48:39).
• The choice of social media platform to focus on depends on the industry, with visually oriented industries like design or fashion possibly benefiting from a focus on Instagram, while a local business directory might find Facebook more suitable (00:49:30).
• Focusing energy on one social media platform can help grow the audience on that platform quicker, and having a strong presence on one platform can make a business look more credible, established, and trusted (00:50:41).
• As many website owners are solopreneurs with limited time, it is recommended to be strong in one social media profile, making that one profile look established and seasoned, and driving all visitors to follow that one profile (00:51:24).
• Examples of how to ask people to join a social media channel can be seen in the way some websites promote their social media presence, such as placing a social media link at the top of the home page, and this can help encourage visitors to follow the business on that platform (00:52:00).
• To promote social media channels, banner ads can be placed in various locations on a website, such as the sidebar, header, and footer, and these ads can be created using simple tools like the paint program or more advanced websites like Canva, which is free and allows users to build beautiful banners quickly (00:52:24).
• The banner ads can be used to drive people to one of the social channels, and the design settings can be used to upload the image and set the link for the ad, and it’s also possible to use the same banner ad in multiple locations on the site (00:53:21).
• When adding a header banner ad, it’s necessary to not only upload the image in the banner ads tab but also enable it in the header settings, which can be found under the general settings and then the header section, where the option to display the header banner ad can be selected (00:54:30).
• The banner ads can be used to promote not only social media channels but also other content on the site, such as a special page or a call to action, and there are various tools available that can help create embeddable widgets or collages for social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook (00:55:50).
• If a banner ad is not available, there are tools that can pull a profile and create a little embeddable widget, and a quick Google search can help find these tools, which can be useful for creating banner ads for social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook (00:56:01).
• Embeddable options are available for those who prefer not to create their own graphics, and Canva is a great site for making easy and great-looking banners (00:56:17).
• The discussion led to the creation of a few ideas and provided some actionable items for everyone (00:56:31).
• There is a little time left in the session, and the opportunity is being given to the audience to ask questions, with Rob being the first to have his question heard after unmuting himself (00:56:45).
• Rob expressed his intention to review the webinar again, as he has a lot to go over, and he is also launching his second project (00:56:55).

How can restaurant members upload their menus? (00:57:05)

• Restaurant members can upload their menus as a PDF, which is the default option, and this PDF can be displayed in a pop-up on the site to prevent users from leaving the page (00:57:33).
• An alternative solution is to repurpose the “about” section or create a new post type called “my menu” where members can type out their menu, allowing for a more flexible and editable format (00:58:15).
• The “my menu” post type can be limited to one post per member, and it can include tables, columns, and other formatting options, making it a convenient and user-friendly solution (00:59:12).
• This approach can also help reduce costs for members who currently pay for external services to post their menus, and it can improve load times due to the text-based format (00:59:06).
• The “my menu” feature can be implemented by cloning the “articles” post type and customizing it to suit the needs of restaurant members, providing a valuable and practical solution (00:58:30).