Tag: Free

Making Awesome Web Stories 10 Free Resources

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Creating Web Stories on WordPress

This Story is made using WordPress Free Plugin by Google Web Stories.

Please find a list of 10 useful Resources for making incredible web stories for your blog.

Unsplash

Unsplash offers a free plugin to sync with your WordPress blog to directly display its library of free images and videos while you are making web stories right in your media gallery. Visit Unsplash Here: https://unsplash.com/

Freepik

Freepik is a project by Freepik Company, The Company also has awesome projects like Flaticon,
and Slidesgo.
Freepik offers a huge collection of free to use Image resources for you, they also offer a premium plan that’s obviously a more advanced collection. Visit Freepik Here: Freepik

PngTree

Pngtree, founded in Dec 2016, has millions of PNG images and other graphic resources for everyone to download. Our aim is to build the largest free PNG image platform in the world, serve for all the professional designer and people who have design skills. Helping users save time and improving their projects efficiently is our duty. All of our designers have been real name authenticated and all of their works have a commercial license

The limitation is 2 free images on a account in a Day, you can unlock the limit with a premium subscription, so wisely download the Image file as you have two downloads a day on a free plan.

Another is adding an attribution to the free download, so if you have a good commercial usage you may sign up for a premium account.

Visit Png tree Here : https://pngtree.com/

Pexels

The best free stock photos & videos shared by talented creators. Also with a Photographer Leaderboard, a big Community, Everything from Images to videos is absolutely free to download.

Visit Pexels Here : https://www.pexels.com/

Favpng

Free Transparent PNG Images. Claims to have a database containing more than 16 million free transparent PNG files. All PNG images can be used for personal use unless stated otherwise.

Visit Favpng Here : https://favpng.com/

Burst By Shopify

Free stock photos for websites and commercial use, Download free, high-resolution images as its a shopify venture collections were created with entrepreneurs in mind.

Visit Burst Here : https://burst.shopify.com/

Freeimages

Browse over 300000 free stock photos and find the perfect royalty-free image quickly. Download free, high quality stock images, for every day or commercial use.

Visit Freeimages Here : https://www.freeimages.com/

Kaboompics

Every single day new photos of the highest quality are added to Kaboompics, You can download and use them for your own purposes – grace your blog posts, create lovely graphics for your social media accounts, make your website more appealing – all for free, including the commercial use!

Visit Kaboompics Here : https://kaboompics.com/

Vecteezy

Choose from over a million free vectors, clipart graphics, vector art images, design templates, and illustrations created by artists worldwide, Fully guaranteed images for personal or commercial use. Also offers a reasonable premium pricing for more unlimited downloads.

Good For : vector art, stock photos & videos, you may need for making web stories awesome.

Visit Vecteezy Here : https://www.vecteezy.com/

Gratisography

Gratisography, has quirkiest collection of high-resolution free stock images, images you just won’t find anywhere else.

Visit Gratisography Here : https://gratisography.com/

October 14, 2020
ImageOptim Bulk Optimise Images in Bulk for WordPress Blog
ImageOptim Bulk Optimise Images: A Simple and Free Solution

If you’re looking for a way to bulk optimise images without relying on plugins or expensive software, ImageOptim is the answer. This lightweight, free tool is perfect for bloggers, developers, and designers who want to reduce image sizes without compromising quality. In this guide, I’ll share how I used ImageOptim to bulk optimise images for my WordPress blog, saving time and storage space—all for free.

Why Bulk Optimise Images?

Optimising images is a critical step for improving website performance and SEO. Smaller image sizes lead to faster page load times, better user experience, and higher search engine rankings. While plugins can automate this process, they often come with limitations, such as server load or premium pricing. That’s where ImageOptim shines—it’s a simple, offline solution that lets you bulk optimise images quickly and efficiently.

My Experience with ImageOptim

On my blog, I’ve always relied on Affinity Designer for image editing and compression. Since I use AMP in native mode, most of my pages are served through Google’s AMP CDN, which handles a lot of the heavy lifting. However, as I started experimenting with the Web Stories plugin, I realised the importance of following best practices for image optimisation.

I needed a solution that could:
- Optimise images in bulk without running endless background processes.
- Be fast and efficient, with no recurring costs.
- Work seamlessly with my existing workflow.
That’s when I discovered ImageOptim, a free tool that’s less than 10MB in size and works like a charm.

How to Bulk Optimise Images with ImageOptim

Here’s how I used ImageOptim to bulk optimise images for my WordPress blog:

Step 1: Download Images from Your WordPress Server

Using SFTP and FileZilla, I downloaded the entire uploads directory from my WordPress hosting server to my local Mac. This step ensures you have all your images ready for optimisation.

Step 2: Run the Bulk Optimisation Command

Once the images were on my local machine, I used ImageOptim to optimise them in bulk. Here’s the command I ran in the Terminal:
```
/Applications/ImageOptim.app/Contents/MacOS/ImageOptim *.png /users/yourname/PNG-FOLDER/
```
Pro Tip: Replace the folder location in the command with your directory structure.

This command optimises all .png files in the specified folder, reducing their size by up to 50%. The process runs in the background, so you can continue working while it does its job.

Step 3: Drag-and-Drop Simplicity

If you’re not comfortable using the Terminal, ImageOptim also supports drag-and-drop functionality. Simply drag your image folder into the app, and it will handle the rest.

Why ImageOptim Stands Out

ImageOptim combines some of the best image optimisation tools, including:
- MozJPEG for JPEG compression.
- Pngquant and Pngcrush for PNG optimisation.
- SVGO for SVG files.
- Google Zopfli for further compression.
The result? Smaller image sizes without compromising quality, all for free.

My Optimisation Workflow

To keep things manageable, I optimise images once a month. For example, I optimised all images from September 2020 in one go. This way, I don’t have to worry about optimising images while creating new content. A few minutes of work at the end of the month is all it takes.

Advantages of Using ImageOptim
- Free and Lightweight: No subscriptions or hidden costs.
- Bulk Optimisation: Process hundreds of images in minutes.
- Offline Tool: No server load or background processes.
- Drag-and-Drop Support: Perfect for non-technical users.
Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to bulk optimise images without plugins or expensive software, ImageOptim is a game-changer. It’s fast, efficient, and completely free. Whether you’re a blogger, developer, or designer, this tool can help you improve your site’s performance and save storage space.

Have you tried ImageOptim or any other image optimisation tools? Share your experience in the comments below! For more tips on WordPress optimisation and free resources, visit Netnaps.

Key Takeaways
- ImageOptim is a free, lightweight tool for bulk optimising images.
- It’s perfect for bloggers and developers who want to optimise images without plugins.
- The tool supports both Terminal commands and drag-and-drop functionality.
- Optimising images monthly can save time and improve site performance.
Have you tried ImageOptim or any other image optimisation tools? Share your experience in the comments below! For more tips on WordPress optimisation and free resources, visit Netnaps.
October 2, 2020
Lightsail SFTP Access With FileZilla Easily 5 Steps

Saturday 8 August 01:09
Getting Lightsail SFTP Access is Quite Easy

Required Supply: Lightsail Account, Tools Needed: Filezilla

In these short 5 Steps, we will learn How to get Lightsail SFTP Access or Connect Lightsail Instance to Filezilla using SFTP.

To get access to the hosted file directory on the server.

Also, find a command for setting up permissions to use at the end of this short tutorial.

You can log in with your account on the Lightsail page :
https://aws.amazon.com/lightsail/ Lightsail SFTP Access Using FileZilla.

Step Click on your Instance

Just click on your instance, to get started once you click it will show Connect Using SSH button
Step 2 Scroll down and go to Account Page link

Here you will find Keys of all the zones to connect via FTP
Step 3 Download your Key File

This key is required to log in, keep this in a safe place after download.
Step 4 Open FileZilla to Add a New Site

Click on the extreme left top corner to add a new site.
Step 5 Add the Details of New Site

As we have explained in our screenshot, click on New Site ( No.1 Arrow ) Name Your Site,
Select SFTP in the first option, and add your Lightsail Instance static IP / or public IP address.

In Logon Type select key file, and the user is bitnami as you see in your SSH Terminal window, Add Key file location like normally you select a file.

Then Connect, and it’s Done!

Lightsail SFTP Access Bonus Tip – To Set Up Permissions.

sudo chown -R bitnami:bitnami /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/wp-content/

This target folder could be anything wp-content is just for an example. If you need both users to have permissions, you can use bitnami: daemon and likewise.

Without proper permission, you will not be able to upload any new file or make changes to your directory. You can still view the files.

As in this above tutorial, we have signed in as bitnami, so the user is bitnami.

Before you start your WordPress with any paid hosting, you can make it for free on your Mac, With this detailed tutorial here. Also, you can make this as a testing or development environment on your local mac.

The tutorial for WordPress on a mac is free and also lets you get a free SSL if you wish to start an AMP Website or a Blog.

I, too, am using Lightsail as a hosting and AMP on this blog! Powered by WordPress

August 8, 2020
Getting an A+ SSL Rating on Nginx Apache Server
Saturday 8 August 15:18
Getting A+ SSL Rating on Apache

Getting an A+ SSL Rating on Lightsail is just a 5-minute task,

It’s only turning off old versions of SSL from your configuration file.

Getting a free SSL is well documented by the lightsail team here, in a 9 Step Tutorial, if you have not got an SSL please get one,

SSL improves your SEO, maintains trust for the visitor and is a must for any website in 2020.

After reading this post from Qualys, searching some more articles

I could make out that getting A+ SSL rating and not allowing the previous versions of SSL on a website or a blog is both good for your SEO Strategy and Security part.

So, here it is Get your site checked here on the Qualys Tool For SSL it’s Free!

Here is a screenshot of a test when I just started this blog and was continuously improving on its security, SEO, and everything I could do for achieving a simple, secure and a pro website.

Getting the same as an A+ was just a 5 minutes task, from start to finish on a lightsail hosted website, using apache server, with bitnami image of wordpress.

Here’s how I got this from B to A+

Just head over to your SSH Window and start with :

sudo nano /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf

Soon you are into editing the bitnami.conf file, so we have to just turn off the old versions of SSL

Find this line with “CTRL+W”, or whatever that line reads near SSL Protocol

SSLProtocol all -SSLv2 -SSLv3

Change the same to

SSLProtocol TLSv1.2

CTRL+O to write out and CTRL+X to Exit

Restart the Apache

sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart

Getting A+ SSL Rating Nginx Server

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Change the lines that start with #SSL Settings to Exactly the code below this would also add the session timeout and Strict Security Header :
```
    ##

    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3; # Dropping SSLv3, ref: POODLE
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;
    ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;
    ssl_session_timeout 10m;
    ##
```
Once done just restart your server with :

sudo service nginx reload && sudo service nginx restart

This gives A+ SSL Rating.

SSL is a must if you use AMP on your WordPress Blog. , Also here’s a collection of some website testing tools that I keep on updating.

HSTS Preload on NGINX Server
```
add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload" always;
```
This gives you a HSTS Header on your site, if you use Nginx Server, Enrolling to HSTS list is good for your sites security, this enables browsers to understand that your site is only served on a secured connection.

You can enrol here for HSTS, First, you need to test on the same link then Enroll the domain.

HSTS Preload on APACHE Server

Mod Headers Looks Like :

First, enable mod headers in your httpd.conf file,

you can find in the /etc/apache2/httpd.conf :
```
LoadModule headers_module modules/mod_headers.so
```
then simply add the below line in your virtual host’s file.
```
<VirtualHost *:443>
...
Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains"
...
</VirtualHost>
```
August 8, 2020
Clean WordPress Database Using WP-Optimize Plugin in 5 min
Is your WordPress website running slower than usual? Over time, your WordPress database can become cluttered with unnecessary data, such as post revisions, spam comments, and transient options. This clutter not only slows down your site but can also affect its performance and user experience. Fortunately, cleaning your WordPress database doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the WP-Optimize plugin, you can optimize your database in just 5 minutes! In this article, we’ll walk you through the process step by step.

Why Clean Your WordPress Database?

A clean and optimized database is essential for maintaining a fast and efficient WordPress website. Here’s why you should regularly clean your database:
1. Improve Site Speed: Removing unnecessary data reduces the size of your database, leading to faster load times.
2. Enhance Performance: A streamlined database improves server response times and overall site performance.
3. Free Up Space: Cleaning your database helps free up server storage, which is especially important for sites with limited resources.
4. Boost SEO: Faster websites rank better on search engines, improving your SEO.
What is WP-Optimize?

WP-Optimize is a powerful and user-friendly WordPress plugin designed to clean and optimize your database. It removes redundant data, compresses images, and caches your site for better performance. Best of all, it’s free to use, with premium features available for advanced users.

How to Clean Your WordPress Database with WP-Optimize in 5 Minutes

Follow these simple steps to clean and optimize your WordPress database using the WP-Optimize plugin:

Step 1: Install and Activate the WP-Optimize Plugin
1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for WP-Optimize.
4. Click Install Now and then Activate.
Step 2: Run a Database Optimization
1. After activating the plugin, go to WP-Optimize in your WordPress dashboard.
2. You’ll see a list of database optimization options, such as:
- Clean post revisions: Removes unnecessary post revisions.
- Clean auto drafts: Deletes auto-saved drafts.
- Clean trashed posts: Clears posts in the trash.
- Clean spam comments: Removes spam comments.
- Clean transient options: Deletes temporary data.
1. Select the options you want to clean (or select all for a thorough cleanup).
2. Click Run Optimization.
Step 3: Review and Confirm
1. Once the optimization is complete, WP-Optimize will display a summary of the cleaned data.
2. Review the results to ensure everything is in order.
Step 4: Schedule Automatic Cleanups (Optional)

To keep your database clean without manual intervention, you can set up automatic optimizations:
1. Go to the Settings tab in the WP-Optimize dashboard.
2. Enable Automatic clean-up and optimization.
3. Choose the frequency (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly).
4. Save your settings.
Step 5: Monitor Your Database Health

WP-Optimize provides a dashboard where you can monitor your database’s health and performance. Regularly check this section to ensure your site remains optimized.

Benefits of Using WP-Optimize
- User-Friendly Interface: No technical expertise is required.
- Comprehensive Cleaning: Removes all types of unnecessary data.
- Automatic Scheduling: Saves time by automating the cleanup process.
- Free to Use: The basic version offers all the essential features.
- Image Compression: Premium versions include image optimization for faster load times.
Tips for Maintaining a Clean WordPress Database
1. Regular Cleanups: Schedule automatic cleanups to keep your database optimized.
2. Backup Your Database: Always create a backup before running optimizations.
3. Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to track your site’s speed.
4. Limit Post Revisions: Use the WP_POST_REVISIONS constant in your wp-config.php file to limit the number of revisions saved.
Conclusion

Cleaning your WordPress database with the WP-Optimize plugin is a quick and effective way to boost your site’s performance. In just 5 minutes, you can remove clutter, improve speed, and enhance user experience. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced WordPress user, WP-Optimize makes database optimization simple and hassle-free.

Ready to give your WordPress site a performance boost? Install WP-Optimize today and experience the difference!
July 20, 2020