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Help for Website Owners

Website Help

Website Help

Running a website without a support plan or want to DIY? No worries! Our Website Help section is here to guide you through common website issues, technical tips, and essential maintenance tasks to keep your site running smoothly.

Use this resource to handle common tasks yourself, or explore our blog for heaps more tips and information about website design, SEO and marketing.
  • DIY Maintenance – Manage backups, updates, and security checks like a pro.
  • Common Fixes – Learn how to resolve website errors, speed issues, and update conflicts.
  • SEO & Performance Tips – Improve rankings and speed up your site without hiring an expert.
  • Troubleshooting Guides – Step-by-step instructions for WordPress, hosting, and domain issues.

Want to get on a support plan? Contact Brighter Websites or reach out to your Web Designer directly - contact information is in your website owners manual.

person holding silver iphone 6

How to Create a New Google Maps API Key (with Billing & Security)

This guide will help you generate a brand-new API key for embedding or using Google Maps on your website. Step 1: Log into Google Cloud Console Go to: https://console.cloud.google.com Log in with your Google account. Step 2: Create or Select a Project Step 3: Enable Billing If you haven’t already: S...
turned-on MacBook Pro

Fixing Google Maps API Error: RefererNotAllowedMapError

If you’re seeing the following error on your website map, It means your site’s URL is not listed as an authorised referrer in your Google Cloud Platform settings. This prevents the map from loading correctly. What You Need to Do To fix this, you (or your developer) need to authorise your domain in t...
SEO tips for Australian businesses' website images.

How to Get Your Website Images on Google: Simple SEO Tips for Aussie Businesses

Ever uploaded a beautiful photo to your website and thought, “This’ll turn heads” only to realise it’s nowhere to be found on Google? You’re not alone. Whether you’re a Brisbane-based café owner showing off your brunch menu, a Ballarat tradie sharing before-and-after reno shots, or a boutique store ...
Guide: Choosing the Perfect Domain Name

How to Choose the Best Domain Name for Your Website

Choosing the right domain name is crucial for your brand’s identity, online presence, and search engine rankings. A well-chosen domain can enhance credibility, improve SEO, and make it easier for customers to find your business. Here’s how to pick the perfect domain name. 1. Keep It Short, Eas...

Access Website Server & Hosting

Access Via an FTP Client CoreFTP (for Windows) Cyberduck Instructions (for Mac) Note: Third party products are subject to change potentially rendering instructions invalid. If this occurs, you can always consult the product manual for the correct procedure.

seo, search, engine, optimization

Quick Guide: Post or Page Basic SEO for Business Owners

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) helps your pages and blog posts rank higher on search engines, making them more visible to potential visitors. A well-optimised page ensures your website gets targeted traffic and better engagement. How Search Engines Determine Relevance Search engines like Google ra...
laptop keyboard, glasses and pen with Wordpress alphabet words.

Quick Guide: Edit and Update Website Content with Breakdance Builder in WordPress

Breakdance Builder is a powerful drag-and-drop tool that allows you to edit and design your website visually without coding. Here’s how you can add/edit content, manage site elements, and customize your website easily. 1. How to Add/Update Website Content (Pages – Text, Images etc) You can edi...
Backup day - Text on hard drive

How to Schedule Regular Website Backups & Restore Your WordPress Site

Keeping regular backups of your WordPress website is essential for security, disaster recovery, and peace of mind. Backups protect your site from hacks, server crashes, malware, or accidental changes. Here’s how to manage backups effectively: 1. Why Regular Backups Matter ✔ Protects your website fro...
Computer board with scrabble letters that say time for an update.

Managing Plugin Updates in WordPress

How and when to Enable Auto updates or manually update plugins and themes in wordpress to keep your website secure, functional, and up-to-date.

photo by onur binay

Why and When to Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-Factor Authentication or 2FA keeps your WordPress website more secure. You can enable it for all users or just high risk users and keep access simple for low-risk users. What is 2FA? Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security that requires two steps for a website user account ...

Create a new user for your website

How to Add a New User to Your WordPress Website Adding a new user to your WordPress site allows someone else to help update or manage your website. You can control what they can and cannot do by selecting the right user role. Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard Step 2: Go to […] ...
Hand arrangging color letters of the alphabet, Keyword Research

Keyword Research For Local Businesses with a Blog

Keyword research is critical for writing blog content that attracts the right local audience, ranks well on Google, and drives traffic to your website. ✔ Helps You Target the Right Audience – Find what your potential customers are searching for.✔ Boosts SEO Rankings – Using the right keywords increa...
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Brands We have Helped

Our customers are our biggest advocates - read their glowing reviews!

Salty Pets logo with ocean and Australia mapHorseshoe Bend Nursery logo with tree and shovelLogo of Men's Finance Advice companyCube Personal Loans logo designGuerilla Steel logo with welding helmet and torches.Papua New Guinea Federation Queensland logo, black silhouette.
Paws for Support logo with heart and paw

Paws For Support

Alan Sheppard, Cheltnam
One Team Counselling and Life Coaching logo

I couldn't be happier with my experience working with Brighter Websites! . Vanessa and her team are amazing to work with. very knowledgeable and truly interested in my success. Highly recommend to anyone looking for website design and SEO services

One Team Counselling and Coaching

Jef Langford, Spring Mountain
Abandon Stress logo

Vanessa is a caring, brilliant, affordable website designer & web hosting facilitator. Only a phone call away. She has been helping my small business stay tech relevant for 8 years. I am so appreciative of her support.

Abandon Stress Mobile Massage

Rosi L
Green brain tree logo design

Thanks Vanessa for helping with my new website and fixing up my domain, fast to reply helpful and easy to work with highly recommend!!

Spot On Psychology

Alberto I., Springfield
Ryebucks Portables logo with colourful squares.

Ryebucks Portables

John
Nassim de Vos Profile Photo Brighter Website Client

Thank you for your input, advice and help with the web design of my Brisbane based sister company....I have met few who can provide the complete package – consulting, design, timely – effective result and reasonably priced. Thanks Vanessa

Nassim de Vos

Author
Salty Pets logo with ocean and Australia map

Our website is both beautiful and helps our business, customer service is unmatched - we had increase in our sales and search visibility. Five stars!

Salty Pets

Heather
south Brisbane lawn logo

Game-changer for our business! Vanessa’s SEO expertise helped us climb to the first page of Google. The website is not just beautiful but brings in real customers and we love the new logo too.

Mannys Lawn Mowing Service

Manuel Kyle, Brisbane
Ryebucks Portables logo with colourful squares.

We needed a simple website that looks fantastic and shows off the features of our new product, the results speak for themselves

Yard Pod

John, Ballarat
Ballarat lawn mowing service logo with grass leaves.

Highly recommend! The website Vanessa built for us is fast, user-friendly, and ranks well on Google. Our inquiries have increased significantly.

Lawn Care By Peter

Peter Sanders, Ballarat
Ballarat Fences logo with green picket fence

Really happy with our website thanks

Ballarat Fences/Ag Fencing

Martin Cooper, Ballarat Vic
Hepburn logo with eucalyptus leaves

Thanks for all your help Vanessa

Pip Mushin

Hepburn at Hepburn
Brisbane City Photography Logo

"Fantastic results! Vanessa revamped our website and optimised it for SEO—our traffic doubled within months. Couldn’t be happier with the outcome!"

Sarah &  Michael R.

Brisbane City Photography
brands Daylesford gardener logo

Vanessa doesn’t just build a website and disappear—she provides ongoing support to ensure everything runs smoothly. Her quick responses and expertise have been invaluable to our business.

Daylesford Gardener

Peter Sanders
Logo of Daylesford BNB, simple design, red text.

One of the best decisions we made was hiring Vanessa to redesign our website. She ensured it was mobile-friendly, fast, and optimised for search engines. The results speak for themselves!

Leon & Tom

Daylesford BNB
Stylish handwritten text logo reading 'Jeff'.

We couldn't be happier working with Vanessa - She designed a great website and helped with our facebook page too

Jett Espresso

Tim & Jeff, Brisbane
Beamina minimalist logo design

Thank you for your help

Beamina

Betty, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Taekwondo Queensland logo, martial artist silhouette.

The entire website design process smooth and stress-free. She took the time to understand our organisations needs and delivered a great website.

Taekwondo Queensland

Kate
Daenamoo Brisbane logo

Since launching our new website designed by Vanessa, we've seen a noticeable increase in new memberships. The site is fast, SEO-optimised, and easy to update. We couldn’t be happier!

Daenamoo Taekwondo

Wayne