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CentOS CloudLinux End of Life

CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 reach End Of Life (EOL): Migrate Now!

WHC News & Events

What’s happening?

As of June 30, 2024, CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7, the popular Linux distribution, will reach end-of-life. This means important functionality and security updates will no longer be applied to systems running on these versions. As such, users of these Operating Systems are strongly encouraged to upgrade to AlmaLinux 8 or CloudLinux 8 in order to continue benefiting from a secure, updated operating system.

If you use a cloud or dedicated server that runs on CentOS or CloudLinux 7, the Web Hosting Canada team will be here to guide and assist you every step of the way to ensure a smooth and secure migration. Read on for all the details!

What are CentOS & CloudLinux?

CentOS is the operating system that powers many of the servers that host your websites and emails. It’s a leading open-source Linux distribution derived from the Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® (RHEL) operating system.

CloudLinux is an operating system designed specifically for shared hosting environments. It is based on the CentOS/RHEL distribution and adds a number of features and enhancements tailored for web hosting providers and their customers. At WHC, it’s the go-to Operating System for Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, Managed WordPress Hosting and the suggested (but optional) operating system for our clients’ Dedicated Servers, while CentOS was the default operating system for our Cloud Servers. We have since switched to AlmaLinux 8 and CloudLinux 8 for new installs since the last quarter of 2023.

Why upgrade to AlmaLinux 8 instead of CentOS 8?

CentOS 8, while available for a short period, was discontinued because its parent company (RedHat, which itself is owned by IBM) preferred to focus on its commercial (and expensive!) operations system solutions. CentOS 8 was effectively killed before it even had a chance to get started, becoming end-of-life in 2021, even before CentOS 7.

Instead, AlmaLinux was created by the AlmaLinux OS Foundation and serves as a free and open-source Linux distribution, prioritizing long-term stability. It fills the void created by the discontinuation of the stable CentOS release, offering a 1:1 binary equivalence with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). 

This ensures users can seamlessly transition to AlmaLinux while retaining compatibility and reliability akin to RHEL.

When are CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 End of Life (EOL)?

CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 end-of-life is on June 30th, 2024.

What happens once CentOS 7 and CloudLinux 7 reach EOL?

Once your version of CentOS or CloudLinux reaches end-of-life (EOL), it will continue working but will stop receiving important security updates. This usually means that all your server’s contents, including websites, emails and other applications, may become vulnerable to hacking attempts. Certain applications, like the cPanel control panel, will also stop updating on your system.

While it doesn’t necessarily mean that your server will quickly experience problems, the longer you use a software that’s no longer receiving updates, the higher the chances of your server being compromised. As such, using software that’s EOL, especially an operating system, is strongly discouraged. This is particularly true for sensitive systems that host important websites and databases.

Which systems are affected?

Any systems running CentOS 7 & CloudLinux 7 are affected by this EOL event.

If you’re a WHC client using Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting or Managed WordPress Hosting, our team will proactively manage the system upgrades for you, so that you continue to benefit from secure and compliant digital infrastructure. 

If you’re running on Cloud or Dedicated Servers, we’re proactively planning maintenance operations over the next few months to help you stay up-to-date. You’ll be receiving communications explaining the process and the maintenance windows in the weeks ahead, but feel free to reach out to our friendly support team if you need help or clarifications.

If you’re not a WHC customer and are running software on older servers, you’ll want to check the version of your operating system and make sure that your system is safe to operate for the next few years. If it’s not, you’ll want to quickly get in touch with a managed hosting provider like WHC with specialized expertise in performing these types of migrations (and keeping your servers up-to-date in the long term).

How can I tell which OS version I am using?

If you use a cloud or dedicated server, you can quickly identify which operating system is running on your server by logging in via SSH and running the command:

cat /etc/os-release

If you use a cloud or dedicated server with cPanel, you can also log in to WHM as the root user; the OS version will normally be displayed at the top right of your screen.

How can I switch to a newer operating system?

Switching from CentOS & CloudLinux 7 to AlmaLinux 8 generally involves in-place upgrading or migrating from your old server to a new server that is running the newer operating system.

There are 3 methods:

  1. Migrate to a new server running the newer Operating System

    This involves activating a second system, migrating the data over, then pointing your services to the second system and shutting down the original system.





    Pros:
    • This process minimizes downtime during the transition to the new server, assuming you control the DNS of all your domains.


    Cons:
    • May require a change of IP address which may necessitate configuration and DNS updates.
    • System configurations need to be carefully brought into the new system, and any conflicts resolved, with careful testing performed to avoid unexpected surprises.


  2. Re-image your existing server then restore from backups

    Refresh your existing server by formatting and reinstalling. You'll require a comprehensive external backup, which can then be used to restore your data once the server is reinstalled with the latest operating system. While WHC can assist in managing this process, this approach is only recommended for non-mission-critical workloads or servers with small quantities of data.





    Pros:
    • Keep your existing IP and hardware.
    • Eliminates the need for DNS changes.


    Cons:
    • Riskier as it relies on your backups being complete and up-to-date. If there are any problems with backup restoration, you risk data loss.
    • Extended downtime as the server undergoes a series of steps: backup, wiping, installation of a fresh OS and cPanel, followed by data restoration.
    • Custom software will have to be reinstalled.
    • Customisation and server configuration needs to be re-applied.



  3. Perform In-Place Upgrade with ELevate

    You can use specialized upgrade tools such as cPanel ELevate or CloudLinux ELevate tool to execute an in-place upgrade of your server without needing to migrate to a new machine. Unfortunately, while testing these upgrade paths at WHC we’ve observed mixed results, with up to 30% of systems upgraded experiencing unrecoverable errors during this process, requiring a restore from backups. Do not attempt this approach without having full and tested backups first!





    Pros:
    • Your accounts, server configurations, and settings remain unaltered, ensuring continuity.
    • Downtime is kept to a minimum, typically around 1 hour, facilitating uninterrupted service availability.


    Cons:
    • There's a considerable risk of upgrade failure, potentially leaving the server in an inoperable state and necessitating additional troubleshooting efforts.
    • Custom software must be reinstalled post-upgrade, adding an extra step to restore full functionality.


At WHC, we employ a combination of approaches in order to ensure the smoothest transition for our clients. We’ll evaluate the needs and pick the approach that’s best suited to your business’ specific situation and digital infrastructure needs. In addition, we conduct full backups to ensure data security to make sure disruptions are kept to a minimum.

Are there risks with a migration?

Just like with any other system migration, there are inherent risks when migrating data between two systems. While cPanel inter-system migrations are generally straightforward, special considerations may need to be made if you use customized scripts or applications.

Some examples of issues post-migration include changes in PHP versions or configuration, missing libraries or binaries, changes in DNS or IP configuration, issues with SSL certificate transfers, and more.

Your friendly WHC team can help mitigate these risks and ensure that the migration process is fluid and that any issues that arise are quickly resolved.

What should I do now?

  • Have recent backups
    We strongly recommend you have recent off-server backups of all your data in order to be able to easily recover your data in case of problems. WHC proposes a premium backup solution, powered by JetBackup, to help secure your data during this type of migration.
  • Clean up your accounts
    Review your cPanel accounts and perform a general cleanup to reduce the total size of the accounts that will need to be migrated or restored. This can include email accounts too.
  • Use a recent version of PHP
    As of March 2024, WHC recommends you use PHP 8.2 or later.
  • Inform your IT department or developers
    Their interventions may be required post-migration to help troubleshoot unexpected errors.

What should I do next?

If you have a Cloud or Dedicated server running CentOS or CloudLinux 7 with WHC, we’ll reach out and schedule the migration for you, before June 2024.

If you are operating a cPanel server running CentOS 7 that isn’t hosted with WHC, please reach out to us and we will help you migrate to a secure, up-to-date AlmaLinux or CloudLinux 8 Cloud or Dedicated Server in Canada.

Whatever you choose, we’re here to help!

Writing types

4 types of copywriting for your website

Small Business Success

Writing quality texts for a website has become a must. Indeed, well-written texts not only capture visitors' attention quickly but also impact their engagement and the site's performance.

Whether you write your own texts or entrust the task to an expert, it's well worth knowing which style to use in order to give your site an edge.

This article will shed light on the different approaches to copywriting for websites. It will also help you understand how your choice of writing can transform your site, increasing conversions and improving user experience.

SEO copywriting (or copywriting for search engines)

SEO copywriting is copywriting designed for search engine optimization. This is content tailored to the needs of users and the searches they perform on search engines.

There are three essential elements to consider in SEO copywriting: 

  • Keywords: thorough keyword research beforehand will greatly help your page's SEO 
  • Structure: the organization of your content must be optimal (e.g. use headings and sub-headings, making sure to respect the tags specific to each level of heading)
  • Content: the quality of your content is paramount – make sure it's relevant, informative and tailored to users' needs

Examples of SEO copywriting

  • Blog posts (like the one you're reading right now)
  • Descriptions of products or services
  • FAQ pages (Frequently Asked Questions)

Advertising or persuasive copywriting

In recent years, persuasive copywriting (formerly known as copywriting) has become increasingly popular. This type of copywriting aims to convince an audience to take action, create a connection, or convey emotions.

Becoming a good copywriter doesn't happen overnight. It requires a number of skills, as well as a working knowledge of persuasive copywriting techniques.

Tips for effective persuasive writing: 

  • Write concise sentences
  • Modulate your tone to suit your target audience
  • Adapt your diction to your audience
  • Employ storytelling, using bold, evocative words

Of course, a good grasp of consumer psychology, as well as creativity and empathy, are necessary for impactful copywriting.

Examples of persuasive copywriting

  • Sales pages
  • Email marketing
  • Landing pages
  • Calls-To-Action (CTAs), such as "Subscribe now" or "Start your free trial" at the end of web content

Informative or technical copywriting

Informative copywriting, on the other hand, adopts a more neutral stance, providing users with useful information in the form of facts and data. This type of copywriting requires the use of reliable sources, which are often included at the bottom of texts.

This type of copywriting is characterized by the use of either more general language, aimed at a wider audience, or more professional and specialized diction, tailored to the needs of a specific audience. However, while technical writing may require the use of domain-specific terms, it's important to avoid excessive jargon and try to explain complex notions in a clear, accessible way.

Examples of informative copywriting

  • Educational blog posts
  • Institutional websites
  • Newsletters
  • Product descriptions
  • Guides or tutorials
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

UX or user-centered copywriting

The user experience on a website will, to a large extent, be determined by the writing. UX copywriting is concerned with exactly this: facilitating user navigation. This approach aims to make the overall user experience as fluid, intuitive and pleasant as possible.

The key elements to focus on here are clarity, ease of understanding, accessibility and a reliance on user-friendly terminology. Don't forget that this type of copywriting is meant to encourage action, whether to make a purchase, sign up for a service or navigate through different sections of the site.

This type of writing, often combined with other styles, is used in many ways:

  • Action buttons
  • Menu
  • Error messages, etc.
Button text example

Tips and tricks for writing effective content

  1. Understand your target audience
  2. Write following the KISS principle (Keep It Super Simple)
  3. Keep it short and to the point
  4. Avoid lengthy, dense paragraphs
  5. Make the text accessible and avoid pompous language in a bid to impress
  6. Focus on reader benefits

Choosing the right copywriting style for your website

Finally, in order to choose the best type of copywriting for your website, it's especially important to define your objectives. Will your site inform or persuade? Are you looking to increase search engine traffic? Your answers will determine your editorial choices. Obviously, a combination of different types of copywriting can also be effective on a website.

Knowing your target audience and understanding their "Why?" will also be instrumental in your choice of copywriting, if only in terms of vocabulary and tone. What's more, an analysis of market trends can guide you in your choice of copywriting.

The "Why" is a concept theorized by Simon Sinek, who sees it as the deep motivation or fundamental reason guiding the actions, choices or decisions of a person or organization.

If necessary, enlist the help of a professional copywriter who can guide you and write content tailored to your needs and target audience.

WordPress 65

WordPress 6.5 is here with fresh new features

WordPress

Mark your calendars! April 2nd, 2024 welcomes the arrival of WordPress 6.5, bringing a suite of updates designed to enrich your site's functionality and aesthetic appeal. As part of our commitment at WHC to help you thrive online, we're excited to dive into the details of this update, showcasing how these new features can transform how you create your website.

Let’s take a look at what’s new with WordPress 6.5. 

As usual, if you have a complex website that uses several plugins, we recommend waiting at least a few weeks before upgrading to 6.5. Major upgrades may break some plugins/themes. 

What’s new with WordPress 6.5?

WordPress 6.5, the first major release of 2024, offers multiple enhancements that promise to streamline your website design and management experience. Whether you're building your first website without any coding knowledge or you’re a seasoned developer who builds websites from scratch, WordPress 6.5 makes the process more user-friendly and efficient. 

Let's explore the standout features and how they can benefit your site.

Introducing the Font Library: Typography Tailored to You

The Font Library is a standout addition, offering you the ability to directly upload or install your favourite Google Fonts. This feature empowers you to personalize your site's typography without the need for additional plugins, aligning your design more closely with your brand identity.

WordPress 6.5 Interface example

By default, this feature displays the fonts currently installed on your WordPress theme. To add more fonts from your computer, you can navigate to the Upload tab.

WordPress 6.5 Interface example

Want to use Google Fonts for your website? Click on the Install Fonts tab to connect your website to Google Fonts.

WordPress 6.5 Interface example

Interactivity API: Elevating User Engagement

Transform your site with the Interactivity API, a tool designed to make your pages more dynamic and engaging. This API allows for real-time interactions, such as colour changes on a product, without needing a page to reload, providing a smoother and more interactive experience for your visitors.

The WordPress team has made a demo website to showcase its capabilities.

WordPress 6.5 Interface example

New Design and Editing Enhancements

  • Smoother Drag-and-Drop: Move things around with less friction, get a visual cue when an object is displaced and drag them to any location within your workplace.
  • Pattern Duplication: Easily duplicate patterns on your site, including the option for synced patterns, simplifying the process of creating consistent layouts.
  • Improved List View: Access block settings with a right-click and rename blocks directly from the list view, offering a more intuitive navigation and editing experience.
  • Optimized Site Editor: Enjoy a cleaner, more organized site editor interface with personalized presentation options, including filtering, sorting, and bulk editing capabilities.
  • Aspect Ratio and Box Shadow for Blocks: Customize the appearance of your cover blocks with aspect ratio controls and add depth to your images and columns with box-shadow support.
  • Gallery and Social Block Updates: Benefit from the new randomize feature in the Gallery block and an updated icon for Patreon in the Social block, enhancing visual dynamics and social connectivity.

Simpler and More Insightful Updates

  • Easy Site Icon Changes: Update your WordPress site icon with ease, directly from the General Settings, for both block and classic themes.
  • Enhanced Link Management: Improved link editing with immediate access to link settings upon addition, streamlining content creation.
  • Style Revision Insights: Gain better insights into design changes with the style revision feature, offering descriptions and timestamps for each modification.

Curious to learn more? Check out the official 6.5 release notes for additional info about this release.

Upgrading to WordPress 6.5

WordPress 6.5 will soon be available on our Web Hosting and Managed WordPress plans.

If you have a complex website that uses several plugins, we recommend holding off for a few weeks before upgrading, as major upgrades may break some plugins/themes. 

When you’re ready to upgrade, you can do so from either your WordPress dashboard or cPanel. See Manually Update WordPress and WordPress Plugins for more information.

If you use one of our Pro Managed WordPress plans, you can create a staging site to test out the new version. This will create a copy of your live website in a separate staging environment for testing (that won’t affect your production site).

Ensure you have a working backup before making any changes. This way, you can quickly revert to your previous installation if any problems occur.

Until next time

WordPress 6.5 is an opportunity to elevate your website experience with new functionalities and design enhancements. From typography freedom with the Font Library to interactive user experiences via the Interactivity API, this release promises to make your site more attractive, functional, and user-friendly.

For any questions or assistance with updating to WordPress 6.5, our WHC support team is here to help you make the most of these exciting new features.

Stay ahead in the digital space with WordPress 6.5 and see what’s planned for version 6.6!

Cloudfest 2024

WHC at CloudFest: the World’s Biggest Cloud Conference

WHC News & Events

Every year, people ask me why some of us at WHC travel all the way to Rust, Germany, for CloudFest, the #1 internet infrastructure conference in the world. 

It’s a huge event for anyone in the cloud and tech industry, and this year marked CloudFest’s 20th anniversary. 

Let me give you a peek at CloudFest 2024 (and why we keep going back).

What’s CloudFest all about?

Imagine a place where everyone who’s anyone in the cloud business meets. That’s CloudFest. It’s held every year at Europa Park, one of Europe’s biggest amusement parks. 🎢🎡🎆

CloudFest is known for being the biggest cloud and tech meet-up globally. There's learning, networking, and, yes, some pretty epic concerts and parties too!

Cloudfest 2024

CloudFest in the age of AI

This year, CloudFest sessions focused heavily on the new opportunities and challenges that come with the rise of AI. Most vendors were demoing and showcasing new versions of their software, now leveraging generative AI to create richer and easier user experiences. 

Facing such a major shift, it’s no surprise NVidia was visible as a major sponsor, leading the way with its industry-leading GPU performance that’s been bringing affordable AI to the masses (and sending its stocks soaring!). 

Microsoft and OpenAI, while not overtly present at CloudFest as Sponsors, were clearly behind much of the service innovation that was being showcased this year.

WHC at CloudFest

Miles, WHC’s Director of Finance, and I got to reconnect with our trusted vendors, including WebPros/cPanel, CloudLinux, rankingCoach, CentralNIC, Verisign, Digicert (and many, many others), while also discovering and exploring new opportunities.

But CloudFest isn't all business - we also had many laughs, rocked out to live concerts, enjoyed roller coasters (did we mention they host startup rollercoaster pitches?), and even got to see a rather unique server-throwing competition (but alas, were not brave enough to directly participate)!

Why we keep going back

It boils down to the people. Sure, CloudFest is the biggest event of its kind, but what really makes it special is getting to meet leaders, innovators, and thinkers from all over the cloud world. We share stories, learn from each other, solidify partnerships, and come back inspired to do even more to empower Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs online. For 4 days, even competitors get together and discuss practical and meaningful ways to solve common challenges and improve the state of our industry.

A stopover at NDD Camp

If this wasn’t enough, it was also a great pleasure to wrap up the week by attending NDDCamp, a domain-centric conference in beautiful Strasbourg, France. Major topics included DNS abuse (and how to prevent it at the registry/registrar level), ICANN’s next round of new, generic TLDs (slated for Q2 2026) and the rise (and challenges) of Web3 domains.

Cloudfest 2024

A big thank you to Benjamin Louis for receiving us, and the delightful gang that joined us down there!

Until Next Time

A big shout-out to everyone who made CloudFest 2024 amazing. And to all the friends, partners, and new acquaintances we made, thanks for the great time. We're already looking forward to CloudFest 2025! 

In the meantime, we'll be in Austin, Texas, in June, for the US edition of CloudFest and Namescon. Follow us on LinkedIn for all the inside scoops!

CloudFest shows us how cool and innovative the cloud industry is. It’s a reminder of why we do what we do at WHC, and we can’t wait to bring some of these ideas to life at WHC!

Yoast SEO

How to optimize your website’s referencing with Yoast SEO

Small Business Success, WordPress

Can optimizing your search engine rankings be quick and easy? Yes. It's never been easier, in fact, thanks to Yoast SEO, a WordPress plugin that's perfect for those new to SEO.

If you've read some of our other blog posts, then you’ve probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO). For those of you who haven't, SEO is the use of various techniques that aim to better position a website's pages in search engine results.

What is Yoast SEO?

Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin, available as a free or premium version, and is designed to help optimize a website's content for better search engine results. A wide range of features are available, including optimization of titles, keywords, readability and more.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the free version of Yoast, which is all you'll need to implement each of the steps below.

How to install and configure Yoast SEO?

First of all, you obviously need to use the WordPress content management system. Otherwise, you won't be able to use Yoast – not on a site designed on Wix, for example.

Simply download the Yoast SEO plugin and install it on your site. Once that's done, you need to configure the basic settings. To do this, go to the Yoast SEO section of the control panel and click on "General".

Yoast UI

Follow each step carefully, taking the time to read the instructions. Normally, the setup shouldn't be too difficult.

A key element: the target query

For each page, post or product created on WordPress, you'll need to find and specify the target query representing the content displayed.

What is a target query? A target query is one or several words typed by a user into a search engine. For example, if you're writing an article describing the benefits of a healthy diet, your target query might be "benefits," "healthy diet," or "benefits of a healthy diet." The target query is actually the main keyword of the page (not the site).

A few reminders about the query:

  • The word order in the query is important.
  • Diversify your queries: never use two identical target queries for different pages on your site; if you do, your pages will cannibalize each other and no longer appear on search engines at all.
  • The Premium version will enable you to rank well for the keywords indicated in your content, making it easier to raise the query.

Once you've found the query, simply plug it in where indicated in the Yoast SEO section at the bottom of your content.

Yoast UI

Optimizing titles and meta descriptions

This is an important element of SEO. Fortunately, optimizing titles and description tags is a snap with Yoast!

First off, regarding your page title, remember to keep it short and include the target query.

Yoast UI

The slug is the part of the URL after the domain name, which synthesizes the content of a specific page on a website. It's also essential to find the query in the slug.

As for the Meta Description, this is a very concise summary containing the main query, and will appear below the page title in the search results. Its purpose is to provide an overview of the page's content and encourage users to click on it.

The title and Meta Description will appear on search engines as follows:

Yoast UI

You can always refer to the analysis at the bottom of your page to see whether the optimization of certain elements is working or not.

Yoast UI

Integrating internal and external links into a page or article will definitely help your site rank well.

Internal linking means integrating a link to another page on your site, based on a word or phrase related to the subject.

External links are integrated in the same way, but point to other websites. Make sure you choose credible sites! Otherwise, search engines will automatically penalize you!

It's important to carefully plan the links you wish to integrate and to do so subtly, as in the example below (where the links are in blue).

Yoast UI

You should also check your links occasionally to make sure they're still working – thus avoiding 404 errors.

Legibility analysis

Search engines don't just evaluate content, but also the container itself. In other words, your writing style will also impact your ranking. Fortunately, Yoast SEO's readability analysis tool can help. It evaluates the following:

  • Length of sentences
  • Level of diction
  • Sufficient use of transition words (also called relationship markers)
  • Use of the passive and active voice
  • Title hierarchy
  • Paragraph length

How do you know if you're on the right track? Yoast makes it easy with color-coded dots and smiley faces. Green equals proper optimization, orange indicates there's room for improvement, and red means your content could be better optimized.

You'll also have access to the Flesch readability score.

The Flesch readability score is an index for assessing the readability of a text. The higher the rating, the more accessible the text; the lower the rating, the more complex the text. Obviously, in SEO, we want the highest possible rating.
Yoast UI

Image optimization

Take the time to optimize the various tags in your images; Yoast will tell you whether this has been done properly. Whether it's file names, Alt tags or other image attributes, they all influence SEO.

Effective image optimization will allow your site to come up in search engines’ image search function, which can then bring you more traffic.

Yoast SEO checklist

Here's a summative checklist to ensure proper optimization in Yoast:

  1. Install Yoast SEO
  2. Set up the basic configuration
  3. Define the target query
  4. Choose a page title
  5. Draft the Meta Description
  6. Create a slug
  7. Check content readability
  8. Add internal and external links
  9. Optimize images

Final thoughts on Yoast SEO

In closing, it's worth noting that Yoast offers many other possibilities that are not covered here. This is especially true if you're working with the Premium version, which is comprehensive, but is not necessary for excellent site optimization.

Obviously, mastering SEO is more complex than all this. There's no substitute for the technical and editorial skills needed for good SEO. However, Yoast is a great tool for the more novice among us.

If you optimize each of the previous elements for your pages, articles and products, you'll certainly see an improvement in your ranking. Also bear in mind that it may take some time for changes to be indexed by search engines.

And if you’re looking for even more features, or if you'd like to evaluate your positioning, we invite you to get our rankingCoach tool.