Brian Houdek Web Design

🚀 Local SEO is changing fast — and if you’re not using reviews, citations, and structured data right now, your business could get buried in AI search results. 😬

I just published a new blog post breaking it all down for small businesses using WordPress.

👀 What’s inside:
✅ Why reviews still rule
✅ How I use BrightLocal for citations
✅ The power of structured data in 2025
✅ My WordPress + MainWP + Cloudflare setup

👉 Read it here:
https://brianhoudek.com/local-seo-in-2025-why-reviews-citations-and-structured-data-matter-more-than-ever/

Rev up your website's speed with the power trio: WP Rocket 🚀, Cloudflare ☁️, and Imagify 📸! 🌟 Say goodbye to slow loading times and hello to lightning-fast web performance. Check out our latest blog post to learn how these tools can turbocharge your website. 💥

Read more at https://brianhoudek.com/building-lightning-fast-websites-how-i-achieve-top-google-pagespeed-scores/

In October 2020 Adobe Photoshop added new “Neural Filters” that use AI to alter or improve photos. While it may not be the fanciest of the group, JPEG Artifacts Removal has become essential in my daily workflow. Pixelation is a big problem when clients send me image files. Pixelation is essentially blurriness that can be caused by multiple factors. When I’m designing a website, or adding content to a website, I want to use crisp, clear images. Photoshop’s JPEG Artifacts Removal Neural Filter is unbelievable at cleaning up any pixelation or blurriness in photos.

Read more at https://www.brianhoudek.com/jpeg-artifacts-removal-an-awesome-photoshop-tool-to-improve-pixelation/

38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout are unattractive. I can help. https://www.brianhoudek.com

Why You Need To Use 2-Factor Authentication – ALWAYS

Using strong, complex passwords and different passwords for every account is a good defense against someone hacking into your account. However, it's far from the best defense. 2-Factor Authentication is the ultimate level of security. 2-Factor Authentication adds an additional layer of security when you login to an account by requiring you to open an app (Google Authenticator for example) to enter a code which regenerates every 30 seconds.
Why Do I Need 2-Factor Authentication?
Countless people use the same passwords across multiple accounts. This is a problem because there have been many password leaks over the years. Chances are pretty good your e-mail address is on that list. If you want to check, visit haveibeenpwned.com. Even if you're not on that list now, there will be more hacks and inevitably some website you registered with over the years will get hacked. Hackers will take your e-mail address and password to attempt to login to various accounts. If they get the right ones your identity can be stolen.
How Do I Protect Myself?
The first step to get 2-Factor Authentication is to install an app, such as Google Authenticator, on your phone. Most websites that store sensitive data have the ability to enable 2-Factor Authentication. I recommend looking under "My Account" or "Account Settings" on those websites. Under "Security" you will usually find an option to enable 2-Factor Authentication. The website will show a QR code, which you scan with the Google Authenticator app and you're good to go. The next time you login you'll be asked for a six-digit code, which is generated in the app and updated every 30 seconds.
Learn From My Mistake
I have 2-Factor Authentication enabled on every account that I possibly can. I had an issue where one of my CPanel (hosting control panel for a website) accounts got hacked. I was using a very strong username and password. Most likely my clients' e-mail was hacked and the intruders were able to do a search for certain words in past e-mails, such as "CPanel". I had sent a password list with all the website information, which included the CPanel login (I have since changed how I send passwords).

I hope this information helps you protect your passwords (and ultimately your identity). If you want to learn more about 2-Factor Authentication. If you're looking for a new website, have an existing website, or just need some SEO improvement, please contact me today. I'd love the opportunity to help your business improve its web presence.

Why You Need To Use 2-Factor Authentication - ALWAYS - Brian Houdek Web Design Using strong, complex passwords and different passwords for every account is a good defense against someone hacking into your account. However, it’s far from the best defense. 2-Factor Authentication is the ultimate level of security. 2-Factor Authentication adds an additional layer of security wh...