On August 1, 2018, Google rolled out a major update. They classified it as a core broad algorithm update with no intent to target a specific vertical however, the search community saw that affected sites are in the health and medical industry thus calling it the Medic Update.

What is a “Core Broad Algorithm Update”?

Here’s what Google has to say about the broad core algorithm update:

“Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year….”

Yes, this is a very vague explanation but that’s how Google operates when it comes to their search algorithm. The key takeaways from this statement about broad core algorithm updates are:

• Not focused on specific improvements
• Designed to improve results

Then what exactly is the Medic Update about?

Let’s start by looking at what Google has said about this update:

Google has confirmed that an update was rolled out on August 1, 2018, referencing a statement they released on March 2018:

“As with any update, some sites may note drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded….”

“…There’s no “fix” for pages that may perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content. Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages.”

Google’s Danny Sullivan, has also said that this update is global.

On the 26th of July, 1990, former US President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. Its top priority was to avoid discrimination due to a person’s disability. Like its predecessor, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which focused on race, color, sex, national origin, and religion, ADA made unjust treatment of people with disabilities illegal and punishable by law. Today, it’s had a significant impact on American society. Public buildings, transportation, schools and even jobs are required to follow the ADA Guidelines and Checklists. People with disabilities now have the opportunity to be on equal footing with the average individuals. Additionally, with the advent of the Internet, ADA has been extended to the World Wide Web.

In recent years, more and more websites have sprouted, and most of them were created with little to no thought about people who have disabilities. Take note that progressively, website owners and developers are being brought into court due to non-compliance. It is crucial to go over the ADA Compliance very carefully to avoid lengthy and expensive legal battles.

Thinking of ways to make a website adaptable to a person with a disability can be difficult, especially if you have no experience or no interactions with such a person. However, guidelines can be acquired online or by calling the United States’ Department of Justice and Civil Rights Division. There is also the Assistive Technology used by people with disability. These tools make their lives more comfortable and easier. With the progress of this technology, all they need to do is tweak the website around with the help of these devices and ensure that the contents are compatible with these helpful tools.

ADA Compliance Checklist for Websites

The following are some things to consider before going public with an upcoming website. At the end of this article, you’ll find it could be easy to get a check mark on the ADA compliance test.

Presentation

The website’s design itself can be a very difficult obstacle to maneuver. Make sure that the website layout is not too complex; have the options for adjustments. Let website readers or visitors have the option to adjust the size or color of certain parts such as text, font, and even images. The requirement by the ADA is a resizable ability of up to 200% from the original size.

Text

Favor bigger fonts for titles, headings, menus, and banners. The font size is relevant for those who have vision impairments such as blurry visions. The Bigger size will enable them to read better and with less strain.

The color is also important. Design text that is easy to spot. The text should not be consumed with the background color rendering it difficult to read. Moreover, the text that is underlined must be removed. This gives the impression that the text is a link to another page or website.

Audio and Video

For audios, videos, and images, the best way to make them compliant is through captioning. Add texts to images. Detailed descriptions are also required, these will be useful information for those who cannot see. These descriptions will be read with the help of text reader software. Video transcripts are also a good way to provide other options, especially for deaf or blind people.

Assistive Technology

Today, people with disabilities get help from sources that are available to them. Technology has made it possible to utilize the same tools to be used on the internet. We have the text-to-speech devices, closed captioning, text magnifiers, screen-reading software or optical character recognition and more. Bear in mind that most websites can utilize these tools to cater to those with disabilities. Here are some changes or enhancements that can be done:

• Provide HTML format

This format is easy to interpret for those who are using text-to-speech or similar applications. Avoid PDFs; these documents cannot be read or recognized by optical character recognition devices. For people who are not able to use the computer mouse, a specialized keyboard can be used instead. Make sure the website can support keyboard navigation.

Skip navigation is also now available. This allows users to skip links or headings to directly go to the main content of the page without going through the whole website.

• Support

The above list already covers most of the checklist requirements. However, as most websites and other publicly accessible engines, a website needs to provide support. Support for the disabled is also a requirement. Here’s how:

Provide access to feedback

Take feedback from people with disability into consideration. They might contribute suggestions that could significantly improve your website.

Web developers must be ready to apply tweaks and changes whenever a requirement is not met.

Try hiring or asking people with disabilities to try the website from time to time. This ensures that the ADA conditions are being met or are still working.

Provide support by phone, email or letter. Just like feedback, questions might arise. This provides good customer support and not only is the website being compliant; this might entice more people to visit too.

Listed are just the basic things a web developer and a website owner need to contemplate about before going online. Or, if the said website is already live, follow the above steps as quickly as possible.

Web Accessibility

Web Accessibility is a program that was developed for people with disabilities. This initiative takes into consideration what most disabled people need to access websites just like how average people access them. This means the website is user-friendly both for those who are disabled and those who are not.

Most of the time, it could be very difficult to identify if a website is ADA Compliant, but rest assured, there is a simple solution to this. Most accessibility problems can be detected by a tool that is free to use and is available online like WAVE.

WAVE (wave.webaim.org) is free of charge. How does it work? Just go to the website and evaluate the accessibility. With a little study and effort, you’ll be able to use this tool to isolate errors and adjust as needed. In any case, a live person is still the best option to detect what is missing. As mentioned earlier, asking someone with experience or has a disability would be the perfect solution.

Web developers are most likely tempted to avoid this compliance checklist. However, bear in mind that people with disabilities are also human like us. They have the right to have equal access to what regular people enjoy, and websites are one of those. And one more thing to take note of, if you are a developer or website owner who is willing to risk lawsuits so that they can skip or avoid making the lives of several million people easier? Think about it.

Want to know what it takes to make your website ADA compliant? PrimeView has extensive experience in creating ADA compliant websites, Contact us today.

For further reading:

ADA Compliance and Your Website

Americans with Disabilities Act – WCAG Checklist

ADA Compliant Websites and The Law

According to Adobe, 59% of global consumers would rather engage with content that’s beautifully designed as opposed to simply designed. Additionally, they reported that nearly 9 out of 10 mobile users would switch devices or stop viewing content altogether if it fails to meet their quality, length, and formatting expectations.

Needless to say, if you are a web designer, you have a lot on your plate. After years of both professional and self-taught training, clients depend on you to meet their vision and ensure that their customers will appeal to the overall design, responsiveness, and functionality of your design. If not, you will face excessive revisions — or worse, lose a client.

Handling Client Feedback

You spend months working on a website, agonizing over every detail. You anticipate the deadline, so assured and confident that the client will love the final mockup. You form a grin, click “send,” and wait for the accolades to start pouring in.

Then you get an email that says, “I don’t like this direction.” or “This is not what I had in mind.”

No matter how long you’ve been in the web design industry, one of the most daunting feelings is handling client feedback. In situations where a client seeks revisions, you must tread lightly because showing any signs of aggravation would risk losing the project.

The best way to go about web design revisions is to establish a system. This system can be integral to your success, and without it, you might waste countless hours performing changes.

1. It starts with getting to know your client before starting the web design process.

When you get a client whose budget is over the moon, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and start making unwise decisions. As a web designer, you must understand the needs, wants, and goals of a client to avoid revision requests altogether.

The goal is to get inside your client’s head at the very beginning of the project to come across fewer problems later in the process. Take the time to thoroughly discuss not only the client’s vision for the website but also the functionality it needs. This will ultimately limit or eliminate the need for extensive revisions.

For instance, if you agreed to a five-page site and realized towards the end of the project that one of those pages should function as a blog with its own comment section, search bar, and category archive sub-pages — you will have a major revision problem in your hands. Always remember to be unassuming when it comes to what the client wants. Ask questions and have the right conversations before you start designing to help you avoid these types of unnecessary surprises and revisions.

2. Seal the deal by signing a contract.

After discussing the ins and outs of the web design project, you need to put all of it in writing. A contract should elaborate the scope of the project, the costs, and how you will handle future revisions. Don’t hesitate to include a specific number of revisions with your quote, or opt to charge an hourly rate for any changes. Have your own policies as a professional web designer.

Detailing your revision policies in the contract will ultimately set parameters for the project and give you a point of reference, should the client begin making excessive requests.

3. Showcase your sense of honesty and diplomacy.

Revisions are part of any creative’s job, but you should also explain to a client that extra charges are inevitable when requests go beyond the scope of what they are paying you. For instance, when a client asks for more revisions, you can tell them that you’re happy to make the change and add it to the bill.

It’s also crucial to walk a client through the changes to help them understand why you need to add extra charges. Communication is a powerful tool for both conflict management and contract negotiation, among other things. Let’s say towards the end of the project, the client asks for unrealistic revisions. You can say, “No, that’s not possible because…,” which can come off extremely negative. It’s better to choose your words carefully and say, “Yes, we could definitely do that, and it’ll cost you this much extra because….” This way, you either extend the project and expand your earnings, or make it crystal clear that their request is unfeasible — but in a positive light.

A Word of Advice

Once you incorporate these best practices into your client discovery and web design process, the project should be smooth sailing. But don’t expect the same results for every client and project — that’s just the reality of it. Remember, the best thing you can do during the initial phase is to discuss and define each goal thoroughly. Before you embark on a new web design project, it’s imperative that both you and your prospective client are on the same page.

Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to be selective. When choosing to work with a client, try to look for characteristics that serve as hints on how well your working relationship will be. You should examine the following:

•  How passionate are they about the project?

• Are they haggling before you even begin to bounce ideas?

• Do they have a clear picture of their own goals?

• Are they willing to take your professional advice?

• Are they showing an interest in working with you specifically?

In general, if the client shows hesitation or a lack of understanding of their own project needs and goals, you should consider turning them down. After all, it’s your time and talent that’s on the line.

If you have further questions or are in need of professional web design services, let PrimeView employ effective solutions according to your business goals and needs. Call us today at 480-970-4688 or complete our online form to request a free proposal.

Have you been operating a thriving business for years without a website? Have you been wondering whether you do indeed need a website? You might think that with all these years of business success, who needs it? Whether you are operating a small or a large scale business without a website, there are a few good reasons why you need one. You might think that just because you are not exactly techy or are hardly online, that the rest of the world is the same way. Nothing can be farther from the truth. There are tons of reasons why your business needs a website. Here are thirteen:

1. Sell your products/services online

It goes without saying that the best reason for having a website is to be able to sell your products and services online. If you only had a brick and mortar store in the past, having an online store/website helps you sell more, without having to face the customer and convincing them to buy. It makes buying your goods easier for both your customers and simplifies selling for your staff.

2. It Helps Identify Your Customers

There are tools you can use online that will help identify what your customers like, how they found you and their behavior on your site. This helps you be able to adapt your business to them and maximize site purchases. You can also tweak your site to be much more appealing to your customers. 

3. It Is Expected

These days, everyone has a website. All your current and future customers are going to assume you have one. As a matter of fact, if you don’t have a website you might turn off more than a few potential customers since that would be highly unusual in their eyes for any business not to have a site. In fact, it may seem a bit suspicious to them.

4. On Par With The Big Leagues

When you have a website, you immediately become on par with bigger businesses that have websites as well. For example, if you are just starting your own store online, the moment your website is up and running, you will immediately be able to compete with all the sites that have been online for years. Having a website levels the playing field.

5. You Are Always Available

Basically, when you have a website you are always available. Your business will then be running all year round, twenty-four hours, seven days a week. There won’t be a need to lock the physical door or supervise every inquiry. In essence, being online all the time gives you and your customers the convenience of being available and noticed at all times of the day or night. When all you have is a physical store with no website, your shop closes at the end of the day, which puts limits on your exposure. A website will get you more and it will look like your store is always open.

6. Grow Influence and Keep Your Customers Informed

When you have a site that shows your products in front of thousands of people searching for what you have to offer at a drop of a hat, this is an effective method of maximum exposure for minimum effort. You can also announce upcoming events, special promotions and new products or services that you offer immediately on your website.

7. Potential Clients Increase

You will be missing out on all the potential clients you might otherwise have when you don’t have a site. There are billions of people online every day and ninety percent of those people are buying something online. When you join the online crowd, you can make more sales.  Add to that the possibility of getting customers from all over the world – remember, your website can be viewed not just in your local area, but international too. They don’t call it the world wide web for nothing.

8. It’s Your Online Brochure

When you own a website, you can create an online business brochure to reach unlimited audiences around the world. This will be lower in cost than actually printing out millions of paper brochures. 

9. Save Money and Time

It will take less time and money to provide your customers and potential clients with the information they need through your website. Rather than having to print out brochures, answer every email, talk on the phone or entertain customers face-to-face, a website will be able to do it all.  You might feel that spending to maintain a website for a small business will cost more, but the opposite is true as this saves you time and money in the long run.

10. Credibility Matters

Believe it or not, your business becomes more credible when you have a website. You might argue that you have been successful for years without a site. Well, you will soon find out firsthand how much more successful you will be when you actually have a website. After all, the point of your business is to sell a product or a service, right? Adding a website will build your credibility in leaps and bounds, translating to ever-valuable sales.

11. It Promotes Your Brick and Mortar Shop

When you have an actual shop in town, your website can contain the contact information and directions on how to get to your shop. This will enable customers to come to visit your actual shop without having to search too hard for where to find your telephone number or store location.

12. Staffing

When you need to hire new staff, you can advertise online and potential employees can apply online as well. This makes it so much more convenient than actually having to do the application process in person.

13. Your Location Is Constant

When you need to move your brick and mortar shop to a different location, your website remains constant. This means that if you have to sacrifice your brick and mortar business and delay opening day, your website store stays open no matter what.

Need help setting up a website for your business?

Putting off building a website hurts your business in so many ways.  If you need help in setting up your website or you don’t know where to get started, PrimeView can help you plan it from scratch and create a strategy to maximize your online visibility. Call us today 480-970-4688 or fill out our online form

Photo by Jens Kreuter &  rawpixel.com on Unsplash

You may be asking why you, the owner of a small online business, should be worried about online security. As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons you should invest on online security. How so?

Symantec’s 2014 Internet Security Threat Report showed staggering statistic how small businesses are likely to be victimized by online fraud. The report said that 61% of the attacks targeted businesses with employees fewer than 2,500. On the other hand, 41% of the attacks were aimed at those with fewer than 500 employees, and 30% targeted those with fewer than 250 employees.

The effects of a fraud attack

Take a look at the 2013 Target credit card debacle. Target had to pay $10 million to customers for the damages – and that’s notwithstanding the losses Target sustained. While Target is a big business that can at least take the hit, consider how disastrous it would be if the target was a small business.

The National Cyber Security Alliance once said that one in five small businesses are victimized by cybercrime annually. Among those who were victimized, over half would go out of the business within six months.

To make it even more realistic, imagine if you are the owner of a specialty shop that had an online component. One day, you noticed that someone placed an order for $5,000 worth of items. It’s not a big deal, as this is something you could sell on the storefront to a very eager customer. Your staff didn’t notice anything odd with the order, and they packed it up and sent it to the courier.

That night, you couldn’t sleep. You check the order, and noticed that the $5,000 was comprised of odds and bits. The order didn’t make sense. The next morning, you had your staff do the routine follow-up call (asking the customers how they liked the items) – but no one can get ahold of the customer. You dug deeper and realized that the address is a vacant property. Frantically, you realized what happened – you’ve been duped. A fraudster used somebody else’s credit card details to make a purchase on your store. The original credit card owner probably didn’t notice that their card is gone or hasn’t reported it yet. Whatever the case, the order is out the door, and you’re going to sustain $5,000 worth of losses.

The fact of the matter is that the biggest victims of credit card frauds are small businesses. They are the ones who would reel from the effects of such an attack. While $5000 may not be enough to sink a business, it can make a dent that you would be hard-pressed to fix if you do not have the money to start over.

How to avoid credit card fraud

Thankfully, there are a number of ways through which you can protect your online business from credit card fraud. Firstly, look out for the red flags. These red flags usually involve:

• Unusually large orders from a customer who has not even inquired about anything
• Expensive orders that are under rush processing or overnight shipping
• Missing information on the order, such as a phone number
• Orders from foreign countries that are being shipped within the USA
• Orders from the US that are being shipped to foreign countries
• Drastic change in the usual amount being purchased (for example, if your customer regularly purchases items worth $50 and the next transaction was $500)
• Suspicious email addresses – this means email address that are in long, alphanumeric format. Most email addresses are very easy to understand (for example, firstname.lastname@wherever.com), as this email address is something that they would use on their day-to-day life. If you come across an email address such as 12345678ashedjhajh@wherever.com, then it’s probably a scammer and you should pay closer attention.

While these things are not usually a sign of fraudulent online activity on its own, it is worth checking out if several of the signs are present in any transaction.

Now that you are familiar with the red flags, here are a number of ways through which you can further protect your business from credit card fraud:

• Verify – Compare the billing and the shipping address. If they do not match, call the credit card holder and see verify the shipping address. This way you would be able to determine if the credit card holder actually placed the order. If you are unsure of an order, call the customer using the number they gave you and make an excuse to talk to the cardholder. If you cannot talk to the cardholder, do not ship the items. Likewise, you should also verify that the IP address matches the billing address. Lastly, use address verification and card code verification (CCV) to ensure that you are dealing with a person who is authorized to use the credit card.
• Set a declined transaction limit – Individuals with access to several credit card numbers would usually use a software script to send instructions to your site until one is accepted. By setting a declined limit (for example, three declines), you would be forcing the user to actually contact your customer service department. If they are fraudsters, they would be unlikely to contact your customer service department.
• Flag high value orders for manual confirmation – Instead of having everything automated (i.e., from placing items to cart and verifying the payment), have a limit where high value orders have to be verified by a live person. This could be as simple as having someone on the phone call the customer. Again, if they are scammers, they would be unlikely to speak with a real person.
• Coordinate a package recall service with your shipping company – This service enables you to track packages in real time and to freeze the delivery at any given time. This way, when you discover something fishy going on with a transaction, you can immediately ask the item to be held at a distribution center or to delay delivery while you are verifying the transaction.
• Use software that can detect potential fraud – There are numerous software that can see up to the minute information and determine if they are fraudulent or not. This would minimize the risk of scammers targeting your website.

These are just some of the things that you can do to ensure that you are protected against credit card fraud. Remember, when in doubt, verify.

Need help securing your website?

An outdated website can compromise its overall security. If you need help improving your site, PrimeView offers an annually renewable SSL Certificate that includes a one-time setup fee and configuration. Leave it to us to secure your site and help it rank higher in the Google SERPs. Request a free proposal by calling 480-970-4688 today.

In order to host with them, many host companies want you to own your own domain name. If you don’t have one, the company will show you how you can buy one. There are package deals as well in which you can get web hosting, email and custom domain done in one subscription.

Types of Services for Web Hosting

To host your website, there are many different types of web hosting services. Before you sign up, you need to know which kind you need for your particular website. You also need to know the kind of server your company or you need, what type of service your web host offers and what your budget happens to be.

Available options for hosting include collocated hosting, dedicated hosting, shared hosting and website builders.

Collocated hosting is a kind of hosting in which you will need to buy your own servers and have this stored at the facilities of your web host. You will have the responsibility of taking care of the server. The benefit you get from this kind of hosting is that you have total control of the servers. You can install all the applications and scripts you need.

Dedicated hosting is when you have the web servers entirely without having to share anything. This gives you a much more rapid performance than one that is shared. You have the entire resources of the servers to yourself without having to share with other site owners. On the other hand, this can also mean that you will be in charge of the server’s entire cost of the operation. For site requiring a lot of system resources, or need top security, this kind is a good choice.

Shared hosting is when you and another site owner share the same server. This type of hosting environment includes sharing the software applications and the physical server within the server itself. Services that are shared give you the advantage that it is affordable since you are sharing the cost of operations for the hosting. This type is not as fast as dedicated hosting since you are sharing one host, but for some, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Services of website building are a kind of host service catering to beginners that need website hosting but don’t have the knowledge and the technical skills for building one. Typically, site building services provide you with an interface based on online browsers for building your site. Thus, the service also hosts the site with no extra set-up.

What Are Your Plans?

Have you been planning to build a site with bigger goals for your business? If you are, a good web host can make the difference between success and mediocrity. These days, selecting the right host can be quite a task since there are so many services claiming to offer the best plan for hosting. There are a few things to keep in mind that make your task of having to select a web hosting service simple and easy.

Free Domain—Don’t Fall for It

Giving you a free domain is one way that website hosting companies attempt to attract clients. Make sure you read the fine print when you see a company that is offering a free domain.  Remember, most people who are offering web services are in it for the money. When someone offers free services, there has to be a catch somewhere.

When you are doing research on which web host to be part of, make sure that there are no fees that you are not aware of. Some free services give you a free domain which is still owned by the web hosts. This means you are basically at their mercy and renewal fees may be steep.

How Much Storage?

You will need to read the fine print regarding storage when you are planning to purchase the services of a web host. If a site takes up more space than the storage it is allowed, web hosts sometimes terminate the site due to breach of contract. For this reason, it will literally be to your advantage to find out how much storage you are allowed to have.

Ask About Disk Space and Bandwidth

How much traffic do you think your website will generate? Aside from your budget, this is one of the most important considerations when you are planning to get a web host. Find out what your goals are and how much bandwidth and disk space this will require. Remember, if you don’t have a lot of space, your site might shut down when there is too much traffic. The same can be said for bandwidth. Before you buy a service, see if it has the space and capacity you need for your own website.

Everyone planning to have a website will eventually need a web host. Knowing all there is to know as a layperson and not as a tech-guy will entail research and thorough information-gathering. Needless to say, if this is something you are planning to do, and you are a non-techy person, keep in mind that many websites being hosted on the web are done by non-techy people as well. In other words, if they can do it, so can you.

Secure a reliable web host

Having an unreliable web host might make it difficult for visitors to see the full potential of your website. If you require web hosting assistance, call us today at 480-970-4688 and we’ll secure your technical support needs.

Losing your credit card or having someone use your personal details for fraudulent means can be considered as a nightmare for most people. After all, there is nothing as perplexing and confounding as going to sleep
at night, only to wake up to see that you have racked up humongous debts overnight. Here’s how you can prevent it from happening to you.

What is credit card fraud?

FindLaw.com, a part of Thomson Reuters, defines credit card fraud as “a form of identity theft that involves an unauthorized taking of another’s credit card information for the purpose of charging purchases to the account or removing funds from it.” Surprisingly, a lot of people fall for credit card frauds. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns Americans to safeguard their credit or debit card information vigilantly.

Now, there are a number of ways through which people can be victimized by this kind of fraud. It can happen in such a casual manner, such as when you throw out your bills and fraudulent people would get your information from the bills to make purchases in your account. Likewise, it can be a result of a massive hack, such as if a credible website is cracked open by hackers
and your credit card information is available to anyone who has access to the data.

The following are more common ways through how people are victimized by credit card frauds:

Being inattentive when paying with your card

How many times have you gone out to eat and you just handed the server your credit card at the end of the meal? A server or a store clerk can easily take photos of your credit card and use it to make purchases using your details. You can ask your server if you can follow them to the terminal where you can swipe the card. While it may come off as being paranoid to some, it is better to be cautious than to be victimized. Also, avoid using your credit card in unfamiliar places, such as when you are abroad in a small store.

In this instance, it would be better to use cash than to pay with your card. Another common way through how this is executed is when you are harried while paying. The chances that you would leave your credit card in the store are very high if you are not paying attention. As such, make sure that you leave every store with your credit card, particularly if you used it to pay for your purchases.

Lastly, there are cases wherein skimmers are placed over terminals so that your information would be copied even when you swiped the card yourself. To ensure that the terminal doesn’t have a skimmer, try to see if it looks as normal as possible. Terminals with skimmers tend to be bulkier and bigger. If you’re purchasing in an unfamiliar store, just use cash if you have it on you.

Dubious offerings

We’ve seen multiple cases wherein people are swindled into giving their credit card information to other people they haven’t met before, such as telemarketers and agents. What usually happens is that they are given an insane offer they cannot resist, such as a Caribbean cruise. Then, the victims would be asked to give their credit card information for verification purposes and to supposedly reserve their slots.

Unsurprisingly, these people would then eventually find out that their information was used to make fraudulent transactions. Older adults are prone to this kind of fraud, particularly those who live alone. Since many of them are unfamiliar with how these frauds progress, they are then susceptible to being tricked that they won something only when it turns out that they didn’t. If you have parents or older relatives who are living alone, warn them against giving out their information to strangers.

Losing your cards

When people lose their wallets, this loss is often punctuated by the loss of multiple credit cards. To avoid this, try to bring only one credit card when you go out. You can also opt to separate your credit cards to minimize the loss when it happens. Likewise, many credit card companies offer to give you a second card with a smaller credit limit. If you use this card when you are making purchases, then the amount of money that the fraudsters could get would be limited. There are also other ways through which people are swindled by credit card frauds.

Thankfully, there are a number of ways through which you can prevent it from happening in the first place. We mentioned leaving your other cards at home or using a card with a small credit limit when making purchases to unverified stores. You can also do the following to minimize your chances of being victimized:

Be Vigilant about your bills

Check and double check your credit card bills and ensure that you made every single transaction. If there is a single discrepancy with your bill, report it to your credit card issuer immediately. Likewise, try to save your receipts so that you have proof of your purchases. If you’re keeping a close eye on your bills, then you would immediately see if there is a transaction that you did not make.

Report loss and fraud 

Once you notice that there is a discrepancy in your account or if you have lost your card, contact your credit card issuer immediately and report it. The FTC says that once you report a lost credit card, “the law says you have no additional responsibility for charges you didn’t make; in any case, your liability for each card lost or stolen is $50.” While there is a different process for accounts that were hacked or used to make fraudulent transactions, the sooner that you catch it, the better it would be for you. When your credit card information is compromised, immediately ask for an investigation and for that account to be closed down.

Trust only secure websites

As much as possible, transact online with reputable websites – most of these sites have trust seals such as Norton, McAfee secure, etc. With Google’s preference for secure websites, the majority of websites employ SSL or HTTPS. This ensures your transaction is encrypted and secure. If you’re using a Chrome browser, it should show a secure sign (and a padlock icon) to let you know it’s safe to proceed with the purchase, signup, etc.

Being victimized by credit card fraud can be quite traumatic. At least with these tips, you would be able to protect yourself against being another statistic.

Need help securing your website?

Having an outdated website can jeopardize its overall security. PrimeView offers an annually renewable SSL Certificate for your site, including a one-time setup fee and configuration. Leave it to us to secure your site and users, as well as help your website rank higher in the Google SERPs.

For example, when you go to the address field of your browser and type in the website of Apple, such as www.Apple dot com, this is the domain name. What you may not realize is that the name of the website actually translates to numbers called an IP address, such as 12.345.678.9. Since people remember names better than numbers, domain names are the result. As a matter of fact, people tend to remember the shortest domain names the best. There are more than just a few good reasons to get a good domain name.

Some business owners and new company entrepreneurs try to cut costs by renting rather than buying a domain name. This is not a good business idea as it shows that you don’t even care enough to invest in your own link.

Build Your Brand

Brand awareness is enhanced when you own a domain name. If your company name and your domain name are the same, this gives you brand reinforcement. It makes it easier for potential clients and existing customers to keep your name in mind and tell their friends about you.

Walk-In Business Becomes More Possible

When you register your own name domain and this matches your business concept, you will draw surfers on the web that are searching for what you have to offer. For example, when you sell lawnmowers using the domain name Lawnmower.com, people browsing will simply stop by your website as virtual walk-in customers. In searching results, Lawnmowers.com might show up more often every time someone types the word lawn or lawnmower on Google.

Internet Presence Mobility

When you buy and own your very own domain name, you can move offices or states as many times as you want and keep the domain. In fact, you can travel across the world and people will still be able to reach you at the same address. The same cannot be said for people that don’t own their own domain. Having different domains will result in losing the momentum you built up your brand with.

Thinking Forward

When you have your own domain, this tells the world that you are serious about what you do. Not only that, it tells everyone that you are thinking forward. You welcome the Digital Age. It gives the impression that you are stepping up to the plate, going with the program and are keeping updated on the latest and the up and coming technologies. Whether this is completely true or not, having your own name on the domain does give this impression. In fact, it may be the very reason you are staying ahead of the rest.

Credibility

Your company looks very professional when you have your own domain name. When you publish your website through a free web host site or an ISP, this will give you a so-so, generic domain that does not really spark interest or stand out in any way. Since people don’t completely trust e-commerce and the internet with their money completely, credibility is important. In fact, it may even cross their minds that why should they reveal their credit card details to a company that won’t even spend to buy their very own domain name?

SEO and Your Domain Name

With such different views about how to climb the ranks of Google, the SEO world can be very contentious. With Google continuing to evolve its algorithms for rank, the right approach is anyone’s guess. With the changes in the algorithms, the importance of keywords in domain names has changed as well. Of course, there will be benefits in having your domain name contain target SEO keywords.

SEO Ranking and Your Domain

Believe it or not, when you have a name domain that is a match for your keyword target, this will give you an advantage. However, there is an even more significant factor to think about and that is your domain’s brand-ability. The importance of your brand cannot be denied. It is the basis on which your brand online will be built. Your name domain is how each user will share, remembers, find and relate to your online company. In both search engines and social media, the name domain is the main method in which a user identifies with where the links lead to.

The Real Truth

Some marketers will probably still tell you that search engine optimization is only all about links and keywords. The truth is that brands are something that Google really likes. Eric Schmidt CEO of Google mentioned ones that rather than being the problem, brands are the solution. The affinity for brands is clear and hard-wired. To the human existence, it is so basic that it is here to stay whether you like it or not. Choosing a domain that is brandable is clearly the first step to building a brand.

No matter how much cost-cutting you are taking to launch your company, having a great domain name should not be one of them. As a matter of fact, spending on not just your own domain name but on a great domain name that will work wonders for your brand is a great way to invest. Why should you compromise on the one thing people will recall when it comes to your brand? A domain name is your global internet location. You need to make it stand out and you need to pick the right one. Why compromise on this one thing? This is the one area of your brand that you will need to focus completely on. The results will be truly worth it.

Need a domain?

Having a simple and direct domain can distinguish the difference between creating a successful web presence and getting lost in cyberspace. If you need help securing the appropriate domain name for your business, call us at 480-970-4688 to request a free quote.

What is HTTPS?

Everyone should be familiar with HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, the basis of data communication for the entire internet. Every web address begins with HTTP. The addition of the “S” for “Secure” indicates that three extra layers of protection have been added that protects the integrity and confidentiality of your users’ data.

If a URL begins with “HTTPS, you know that the website is more secure. When visitors to your site, provide information via forms or conversations – they want to know that the personal info is confidential.

Data sent using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is protected via TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol that provides three key layers of protection:

1. Encryption – this layer keeps intruders and eavesdroppers from intercepting your visitor’s data exchanges or tracking their activities because only you have the decryption key.

2. Data integrity – data coming from the user or your site cannot be modified or corrupted during transfer, intentionally or otherwise, without being detected.

3. Authentication – prevents/deters MITM (Man-In-The-Middle) attacks. Keeps scammers from tricking your users into giving them their data.

Who needs HTTPS?

If you accept payments via credit cards, services such as PayPal or gather important personal information for any reason, you need HTTPS on those pages at a minimum. However, it is a good idea for everyone to use these extra layers of protection.

HTTPS not only keeps intruders from tricking your users into giving up sensitive information but also prevents them from installing malware or keeps advertisements from other companies showing up on your pages. There are also minor SEO benefits.

SSL Certificate
So how do you migrate your site to Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure? These are the steps you need to follow:

1. Purchase an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate

SSL Certificates are small data files that are installed on your web server that digitally attach a cryptographic key to your business details. When the https protocol is activated, it allows secure connections from your web server to the browser.

A green padlock icon will appear in front of https when it is activated.

There are 3 types from which to choose. The amount of data security is the same for all three levels, the additional validation offers increased customer trust.

1. Domain Validation – the most inexpensive and basic. It only provides encryption and validates the domain is registered.

2. Organization Validation – the middle-priced option, also includes authentication. Also, validates the domain ownership, and organization information included in the certificate such as name, city, state, and country.

3. Extended Validation – the top of the line option. It guarantees that the owner of the website passed a thorough, globally standardized, identity verification process. Needed for large e-commerce sites and sites that collect really important private information.

Where do I purchase an SSL certificate?

The certificate is issued by a certificate authority (CA) which verifies that your web address actually belongs to your organization. This protects your site visitors from man-in-the-middle attacks.

When choosing a certificate, Google recommends that you use 2048-bit encryption certificates, so keep that in mind if you go with a certificate that offers different levels of encryption.

You can purchase a certificate from your web host or from many SSL certificate vendor websites that offer different types at different prices. But the best way is to just get it from your own hosting company. The advantage of this is you can have them install it for you on your dedicated IP / hosting server.

However, not all hosting providers will install the certificate for you. If not, you will have to do it yourself or have someone you can trust who knows what they’re doing, perform the installation.

Moving your site from HTTP to HTTPS requires dealing with more technical knowledge than some small business owners may have. But you don’t have to be a total computer geek to do it.

 2. Install the SSL certificate

The process for installing a certificate varies from host to host, these are not detailed steps, but just the basic process.

1. Purchase your certificate, download it from the provider to your local computer, make a backup copy of the certificate and save in a secure place. Then use FTP (file transfer protocol) to install the data files to your host server.

FTP clients such as FileZilla are readily available for free. You should be able to find step-by-step instructions in your hosting provider’s support section.

2. Next, change your URLs from HTTP to https. If you don’t, the security certificate won’t function. The addition of the “s” to HTTP makes an entirely different URL.

To make it easier, you can create a URL map of your site on a spreadsheet with a list of HTTP URLs and a list of the corresponding new https URLs besides it. Then, make copies of all your site’s pages and redirect the old “HTTP” pages to your new “https” pages.

3. Then you need to create “301 (permanent) redirects” from HTTP to HTTPS to notify search engines that your website’s addresses have changed. If someone has bookmarked any of your pages, they will now be automatically redirected to the new https address.

If you are using a content management system such as WordPress, you can find free plugins that will add all the 301 redirects to your htaccess file and make this task much easier. Some templates may already include this functionality.

4. Finally, you need to update your internal links, the links that go to pages within your website, which probably you have many. Also, update image links and other links to any resources you have.

These are the basic things that need to be done to get your SSL certificate working for you. There are additional actions you will want to do like making sure that your SSL certificate is installed correctly using a free SSL server test, submitting your site again to indexing and watching your rankings.

There are many resources online that will go into much more detail that you can take advantage of. If this all seems to be beyond your skills, by all means, hire an SEO expert to do it for you.

PrimeView offers an annually renewable SSL Certificate for your site including a one-time setup fee and configuration. Leave it to us to get your site safe and secure for your site visitors at the same time, help your website rank higher in the Google SERPs

Mobilize Your Forces!

Google gets over 100 billion searches a month. 50% of those searches come from mobile devices. This doesn’t include searches made on devices with screens larger than 6 inches such as tablets.

Any business that is serious about digital marketing and growing leads, must understand by now that their content has to be visible on mobile devices. You are likely using one right now to read this! There is no longer a question of “should we?” create a site that is optimized for mobile users, but rather “how should we?”

One for all and all for one!

It is very important to have your website work smoothly when displayed on user’s devices. There are a multitude of sizes and aspect ratios of mobile devices. There are different browsers that process your content in their own ways. Having your website be “one size fits all” viewed in a consistent way across all channels, is a challenge.

If your site isn’t user friendly and visitors have to struggle to get to the information they need, they will bounce right off your site faster than a new version of anything by Microsoft needs a patch!

There are two basic ways to make your website work on mobile devices:

• Responsive website – Layout and code your website to provide an optimal viewing experience for the user. Properly designed it will offer ease of reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling working across a wide range of devices – from desktop to mobile phones.

• Mobile website – Build a distinct website using a unique URL separate from your main site that is developed specifically for a fast user-friendly experience for the smaller screens of mobile devices.

A mobile site and a responsive website will both optimize your site to work on smaller screens. Both will provide simpler navigation and faster load times.

Here we will discuss the differences between the two – responsive websites and mobile-dedicated sites and discuss why it may be better to use a responsive website.

Mobile-Dedicated Sites

Mobile sites are designed specifically for mobile devices. They are built totally separate from the main site and have a unique URL (domain name), e.g. m.primeview.com. Basically, it is a copy of your main site – minus features that the developers decide won’t work well on mobile or only a small subset of the full-site.

For example, very large pictures or large file downloads may be left out. Intricate spreadsheets, comparison tables, and visualizations such as infographics that are difficult to rescale on small mobile screens may be left out. What works best is decided based on the experience of the developers and the goals of the content.

Improved Responsive Technology

However, as mobile development technology improves, sophisticated websites may be seen fully on mobile devices. A well-designed site may contain the same content and functionality as the desktop version, but the content and features are rearranged for mobile.

A mobile website (if developed properly) can detect which type of device is being used for viewing and provide the best experience based on the capabilities of the device.

Responsive Websites

Responsive sites are designed from the beginning to display properly on the multitude of devices with different screens. In responsive design, the server sends the same content to every device, but includes information that tells the mobile device how to display the pages on its screen.

The content adjusts automatically to the orientation (landscape or portrait) and the available screen size. The well-designed responsive website will automatically resize, hide, shrink, enlarge, or move the content to make it look good and make it easy to use, regardless of the devices screen.

For example, if some of your content is presented on the desktop version in three columns, the device will display it in one or two columns. If you have a horizontal navigation bar that can’t fit on the screen, the mobile device will display an icon that when clicked – shows a vertical version of the navigation.

Advantages of Responsive Design

A Single Domain

While a mobile site needs a different domain, responsive design allows you to have only one domain, the only thing that is different is the code on the back-end.

• Improved SEO – When there is a separate mobile domain, users searching for your main domain on a mobile device will be redirected to the mobile site, automatically. This can hurt traffic to your main domain.

Responsive web design helps SEO efforts by having all your visitors directed to a single site, no matter what device they are using. Another improvement, managing one SEO campaign is easier than managing two.

• Less Work – Having two websites to maintain, a desktop and a mobile website, makes twice as much work. If there are updates or changes that need to be made, then webmasters have to make changes on the desktop version and the mobile site.

• One website costs less than two – Having one site that addresses the needs of all devices is less costly when compared to having two separate websites.

Works on current and future devices

Mobile dedicated sites are coded to work on existing phones, tablets and browsers, based on known devices particular format. Each known device type must have lines of code included in the sites development that deliver the content correctly to match screen size and orientation, and the capabilities of the device, which the server can detect.

Furthermore, different browsers will display a websites content in their own way, another layer of programming that needs to be considered.

While a mobile site can require updating to accommodate next generation devices, a responsive website will work on future devices – without any changes to the websites coding.

Choosing Responsive or Mobile-Dedicated

The best solution needs to take into account the user experience you want, your industry, and your budget. Every business should consider responsive design as an option as it saves time and resources while offering a great user experience.

Check out these links to learn more about responsive websites!

Responsive Web design: What is it, why you should invest in it?
Link to: https://www.primeview.com/blog/responsive-web-design-invest/

Why Mobile-friendly Websites Spell SEO Success
Link to: https://www.primeview.com/blog/mobile-friendly-websites-spell-seo-success/

References:
https://www.primeview.com/blog/2015-seo-news-roundups-and-insights/
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mobile-vs-responsive/
https://pixabay.com/en/guy-phone-smartphone-wink-1424911/
https://www.primeview.com/blog/responsive-web-design-invest/
http://www.clickseed.com/responsive-design-vs-separate-mobile-site-vs-dynamic-serving/
http://codeboxr.com/blogs/top-5-advantages-of-responsive-web-page-design/

Img c/o pixabay