kinetik IT blog spot

Would you ever leave the front door to your home or business wide open? I’m guessing you wouldn’t, not even if it were located in a very safe neighborhood. It doesn’t matter how tired or distracted you are, you take the time to close up shop, lock the doors, and maybe even set a security alarm to keep things as safe as they can be when you’re not around.

Unfortunately, many business owners don’t take the same level of precaution – or any level of precaution – when it comes to their own websites. That’s too bad, because the data being stored on your servers might be more valuable than what’s in your file cabinet or cash register at any given moment.

There are any number of ways you can neglect your web presence that are akin to leaving the front door open for hackers and thieves. You may not notice them because you don’t know what to look for, but cyber criminals certainly do. Today, we want to share a handful of quick tips you can use to make your website just a little bit safer…

Use Lengthy and Complex Passwords

By now, you already know you’re supposed to use complex passwords with lots of numbers, capitalized letters, and special characters. What you might not realize just how big of a difference this can make. A thief using automated software can break a simple password in tenths of a second. Throw in these more complicated strings, though, and that time stretches to months. Being smart with passwords is a simple way to make your website a lot more secure.

Always Update Your CMS and Plugins

Often, when Internet criminals “break-in” to a website, they aren’t using any sophisticated tools or techniques. Instead, they are exploiting known problems with outdated versions of hosting software or commonly-used plug-ins. By keeping yours up-to-date (or working with a web design team who will upgrade your CMS for you) you can fend off these types of attacks automatically.

Upgrade Your Web Hosting Service

Good web hosting makes your site more secure in a lot of different ways. It allows for stronger encrypted SSL connections (if you have that feature installed), for example, and usually includes ongoing monitoring. What’s even more important, though, is that it keeps you away from servers that are hosting online casinos, adult websites, and other questionable web destinations that tend to harbor malicious software. For a few dollars a day, you could make your site a lot safer..

Make Sure You’re Running Regular Backups

Occasionally, even a well-designed and maintained website will suffer from a security intrusion. When that happens, though, a recent backup can put things to right in a matter of minutes. That’s why it’s critical you have someone monitoring your web activity and keeping restorable copies of your files.

While none of these tips is foolproof, they all go a long way towards keeping you protected online. Just as importantly, they stop you from being an obvious target for people who would like to steal your data. Remember, most online criminals do exactly what real-world burglars do: they look for the easiest victim they can find. Close the front door to your website and they just might take their attention elsewhere.

Need help with web design, Internet marketing, or online security? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation to see how we can help!

Deciding whether to hire a web design company to make some small changes, or throw out what you have and start all over, isn't always as easy as it would seem. Sometimes, there are pieces or elements of your existing small business site that work quite well; other times you would just rather put off the time and expense for a few months. 

So how do you know if your business website needs a minor tune up or a major overhaul? There's no easy answer, but here are a few straightforward signs you should probably give some serious thought to working from scratch:

Your small business website has lots of missing pages and broken links. Those problems could be easy enough to fix by themselves, but they also probably point to a lot of coding, search engine optimization, and content elements that have been neglected for quite a while.

You are getting declining amounts of visitors, online leads, or purchases. However you measure results on your website, if you're getting less of them than before, it could be a sign that the search engines – not to mention potential customers – are seeing your site as stale and not that relevant.

Your existing website has poor functionality. This is simple enough; if it doesn't do the things you'd like it to, or that your customers would like it to, then it's not having as much of an impact on your business as it could.

The look isn't doing much for your company's reputation. Sometimes, there's nothing really "wrong" with the website except that it's past its expiration date. By that, we mean it is just plain ugly. For most businesses, an online presence is an important part of every marketing activity they try. You don't want yours to tell visitors you haven't kept up with the times.

This is a very relevant question in today's Internet marketing world, given that businesses from around the globe (and even a few template services) are competing for your web design business. Given that nearly all of them can give you a business website that looks good, how do you choose the right one, or have any confidence that the choice you've made is right for you?

The best answer is to completely shift the way you think about business web design as a service. Rather than focusing on the way your next site is going to look for customers, think instead about what it's going to actually do for your company, and whether the team in question can deliver on their promises.

In other words, think about the end results, rather than simply the artistic process. That should lead you to questions like:

• Is this company able to help me promote my business website in a way that potential customers can find me and I can generate sales opportunities?
• Do I get the feeling that this designer or creative team will be easy to work with, and responsive to my questions and/or requests?
• Will ongoing support and Internet marketing be included as part of their proposal, or is it going to be an afterthought for them after the site has been launched?

Once you have these kinds of questions in mind, you should be able to find the answers by looking through old case studies, sitting through consultations, or speaking with past clients. No matter which approach you take, though, make sure you understand what you're likely to get from the website beyond the pages themselves – in the end, that's what actually matters, and how you know you found the right web designer.

Looking for an experienced team of business web design professionals who can help you find a great return on investment for your project? Call or email Kinetik IT today!

If you read the occasional article about web design, IT, or Internet marketing, you may have noticed that lots of experts are advising business owners to upgrade their web hosting to include SSL connections. Is it something you should consider?

To get to the bottom of the matter, there are a few questions we should try to answer first…

What is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and basically amounts to creating a more secure connection between your website and the visitors who arrive at it. You’ve undoubtedly used many SSL connections this week, and probably several already today. You can recognize them by the “https:” designation in your browser, and the different icons or shading that sometimes show up when you have a secure connection.

Beyond that, most users associate SSL connections with banks and online merchants. So, even if your customers don’t understand exactly what they are, they are probably aware that an SSL signifier means more safety.

How do You Add SSL Capability to Your Website?

While the actual technical process of adding security certificates to your server can be complicated, the decision to move forward is an easy one for a business owner. It basically amounts to upgrading your hosting package, adding SSL to your package of services, and telling your web design team that you want it installed on your site.

The cost of adding SSL protection to your website is essentially negligible (less than $20 a month through most providers), so it shouldn’t be financially prohibitive to most companies.

What are the Benefits of SSL?

There are a few reasons you might want to upgrade to SSL on your business website.

The first is that it makes every connection safer. That’s important in situations where you’re transmitting data back and forth to users or customers, particularly if there are going to be financial details or transactions involved. The more sensitive the submissions are, the more important SSL protection becomes. Once it’s in place, it becomes much harder for thieves and hackers to get access to things they shouldn’t.

Almost as important as the safety of data is the perception of your website. Because most customers and users associate SSL with security, they feel more comfortable seeing it on your pages. So, there is an issue of credibility that comes into play.

And finally, SSL is getting more attention these days because Google has identified secure connections is a search engine signal. In other words, by adding this feature to your hosting, there is a chance you could draw more search engine traffic to your pages. Given that Google currently processes more than 2 billion search queries every day, and competition for the top spots is intense, marketers will (and should) take any advantage they can get.

Given the minimal costs involved, it might make a lot of sense for your company to upgrade its web hosting package and add SSL capability if you don’t have it already. You’ll gain a lot in safety, prestige, and visibility, and all without giving it much in return.

Looking for great advice on web design, technology, and online marketing? Call our team today to arrange a free consultation where we can talk about your goals.

Depending on how recently you’ve been to the doctor for a checkup, you may or may not have noticed that there are essentially two steps to figuring out how healthy you are: First, there is an interview and/or questionnaire, and then you usually get a series of short tests.

By studying the results, your physician can get a fairly accurate picture of what’s going on with your body and make appropriate recommendations.

Believe it or not, you can follow the very same process with your business website to keep it fit, active, and healthy for a long time to come. Given the amount of money you probably spent to get your web presence in the first place, doesn’t it make sense to ensure that it’s operating as it should be – both as a piece of software and as a marketing tool?

Here’s how you can think like a doctor and assess your website’s health and fitness:

Begin by Looking for First Impressions

Just as your visit to the physician begins with an interview, your inspection of your website should start with a quick look around. How is the layout? Are the visuals in good shape? Is information about your company and/or products up to date, and are all your links working?

More often than not, this quick “eyeball test” will tell you much of what you need to know. Perhaps your website is looking old, tired, and out of shape. That might be a sign you’re due for a redesign. Or, if something looks a little fishy, you might need to update your hosting software and check for viruses.

Either way, you shouldn’t skip this important step. Looking through your website at least once a week is a great way to cut off problems before they develop.

Continue by Going Deeper with Tests

Just as your doctor will draw a little bit of blood to make sure things are going well inside your body, it’s a good idea to dig deeply into your web analytics package now and then to figure out what’s going on beneath the layer of HTML on your website, too.

In the same way that vitamin deficiencies are easy to spot under a microscope, a quick scan of your most important traffic sources, content viewed, and bounce rates should tell you which parts of your site are “hot” and which ones aren’t working or converting as well as they could be.

The beauty of studying analytics is that you can sometimes get access to insights that wouldn’t have been otherwise obvious. That’s especially true if your website looks great but isn’t doing much to contribute to your bottom line. A few simple numbers and graphs might be able to show you exactly why.

A healthy website, like a healthy body, requires continual attention and maintenance. A fit and healthy website is something that helps your business grow and grow. A web presence that’s not fit, however, is a waste of time and money. Remember that and be sure to check its appearance and performance regularly.

When you think of web design firms, or look for one to put together your next business website, you probably think of them as companies that create web pages. All in all, that's a pretty reasonable assumption, but one that sometimes overlooks a few of the other things a web design firm can help you with – small details that can make or break your online success.

Here are three things you might not have known your web design company can help you with:

Domain name research and registration. If you haven't had the chance or need to look around for a new URL lately, the competitive landscape might surprise you. It's gotten easier to find a premium, rent-controlled apartment in New York City than it is a natural-sounding domain name that is in use or being held hostage by someone hoping to cash it in. A good web design partner can help you find the domain you need – one that is easy to remember, represents your business, and makes it easier for search engines to find you.

Website hosting. Once you have a great site, does it really matter who's hosting it? Actually, it very much does. Many of our clients are surprised to find what a difference it makes, but quality web hosting can keep your site live all the time, keep you safer from hackers and spam, and even save you money when it comes to upgrades, maintenance, and other features. Any reputable web design firm is going to talk to you about hosting, but make sure you pay attention to what they have to say.

Logos and graphic design. It's not much use putting up a fantastic business website if your company logo looks terrible, or if you have print materials that look poor in comparison. Most web design companies can either help you fix the rest of your identity materials, or at least refer you to someone knowledgeable who can help you find something that fits your new look. If your next small business website is like a new car, then your other marketing materials are like the tires… make sure they're all in good enough shape to drive your company forward.

Before we begin, let's be absolutely clear that there's no single answer to this question. For one thing, different companies and different industries all require different kinds of websites. If your business needs custom web applications, advanced e-commerce features, tons of online video, or other time-intensive features, you're going to end up spending more than a small start up that needs none of these things.

But with that being said, we'd like to point out that more often than not, it's going to be a significant investment. That is, business owners tend to hurt themselves by spending less than they should on a commercial website.

You might think that answer isn't surprising, given that we design websites for a living. But, if you ask anyone who's familiar with web design, they’ll probably give you a similar answer. The reason why it comes down to simple math: even if you're running a very small company, the chances are good you’re hoping to attract at least 100 visitors per day. Now, it's entirely possible that you are aiming for 10 times that, or a hundred; but for the sake of argument, let's say that you're looking at 100 people per day.

If you take the time to think that through, you'll quickly realize that your website should be seen at least 35,000 times a year. Many of those visitors won't be people who can drive by and see you in person, and even if they could, they're likely to come to your new business website at least as often.

That makes your website an incredibly powerful marketing and public relations tool. It's going to be the first thing a lot of new potential customers see, the place where other potential customers go when they've been recommended to you, and the first stop for colleagues, journalists, and other interested parties who are researching your company. We wouldn't go as far as calling it the most important business decision you will make all year, but it's probably in the top five.

Remember that as you look through bids for your next business website. Spending more doesn't always mean getting more, but there's a strong correlation between high-quality, maximum effectiveness, and professional rates. It's always tempting to save a little here and there, but don't forget about the tens of thousands of people who will see your site this year.

For all the attention paid to things like social activity and search-optimized blog posts, it’s easy to forget that the static pages on your website – like the home page, about page, and product pages – still have to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to your Internet marketing plan. After all, it’s likely new and potential customers will view these a lot more frequently than they will your ongoing posts, which means they could make or break the profitability of your website.

But how do you know if your static pages are well written and designed? Here are four easy criteria you can use to judge their quality and effectiveness:

1. Is it easy to find? This might seem like a no-brainer, but no one can react to a page on your website if they can’t find it. Internal linking and menu structure are important here, but so are the appropriate search engine keywords. You can’t control the flow of traffic within your website itself, so things like clear navigation and a prominent “search” box can go a long way toward helping visitors find what they’re looking for.

2. Is it easy to scan and read? People love images, headlines, subheads, and lots of white space on a web page. What they hate are long blocks of text, confusing design elements, and pages that seem complicated. The simplicity of your page touches on both the layout and the copywriting, but the two elements should work together to create an impression that your content is easy to scan and understand.

3. Does it have a specific point and audience? Every web page you have should be tied to a specific audience (that is, what kind of viewer you’re hoping to attract to the page) and a point or purpose. The old rule of thumb to “keep to one idea or topic per page” still applies. You’re much better off having a two- or three-tiered navigation structure with simple, easy-to-understand pages than you are cramming multiple thoughts into a single longer section.

4. Is there a clear call to action? Make it as easy as possible for visitors to register for information, schedule appointments, make a purchase, or complete some other action when they reach the end of your web page. Having too many choices can confuse visitors, but there should be at least one or two options for them to continue and take the next step. That’s helpful for searchers who need answers, and the best way to get leads or customers from your pages.

Of course, when it comes to judging the pages on your website, nothing beats a thorough review of your web analytics to see how actual buyers are responding to them. Still, looking at these four questions should give you a quick sense of whether you’re moving in the right direction or not.

Even a few years ago, standard advice from a web designer online marketing team would be to start a blog and RSS feed on your website, and to populate both with company or industry news as often as possible. After all, what better way to keep people informed and build your own content profile at the same time then by giving them a constant taste of what's going on the world?

That makes sense, until you fast-forward a handful of years and find that everyone's doing it.

In fact, with the sheer number of news sites out there, RSS feeds available, and even real-time search engine updates, the problem isn't that people are having any trouble finding what's going on, but that it's hard to sort through all the news and find information.

With that in mind, one easy way for you to set your website and business apart from all its competitors is by giving visitors what they really crave: insight and advice, rather than a steady stream of data. Unless your customers are living in a cave, they already know what's going on – what they want from you is a better sense of what new developments mean to them.

That means populating your site with columns, blog posts, and other updates that center on sound business advice. Don't just tell people what you saw, fill them in on what it means to them, what future implications could be, how they might profit from it in the future, and so on. Before long, you'll find that you won't have to seek visitors just through search engines and online newsletters, because they'll be telling each other about you and showing up on their own.

There were plenty of places for people to go and find news online, and they probably do the job better than your company could. But what no one can duplicate is your specific industry knowledge and insight, so keep that in mind and give your customers what it is they really want.

Perhaps it's because there's so many different kinds of web design companies out there, or because a new small business site represents such a big expense for a lot owners, but we talk to a lot of potential clients who end up feeling lost and confused by the process of finding someone to help them turn their ideas into an Internet reality.

That's completely understandable; finding a creative team for your small business site isn't really similar to anything else you would do in the course of running your company. There is more than just pricing or straightforward quality comparisons to make – each firm has its own style, the range, way of doing things, etc.

To help you sort through the pack, and make the best decision possible, here are the three biggest mistakes small business owners make when hiring a web design firm:

Going with the cheapest one, no matter what. 

Your website is likely to be viewed by more potential customers than any other marketing piece you'll produce. With that in mind, it makes sense to think about getting the maximum return on your investment, not just the lowest upfront cost.

Looking for samples that show companies similar to yours. 

It makes sense that if you run a pet shop, for example, you'd want a web designer who's worked on lots of other pet shops, too… right? Sometimes, but not always. That's because even if they specialize in that type of business, quality should be a key consideration. Explaining what your company does is usually an easy step; finding someone who can give you a great-looking design isn't.

Thinking only about layouts. 

Speaking of great-looking designs, there's a lot more that goes into your website beyond just the simple aesthetics. From HTML coding to custom web apps and even search engine optimization, you want to choose a team that can help give you everything you need to build a stronger company, not just put up a pretty online brochure. Be sure to ask your web designer what kind of experience and philosophy they have towards helping you market your new site – not just put it on the Internet.