Web Hosting

Yahoo Maintains its Competitive Spirit

Last month, Microsoft and Yahoo finally struck a deal that will make these two internet super-powers a worthy competitor to Google.  However, it isn’t necessarily what Microsoft had hoped for.  Rather than a merger, the two have agreed to combine their search and advertising expertise to generate revenue through their respective search engines.  Despite the news, an announcement made in a Monday press conference proves that Yahoo is gearing up to do battle with its old rival Google, as well as its future partner, Microsoft.

While Microsoft’s Bing will power the search efforts for both companies, Yahoo will work independently on its search engine user interface.  According to internal sources, it plans to make this interface more efficient than the offerings of both Google and Microsoft.

Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President of Yahoo Labs and Search Strategy, said that the company is collaborating with Microsoft on the back-end, but will continue to complete on the front-end.  He noted that crawling and indexing are currently of less importance than enhancing the web experience via the user interface.  Raghavan and his colleagues emphasized that the company does not intend to abandon the field of search innovation entirely, making it clear that the Yahoo search engine will continue independent of Bing.

In late July, Microsoft and Yahoo agreed to a much anticipated partnership that will enable Microsoft Bing to power the Yahoo search site.  Per the agreement, Microsoft will maintain the pay-per-click search advertising models while Google will sell advertising services of both companies to premium subscribers.  Barring clearing from the United States Department of Justice, the agreement will equate to a 10-year partnership.  Executives for both companies have stated that the implementation process could take as long as two years to complete.  In the meantime, Yahoo is gauging the response of a new search results page.  The new page is randomly available to worldwide internet users, offering features that allow them to filter queries to more efficiently refine search results.  The company is also in the process of creating a more intelligent engine that automatically learns from previous searches and makes the according adjustments for the benefit of the user.

In addition the above enhancements, Yahoo is looking to feature more tools such as Search Assist, that allow users to refine their queries on the fly, as well as Search Pad, which helps users organize the information they find within search results.  It also desires to let its users perform more tasks within the search engine interface by incorporating more information into results.  One idea involves delivering this information through popular customer review sites like Yelp.

According to Larry Cornett, President of Yahoo Search Products and Design, all of these efforts and more are designed to create a Yahoo search engine that is more personally relevant than what has been seen in other search engines thus far.  More importantly, it shows that Yahoo is still moving forward independently in light of the likely future partnership with Microsoft.

Five Reasons to Choose Unix Hosting

Though Red Hat Linux and Microsoft Windows are currently prevalent on the market, Unix is making a comeback as a viable web hosting solution.  The platform offers all the power and stability of Linux at a price that is often considerably cheaper than Windows.  Many web hosting operations are currently run on Unix-based systems that range from Mac OS X to FreeBSD.  While these platforms are great alternatives, this article will give you five reasons why Unix itself makes a great choice for your hosting needs.
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Why Mac Web Hosting is a Worthy Consideration

For years, the Mac operating system has prided itself on being an intuitive and user-friendly operating system.  When considering its tremendous power, it should be no surprise that Mac OS X is now being increasingly used in the server environment as a web hosting platform.  The server version of the product has evolved tremendously over the pass decade, growing more advanced with each release to introduce new functionality and enhanced components to support web applications and websites in general.  If you are currently at the stage of choosing a platform for your website needs, this article will explain why Mac web hosting could make a viable alternative to the more trendy options.

Mac’s Journey Through Web the Hosting Industry

With the launch of Mac OS X Server in 1999, Apple began to embark on a more modern operating system that offered the user-friendliness of Windows, with the power and flexibility of Unix, the OS from which it borrows many characteristics.  Mac OS X Server was released as a consumer product in 2001 and became more widely adopted over the next year as its functionality and stability were enhanced to the point of widespread usability.  In 2003, Apple introduced version 10.3 of its Mac OS X Server and the software quickly became a mainstream option as a platform for Apache 1.3 web servers.  At this time, the OS only supported Apache through the use of GUI administrative tools.  It wasn’t until 2007 that the software would offer support for  Apache in native form via the GUI management tool set built into Mac OS X version 10.5, more commonly known as Leopard.

The Benefits of Mac Web Hosting

Aside from a rock-solid core based off the powerful Unix operating system, Leopard 10.5.8, the latest edition of the Mac OS X Server product, is equipped with preemptive multitasking, protected memory, advanced memory management and even tighter security than before.  The platform is tailored to ensure the maximum service uptime with fault tolerance features that offer the ability to constantly monitor system activity, restart troubled services, and recover from system failures.  It also has the ability to restart the system automatically following a power outage, thus helping keep downtime to bare minimum.  In addition to these benefits, Mac OS X offers a suite of web-friendly features that include network management, server-side scripting support and Quick Time multimedia streaming among several others.

Potential Drawbacks of Mac Web Hosting

Mac web hosting is definitely scarce when compared to the market offerings based on the dominant Linux and Windows platforms.  This is partially because that even though improved, the system’s GUI is still quite complex and technically challenging.  However, for the user who is sound in command-line administration, this platform can be just as efficient as any other.  In the end, web hosting on the Mac OS X platform will always be a great choice for those who demand a stable and secure web environment, two qualities you must have in any hosting solution.

Google Launches Homepage Enhancements

Search engine giant Google, recently launched a new set of tools and gadgets designed to help all iGoogle users in the United States leverage the OpenSocial API platform for social network applications.  Not only will these enhancements change how users interact in social networking environments, but on their homepage as well.   According to Google, these tools will enhance the way users communicate, play games and share content right from their iGoogle page.

Some of the most notable social enhancements in the Google launch include:

Content Sharing - Google has enhanced content sharing in a number of ways, including the implementation of an NPR (National Public Radio) gadget that allows users to browse the latest news headlines and share stories with friends.  Also available is a Flixster gadget that allows users to rate, review and browse films, along with a CoGomics tool that permits users to share comics and cartoon strips with friends.

Games – With gadgets such as Scrabble and Chess, users can play some of their favorite games with friends or other internet users.  Another fun tool is a New York Times crossword gadget that allows user to complete any given weekly puzzle with the aid of friends.

Communication Tools - iGoogle users can now share tasks and lists with friends by utilizing the To-do gadget.  This tool makes it simple to add and remove items, check items when done, prioritize lists and modify item descriptions.  Also on the menu is the Social Photos gadget, which allows users to upload and share photo galleries from Picasa and Flickr as well as browse the albums and top photos of friends.

In conjunction with the launch of new gadgets, Google also released two new features for iGoogle: Friends Group and Updates.  The Friends Group feature allows users to create a list of friends from their Google contacts.  It also enables them to interact and share social tools with friends.  The Updates feature  provides users with the ability to check the status of friends by sharing social tools, photos and more on their iGoogle page.  These features are entirely optional and can be disabled by any user who does not want to use them.  Furthermore, not all these tools are social-enabled.  The ones that are can be identified by a special icon.

Google’s overall goal is to quickly connect iGoogle users with the information that is the most essential and useful to them in a simple and customizable manner.  The new social gadgets and tools are only the beginning as Google plans to continuously offer a greater range of options that enables user to create feature-rich, personalized homepages.  These benefits are not strictly limited to end-users as developers can leverage iGoogle’s fast-growing community of users to promote their applications.  Even more, they can earn revenue from their creations by using iGoogle as and advertising.  .

Google continues its mission of innovation with a personalized iGoogle homepage that lets the user customize their web browsing experiencing.  With the addition of new tools and gadgets, users now have convenient access to movie schedules, popular games, weather information and the latest news right from their homepage.

Layer Technologies Breaks Through on Inc. 5000

Many companies are struggling during the recession, but you couldn’t tell by viewing a certain list featuring a comprehensive look at 5,000 of the nation’s top-performing privately owned firms.

Based in Plano, Texas, web hosting provider Layer Technologies, Inc., just added another accolade to its long list of honors by ranking number 622 in Inc Magazine’s the third annual Inc. 5000.  Thanks to Northern Capital Insurance, the number one company on the list this year, insurance is leading the way as the nation’s leading industry with an average growth rate of a whopping 667%.   Other notable brands representing their respective industries featured on the list include beverage brewing company Honest Tea, rental car service Zipcar and internet powerhouse GoDaddy.

Jim Melloan, Inc. 5,000 project manager, says that the Inc. 5,000 is the best source for learning about new private companies that achieve success through innovative business models and older privately owned corporations that are still profiting and growing at an impressive rate.  Melloan noted that this is the reason investors and other spectators look forward to the list every year.

Layered Technologies made the prestigious Inc. 5,000 list due to its tremendous growth rate of 441% over the past three years.  The firm invests faithfully in research and development to implement the new technologies and features that has helped it remain one of the top 10 global web hosting providers.  Layered Tech evolved from a regionally known dedicated hosting provider to a world-renown web host with a scalable infrastructure that powers a broad range of internet applications and millions of websites.

Many are viewing Inc.’s 2009 list as a report card on the U.S. economy.  In light of the harsh economic climate, aggregate revenue of companies that made the list increased by an estimated $29 billion since 2008, with an average three year growth rate of 126%.  Since its inception, Inc. has played an active hand in creating more than one million jobs, serving as the perfect example of the positive impact fast growing businesses can have on the economy.  You can view the complete results of the Inc. 5000 list by criteria such as industry and region on the Inc.com website.

About Layered Technologies

Founded in 2004, Layered Technologies Inc. is a web hosting provider that specializes in managed hosting, dedicated servers, virtualization, cloud computing and a broad range of additional web services.  Leveraging the best of technology and a world-class infrastructure, the firm delivers the level of support that enables businesses of various sizes to eliminate costly upfront investments and save significantly on operating expense while focusing on the core aspects of their business.  Its highly scalable infrastructure lends its power to millions of websites and a host of web solutions and applications such as SasS (software as a service), SQL Server and content distribution among others.  Boasting one of the largest customer bases in the industry, Layer Technologies clients range from cutting-edge startup companies and thriving medium enterprises to some of the most successful integration and consulting firms in the world.

Can You Handle E-commerce Alone?

Constant efficiency and availability are critical factors for any company whose business revolves around e-commerce.  Every element of the organization’s architecture from operating system and web applications to hardware and network connectivity must be designed with fault tolerance and redundancy in mind.  An inaccessible website or damaged OS kernel could put your operation on halt and send customers in the direction of another retailer.  With your competition located just a quick click away, it is crucial to the take the necessary steps to make sure your systems are always available.

The Challenges of Cost and Maintenance

In order to accurately gauge the costs of obtaining greater availability for your systems and infrastructure, you must first determine the degree of reliability your business requires.  For many large online businesses, storing data and applications in multiple locations is an ideal solution.  While relying on a multitude of redundant data centers can help an organization achieve that elusive 100% level of availability, investing in such facilities can be a rather costly and daunting task.  Not only must you consider the expense of building or even leasing a facility, but also hiring a dedicated IT staff and the ongoing maintenance of your systems.  Achieving the fastest response times and the best performance typically demands a world-class service and support on an around the clock basis.

Considering Third-Party Help

One challenge many organizations are faced with today is the decision to create and maintain their systems in-house, or rely on a third-party company to host their applications and IT operations.  Making a decision on either model is based on various factors.  Experience and infrastructure are two great reasons to choose an outside vendor.  Professional hosting companies have access to data center facilities and infrastructures that the average business would have a difficult time replicating internally.  Traveling this route can give you the ability to do away with expensive upfront investments on servers and applications, while sparing your company the burden of maintaining complex systems.  You also have a better chance of getting a scalable infrastructure that allows for upgrades as your business grows and its demands increase.  In addition, choosing a third-party hosting provider as your partner enables your company to leverage both the good and bad times they have experienced.  This in turn, better assures that the host can effectively handle trouble problems when they arise.

If you do choose to partner with an outside firm, it is important to go carefully go over the fine print and pay close attention to what is being guaranteed.  You need to make sure the obligations and commitment to reliability are clearly outlined in the contract so that everything is understood by all parties.  If you can, take a physical tour throughout the provider’s facility to ensure that the best practices are being followed and your e-commerce systems are taken care of.  Should your internal IT staff be strong enough to maintain the entire project internally, be sure to devise a sound strategy that will keep your systems online despite the hardships or disasters that might come your way.

Incorporating SEM and SMM into Your Marketing Campaign

Webmasters are increasingly integrating SMM (social media marketing) right alongside their SEM campaigns.  This has become a very feasible practice due to the prevalence of next generation web technologies and social networking.  Let’s take a closer look to find out how an SMM campaign can be effectively incorporated into your search engine marketing strategy.

SEO Outside of the Box

Search engine optimization has long been viewed as the most affordable way to boost rankings, increase traffic and sales.  However, this crucial SEM technique has been heavily underrated in its ability to aid in traditional public relations efforts.  This method can be used to harness the power of press releases, online news rooms and article syndication to encourage organic search engine rankings.  For example, by incorporating URLs or tracking codes into a press release, an SEO campaign can be easily transferred into a vehicle that prompts direct responses while optimizing at the same time.

SMM Avenues

Though SMM is still coming into its own, it is quickly evolving into a popular method and effective component worthy of SEM.  With MySpace and Facebook pages now showing up frequently in search engine results, SEM experts can no longer deny the impact of social media and social networking platforms.  SMM can deliver a wealth of benefits when integrated correctly, including branding.  In addition, popular content syndication sites such as YouTube and Flickr provide opportunities for distributing an organization’s media assets to a larger and much more diverse audience.  The same can be done with traditional content through blog and micro-blogging platforms such as Plurk and Twitter. SMM extends its benefits in so many ways as social networking sites are quite effective for ORM (online reputation management) at the very least.

A Measure of Success

Choosing the right metrics tool is key for measuring the overall efficiency of integrating SMM into your marketing scheme.  The vehicle you choose will help you more precisely gauge your audience and set benchmarks as well.  Traditional media often depends on surveys and focus groups to gather insight on the effectiveness of an add or campaign.  For online marketing, web analytics tools and services have proven to be far more accurate and affordable.  The market for online measurement solutions is growing rapidly, now offering common services that include comprehensive details of search engine visibility, PPC impressions, and most importantly, conversions.  In this model, conversions may consist of sign ups, downloads, lead generation and sales.  It may also include offline activities such as leads tracked via toll-free phone, website address or promotional code.

Marketing Wrap-up

As it relates to SEM and SMM, integrated marketing calls for a company to take advantage of its existing assets and enhance its web presence through increased exposure, leads and sales.   There are many benefits to be reaped when grabbing hold of the two methods and utilizing them effectively.  In the end, this could be the one merger your business needs to climb to the top of the pile and stay there.

How Specialities Can Hinder the Overall Effective of an SEM Campaign

Several marketing companies are internally divided by specialties.  In today’s web-based world, many are segmented by fields such as web development, design, research and copy writing for example.  This holds true in both agency and in-house environments.  Due to such great diversities, these disciplines don’t always mix perfectly, but are often a necessity to get the job done.  When it comes to SEM however, the talents and skills needed to effectively perform certain processes may not be as unique as one assumes.  The professional who excels at search engine marketing can often handle SEO and PPC simultaneously without passing one of these tasks off to another party and disrupting the team.

When Specialties Get in the Way

Many larger enterprises establish specialized roles for their SEM team with the belief that it creates advantages and efficiencies for the organization.  While such methods have been effective in numerous industries and more traditional marketing schemes, applying them to the world of internet marketing is an entirely different story.  Today’s economy has seen the specialized teams of both interactive and traditional full service agencies fighting over budgets and seemingly trying to justify their sole existence.  It is very uncommon for such an environment to be able lead these teams towards one common goal.  This is especially truly in an ailing economic climate where layoffs have essentially become a regular occurrence.  Even with specialties teams that are focused with the company’s best interest in mind, the extra layer of communication that is required could actually get in the way and render management ineffective.

The Pride of Experts

There is an old saying that states when you have too many cooks in the kitchen, somebody just might get burned.  In regard to an SEM campaign, this could be the case with a company’s SEO or PPC specialists.  Although both offer exceptional value, SEO experts tend to look down on PPC professionals and vice versa.  When someone learns and becomes comfortable with a particular method of SEM, they generally become set in there ways and close minded to the suggestion of others.  Unfortunately, that lack of understanding with such vital  components could drastically hinder the performance of company’s marketing campaign.  For instance, a team member who specializes in SEO might conclude that a certain keyword is too competitive to obtain quality rankings, but lacks the knowledge or support to get around the problem.  Likewise, a PPC expert might determine that a specific keyword is to costly to target, but refuses to get the insight he or she needs from the SEO specialist.  When it comes to SEM in the specialized setting, the overall success of a campaign largely depends on upper management’s ability to facilitate proper strategy, communication and collaboration.

In order to integrate the elements of SEO and PPC in seamless fashion, a company must have a clear understanding of how all SEM tactics and strategies fit into the overall marketing mix.  If your SEM team is not thoroughly cross-trained and willingly to communicate with each, the efforts of your campaign just might come up short and result in nothing but utter frustration.

Three Simple Tips for Protecting Your Site

These days, it is more important than ever to keep your website current with the latest security measures.  Why so much emphasis on security?  Because hackers are always looking for ways to penetrate servers and websites to thieve sensitive information.  There are is a lot you can do to ensure better website security and the tips in this article should taken very seriously.

1.) Update Your Applications and Scripts

Running outdated web applications and code on your site is liking giving hackers an open invite.  So if you have older versions of WordPress or Joomla installed, it is advisable that you immediately check for and perform the necessary updates.  This goes for any application or programming languages used for your site.  For a knowledgeable hacker, compromising Joomla 1.0 is as easy as uploading a shell script to an insecure form.  If successful, they could end up with complete control of your account.

2.) Create Strong Passwords

A password can be a simple but effective security mechanism.  However, this is only the case when following a strict set of rules.  When securing login sessions and other areas of your site, never apply a password that can be easily guessed by others or is used for other accounts.  If someone knows just one of your passwords, they can keep trying it for each of your accounts until they are successful.  This could not only lead them to the control panel login of your hosting account, but also the financial institution you do your online banking with.

3.) Mask Your Folders

It is always wise to cloak your website files and folders that are stored on the server.  Many security experts suggest keeping a blank index.html file in each of the folders stored in your public directory.  Doing this will ensure that the contents cannot easily be viewed by internet users.  This process is made simple with the cPanel control panel and its Index Manager function.  You can take this one step further by password protecting the administrator folder that contains the scripts you are running.  This is highly recommended as it provides an added layer of security that will make an intruder have to work that much harder.

What If I Still Get Hacked?

As we eluded to earlier, there is a possibility that even after adhering to all of these tips and more, your website can still be compromised by a hacker.  Should your site be successfully exploited, there are a couple of things you should do right away to minimize the damage.  The first step that needs to be taken involves changing all of the passwords associated with your website.  This goes from your control panel and administrative areas to everything else in between.  Next, go through your hosting account to find and update all old applications and plugins as they could easily be the culprits that led to exposure.  Any website can be compromised and if it happens to you, your sensitive information can be used for criminal gain in one way or another.  Prevention is the key so employ all the measures you can to ensure you are protected against the existing and emerging threats.

Four things to Consider When Hiring an SEO Firm

Hiring an SEO firm is a move that cannot only improve the optimization of your site, but also help you save time and increase your bottom line over the long haul.  However, this is a large decision and one that deserves careful consideration on your part.  Choosing the wrong company could damage your reputation and ultimately hinder the success of your business.  While some of these experts companies can provide valuable services, others have blemished the market with unethical practices, utilizing overly aggressive marketing tactics to manipulate the SERPs (search engine result pages) in ways looked down upon by search engines.  These practices tend to violate guidelines and could result in a penalty that lowers your sites’s ranking or complete removal from the search engine index.  There are many pitfalls that must be avoided, thus this article will let you know what to look for when choosing an SEO firm.

1.) Know the Facts

It is very common for SEO firms to make the claims of being able to deliver guaranteed rankings.  They often allege special relationships with major search engines or boast the ability to guarantee high rankings with priority site submissions.  These are the type of companies you want to avoid at all costs.  There is no such thing as guaranteed rankings or priority submissions.  If a particular company is offering something that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2.) Get the Facts

Should the SEO firm throw something your way that you don’t completely understand, never hesitate to ask for comprehensive explanations to clear things up.  This is very important because if the company creates misleading or deceptive content for your site, you could be removed from the search engine index entirely.  Although you want a company that operates with honor, in the end, you are held liable for the actions of the firm you hire for SEO.  By gathering all the facts, you can determine if their services will aid in your cause, or end up doing you more harm than good.

3.) Be Cautious of Linking

We recommend steering clear of any firm that tries to persuade you with free-for-all links, link farms or other schemes to achieve link popularity.  You should also think twice about any company that wants to submit your site to thousands of search engines.  In most cases, these practices have no positive bearing on search engine rankings.  If anything, they will end up impacting your rankings in a negative way.

4.) Know What You’re Paying For

There are a number of search engines that combine PPC (pay per click) results with the standard search results.  This is where you really need to be cautious of SEO firms because some will guarantee you a ranking, but have you placed in the advertised section opposed to the regular search results.  To avoid this trick and others like it, be sure to ask the company where your money is going and if any of it will be applied to rankings that show up temporarily on the advertising side of the page.

How to Avoid an E-commerce Disaster

Numerous elements go into achieving success with an e-commerce site.  This is one area in which all your vital components need to be working in harmony to create consumer interest, trust and happy customers.  Succeeding with e-commerce calls for all your business processes to be optimized and streamlined, ensuring that everything flows smoothly when consumers visit, navigate and make purchases from your site.  In order to make this happen, many hazards must be avoided to keep you from succumbing to an e-commerce disaster.  ‘

What Leads to a Disaster?

There are a number of instances and obstacles that can lead you straight into a disaster.  For example, you could sign up with an unreliable web hosting provider, select the wrong e-commerce solution, or choose a payment processing method that hinders or completely derails your online transactions.  This is the type of website that runs slow or offers horrible navigation, making its usability inconvenient and very undesirable.  It is an environment where consumers are not sure about making purchases or feel as if their most essential needs are not being satisfied.  While abandoned order pages and shopping carts are tell-tale signs of a disaster, turbulence may commence from the very moment a potential customer lands on your website.

If you want to avoid a disastrous situation with your e-commerce site, you need to make yourself aware of the following inadequacies:

Bad Web Hosting

It is important to know that an e-commerce site is only as efficient as the underlying platform.  When choosing a bad or inadequate hosting solution, you stand the chance of suffering from limited bandwidth, slow loading pages and worst of all, excessive downtime.

All of these instances can result in a loss of customers and ultimately, loss of sales.  An ideal e-commerce platform is one that leverages reliable, high-performance server hardware, redundant high-speed internet connections and the best security practices.

Ineffective Content

Having a website that clearly communicates to your audience is one of the essential keys to succeeding with an e-commerce venture.  You must be able to relay the unique value of your offerings beyond price in a manner that makes visitors want to stick around and make a purchase.  While you don’t want to come on too strong, using cleverly aggressive, action-orientated content can serve as the powerful persuasion you need to convert your visitors into long-term customers.  Play around with a few approaches to find out which processes work best for your business.

Poor Navigation and Usability

Almost every website owner is under the assumption that their sales flow and navigation is intuitive, transparent and user-friendly.  We are here to tell that this is not always the case.  In fact, even the most well designed websites need a little fine-tuning every now and then.  Does your site provide too much information or is it lacking in the content department?  Are there any elements that will distract your visitors from what they need to be focused on?  The answers to these questions and several more can tell you a lot about the navigation and usability aspects of your website.  If outstanding flaws are identified, diagnosis these issues and then optimize your site accordingly.