Web Hosting

Why a CMS is Essential for Doing Online Business in the 21st Century

Whatever your market niche, a content management system, more commonly referred to as a CMS, is an essential tool for your online business.  While there are seemingly infinite choices when it comes to selecting a CMS, each offers the ability to simplify the task of managing the daily operations surrounding your website.  The top five industry and user favorite CMS systems include: eZPublish, Joomla!, Drupal, WordPress.org and Movable Type.

Understanding CMS Software

The overall concept of a CMS is to provide for a system which separates design from content, yet function cohesively to publish both creations together.  A reputable CMS should bring four core functions to your online venture: Content creation, content management, publishing and presentation.  Within each of these four categories is the ability for storage, organization, creation, publication and development.  Although typically used for blogs, a CMS proves to be just as useful for developing and maintaining websites, e-commerce, as well as marketing a product or service.  Most CMSs are an Open Source software system that’s based on PHP and requires a MySQL database.

Many online business owners opt for a CMS because of the ease and convenience it offers when developing or updating a website or blog.  In fact, users aren’t necessarily required to be proficient, or even understand, HTML coding or other advanced programming languages.  CMS content may be viewed as online news and entertainment articles, instruction manuals, how-to guides, and informative brochures in a wide array of formats including web content, e-documents, as well as data, media, audio and video files.

Benefits of a CMS

Besides making the task of managing a website much less complicated, a CMS also offer other valuable benefits.  One such perk is offering built-in applications such as blogs, contact management, databases, forums, calendars, mail forms, newsletters, search engine, product management and a site map for easier navigation.

Security is another benefit of utilizing a CMS.  The basic security features include: login history, content approval, e-mail verification, SSL compatibility and session management just to name a few.  Commerce capabilities are another huge CMS advantage.  Those seeking an e-commerce venture appreciate features such as affiliate tracking, shopping carts, wish lists, inventory management and pluggable sales’ transaction data information.  Finally, support is yet another benefit of using a CMS.  The power players in the CMS industry understand with the fluidity of code being updated, users must have quick access to dependable support options. As a user, you can expect to find readily available online manuals, commercial support and training, online assistance, professional hosting, and the developer community.

While the complete list of benefits far out cedes our scope here, regardless of the CMS you opt to use to make life simpler, you can be confident that a CMS is essential for doing business in the 21^st century!

Steps for Marketing an Ecommerce Business on Facebook

Facebook today is what Google AdSense was a few years ago; an excellent method of reaching millions of consumers to purchase your online products and services. Social networks update instantly, therefore, sales, promotions and other information can be communicated to fans immediately. Although this article focuses only on steps for Facebook, it is important to utilize all channels for internet marketing including AdSense and Twitter.

There are 10 steps to marketing an Ecommerce business on Facebook:

1. Create a Facebook page
2. Create an alias
3. Create content
4. Communicate with fans
5. Add a shopping cart
6. Advertise
7. Send emails and updates
8. Acquire a Facebook badge
9. Add a “Like” button
10. Add a “Recommendations” box

The first step is to create a Facebook page for your business. This means you will establish a digital post within the network. Creating a page is simple as many tutorials on the subject exist. When creating the page, make sure to distinguish yourself from competitors and appeal to potential Fans. One simple method is to create a “Welcome” tab which is similar to a homepage button on a website.

The second step is to create an alias once your page has 25 or more fans. This allows for a more distinguished URL. Third, create intriguing content for the Facebook page. This is information that will draw the potential client to the page, information they want to read. By keeping the content updated, you are giving them a reason to return to the page. Fourth, engage all fans in active dialog. There are tools to streamline and track Facebook users.

Fifth, add a Facebook shopping cart to your page. There are a number of options available allowing you to display your products with a shopping cart beneath them. Sixth, advertise your page to increase Likes, promote products and drive traffic. Seventh, sending emails and updates to notify Like members of new products and promotions goes a long way. This is exactly like email marketing only with a different platform.

Eighth, adding one of a number of available badges to your page will improve your marketing. Ninth, add a Like button to your main website. This is known as a social plugin and links directly to you Facebook page. With the Like box visitors can view the number of people that Like the page and can share it with their friends. Finally, adding a Recommendation button to your main website provides a more personalized touch.

By following these steps for marketing an ecommerce business on Facebook, you will improve your page’s exposure thus driving more traffic and selling more products. These are all excellent tips that should be utilized.

Warning: Using Amazon.com to Dupe Sellers

Season shopping generates tremendous additional traffic to ecommerce stores. As a result, many cyber criminals see this as an opportunity to scam the unsuspecting public. Online shopping is simple, fast and convenient. Sites like Amazon.com are popular places to complete your holiday shopping list. To capitalize, some hackers have created customized, fake receipts for their users.

The users take these receipts and bring them to Amazon stating they never received their product, thus asking for refunds. If sellers are not quick to check the fake transaction, they could ship the items out to these cyber criminals without them every paying for the merchandise. Due to the chaos that accompanies the holiday season, now is the best time for crooks to dupe unsuspecting retailers.

Unfortunately, phony receipt generating software is available for free on the internet. As a result, many individuals are going to try to achieve fake merchandise by utilizing this program. The Amazon Receipt Generator.exe program is not new, in fact it has been circulating for a few months. The software creates fake HTML receipts sent to retailers. The interface is easy-to-use by providing a form that can be filled in to generate the receipt.

Required information includes:

• The date of the order
• The item name
• The order number
• Price
• Address information
• Country of origin

Once the “Generate” button is clicked, an HTML file of the receipt is generated and looks exactly like an Amazon.com receipt. The software does an excellent job of producing an exact replica of the receipt so the scam has the potential to work effectively.

There are methods retailers can do to check details and avoid being scammed. First, double-check with Amazon to ensure the order number is valid. Second, in the payment information section, payments made by Visa may have a few extra digits added to the credit card number.

This program has spawned many similar receipt-generating programs to begin circulation. However, simply check the main details of the receipt to avoid being scammed. Organized and vigilant retailers will be able to avoid such scams. It’s those that do not take the time to check the records that will have a problem.

This program is so simple yet is causing so many issues in the online retail industry. Although this should not affect Amazon’s reputation with customers, it could cause a problem with the retailers in the Amazon Marketplace trusting the company. Hopefully this is resolved so the merchants can return to selling without additional worry.

‘Tis the Season to Prevent Online Fraud

Whether you’re a small business with an online presence, or a multi-million e-commerce enterprise, online fraud doesn’t discriminate.  Even as individual protecting personal investments, with the holiday upon us, it’s imperative to remain vigilant to prevent online shopping fraud.  Regardless of your angle, as a website owner you should lead by example, and provide visitors with adequate information to protect them from becoming a statistic of online fraud.

The Survey Says…

A web host industry report recently out from Webroot, a leading Internet security service firm, offers troubling results for most web host security analysts.  According to the recently conducted survey of over 2,660 participants, over 50% plan to do at least half of their holiday shopping online.  The number of online holiday shoppers increased from 38% in a similar survey conducted last year.  Perhaps online merchants are capitalizing on the convenience of customers being able to shop from home or taking five on a quick lunch break, combined with the alluring Black Friday online only specials.

High Ranked vs. Trusted Websites

An interesting find in the Webroot survey indicates that 59% of the participants would rather trust the top listings generated from an online search engine rather than typing in an established company’s website, compared to 38% in 2009.  This is troublesome for website owners because if their respected search ranking isn’t listed within the first couple of pages of displayed results, potential customers will never even land on a trusted site.  Furthermore, fraudulent sites have taken advantage of some online shoppers’ naivety to become a high ranked website, yet be a scam in every other sense of the word.

Weak Wi-Fi Hot Spots

With the increased number of online holiday shoppers, comes the increased potential for online fraud.  Often busy individuals take a break from a hectic schedule to “browser shop” using a personal laptop hitting a local Wi-Fi connection; however, often these enthralled shoppers don’t realize they are connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi hot spot. A caveat: submitting any credit card or other financial information is a very risky transaction unless via a secure connection.

How to Research a Reliable Reseller Host

When searching for a reliable reseller host your best tools are to utilize the vast resources of the internet or even by personal experience. By conducting solid research you will be able to arrive at the best decision to fit your business model and hosting needs. Visiting forums, message boards, review sites and engaging in conversation with those that have previous utilized your host are great places to start.

There are three primary suggestions on how to research a reliable host including:

• Visit industry websites
• Contact experts on the subject
• Utilize Twitter

By visiting websites and forums specific to the reseller hosting industry you can gain excellent insight into the various aspects of different companies. Also, there are several specialty sites that post industry news and company reviews. Forums are one of the most popular mediums as they allow customers to appraise hosting companies and share experiences with each other.

By contacting experts on the subject of reseller hosting you have access to someone that is much more knowledgeable than yourself. Experts can give you the cold, hard facts mixed with their own personal experiences and help you make the best determination based on your personal needs. You can contact them in person, on the phone or indirectly through an academic journal they have written.

Finally, Twitter can be another powerful research tool. Twitter differs from a regular search engine tool in that it is real-time and uncensored from actual customers of the reseller host you are reviewing. You have the ability to see an immediate view of how that web hosting provider is doing. If there are constant problems with the company, it will appear in a Twitter search.

The most efficient method for using this tool is over the course of a few weeks to acquire accurate information. First, reduce your pool of reseller hosts down to a few. Then search for the web hosting providers name and look for tweets that mention the name. Finally, gauge the writer’s satisfaction level and make your decision.

Research is the key to uncovering the truth about any company. If you want accurate and reliable first-hand experience about a specific topic or company, utilize the research methods mentioned above. This will allow you to be an informed consumer and thus have a piece of mind that you made the right decision.

The Overlooked Connection Between Computer Viruses and Site Security

Most site owners are very paranoid about the possibility of their site being stolen or hacked, and are therefore insistent on using a web host that utilizes top notch encryption technology and other security measures. For  a web host, a single lapse in security can result in the loss of entire networks for days at a time, so the level of security upheld is very high. In fact, there are governmental organization that regulate the security measures used by web hosts and mandate certain levels of security be maintained at all times. All of this makes the web hosting industry pretty safe in regards to fending off hackers. However, most people don’t realize that the security of their own computers hard drive plays an incredibly important role in the security of their web sites and hosting account.

The following information discusses the connection between computer and web site security, while also providing tips on how to ensure the safety of both your computer and your hosting account.

How Hackers Get Passwords

Contrary to popular misconception, hackers do not spend their time trying to compromise the integrity of massive web hosting networks in order to take control of entire servers,. Instead, they use thousands of individuals ‘drone’ computers to complete tasks like this for them. These computers belong to people that have installed the hacker’s malware on their computer. The malware consumes the computers resources for nefarious purposes, essentially creating a networked super computer out of a bunch of hacked computers. Of course, this in turn makes the computer slow in many cases, but not always.

Sometimes the hacker does not want to use your computer for hacking – they actually want your passwords. They obtain them by hiding a keylogger on your computer, which records every keystroke you make, in conjunction with your browser history. This allows the hacker to access your web hosting account, change the account’s email address and completely steal all of your domains overnight.

How to Avoid a Security Breech

The only way to keep the above scenario from happening to you is to keep powerful and proven antivirus software running ion your computer at all times. Since hackers find new ‘exploits’ and develop new malicious software on a daily basis, it is important to make sure your anti-virus software is updated on a routine basis. Fortunately most anti-virus software will perform automatic updates and handle the security of your computer on autopilot. It is also important to note that all anti-virus software are not the same, and most free anti-virus software are not adequate to provide complete protection.

What to Do After You’ve Been Hacked

Luckily, most people recover their domains and web hosting account by calling the hosting company and providing the necessary information, After recovering your information or domain it is imperative to change all of your passwords, potentially reformat your computer, and install an anti-virus software with active protection. Choose a new password that contains plenty of symbols, letter and numbers in order to make it harder for hackers to steal. Change your email addresses and any other basic online communication methods so that the hacker cannot track you down and begin harassing you again out of spite.

Shared Hosting vs. VPS

Depending on your need, there are many different types of web hosting plans available for various business and personal requirements, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The least expensive option is always the most popular; however, shared hosting may not be suitable for all businesses especially high traffic websites. Therefore, most large websites employ a dedicated server.
Continue Reading »

The Relationship Between eCommerce Web Hosting and Internet Security

Every day, tens of thousands of online transactions take place that cumulatively amount to millions of dollars in eCommerce. In fact, many economical experts believe that the rise in eCommerce is partially responsible for the sustenance of certain economies in the recent recession. As global communication is being facilitated by use of the internet on an ever-increasing basis, online business transactions and digital databases are becoming the backbone of every industry, from banking to wholesale trade.

Most people don’t realize that the majority of retail and wholesale transactions that occur on the internet are mediated by payment processing services that are mediated by eCommerce hosting plans. Thus, eCommerce hosting plays an important role in the overall security of the internet. The following information outlines the connection between eCommerce web hosting and the security of the internet.

Payment Processing

When you make a purchase online, you’re actually giving your card number or payment details to a secure payment processor that deposits the funds into the merchants account on your behalf. These payment processing applications are setup automatically within eCommerce hosting plans, and are an integral feature in every eCommerce  hosting plan. Payment processors not only improve the security of the internet, they also make it easier for merchants to accept a wide range of payment types, from PayPal to debit/credit card. Without payment processing and secure encryption technology, (both of which are offered with eCommerce hosting plans) the entire internet would be an unsafe place for financial transactions.

Site Visiting and Password Protection

Aside from simply stealing your credit or debit card details, online criminals will also attempt to steal your passwords and any other data that could lead them to something valuable on your computer. Many people don’t realize that viruses can affect web sites just as much as they do personal computers. When a site has a virus, the hacker that created the virus may be able to see what you’re doing on the site, and they may be able to get the virus downloaded onto your hard drive as well. If you’re compute,r or a site you’re visiting has a virus, then there is a possibility that a hacker could be monitoring your activity, including gathering your passwords and other sensitive information. Fortunately, most good eCommerce hosting plans come with automatic virus protection for business web sites, which is a major contributor to the safety of the internet.

Email Security

Everyday hundreds of millions of emails are sent and received across cyber space. If it weren’t for secure encryption technology, these emails could be intercepted by hackers. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence, however it can and does happen, especially when the mail is being sent using a free commercial email client. eCommerce hosting plans include some of the most secure email clients and messaging systems available, which are imperative for any serious online business owner. Without these industry-grade email messaging systems offered by eCommerce hosting plans, a lot of important business emails could be intercepted and used for nefarious purposes.

SuperGreen: The Leading Eco-Friendly Web Host

As our world becomes further enriched with technological advances, more companies are working towards “going green” and lessening the impact of their companies carbon footprint. You may find it surprising that even the web hosting industry is making changes to improve the environment. One such company, SuperGreen hosting, is currently the only web hosting service in the industry that has taken the initiative to implement major changes with a centered focus on preserving the environment and eliminating carbon residue and operating energy efficient servers.

SuperGreen web hosting now leads the industry being completely carbon neutral, which leaves no harmful impacts on the environment as all offices, servers, and datacenters are powered solely by solar or wind energy.  The web host was established in the United Kingdom, however, the service provider has since launched offices throughout the United States.  While many companies are desperately trying to incorporate environmental-friendly policies, SuperGreen has always focused on protecting the environment since the company’s conception.

Hosting Features

While the company’s commitment to the environment is deserving of its own accolades, SuperGreen offers a variety of services to meet any hosting needs, regardless of size. The web hosting service’s plan includes features such as unlimited hosting space, bandwidth, and e-mail addresses, lifetime domain, templates, website builder and  e-commerce tools, excellent customer support and  quick and easy setup.

SuperGreen uses the industry favorite and leading cPanel for users to manage the daily operations of controlling a website. The control panel allows you to manage the essential components of your account, allowing for quick and easy installation of scripts and other useful applications.  Even novice users will find configuring e-mail, site statistics and script implementation an easy task using the cPanel software. Additionally, the web host offers numerous add-ons for popular content management systems such as WordPress and Joomla.

SuperGreen offers a anytime money back guarantee to clients as well a promise of 99.9% uptime.  SuperGreen also takes pride in providing accesses to servers around the clock, 365 days a year.  Furthermore, the web host company provides excellent customer service representatives available 24/7 to help with troubleshooting issues, via phone, e-mail or online chat.

Pricing

With all these features, SuperGreen offers the above plan for a very reasonable fee of $6.95 per month.  In addition, the web host service has an on-going promotion for $3.95 per month. Although the price of SuperGreen’s services may lead some to believe it’s too good to be true, however, satisfied clients can testify to access of the features and applications that are included in the plan.

SuperGreen is able to pass on savings by operating with its self-produced energy processes.   The web host provider is a favorite among many, not only because of very affordable prices, but also in taking great strides to protect the environment. The number of features provided, combined with the environmental-friendly efforts, truly makes it a worth-while investment!

The Eternal Battle – Beware of the Attackers!

You may have seen in the news over the past year or so how a small band of Somali pirates can hijack the biggest ships on the open sea!  If you own a ship your first rule ought to be “Do NOT sail near Somalia!”  So, you own a business and you rely on a web hosting service.  Is your business anywhere near Somalia at the moment?  Actually there are probably a lot more computer hackers than there are pirates and these computer hackers will find you no matter where you are!

The real question should be:  Is your website secure from hackers?

Take Steps

The answer to the question above is probably “yes, but only for the moment!”  It is the eternal battle of good vs. evil.  As the anti-virus movement gets more secure, the hacker nation gets smarter.  A lot of times the thief teaches the cops a thing or two.  It goes without saying you should be as prepared as possible.  One of the first steps you can take is to identify the most vulnerable areas of your website.  For example, if your operating system’s default parameters were not changed by the system administrator upon installation this may be an open invitation to an attack.  Take steps to ensure that proper password etiquette is always used among the many users involved in your enterprise.  You can use a password generator that produces completely random letters and numbers for passwords and have a scheduled password change every 45 days or so.

Email etiquette is just as important.  Emails that request information should be scrutinized.  The best way to identify a fake email that is asking for a password (one that mimics every aspect of a real email) is to look at and recognize the URL of your web hosting login page before replying.  Most web hosts provide a firewall for protection, be sure your web hosting company offers you some type of access or authority to configure this firewall.

Information

If the captain of a ship hears on the radio that there may be pirates in the area he most likely will alter course promptly.  This is very valuable information.  Software patches and updates are very valuable information.  Not only do you need to know what updates and patches are needed to keep your web site protected you need to when they are available.  In the digital security market there are information services whose primary function is to track the latest software vulnerabilities and provide you with the latest information on updates and patches for these vulnerabilities.  These services also provide key statistics such as the severity of the virus or hole, the potential impact, the programs it affects, protection guidelines, and any archived news about the particular virus or breach.

As your business continues to move forward there are always ways to improve and grow your ability to fend off computer hackers.   Pick and choose the ones that fit your budget and your business and you just might find smooth sailing ahead.

Search Engine Optimization with No Investment Needed

One of the most intimidating aspects of becoming a successful web site owner is the fear of having to invest money in projects that you’re unsure about. Understandably, most novice webmaster are not confident in their ability to make money with their sites by ranking highly in the search engines, and as such often resort to investing exuberant amounts of money into search engine optimization campaigns that are managed and executed by professionals. Sadly, the majority of these campaigns do not offer true success, and the webmaster is left to handle their SEO campaign independently using skills they’ve acquired online.

Most of the tasks involved with SEO are mundane and repetitive so outsourcing is a common issue that webmasters have to deal with. The following information can help you rank highly in the search engines without spending money o outsourcing and professional SEO specialists.

High Quality Backlinks

Building backlinks is perhaps the central component of raising your sites authority and being able to rank highly for any keyword you’d like. A backlink is any link on the web that points to your site, or a page on your site. The more backlinks your site has on the internet, the more popular and useful it appears to be from the perspective of a search engine algorithm. Most people focus on building thousands of backlinks in a short amount of time, often with automated softwares, only to find that their site has been ‘sandboxed’ and is no longer even ranked for their desired keywords. Not only does this cost money (either for investing in software or outsourced link building) it is also usually less effective than building fewer, more authoritative backlinks over a longer period of time. Instead of paying  people to build lots of backlinks for you, focus on the more powerful backlinks such as those posted in the profile pages or blog pages of high PR sites.

On Page Optimization

Many people overlook the importance of on page optimization, which consists of keeping the site updated with quality content and creating an efficient outgoing link structure the does not compromise the  PR of your pages. Adequate site navigation is also a very important aspect of on page optimization. Every page should contain links that point to another part of your web site, ideally using anchor text to denote the topic of the content in the navigational link. This will not only help search engines index your site more efficiently, it will also simplify the browsing experience for your site visitors. Other aspects of on page optimization include keyword placement/density, ad placement, and proper script usage. Unless you pay a content developer to handle these tasks for you, they are easy to perform and completely free.

Building Niche Partnerships

Another free way to enhance your SEO campaign and raise the amount of daily traffic your site receives is to begin building partnerships with other webmasters in your respective niche. Doing this will not only give you additional backlinking opportunities from related web sites, it will also bring an influx of traffic form these sites to yours on a daily basis, ultimately resulting in increased sales/conversions in the long term. Most sites have contact forms and/or ‘contact us’ pages that will help you get in touch with the webmaster and build a working relationship that can benefit both of your web sites.