What would you do if I told you your site is under constant attack? 90% of sites are hacked with malware and you never know it. Hackers are getting very sophisticated and run scripts whose sole purpose is to break into one of the services on your website server, such as your email server, FTP, or if you have a Word Press site your plug-ins become a liability. There’s an old saying in the industry: “There are those who have been hacked and those who don’t know it yet.”

I have first-hand experience dealing with these types of events. It is of the utmost importance that you keep your site up-to-date, which includes the software running your site as well as the plug-ins adding features to your site. Creating strong passwords with more than sixteen characters, using both uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers and never using real words, is of vital importance. 

Let me play out a scenario for you. When the site is hacked, the hackers have a plan and they stick to their playbook: 
• They crack your password or break into one of your services, like an outdated plug-in.

E-mail marketing has become commonplace and is a great way to engage your contacts.  Once you have your e-mail prepared you want to ensure that it reaches your contacts inbox and that they open it.  Personal preferences and SPAM filters can hinder that process, but we have a few tips to help you increase your open rates.

1.  66% of contacts check e-mail on a mobile device, so ensuring that your e-mail is mobile friendly is key.

2.  Write a subject line that captures the recipient’s attention without misleading the reader about the content of the e-mail. Avoid the
“what happens next …” syndrome.

3.  Your e-mail should have a good balance of text and images. An e-mail with too many images can load slowly and trigger SPAM filters.

Go Mobile! If your website is not mobile enabled you’re losing organic positioning on the search engines. Google made it official last month and announced they are going to be re-indexing website’s results and prioritizing mobile-friendly websites. And as we all know what Google does others copy and compound the problem. 57 percent of users will not recommend a website if it’s not mobile friendly.

All your efforts to keep your website up-to-date and the technology current will be for nothing if potential customers can’t find your website. The mobile industry is growing by leaps and bounds – 80 percent of traffic to websites is now coming from mobile devices.

There are simple steps you can take to check if your website is compliant. I have included some links to free services that will give you a real sense of your website’s health. If you find your website is not compliant or mobile, have your developer give you an estimate and a timeline to upgrade your website’s technologies. Do yourself a favor and get at least three estimates. Clearly define the scope of work, set your expectations and make sure they are understood. Happy serving!

Test your Site: