Because they can
To install malware
For SEO spam purposes

Because They Can

Although hackers who launch brute force attacks for the fun of it seem inconsequential, there are enough of them out there to cause serious issues. Some programmers and software engineering students get a thrill out of hacking websites. Their fascination may be motivated by curiosity or they may be proving themselves among their peer group. They can earn this respect as a hacker regardless of what your website does or who your company is. Your small business’s hacked website will just be another notch in their belt to prove what they are capable of.

To Install Malware

In 2012, Key Web Concepts dealt with a virus on one our sites. This malware infected one of our websites using a Base64 code that self-propagated across multiple pages. As soon as one page was clean and free of malware, the virus would spread elsewhere and then back again. We eventually used our backups of the site along with some cleaning techniques to get an edge on the virus and restore the website. Malware can also wreak havoc if it results in your website being blacklisted from Google. Blacklisting is how search engines prevent innocent web surfers from visiting malicious websites. This shuts down your web traffic until you clear off the malware leading to a potential loss in customers.

For SEO Spam

The third reason that hackers could target your sight is for SEO spam tactics. Part of encouraging a website to rank higher in Google search results is the use of backlinks. When more sites link to your site, search engines see that as an indication that you have authority as a worthwhile site. But, while most sites encourage backlinks by creating worthwhile content, some sites desperately hack into your site as a black hat SEO tactic. If your website is doing well in search engine rankings and web traffic as you want it to do, hackers will target your site to secretly insert links to help their own website rank higher.

What Can You Do?

If your site has already been hacked, give us a call. It is possible that we can clean your site of malware and keep your online presence safe. If you are worried about future attacks to your site, consider installing a security plugin on your website. Security plugins can do everything from hiding the login portal to banning suspicious IP address with too many failed login attempts. Some can even block countries where you don’t plan to do business so that only potential customers can view your site. These plugins gather data about hacks when they happen and update their program to block the latest threats. For Key Web customers, our Pro website hosting package includes the installation of several security plugins to cover all of the bases. By continually monitoring your security, we will ensure that you win the ongoing battle of website security. We'll catch compromises in your security early so it has less effect on your web traffic. Your website will stay safe. [post_title] => Small Businesses Getting Hacked Ask Why Me? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => small-businesses-getting-hacked-ask-why-me [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-08-07 19:49:00 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-08-07 19:49:00 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://keyweb31.com/stagekwc/?p=7152 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 7149 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2018-12-11 11:18:58 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-12-11 16:18:58 [post_content] => Brute force attacks hit thousands of websites every single day. What is a brute force attack and what can you do to stop it from happening to you? To visualize what a brute force attack is, imagine you come home one day to find that you are locked out of your house. Someone has changed all the locks and is lounging in his drawers on your couch eating lasagna and wiping his hands on your draperies. You see a sign in the window that demands a ransom if you ever want access to your house again. While this seems an unlikely scenario with your physical home, your company’s home on the internet, being open to the global public, can be open to all sorts of attacks just like this one.

Why You Need Good Security

Brute force attacks leverage knowledge about your CMS to find the bankend login on your website. The hackers then run scripts which make rapid login attempts to try to gain access to your site. This is known as a “brute force” attack because, unlike the finesse of a traditional lock-picker, it relies on the trial-and-error of thousands of attempts as the computer running the script tries as many combinations of characters as its processing power can handle. Hackers use databases of common passwords and typical patterns of letter and number combinations to speed up the process. Once they have achieved a successful login, your website is free for them to do with as they please. Sometimes, they will ask for a ransom or set up malware but, many times, they might not leave any trace of hacking at all. Hackers can create a secret bankend entrance to your site for them to access whenever they so choose. They will probably wait a while to throw off any suspicion. When they do strike, it may seem to come out of nowhere. This can be scary for your brand as hackers have been known to use their access to impersonate and spread false information in the company’s name.

WordPress Vulnerabilities and What to Do About Them

A majority of the internet runs on content management systems (otherwise known as a CMS) that can be customized to suit specific needs. These CMSs provide the framework for custom web design firms, such as Key Web Concepts, to build according to whatever purpose the website needs to accomplish. WordPress is the arguably the most powerful CMS on the market and enables Key Web to build beautiful customized websites. One inherent “flaw” to this is that, with so many websites running on similar CMSs, hackers have a better idea what they are doing. WordPress developers designed their CMS as an open-source software. Being open-source means that WordPress encourages customization of their program by making the program source code available to everyone. Third-party software development teams then use this information to build very useful plugins to accomplish specific tasks. This extends the possibilities of the CMS far beyond what any one development team could come up with. However, with how many websites are running on WordPress, hackers can study up on what it takes to hack a WordPress site and know that, as the most powerful CMS out there, 32% of all websites on the internet use it. Hackers can also use chinks in the armor of the plugins you may have installed on your website. When third-parties create supplemental tools to run on a CMS platform, there is no guarantee that their security efforts are as airtight as the platform itself. WordPress frequently releases updates for its platform as a whole to continually cover any security threats but plugin developers might not necessarily be as vigil.

What Can You Do?

If your site has already been hacked, give us a call. It is possible that we can clean your site of malware and keep your online presence safe. If you are worried about future attacks to your site, consider installing a security plugin on your website. Security plugins can do everything from hiding the login portal to banning suspicious IP address with too many failed login attempts. Some can even block countries where you don’t plan to do business so that only potential customers can view your site. These plugins gather data about hacks when they happen and update their program to block the latest threats. For Key Web customers, our Pro website hosting package includes the installation of several security plugins to cover all of the bases. By continually monitoring your security, we will ensure that you win the ongoing battle of website security. Your website will stay safe. [post_title] => How Do You Know Your Website Is Safe from Hackers? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => how-do-you-know-your-website-is-safe-from-hackers [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-08-07 19:57:41 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-08-07 19:57:41 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://keyweb31.com/stagekwc/?p=7149 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6973 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2018-08-29 10:51:49 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-08-29 10:51:49 [post_content] => If you’re in business, then you definitely know how important your brand concept is. A company’s brand is crucial to the success of their business in all aspects and if you’ve come to this article because you’re worried your company may be making branding mistakes, then you’re in the right place. We’ve created a list of the top branding mistakes that companies make so that you can double check that your business is doing branding the right way.

1. No competitor analysis

Not taking a look at your immediate competition is a huge branding mistake. Whether you’re developing your brand or trying to enhance it, you definitely want to know how your competition’s brand is working. By analyzing their brand, you’ll have a better idea of how to make your business stand out to your clients. Checking out the competition isn’t just smart for business sales--it’s also crucial for branding success.

2. Not identifying your customers

If you attempt to create a brand without customer profiles or target audience’s established, you’re not going to have a very successful brand strategy. When developing a brand, you have to know who the brand is for. Who is going to respond to your brand positively and want to become a customer? This is a crucial step in creating a brand that is successful.

3. Being inconsistent with your brand

Does anyone remember when Heniz came out with their EZ Squirt purple ketchup? This is an excellent example of how important it is for you to stay true to what your business does. Although Heinz recognized that a big portion of their consumers are children who liked to dip their chicken nuggets and french fries in ketchup—there’s a reason you can’t go to the supermarket and buy purple ketchup today: people like their ketchup the same color that they like their tomatoes. Who would’ve guessed? Inconsistency is a common branding mistake among business owners. Your brand is something your customers begin to recognize on their own, and when you mix it up in a poor way, your branding is lost and your customers can become confused. It’s like a landscaping company hosting an indoor dance party--it doesn’t make sense. Instead, they should host a pool party and show off all their great landscaping abilities around the pool.

4. Thinking a logo is enough

Not that a logo isn’t important—because it absolutely is—but it’s not the only important thing that goes into how you brand your company. A logo means nothing if you don’t have the brand to support it. Your brand is who you are, what you represent, and what you provide, and a logo alone isn’t going to provide that for your customers. Instead, the logo is going to be what customers associate with your company and how they identify you. Let’s look at Starbucks. Their siren logo isn’t what built their company into the coffee capital it is today. Instead, it was freshly brewed coffee, automated and faster espresso machines, and strong customer service that made their customers associate their logo with coffee. That’s a great example of allowing your logo be your brand’s identifier.

5. Ignoring the brand guidelines

Ah, brand guidelines. They’re these beautiful sets of rules that explain exactly how all of your branding elements should be used and exactly how they shouldn’t be used. If you’re just starting the process of developing your company’s brand, you’ll definitely want to have guidelines created. But more importantly, you’ll want to be sure that every single person on your team implements these standards--whether they’re on the marketing team or not. Again, consistency is the most important part of a successful brand, so do not under any circumstances ignore your brand guidelines.

6. Posting poor content

When people come to your website, they have a certain expectation. They want to understand your company’s purpose, and they don’t want to read a poorly edited “About Us” page. Nor do they want to read a services page that has outdated pricing and is no longer correct. It’s important that the content on your site be relevant and well written. And while we absolutely recommend blogging for your website (because it can increase your blog’s possibility for higher google rankings), it won’t help if the content you’re posting isn’t good quality content. If your site’s content is a headache for you, let us help! We have excellent copywriters (you’re reading content from one now!) who can provide high quality website content for you, including consistent blog postings.

7. Not using social media to build your brand

Social media is not only a great way for your to build your brand, but also build your customer base. Engaging with customers through social media is not only something small businesses are doing, but larger corporations are also beginning to interact with their customers with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Social media gives customers a chance to share their experiences with their friends, share recommendations, and review products, businesses, and services. Being active on your social media pages will definitely help boost your brand.

8. Not keeping track of your branding attempts

When a client calls or emails you for a quote, do you find out how they heard about your company? You absolutely should! You might find that majority of your customers hear about your business from google or from your Facebook page where one of their friend’s left a good review. It’s important to keep track of what does and doesn’t work for your company’s brand so that you don’t waste your time and efforts on branding attempts that aren’t working. Whether you’re reflecting on your own brand’s mistakes or your working hard to try to prevent branding mistakes throughout the brand development stage, our hope is that these eight things will help show you what not to do. And if you need any help with your branding--whether it’s your logo, brand voice, brand guidelines, or content—give us a call. We’re here to help! [post_title] => Branding Mistakes to Avoid [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => branding-mistakes-to-avoid [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-08-07 14:28:45 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-08-07 14:28:45 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://keyweb31.com/stagekwc/?p=6973 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6921 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2018-07-13 13:11:39 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-07-13 18:11:39 [post_content] => Out of all the social media platforms you can use to get the word out about your business and build connections, Pinterest is one that is easily overlooked. Many entrepreneurs focus on Facebook and then sometimes look into LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Not many are taking advantage of all that Pinterest has to offer as a free marketing tool and an arena to network with other business owners. During the last few months, we’ve taken the time to work on our own Pinterest boards and the results have shocked us. Like others in small business, we underestimated how much attention we could easily gain by creating and sharing pins. Since we want to share this success with you, we’re going to dive into why you should use Pinterest for your business and a few of the strategies that are most effective.

Pinterest has 200 million monthly users

Although Pinterest isn’t as monstrous as Facebook, this social media platform still attracts a variety of audiences. Currently, it’s the most popular with millennials and US moms, and also 80% of pinners are using the app. Deciding not to tap into Pinterest means potentially missing out on the millions of people who not only use this platform -- they engage on it. Turns out that 70% of pinners actively engage through saving photos and clicking on stuff, which other social media networks would die for.

engagement on pinterest, social media statistic

Find out your users’ interests

Yes, Google Analytics is helpful for discovering the demographics of people visiting your website and what they’re clicking on the most, but Pinterest offers more perspective as you try to understand your target audience. By simply looking at which pins are being saved and what links are being clicked, you can easily determine the kind of information that’s most popular with your users. As you add to your boards and separate by category, Pinterest will gather data for your business, and you will start to notice trends. To see your insights and trends, click Google Analytics in the top left hand corner and it will open a page with three boxes titled “Your Pinterest profile,” “People you reach,” and “Activity from [URL]” like this:

From here, you can click “More” on any of the three categories and see more statistics about engagements, daily viewers, and more. Below these boxes, you can see which pins are receiving the most impressions, saves, and clicks. This can be helpful as you decide which pins to create and save in the future.

Pins allow inbound linking

One of the most valuable aspects of Pinterest is that each pin can be linked back to your website.

screenshot of blank pinterest pin

As shown in the screenshot above, after you’ve uploaded a graphic, you can insert a URL to wherever you’d like to link. For example, we share many of our blog posts on our Pinterest boards and link to each specific blog. Whether you get a designer to make something or simply use Canva, images for Pinterest posts should be modern and eye-catching. Be sure to also add a description below the website link to help specify what your post is about.

screenshot of pinterest graphic, key web concepts

Build local connections with businesses

Just like Instagram and other social media platforms, Pinterest is a perfect place to connect with not only potential customers but also other local businesses. Although pinners aren’t concerned about getting followers usually, they are focused on inspiring users to save pins and click into their websites. By saving other local businesses pins or shouting them out in posts, you can build connections on Pinterest that you might not otherwise. These new resources may prove invaluable when it comes to word-of-mouth recommendations and visibility.

Drive more traffic quickly

By using these strategies to get started, our Pinterest boards gained so much more engagement simply because we took the time to add pins to them. During the first few weeks alone, our average daily impressions went up about 205%, our average daily viewers increased by 435%, and our average daily impressions skyrocketed 367%. In just a month and a half, our average monthly viewers went from about 600 to almost 14,000. That’s about 13,400 more people who now have access to information about our services and can click into our website from pins. We hope these reasons shed light on how Pinterest can benefit your business! If you have any questions or would like help setting up your business profile on Pinterest, please reach out to us today! [post_title] => Why Every Business Needs Pinterest: 5 Foolproof Reasons [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => why-every-business-needs-pinterest-5-foolproof-reasons [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-10-02 13:00:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-10-02 13:00:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://keyweb31.com/stagekwc/?p=6921 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 4 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 7152 [post_author] => 5 [post_date] => 2019-02-04 16:10:29 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-02-04 21:10:29 [post_content] => There are three main reasons that a hacker would want to launch a brute force attack against your website regardless of what is on your website or what your business does. A brute force attack in when a hacker runs scripts on your website’s login portal to input thousands of educated username and password guesses. We go into more depth in our brute force blog post. As a small business owner, your website helps you share the story of your company with potential customers. You may or may not do business outside of your city, region, or country. You may not use the website for anything more than a billboard to help clients find and call you. Worrying about website security might seem like overkill. You may ask, “Why would they hack me? I conduct my business offline. I don’t collect credit card information or anything that they could use to get money. My website attracts customers and they call me and that’s it.” In answer to this question, there are three reasons why a hacker would target your website.

Because they can
To install malware
For SEO spam purposes

Because They Can

To Install Malware

For SEO Spam

What Can You Do?

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Small Businesses Getting Hacked Ask Why Me?

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    [post_content] => We published a blog post entitled “The Importance of Your Site’s Homepage” back in 2010, and while we’ve noticed it still gets a ton of hits, we’re also here to admit that a lot has changed since then. So, as the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new: here’s a 2017 guide to your homepage.
THE BIG THREE
We’re into making things a little simpler and more streamlined these days, so we’ve cut that 2010 mega-list of 8 homepage “must-haves” down to 3:

 	      Establish an identity and make a good impression with a clean design that utilizes your brand colors, typeface, logo, photography style, and any other elements that showcase your company’s personality.


 	      Be user-friendly—highlight main attractions or pockets of information on the homepage and offer a clear navigation system. Take into consideration which pages users are likely to visit most often, and those which are necessary, but can be tucked away in a more inconspicuous location.


 	      Supply relevant content. Ask yourself what visitors (both new and returning) are coming to your site to see, and provide them with the useful information they’re seeking.

So what did we cut out? We decided a site-wide search tool is not necessary on all websites, fresh content doesn’t always trump relevant content, and—while we always want site visitors to read more—gimmicky “teasers” on the homepage are never a good idea.
GONE ARE THE DAYS OF “ABOVE THE FOLD”
In our 2010 post, we emphasized the notion that everything you want visitors to see on your site should be located “above the fold,” or above the 600 px mark (whatever is visible without scrolling). This concept is outdated, largely thanks to the pervasiveness of social media—in 2017, users’ first instinct upon arriving at a new website is to scroll, so the pressure to fit all content of importance within a screen-sized page is off.

There’s no doubt that you should certainly still seek to secure your users’ attention with that first screen, but there’s no need to cram in all of your relevant content. Ask yourself what you want your visitors to know about you first and also what your visitors most likely want to know: are you an architecture firm who seeks to grab new visitors with a stunning image of your most recent building? Or do you need to let your large population of returning visitors know about an event that’s just around the corner?

Our own recent redesign really showcases how a longer homepage can work for you. Our “above the fold” content has few words but lots of color, and what’s there gives our users our identity in a nutshell: we “help businesses build better digital identities,” and the services we offer include web design, branding, graphic design, and SEO. Upon scrolling, visitors find examples of our featured work, a brief description of our process, and an invitation to meet us for a free consultation. Each full-width section has its own visual identity, which gets the reader excited to continue scrolling and find out what’s next.


NEW VS. RETURNING VISITORS
It’s not necessary to prioritize one group of visitors over the other. A clean, comprehensive homepage should allow new visitors to explore and learn more about your company, and it’s safe to assume returning visitors will go directly to the page they need upon landing at your site.
FUNNELING YOUR USERS
This sounds much more manipulative than it really is. In theory, you shouldn’t have a lot of information on your website that isn’t important in some capacity, but there are still certain things you want your user to see, read, or interact with earlier or more often than other entities. Strategic design and calls-to-action can help you guide your users’ experience through your website and get the return you desire.

Design best practices, like using blank space to provide visual breaks or presenting essential information in a way that attracts the eye, capitalize on users’ natural tendencies to control their journey through the site. Using contrasting color, exaggerated sizing, or interesting shapes can also draw attention to specific pieces of information or calls-to-action.

Calls-to-action use graphics and/or words to compel users to complete a specific action: to sign up for a newsletter, join a program, enter an email address to receive a free trial, etc. They are often attention-grabbing buttons or full-width sections that are nearly impossible to ignore, and their verbiage should be enticing and specific to the action they are asking users to take (“sign up here” for a newsletter or membership). Stating up front the benefits to the user can also be helpful (“to receive 25% off your next order, enter your email address”).
THE BOTTOM LINE
We ended our 2010 post by emphasizing the necessity of making your purpose clear to your visitors within a few seconds of viewing. While it’s true that your website should be honest and straightforward in presenting your purpose, we know now that most users are web savvy, smart, and willing to scroll. Rather than cramming lots of information “above the fold,” try for a clean, visually-pleasing design that won’t intimidate or turn users off, then let your content unfold naturally down your homepage.

Is your homepage cluttered, outdated, or just plain ugly? We can help with that. (See what we did there? This is a call-to-action—one that hopefully entices you to check out our services!)
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