Improving online security for holiday shoppers and website SEO

Nov 10, 2018


As the holidays approach, online security is on every shopper’s mind.  Cybercrime is rampant at the holidays and all of us (website owners included) must do all we can to keep our visitors safe to make their precious purchases.  Keeping our sites up to date and improving online security issues will bring big rewards.  It would be a shame for anyone to miss out on this holiday window of sales.  Get prepared for the onslaught and enjoy the season.

Holiday downside:  Internet cybercrime

Because the holidays are a key time for cybercrime, most online shoppers are leery of visiting sites that are not secure.  We all want to avoid computer scams and identity theft.  If your site is being managed by a webmaster (other than yourself)  an SSL certificate is crucial.  If your site is not secure, have the webmaster add this additional security.  Blue Host is offering a “free” SSL Certificate when you sign up for hosting.  If your hosting service does not offer a secret server space, this is the time to make the change.  Contact us if you need help changing servers.  This will assure the visitor that they are safe as they browse and shop on your website.

Internet shoppersMobile internet shoppers:

We know today, that mobile traffic will make up nearly 30% of all online shoppers.  This offers cybercriminals the perfect opportunity to develop malicious apps and other phishing campaigns to fool shoppers.  Vulnerabilities are frequent with stolen credit card numbers and this is the time of year we have to be aware of this and be especially careful.  One of the things we suggest to our clients is to cancel credit cards at least once or twice a year.
It is easy to cancel a card and re-order a new one.  A new card normally takes only a few days.  This will help to limit some of this cybercrime.   Remember that some of your payment information is stored online and there is a vulnerability here.

Issues for e-commerce websites:

The way an e-commerce site performs online is not just limited to the server.  The device your client is using to view the website is also important.  For instance if the consumer shopping on your site is using an older computer,  a browser that is not compatible or a substandard home internet, there could be a problem.  They may get frustrated and leave the site.  All systems must work properly for a better shopping experience.
If the shopping cart platform fails, then the visitor will leave the site.  It is critical to use the right e-commerce platform when building the site.  We use a platform called “Woo Commerce.”  We have had good luck with this platform.  But be sure to check with your web designer to learn about all of the options available.

Top issues for an e-commerce website is as follows:

  • How quickly your consumer can order on your site
  • Processing credit card payments
  • How quickly the item is delivered

It takes two to run your e-commerce site:

Operating an e-commerce site takes a person available 24/7.  Many of our clients assume that once the site is online all else takes care of itself.  This cannot be further from the truth.  As an e-commerce site owner you must be willing to run the site daily, make  inventory changes and learn the system inside and out.  You will also need your site-developer to make changes and additions to your actual website. Going forward your responsibility will be to run the backend of the site, make all inventory changes and sales.  Your webmaster or site-developer will make changes to the actual website.  But it takes two to tango in this e-commerce environment.
Special congratulations to Mike Manchester “Winter Park Counseling.”  His new redesigned website is a secure space and was just published today.  He is excited to have his clients and visitors  and he is already adding new content. Thanks Mike for choosing us for your new re-design.  Contact Mike and his staff for any counseling needs.
Enjoy the holiday season with friends and family and hurry back for more next time from the Design Wizards at Inside Design Orlando.  Contact our design team for your next great website project and ask for a list of our content writers and bloggers.  They do an incredible job and will partner with you for success!

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