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Understanding The Internet

Understanding the Internet

Paraphrasing the definition of the Internet; “The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

google-panda_google-penguinThere are two principal naming conventions on the Internet, the Internet Protocol Address (IP address) and the Domain Name System (DNS). The IP address links networks much like a phone number can reach another phone number. An IP address even looks like a phone number, for example; 69.167.6.95 is an IP address for a virtual private network. Domain names are designed for use by people to easily remember the “address” of an IP. In the example listed above, the domain name for the IP address is vyprvpn.com. Most web browsers display the uniform resource locator (URL) of a web page above the page in an address bar. URIs symbolically identifies the address of a web server or database. The URL is commonly referred to as the domain name of a website. A typical URL could look like (http://www.example.com/index.html), which indicates a protocol (http), a server hostname (www.example.com), and a web page or file name (index.html).

Internet Defined

Many people use the terms “Internet” and “World Wide Web” interchangeably, but the two terms are not synonymous. It is common for people to say they are “online” or use “the Internet” when they are actually using a web browser to view a website, which is a collection of web pages. The Internet is a global set of web pages, documents, images, computer data, including graphics, sounds, text, video, multimedia and interactive content and other resources, logically interrelated by hyperlinks and referenced with Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) or domain names.

With the advent of software tools readily available, publishing a web page, a blog, or building a website involves little initial expense and many free services are also available. Most professional businesses require a web presence to succeed today. Publishing and maintaining large, professional websites with attractive, diverse and up-to-date information is remains a difficult and expensive proposition. With the high frequency of changes to search engines, the advent of mobile devices and the numerous code bases in use today, the most successful legal websites require daily updating and maintenance.

The Internet Is Bigger Than Google

Google as a search engine is at its base level nothing more than a database of people, places and things. In this digital space, the common technical term for people, places, and things is entities. Google is an entity library that currently uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide the best user experience. Even with the best design, the best graphics and the best content on a website, without pro-active Internet marketing, a website by itself is nothing more than a “book” on a shelf. If you think of a website as a “book” within the Google library, the objective of internet marketing is to move the “book” onto the best sellers list for that particular category. The website and the domain have no value until the site attracts an audience. Domain value increases as audience and authority grows over time. This is where Internet marketing comes into play.

mobile

Make Your Mobile UX Better

How to Make Your Content Work On Mobile

The mobile experience (mobile UX) of your website is crucial to its success. This is because of the increasingly device agnostic approach of most technology users. They want to have the same experience, get the same information, and achieve the same tasks, whatever device they are on. Understanding mobile user behavior is crucial in a solid mobile SEO strategy.

Making your content on mobile as good as possible starts with design. The tips for mobile UX here are mostly about content creation, but there is a crossover between the design of your mobile website and the creation of content. This is unavoidable, so you will have to consider and work on both. This means making sure your mobile design, functionality, and navigation are as good as they can be.

Functionality, in particular mobile UX, is essential. Ideally, you shouldn’t have any functions on your website that only work on desktop devices. You also have to test the typography settings of your website, making sure it is easy to ready on mobile.

In addition, make sure the links and navigation work well on mobile. Remember that text links are harder to use on mobile than on desktop, simply because fingers are clumsier than mouse pointers.

mobileCreating Content That Works On Mobile

You should think specifically about mobile users when creating content. This might sound obvious, but it is a principle that is not always acted on. An example is a blog post that looks great and is easy to read when on a computer but doesn’t work very well on mobile. You should always think about the mobile experience.

To do that you have to understand who your mobile users are, and what they want to do. This includes identifying how they will find or access your site (for example; through a Google search), and what pages they will enter from. Will they make a purchase on your mobile website? Do they want to find information, or do they want to contact you?

Getting Content Right On Mobile

In many cases, you will have to adjust your style of writing for mobile. Most advice for writing on the web includes breaking up the text with paragraphs, headings, and lists. This applies on mobile too, but paragraphs should be even shorter. A good guide is to keep your paragraphs to 50-100 words.

Finally, think about how you will position the call to action on mobile. Does this meet the same requirements you have on desktop devices? This includes being high on the page and visible with zero or minimal amounts of scrolling.

Mobile devices are here to stay, so every website owner and content creator has to think mobile first or at least as much as they think desktop.

Benefits Of A Unique Value Proposition

Finding a Unique Value Proposition For Your Business

In most free markets competing businesses are always looking for an edge. If you’re not watching your competition then you consider the need to become aware of what the competitors are doing. But even with the stress and worry of competition in your line of work, there are positive sides to having so-called business rivals such as learning from them and surpassing them. Separate yourself from the ordinary with a unique value proposition (UVP) that resonates with your target audience. A compelling brand message will insure your message is heard.

In most specific markets you will find the business that failed and from which you can learn what not to do, and businesses that are stagnating from which you can also learn what not to do or what you can improve and offer to your target customers in order to not slag behind within the mediocre crowd. This is where, when and how you will find a unique value proposition for your business and overtake your competition. While the competition is left in the dust, unaware of what even happened, you will be miles ahead of them already and working on that head start to move on further and further to the satisfaction of your target customers.

content marketingHow To Craft A Unique Value Proposition

Unique value propositions are sometimes difficult to come up with but they are always there as long as you pay attention to the throbbing beat of demand, desire, needs and wants of your target customers. Which variable of a product, service is most valuable to them in a specific scenario? Which priorities does your specific narrow targeted customer have at present or the near future? You want to put yourself in their shoes and think like they think so that this mindset and will power to work together with your customers sets you apart from the rest of the businesses that are competing with yours out there.

Make sure that your newly discovered unique value proposition sets you aside from your competition so that your targeted customers notice you and the benefit your business offers them and their needs. Be sure to make your unique selling proposition is easily understood; with a unique angle to it that delivers the promise of a solution to a need, desire, problem, want, ache of your customer.

What Is Your UVP?

Can you think of anything you can offer right now to your customer that your competition is not? Can you think of a benefit you can create in the near future that is valuable to your end customer? Can you find knowledgeable experts that can help you with creating a solution, a product? Can you look outside the average boxes of stalled business minds? Are you running your business for yourself or your end customers? The core, heart and soul of any business are your customer and their satisfaction. An unsatisfied customer will fire your entire business in less than a minute so set aside any ego trips and realize that businesses are a two-way street always and without the customers and their needs, wants, desires there is no great business out there.

If you’re offering the same thing exactly the same way as everyone else then somebody is completely unnecessary in the market and will struggle long term consequences of being stuck in the average pool. You are not average, and there is no need to be under the false illusion of safe business when you can strive and achieve so much more in tune with your target customers.

It’s not about if you will find a unique value proposition, it’s about when will you decide that you want to find it and develop it. Keep in mind at all times that even failure on your path to overcoming your competition is a success in disguise and a test to see of what you are made. The leaders in the marketplace constantly refine assess the competitiveness of their unique value proposition, validating that it remains meaningful with potential buyers or clients. Is it time to take a closer look at your offer?

lead nurture

Why Response Time Matters For Intake

What is “Response Time”?

How quickly you respond to a customer inquiry to an intake form or request for information is commonly referred to as “response time” and has widely been acknowledged as a key contributor to a successful online sales or professional services intake process. The best intake support and CRM systems provide response time as a key performance indicator as part of a comprehensive management report. The response time KPI helps to identify both response times on individual inbound requests as well as response time averages for individual personnel or intake teams.

lead nurtureWhy Is Response Time Such A Critical Success Factor?

In traditional selling or networking a commonly held perception is that, “you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression”. This sentiment holds true with an online inquiries as well. Speed plays an even more important role in the digital world, because the ease of submitting forms often means that an individual can submit multiple requests before they may even receive an initial response. With this knowledge, your intake or response strategy should be designed to develop and implement a process that makes your brand stand out as a clearly better and unique place to do business. When and how well you respond to the customer’s initial request for information is always the first and most important step in a successful online intake process.

Professional Services Succeed With A Focus On Response Times

Your intake process is simply an online version of a “meet and greet”, something sales professionals and networkers have been taught for many years. In the physical world, you know instantly what a professional greeting should look and feel like. Any great management leader would shudder and cringe if one of his or her people were to greet a walk-in visitor with nothing more than a “Can I help you?” Professional sales development training frequently recommends that we want to welcome the walk-in client as we would a valued guest. In the legal world, these clients are frequently filled with apprehension and anxiety, not knowing what to expect or what outcomes they may face. It becomes significantly more important to put them at ease by introducing ourselves, exchanging names, and starting to build some rapport. Not surprisingly, we need to do exactly the same thing with the online client! While our communication methods are going to be different, our objectives are essentially still the same. Developing a rock solid intake process with a focus on response times will only benefit your business and make you stand out among the competition.

compliance

E-Commerce Compliance – Think PCI

Key Legal Considerations in E-Commerce

In the wake of rapid technological advancements, e-commerce has become a common enterprise in the contemporary world. The Internet has made it possible for SMEs and large stores to reap huge benefits from online businesses. However, the U.S. has outlined various e-commerce compliance laws to guide such ventures, and it is important for any online business owner to understand them or consult an experienced transactional lawyer to dissect them before launching the business.

complianceDifferences between Operating an Online Business and a Brick and Mortar

More than in brick and mortar business, customers’ privacy and security are paramount in Internet-based business. In this regard, “Websites should provide the customers with choices regarding the use of their personal information, and incorporate security procedures to limit access to customer information by unauthorized parties” (Nasir, 2004). Alongside the existing and potential e-commerce regulations, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has instituted reliable vigilance to protect customer information every time they shop online. Therefore, it is important to understand E-Commerce compliance and all the legal implications regarding infringement of clients’ data and privacy when operating an e-business or develop alternative law-compliant data collection and management functions from the onset. Many web-based businesses have a privacy policy to inform the users on how (if need be) their data would be collected and used while others feature “click through” dialog boxes seeking customer consent on matters pertaining to their information.

One of the biggest legal dilemmas yet to be addressed is establishing who has the jurisdiction or authority to apply a certain law over various transactions. For instance, whereas customers can launch disputes at local small claims courts, such institutions are irrelevant in cyberspace, according to Ron Presser from the American Bar Association (Sayer & Deveaux, 2000). When operating an online business, it is important to understand that not all transactions involving two different parties based in two different nations are successful; they should be ready to address questions regarding extra-territorial jurisdictions over online transactions.

The Basic Elements Of E-Commerce Compliance

Intellectual Property

Before signing a contract with a designer or developer, it is important to understand that “a domain name is a form of intangible intellectual property” as a state court in Virginia court once ruled (Lovell, Fausett, Fertik, Loundy, Palfrey, & Ward, n.d.). Therefore, the business owner should make the domain name a protected trademark lest he or she engage in unnecessary conflicts and negotiations with the web developer or other entity over its ownership. In other words, he or she should own all the intellectual property to the web design, including the logo and the domain name. Unclear contracts have resulted in different cases of “cyber-squatting,” whereby an opportunist registers a website that has a URL resembling that of a reputable brand and then seeks to “hold the brand owner hostage” (Marsh, 2000).

Web-Hosting

Another e-commerce compliance consideration is the negotiation of the web-hosting contract, which demands that the owner understands what he or she has a right to and what he or she is not. It is noteworthy that “the actual services offered in a web hosting agreement vary from provider to provider, making it difficult to generalize what, exactly, comprises hosting” (Lovell, Fausett, Fertik, Loundy, Palfrey, & Ward, n.d.). This necessitates the services of a transactional lawyer to ensure that the designer fulfils all the client’s interests in the hosting agreement or satisfactorily makes changes to the boilerplate hosting agreements.

Customer Privacy

It is also necessary to consider customer privacy policy and protect their information. Alternatively, the owner of the e-business can explain what he or she is protecting and what he or she is not. As such, there is a need to inform customers the business owner will use such information and whether he or she is going to disclose it to third-party marketing agencies or not.

Type of Business and Cyber-Attacks

When it comes to cyber-attacks, the type of business does not matter, but the size does. Hackers only go for websites that are “much easier to gain access and pilfer the desired information,” and it remains the responsibility of the designer to support the

enterprise with a stronger cyber-security solution on behalf of the owner (Song, 2016). In fact, cyber-criminals do not spare online auctioning, e-commerce stores, community membership sites, magazine publishing, blogs, and affiliate marketing. It turns out that “not only are small businesses now firmly in the crosshairs of cybercriminals, but they are also fast becoming their favoured target” (Smith, 2016). In particular, SMEs have become softer targets for hackers and scammers due to their weaker online security and unpreparedness for cyber breach.

Other Considerations About E-Commerce Compliance

Before launching any type of online business, it is important to understand and comply with federal and state laws regarding e-commerce. As such, the business owner must be aware (even to some degree) of e-commerce compliance, PCI, liability limitations, jurisdiction under which the business will operate, delivery terms, and how to protect the customers’ information. Another key point to note is that e-commerce has slim operating margins, and neither SMEs nor large businesses are immune from cyber breach. In as much as the business owner wants to abide by all the e-commerce laws, it is also important to keep an eye on the cybercriminals and fraudsters marauding the Internet lest the business suffer massive losses or even close own.

This is not legal advice and does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter or potential legal matter. Consult a licensed attorney for compliance guidelines for your state.

References
Lovell, M., Fausett, B., Fertik, M., Loundy, D., Palfrey, J., & Ward, L. E-Commerce: An Introduction, Part 1: Set Up. Cyber.law.harvard.edu. Retrieved 8 August 2016, from
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/olds/ecommerce/setuptext.html
Nasir, M. A. (2004). Legal issues involved in E-commerce. Ubiquity, 2004(February), 2-2.
Marsh, M. (2000). Starting An Online or Web Based Business – Legal Issues To Consider.
Your Legal Corner. Retrieved 8 August 2016, from http://www.yourlegalcorner.com/articles.asp?cat=comp&id=130
Sayer, P. & Deveaux, S. (2000). Court in the Net: Jurisdiction in Cyberspace. Computerworld. Retrieved 8 August 2016, from http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/87587/court_net_jurisdiction_cyberspace/
Smith, M. (2016). Huge rise in hack attacks as cyber-criminals target small businesses. The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/feb/08/huge-rise-hack-attacks-cyber-criminals-target-small-businesses
Song, J. (2016). Why Hackers Want to Attack Your Small Business. Tech. Retrieved 8 August 8, 2016, from http://tech.co/hackers-want-attack-small-business-2016-01
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Google Panda And Google Penguin Algorithms

Understanding the Google Panda and Google Penguin Algorithms

Google continually focuses on enhancing internet user experience in as far as searching for information is concerned. They often come up with algorithm changes and Google filters that make search engine results relevant to users while at the same time curbing cheating and web spamming by online content managers or website owners. Even though Google makes hundreds of algorithm changes in a year, estimated to be over six hundred, among these changes often are some big and significant ones. Good examples of such impactful changes include the Panda and Penguin Algorithms.

The Google Panda Algorithm

Panda is a Google algorithm created to prevent low-quality websites from getting an undeserved top page ranking and enable quality, in-depth and frequently updated sites to get the coveted spots. When this Google filter first came into the limelight, many content managers referred to it as the Farmer update because it widely affected content farms or sites that lift content from other platforms to improve their Google ranking.
Contrary to the initial misconception that Panda targeted sites containing artificial backlink structures, it primarily focuses on quality of the website pages. As a result, sites with low-quality, thin and duplicated content or those that have too much advertising and poor navigation, end up on the lower pages of the search results. The launch of the Panda was named after one of its creators Navneet Panda.

The Google Penguin Algorithm

It is a Google algorithm that aims to minimize the amount of trust Google gives to sites that cheat through the creation of unnatural or artificial backlinks to get favorable top rankings on the Google search engine pages. While the focus for Google Panda algorithm is on web pages quality, Penguin primarily focuses on unnatural backlinks, keyword stuffing, cloaking and to some degree anchor texts. The quality of links that direct to a particular site acts as a form of confidence for that website.

Simply put, if a reliable online platform redirects to a website, it endorses that site. Similarly, backlinks from many relatively unknown sites would provide the same effect. This Google filter explains why many content managers try to manipulate the links or even create artificial links. The Penguin algorithm attempts to detect sites that violate Black-hat SEO techniques, and when it identifies such links, it determines the site to be dishonest, consequently reducing the website’s page rankings.

google-panda_google-penguinHow The Panda And Penguin Algorithms Impact Websites

Although the Panda algorithm can affect a section of the site or the website, it rarely targets individual pages. It assesses the overall website content. A site might have quality content, however, if the content is thin or duplicated the Panda filter can cause the penalization of the entire site. Penguin, on the other hand, affects individual parts on the website on a keyword or a page level. However, in the event of web spamming and overuse of keywords, the Google algorithm can determine that the site is untrustworthy and flag the site causing it to rank poorly.

How To Recover From The Panda And Penguin Algorithms Filters

Recovery From The Panda Filter

On average Google refreshes this algorithm at least once each month. In case the Panda algorithm affects your website, you just need to make a few changes to the site. Identify the pages that have thin or no content, plagiarized or duplicated content and make them right. Remove the copied material and elaborate on the wanting contents. Once you do that, the performance of your site should significantly improve after the proceeding Google Panda refresh. At times, however, it might take months before the changes become visible especially if it takes Google an extended period to revisit your website to notice the changes.

Recovery From The Penguin Filter

If the Penguin filter flags your site, you need to look for the artificial or unnatural links that redirect to your site. Furthermore, look for links that originate from the IP address or domain name, as they portray an impression of purchased links. Once you identify these backlinks, remove them or if that is impossible, use the Disavow tool to inform Google to stop counting the links. If you successfully remove all the unnatural links, the website should eventually regain Google’s trust leading to improved site performance after a few algorithm refreshes.

The existence of Google algorithms and Google filters like Panda and Penguin compels website owners and online content managers to take a strict approach to their content. That includes analyzing the links to ensure that the site has a quality link profile and creating original blog content that is relevant to the target niche.