Website security – hacking, hacking uneven

Can my website be hacked? Is my website worth a hack? The truth is, there’s no place on the web that isn’t worth breaking into. Each domain and each page is a place that can be used – put links to various types of potency specifics, redirect to your – sham – domain or silently use our server for mailing and serve innocent internet users content intended definitely for adult recipients. The number of ways to use a hijacked website is limited only by the hackers’ creativity.

Taking over the website has various consequences, including problems with the proper functioning of the website and falling out of the Google index as a result of removing optimization. Hacking also increases the risk of your site being cut from the SERPs as a result of penalties for illegal content attacking. In addition, with each subsequent hack, the website loses its credibility in the eyes of the recipients, and they are more cautious about using the products and services offered. Lack of trust stems primarily from fear of your own data – it is user information that attracts hackers. In some cases, the acquisition of the site is also associated with considerable costs, which include, for example, income that could be achieved at the time when the site was closed. The costs of server cleanup and site restoration can also significantly affect your company’s budget. There are also legal consequences.

Who is most at risk?

Every website and every person using the Internet may fall victim to one of the many types of cyber attacks. Break-ins happen to large and well-secured companies:
– Adobe lost data in 2013 – username and password, full names, credit and debit card details – from 153 million accounts,
– LinkedIn lost email addresses and passwords of users in 2012 and 2016,
– Garmin lost access to a large part of its systems in 2020 and was forced to disable access to all services. In order to gain access to the data decryption key, the company decided to pay a ransom.

The scale of these break-ins is much greater than what the owners of small websites usually experience. However, this does not mean that you should ignore safety issues and not take appropriate steps in the name of the principle “prevention is better than cure”.

Among the systems that are exposed to hacking attacks, the popular CMSs are usually mentioned – WordPress and Joomla. The frequency of burglaries is influenced, among others, by the universality of installation of these solutions and … quite a frivolous approach to software updates and notifications related to security. In the case of WordPress, the source of attacks are also plugins that allow you to add new functionalities to your website. Some of the plugins are manufactured by third parties. Joomla’s vulnerability manifests itself during system configuration, which tends to generate errors when installing external extensions.

How to ensure the security of the website?

Below are 6 basic elements that allow you to increase the security of the website and reduce light-hearted behavior that may cause risk.

A. Password123, guess you!
Professional tools and the most complex security programs can fail with a lack of common sense and a lack of awareness of threats. I do not wish to imply that modern solutions should not be used – quite the contrary! My only suggestion is that we take a moment to reflect on our slogans. They are the ones that most often fall prey to internet thieves and cause havoc on our virtual estates. The most popular sins related to slogans include:

– their simplicity – i.e. qwerty, 12345, abc123 or passwords associated with the name of the website where we have an account This type of security breaks quickly – once they are quite intuitive, and two – they are one of those most often found on lists of data stolen from various websites,
– their universality – one password for everything? Simple solutions of this type work well … for a short while. Data leakage from one site may result in the loss of accounts also in other spaces.

This infamous group also includes the ugly habit of saving all passwords in one place – be it in a notebook or in an ordinary text file located in one of the folders on the disk. While the traditional notebook can be an attractive prey for a less IT-agile thief, the file can be of interest to anyone who knows how to use the trust of public network users (e.g. wifi in a restaurant) – hence the path to taking over all our Internet incarnations is short.

So how do you keep your passwords secure? One of the solutions that work both in private and in enterprises are applications that allow you to store passwords in a safe way, eg LastPass, 1Password, or their free equivalents – KeePass and BitWarden. These types of solutions work similarly to the above-criticized book – they allow you to store passwords in one place, but they are much more secure. These programs allow you to generate extremely complex passwords, which are then encrypted in various ways and stored in this form. The user only needs one password that allows him to access the application. Programs of this type run not only on computers but also on mobile devices.

An effective way to limit the possibility of account takeover is also multi-stage verification. The introduction of this solution requires verification of logging in in several ways, e.g. using the application installed on the phone. The need to confirm the willingness to access the account allows for additional control and catching unauthorized login attempts.

Passwords should also be changed from time to time, especially in the case of rotation among company employees. After changing the people responsible for various areas of the Internet activity, it is good to refresh the accesses and ensure that only designated employees have access to the password-protected places.

B. Updates
Updating systems is another element of the set of basic activities that allow you to reduce the risk associated with unwanted activity on the website. This applies to all elements related to it – CMS, software on the server, as well as plugins and extensions. The task of the update – apart from developing the application and adding its new functionalities – is also to eliminate bugs and potential threats existing in the earlier code. The lack of updates to programs running within the site makes it much easier to take over from external users.

You can find out how often security patches are implemented by analyzing the information provided with subsequent software updates. Most updates go hand in hand with a blog post or note detailing each subsequent patch.

Additionally, information about the need to update your CMS usually appears on the main page of the administration panel. Note – updating older CMS versions (e.g. those that have not been updated for several months) may result in problems with the basic functionalities of the website. Before starting the update, it is worth taking care of backing up your website files. Archaic versions of CMS are good to update with the help of specialists – e.g. a software house which was responsible for the original appearance of the website. You should remember about the necessity to update the system on which the website is located when designing the website and include help with updating in the contract.

C. Plugins and Extensions
When discussing updates of popular CMSs, it is also worth paying attention to the elements that allow you to extend the capabilities of these programs, i.e. plug-ins, extensions and add-ons. Each of these programs offers a new function for our CMS, unfortunately – not always only the ones we care about. So how do you recognize plugins that will be safe? What to look for?

Before installing an add-on to our CMS, it is worth taking a look at its popularity and opinions, check the credibility of the company that issued it and make sure how often they are and what the updates are about.

It is a mistake to leave plugins without updating – it is thanks to them that bugs and security holes are removed that can be used to take over your Internet ownership.

D. SSL
The implementation of SSL is not only the whim of your SEO positioner or your ad specialist, but one of the ways to improve the security of data flowing through your website. SSL, or in fact TSL, guarantees the confidentiality of data transmission and server authentication. It is based on asymmetric encryption with a public key, the knowledge of which cannot decrypt the data. For this purpose, it is necessary to have a private key that is not shared externally. The length of the keys in the current versions of TSL is at least 128 bits.

E. Take care of a backup
Caution may result in another item on the list of monthly website maintenance costs, but in times of crisis it becomes priceless. Website security is not an area where you should save in the first place. In this case, forethought manifests itself by taking care of the backup. Backups stored in a safe place reduce the risk of data loss. Securing databases and placing them in a different space than the original files will enable business continuity, even in the event of a failure or losses caused by a break-in.

The backups will also be stored by the hosting on which the website is located, which is very useful in the event of technical problems with the website – restoring the state from two or three days ago is usually a matter of one phone. Unfortunately, leaving the security of your websites in the hands of third parties does not always work, as customers of one of the world’s hosting companies could already see in 2016.

F. Educate yourself and your colleagues
The security of a website depends on many factors. The impact of some of them can be reduced by educating everyone who works within them. Sometimes it is enough to refresh the basics related to online security – the rules of creating passwords, the need to use secure internet connections and log out after work is done, or suspicion of unusual-looking emails. A website is a sensitive place, the most sensitive of which is our ignorance. Caring for the security of the website and all resources necessary for our company does not require specialist knowledge or technical skills – in many cases it is enough to implement good practices.

The demand for IT services and the relatively easy threshold for entering a semi-professional position (e.g. creating simple websites) creates a lot of competition. The Software House branch seems to be particularly crowded, with websites building websites and other solutions necessary for conducting online business such as b2b and b2c applications as well as integrations and modules for popular storage platforms or those related to relationship management, like sparrows on the roof. with clients. High competition means the need to invest more funds – financial and time – in working on standing out and reaching new potential customers more effectively than competitors in the industry.

SEO for Software House – a starting point for online business

Brand recognition and presence – regardless of the industry – is built using a whole set of tools. Depending on who our potential client is, the dominant channel will be social media (Facebook, Instagram, and for a younger recipient – also TikTok) or search engines. In the article below, we will focus on expanding your visibility in Google search engine and SEO for software house.

In the case of Software House, the website is not only a business card of the company, but for many potential recipients – the first project implementation in the company’s portfolio. If the site is unrepresentative, resistant and not adapted to modern standards. It’s not just about the look of the page, but more about how the page behaves in the browser, how web robots see it and, above all, whether it can be found in the search engine.

Does the position of the page matter – a handful of statistics

Why is presence in SERPs so important? Just look at the statistics – over 93% of online experience starts with a search engine. However, just finding yourself in search results for a topic thematically related to the industry is unfortunately not everything – the position of our website is also important. As the article indicated above – 95% of users decide to click on one of the first results, and the further from the first position, the chance of clicking decreases.

Achieving a high position requires not only adapting to trends in website design, but adapting your site to the rules of the game imposed by Google, which are to facilitate the use of the Internet to end users – men and women who may not always boast of the fastest internet connection on market.

A good position requires appropriate actions – technical optimization in accordance with Google guidelines, optimization for keywords. This is where space for seo appears – the basis for building position in the search engine.

Step by step – specify the purpose of the SEO actions taken

Determining the measurable goal of marketing activities makes it much easier to analyze them – determining whether the goal has been met, which actions and solutions have worked, and in the case of less spectacular effects than intended, specifying what did not work as expected or which work should be deepened. Objectives will vary depending on the organization, while those that the Software House brand can achieve with the help of positioning certainly include:

A. Generating more website traffic – the increased number of search engine visits usually translates directly into a larger number of people interested in the offer and using the services offered.
B. Building brand and expert position – Internet users usually have a better opinion about companies that appear higher in search results, especially if their pages find answers to their questions.
C. Obtaining interest of a specific group of recipients.

Defining the goal will help you choose the means that will help you meet it. Drawing a destination is especially useful when creating a basic list of phrases that will be considered in the seo process. Determining the more or less defined “finish line” of positioning activities will also allow for the selection of appropriate solutions. This is also important because of the budget that the positioner will have during cooperation. More about this in the next steps.

Step by step – keywords for the software house

With a set goal, you can pre-define a group of phrases to focus on during SEO.

Most people who decide to position with an SEO agency would like to see their site in Top3 for phrases from the so-called “Short tail,” i.e. one or two word constructions. These short phrases usually generate the most searches, which also makes them highly competitive. In many industries, despite a large number of searches, these types of terms do not convert very well. Short terms are usually too general and ambiguous to match the user’s search goal.

By generating results for the query “website” Google matches the responses related to the phrase, but each is from a “different fairy tale” and can differently meet the user’s need:

1st position – Wikipedia, definition;
2nd position – wizard;
3rd position – website price;
4th position – wizard;
5th position – guide on how to set up;
6th position – definition;
7th position – wizard;
8th position – creating pages;
9th position – creating pages;
10th position – creating pages;

By adapting to the specific needs of the user who is looking for information and addressing these needs in the title and description of the page, we increase the chances of getting to the top5 results and clicking the searcher. For this purpose, keywords from the so-called “Long tail” – phrases, consisting of several words, referring to more specific issues. These types of phrases can usually not boast a dizzying number of searches, but unlike phrases from a short tail – they usually convert much better.

By entering a more detailed query in the search engine, the customer can be immediately directed to the appropriate part of our offer – in this case, information on the costs of placing a website based on the WordPress system. The search results for this query also contain advisory content, e.g. blog entries dealing with price formation.

Long-Tail, or how to effectively reach the seekers?

Product pages – with specific product specifications or longer content – usually have blog entries that address specific issues.

When choosing keywords for website positioning, it’s worth focusing on what makes your business stand out from the competition’s offer and use this knowledge. When working with a positioner, it is also worth referring to your experience and base phrases on what customers have asked about, e.g. prices of additional services, issues of removing faults on the site, or installing additional solutions.

It is worth remembering that the actual number of keywords that are positioned throughout the process is much higher. They include, among others phrases with a similar set of words but with a different arrangement. The scope of phrases during the contract can be changed – expanded to include words that will allow you to expand the visibility of the new offer or remove words that do not satisfactorily meet the objectives set at the beginning of SEO activities.

Step by step – Website analysis and optimization activities

Determining the goal of selected marketing activities and determining keywords is just the beginning of the path to achieving results in the form of website traffic and new customers. The next stage is adapting the website to Google search engine guidelines.

Google provides several documents in which it indicates which elements should be noted. There are, among others, guidelines on how to share the site with web robots. Google also places great emphasis on adapting the site to the needs of the user – starting from the speed of the site, through navigation, to the intuitiveness of use. Among the elements important for the search engine are:

– blocking some content in robots.txt;
– creating valid title and meta description;
– creating headers according to the hierarchy;
– structured data tags;
– intuitive navigation;
– content;
– speed optimization

and other. At the beginning of the guide, Google calls these changes “minor modifications”, but this is not always true. Proper preparation of optimization, implementation and control of its effects is a task extended to the entire period in which seo-related activities are carried out.

SEO – a mix of knowledge and experience

Introducing guidelines only according to Google manuals is not always effective. The person who implements the optimization must also take into account the trends in the search engine and changes in the algorithm, which the Google guide has not yet been completed. Experience in this type of work also helps to gain high positions and increase visibility. The developer, whose task is primarily to build a website and give it appropriate functionality, devotes his time primarily to training in his field – searching for new CSC hacks or testing new libraries. The developer and positioner view the site from a different perspective. The task of one is to provide an aesthetic and functional website, the task of the other – to adapt it to display in high positions in search results. Working out optimal solutions satisfying both sides will certainly increase the reach of the site, i.e. achieve one of the intended goals.

During the seo process, it is important for software house parties to learn about the competition – the above-mentioned keywords, the technical solutions they use, e.g. the schema tags they use, to help expand search results.

However, watching the industry is not everything – it is also important to take care of your own site – first of all the speed and the way it is seen by network robots. The positioner, analyzing the data collected by a number of tools, will indicate solutions that allow you to speed up the website, without changing its functionality or appearance.

However, the introduction of optimization is just the beginning of the process of positioning your IT services. Control, analysis of introduced changes, their modification – “keeping an eye on the pulse” in accordance with the adopted strategy is the best way to gain and maintain high positions in Google in the IT industry.

Step by step – Blog and offside activities

One of the goals of positioning may be building an image of a software house company and placing it in the position of an expert. To this end, it is necessary to place a blog within the domain. Regular publication of expert content – written in a specialist language, but explaining the complexities of the IT world in a way accessible to a potential customer, is also a good way to update the site and “invite” robots. The entries may include descriptions of projects that the company has faced, creative problem solutions, reports from industry events and guide content on common problems with websites or applications.

Professional and interesting content readers are happy to pass on – through social media or by placing links to our site on their sites. This also creates a natural link profile that Google values. Content that is linked to more good quality links is rated higher by web robots and helps the site move to higher positions.

Building a valuable link profile is also taking care of the appropriate diversification of inbound links are another of the challenges that should be entrusted to seo specialists. Obtaining the appropriate links to the site from trusted and proven sources will allow you to complete the next steps on the way to achieving the goal set at the beginning.

Seo – it’s time to appear on the Internet for good!

Preparation of a positioning strategy requires delving into the industry and learning customer expectations. It is worth basing the selection of measures that are to help you to break above other Software Houses on the experience of search engine visibility specialists – which will allow you to achieve the intended effects faster.

Are you planning to take your Software House above the competition? On our blog you will find effective tactics and what changes to make that will convince web robots to highly evaluate your website. Fight for high positions and successfully position with Paraphrase-Online.com!

What is the Nofollow update from March 1, 2020?

The change will affect the indexing of nofollow links. Earlier, Google treated nofollow links only as a mark, so these links did not crawl. In other words, they were not taken into account by the search engine algorithm. This changes on March 1, 2020. From March 1, Google will treat nofollow links as a crawl guide.

Nofollow links policy

Some website owners have used nofollow links to prevent indexing of given pages. Typical pages linked to nofollow can be links to user profiles, links to login pages, links to various sections of the website, or links to external (e.g. sponsored) pages. Using nofollow to block Google from indexing pages has never been a good practice. There are more reliable ways to prevent page indexing (e.g. by adding a meta tag noindex to your HTML).

Will the Nofollow update affect my site ranking?

It is difficult to predict how the update of nofollow link indexing will affect the ranking. This may depend on which Google pages will index. Google can configure the rules for selecting pages to be indexed and not. It has not yet been determined whether Google will decide not to index low quality pages.

How to prepare a website for nofollow update?

A. Read the Nofollow update.
Check what changes Google requires. If the rankings or traffic on your site begins to change, please report this problem to the person managing the website or the website positioning specialist.

B. Analyze the nofollow links on your website.
Incorrect implementation of nofollow can lead to unintended consequences. Check how nofollow links are used on your website and decide if it’s time to remove them and go to the noindex meta robots or to assign them the right attributes.