One element of doing business in today’s digital world is that change is constant. Not just change to the apps and programs we use, but how we use them and how we get things done on a daily basis.
Your customers are looking for you in ways you didn’t foresee two, three or four years ago.
More of us use computers and phones more often for convenience — scheduling, paying, ordering — as well as for research and information gathering.
As customers increasingly integrate digital tools into their daily lives alert businesses work hard to meet them there. And there is no more important tool to do that than Google.
Optimizing a digital presence to Google’s evolving standards should be considered a best practice for growing businesses. Why? Optimizing to Google ensures you are where you customers are, and you are in front of them when they seek what you offer.
Part of optimizing to Google is ensuring your website meets the standards Google knows its ‘search customers’ want. Mobile is an example. Prospects increasingly use their phone for search which prompted Google to reward ‘responsive’ websites.
Google also demands that sites accepting payment have an “SSL Certificate,” which encrypts data shared with the site. Google also rewards in search results any site with an SSL over one that doesn’t.
MPH Digital offers a basic web security monthly update for many of our clients to make sure WordPress and plugins are updated to current versions, watching server performance, checking Google index info and looking for red flags in analytics.
In response to the continued evolving standards we have create a best practices document to minimize hacking risk. The one time recommended changes include:
— An SSL certificate
— ReCaptcha installed at key spots on the site
— Deleting unused files including unused themes, plugins
— Ensuring a daily backup for at least 30 days
— Ensuring cPanel is in place from the site host
These one-time changes typically don’t take longer than an hour. Contact us if you are interested!