Month: February 2019

Why it is necessary to have an https secured website in 2019

February 22, 2019 / Victor Frazier

Nowadays, we turn to the web for almost everything, from buying to selling and to socialise. So, it makes sense that when your online security matters. Therefore, being secured also applies to your website.

It is necessary, in order to protect yourself and your customers, that your website should be https secured. Cyber-attacks are on the increase and more often than not small businesses are a target of this crime.

Why should you care

So, what is the difference between and why should you care? Basically, it all boils down to an encrypted https secured website ensuring your website’s security in 2019. Failing to ensure that your website is https can have a severe effect on your website’s ranking and damage your SEO and digital marketing campaigns. Further, there are several SEO Company Chester available in the market and you can seek their help for boosting the traffic of your website. Less traffic means less business.

Taking a digital marketing course is a good idea to secure your website and enhance your SEO and digital marketing campaigns.

Https vs http

Https protects your website’s users from cyber-attacks and their information being stolen, like credit card or log in details. In its basic form https encrypts information sent between a browser to a web server.

Http (hypertext transfer protocol) is used to transfer information on the web. This form of transferring information uses less data by disregarding previous web sessions.

Https requires security when exchanging information like credit card numbers log ins and was established to sanction secured transactions.

The key difference between https and http is security. Https is sued to any site to secure information, especially ecommerce sites to protect transactions.

SEO advantages

Google’s reasons for recommending the switching to https site has many SEO benefits to consider such as:

Security – Every business needs increased web security and https authenticates websites and server communication. https also lessens potential third-party damage.
Referral data – As part of your overall SEO and digital marketing strategy, referral data makes the decision to switch to https easier to make.
Increased rankings – Switching to a https secured website will not dramatically increase your website’s ranking, but it will be effective over time.

How to switch to https

Online security has fast become a top priority for all online businesses, and we understand that it is important that our data is safe. With website security top of mind, you really should switch to https.

To switch to https, you need to be familiar with the backend of a website and the basic steps are listed below:

Purchase an SSL certificate – these small data files when installed on a web server activates the https protocol and allows secure connections from a server to a browser
Install SSL certificate – once the SSL certificate has been installed configure the SSL certificate.
Do a backup – perform a full backup of your site.
Configure – all your hard internal links within your website must be configured from http to https.
Redirect – any external links must be redirected to https, such as directory listings.
Update links – update all links used in your digital marketing such as email links.
Https in Google – set up an https site in Google Search Consoles and Google Analytics.

It should be noted that for small websites some of the above mentioned points will not apply.

Is it worth switching?

There has been quite a debate on whether it is worthwhile switching from a http to a https secured website. Google’s announcement that https is a ranking signal has fuelled this debate even more. As with any big change in your SEO or digital marketing structure apprehension is reasonable.

With the increase in cyber-attacks, there has been a push towards making the switch and responsibility for the security of websites is being placed on the website holders.

As with any technological change there are a few concerns outlined with migrating from a http to a https website. A lot of these concerns are real such as, what if my website rankings decrease, or what if the redirects are messed up?

There may be a slight drop in the SERPS rankings related to the switch, but this is likely to rectify itself with time. But on the flip side a secured website is a huge plus.

How You Can Foster Employee Loyalty At Your Tech Company

February 15, 2019 / Tommy Wyher

The tech world seems to be full of people jumping from company to company trying to get ahead in their careers. Often times when people jump around like this it can hurt their career as companies looking to hire will see they lack employee loyalty. This cannot be place all on the worker as certain companies treat their employees far better than others. The internet has allowed people to voice complaints about their companies online which plenty of people review before going on an interview. Treating employees well in numerous ways can foster employee loyalty which will help the bottom line as training new employees can be a huge killer of cash flow depending on employee turnover. The following are ideas and tips to help improve employee loyalty at your tech company.

Comfortable Working Environment

Being able to wear anything you want or sit in a massage chair during breaks can give a comfortable feeling that will result in quality work. Flex hours also can be a huge deal as some people would rather come in early and leave early while others will enjoy a few extra hours of sleep. These hours are very convenient for people that might have an appointment or pick their kids up from school. Other things that foster comfort is an open office rather than being trapped in some kind of cubicle.

Stress On Company Culture

Hiring people that are going to get along is important as having friends at work can make communication far easier. Team building activities can only do so much if people do not have things in common outside of the workplace. Take the time to get to know people before hiring them as you might find that they could kill the atmosphere in the office. Employees usually do not understand how good they have it until a person with a negative attitude is hired.

Work From Home Privileges

Working from home is the best perk that many people can be given whether they are single without kids or have a family. Being able to work from anywhere allows a parent to spend more time at home and a single person to travel the world without having to miss out on work/pay. With this being said those working from home should have production monitored with a time tracking software to make sure they are not just sitting around on days they work from home.

Competitive Pay and Bonuses

The above perk can be enough for people to take a lower salary but for the most part people want to be compensated fairly. Bonuses for high performers can help foster loyalty as people just want to be recognized plus a bonus check never hurts. Take the time to evaluate pricing for clients to see if you might need to raise them in order for raises in salaries not to impact the bottom line. Clients that are going to renew their contract due to the quality of work usually are willing to pay a little more to continue working together rather than spend the time that could potentially be a waste to find another contractor.

Private Equity Due Diligence- Why It’s Important to Business

February 4, 2019 / Victor Frazier

Due diligence refers to an investigation or an audit of a prospective investment product in order to confirm all its facts, such as evaluating its financial records, alongside anything else deemed significant. It refers to the measures a reasonable individual should take prior to entering into a contractual agreement of a financial transaction with another individual. Due diligence can, additionally, refer to the analysis and research a seller carries out of a prospective buyer; items that can be considered are such as whether the buyer has sufficient resources to finalize a purchase, including other elements that can impact the acquired entity after the completion of the sale.

Due diligence in the investment world

In the world of investment, due diligence is often performed by corporations looking forward to making acquisitions, through equity research analysts, fund managers, broker-dealers, and of course by seasoned investors. For individual investors, conducting due diligence is voluntary. However, it’s highly recommended. This step prevents such parties from any liability for non-disclosure of pertinent information.

Disintegrating due Diligence

Private equity due diligence first became standard practice in the United States of America in 1933 after the passage of the Securities Act of 1933. As such, securities dealers, as well as brokers, became responsible for disclosing substantial information regarding the products they were selling. Parties that failed to provide such information to prospective investors were made liable for criminal prosecution. Nonetheless, the parties behind the creation of the Act comprehended that needing full disclosure left the dealers vulnerable to unfair prosecution particularly if they didn’t disclose a substantial fact that they couldn’t have identified at that moment. To protect these individuals, the Act entailed a legal defense stating that if the dealers exercised due diligence when analyzing the companies whose products they were selling, as well as disclosed all the garnered information and results to the investors, they wouldn’t be held liable for content not discovered later into the audit.

Why due diligence is essential to a company

A report by Corporate Solutions, a prominent firm indicated that private equity due diligence could have numerous definitions as well as meanings, depending on the individual that defines it. Nevertheless, most will say that it’s equity that can’t be traded or isn’t publicly listed. Because such investment isn’t publicly listed, it’s more challenging to get a full picture of the idea. Private equity firms consist of institutional investors, pension funds, and high net players. Due diligence plays a crucial role in private equity since it assists in determining as well as create a substantial value of a particular equity.

Once prospective investors have made up their mind about pursuing a new acquisition, they hire various parties such as analysts, bankers, and experts in fraud detection to assist close the deal. Although the bankers as well as analysts look into current reports and help determine whether it’s a good idea to pursue a particular acquisition, investigators can often assist to uncover any hidden content that would harm the investor.

For example, a firm named Corporate Resolutions Inc will often look into founders, investors, as well as vital affiliates because each party would lead to a successful deal. It can also lead to a deal breaker depending on the content of the investigation. Companies such as Corporate Resolutions Inc will also concentrate on the performance of the management. They will make sure that the data of the seller is not only genuine but can prevent the buyer from experiencing negative surprises. While it may not be necessary to carry out due diligence in private equity, it is foolish not to conduct it. This isn’t just about uncovering deal breakers but also regarding finding valuable data that can make the deal more profitable.