Artifex Studio + Tanya Euler

5-1 Checklist Webpage Optimiser

Thu, 19 May 2011 09:10:40 +0000

Use this basic 5-1 checklist for optimising your website pages so to get better search results for your online website marketing.

5. Write a keyword rich title for each page of your website.

4. Check that your website has a description Meta Tag using your keywords. Do this in most browsers by selecting “View > Page Source” – it should appear in the top part of the page before the tag.

3. Include your preferred keywords in the title tags of each webpage

,

and

.

2. Include your preferred keywords in the ALT attribute of your images tags.

1. Include your keywords in text links. For example, instead of writing “Click Here” you should use “Find more pet friendly accommodation in the Scenic Rim”. Where pet friendly accommodation in the Scenic Rim is the preferred keyword phrase.

These are just the basics of search engine optimisation but still a good place to start. You should also consider bolding keywords and phrases within the content text of your webpages. And where, possible include keywords in the URL address of the page, so if the page is about “webpage optimisation” try and include the phrase in the URL – like this page for example.

The number 1 mistake made by most websites…..having “welcome to our website”, “about us” and “contact us” as the title of your web page. The title page is one of google’s key sources for keyword identification – yet how many of us search for “contact us”? Just a thought to ponder…

Enjoy!

Online Fraud on the Rise – some of the methods explained

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:02:28 +0000

This week I have seen a number of media stories (blogs, papers and TV) highlighting the increase in online fraud and how Social Netwok sites are now being used to lure in the prey. Therefore, I wanted to remind you that if you own a website it is possible that it can be used as a part of these scams – without you even knowing. It is more vital than ever that you ensure your site is kept up-to-date and running the most recent versions of its content management system and other scripts.

Here is a brief overview of some of the recent scammer terminology as written in the Courier Mail, Saturday 5 March, 2011.

Smishing

Fake text messages from financial institutions are used to gain access to your internet banking accounts.

Harnessing

When personal and financial details are sourced via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Sham

Emails from trusted organisations like the Australian Tax Office claiming a refund is owing to you. The email requests your bank account details (via a link) so they can deposit the refund into your account. I received this email twice last week – so be wary.

Hijaking

Forms and scripts on website pages are ‘hijacked’ by spammers and scammers, manipulating your site so that it is sending out masses of spam mail and you haven’t a clue. Hackers find the insecure script then use it for their own purposes – however you are the one seen to be the spammer.

Phishing

A vulnerability is found in web scripts or FTP access is gained so that fake websites are uploaded to your web server, alongside your website. Usually they are fake banking websites that scammers use to gather peoples account data. It is these fake websites that people are directed to when they click on a link within an email like the Sham email described above.

Just as you are careful about your computer always runnng up to date software and operating systems, so to should you ensure that your website is running up-to-date applications and scripts.

FAQ – What content should I put on my website?

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 11:32:25 +0000

We have built a lot of websites – and “what content should I have on the site” is a common question. Naturally the answer varies greatly depending on the product, service you offer or the purpose of the website. Still, there are some basic steps you can follow to help find the answer – so let’s go…

1. Identify the need or problem

Pretty much every business exists because it is answering a need of or solving a problem for someone else – your customer. So first and foremost, you need to connect with your customers by showing them that you understand the need or problem they are dealing with. Speak to them, not over them. Use language that they are comfortable with and fits your brand, no matter what industry you work on – ditch the jargon (unless your customers are fluent in your jargonese).

2. Offer your solution

What does your product or service do and how does it solve the need/problem on hand? How is it different to the other “solutions” available and what benefit will it give your customers? Remember benefits speak louder than features. Where possible, create a scenario that your customers can relate to, highlighting the issue and the benefit of your proposed solution. This helps your customers relate to your proposed solution on an emotional level and differentiate your from your competition.

3. Bring them to action

Almost every website has the purpose of requiring an action from the visitor – contact us, buy from us, request a quote from us, ask us a question, donate to us, sign up to our newsletter. The options are endless but often the request to take that action is not endless enough – meaning it isn’t made clear what you want your visitors to do. Your call to action should be on every page. It should be easy to do. It should clearly state what you want them to do.

The above three steps should be considered for every page of your site. But don’t forget the final step – know what you will do when your customers follow through on the call to action. You should also have a clear strategy outlined on what happens next after the website has met its goal. But that sounds like another blog post for another day.

FAQ – Why do I receive emails that aren’t addressed to me?

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:20:23 +0000

Do you receive emails that appear to be addressed to someone else, in that it is not addressed to your email account? Wondering who, what and why? Quite basically this is spam, it is common, and if you haven’t received them before now – you’ve been very lucky. Read on to find out the what and why…

You are most likely familiar with the BCC address field – when you can send a message to multiple emails, but other recipients cannot see any other email addresses in the list. It is commonly used as a way to keep email addresses private when sending to multiple people. Well, sad to say, spammers use it to.

So, when you receive an email that is addressed to someone else, most possibly your email address was used in the BCC field, along with many others. Why do they do that? It is just another way spammers can get through spam filters, and it is another way to get you to read the email rather than delete.

How did they get your email address to start with? Well the ways are endless:

You only need to enter your email address into a form and it can potentially be harvested by spammers, depending on the form’s security capability.
You might have your email address noted on your website – spammers use ‘software’ that scan webpages for email addresses and then add them to their spam list.
Possibly, they don’t even know that your email is valid and instead use a “dictionary attack”, where they will send out to commonly used email names such as admin, info, office, staff, peter, jane and so on…
And you know those “chain emails” that you send on to your friends and family, because they really do have a special message that you couldn’t possibly speak out yourself – well spammers also use those as a means for getting email addresses to send spam to (some spam experts are skeptical about this, as spammers have way more intelligent means of harvesting emails – but noone can discount it completely)

Unfortunately, spam is here to stay (for now) so don’t fret when you get one of those emails, just delete it and move on to the next one.

A Case for Maintaining your Website

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:31:26 +0000

I am finding more and more, that small businesses are neglecting their website by not maintaining and updating it as frequently as they should. Many consider that because their website is as small as they come, then it won’t fall victim to a hacker, but that simply isn’t the case anymore. Many attacks are now automated, so it isn’t a case of one individual out there in the world plugging away at your one little site in amidst the trillions.

There are some basic steps you can take to help guard your site from being vulnerable to malicious attacks…here are a few:

Backup your site

Always have a backup of your site so it can be reloaded if it does get damaged. Yes your web host provider “might” conduct regular backups, however, I do believe a website owner should run their own periodic backups as well. This can be done easily in your web hosting control panel in most instances. The best time to run a backup is after significant updates or changes have been made. Don’t forget to grab a backup of the database as well if your site uses one.

Update 3rd party software

If your website uses a content management system, most likely it is using an open source software such as joomla, WordPress or DotNetNuke (just to name the popular ones). The nature of “open source” means that anyone can get access to the code and work out ways to “break in”. Therefore, it is vital that you make sure you are running the most recent version of these and all other 3rd party software (components, modules, plugins). Generally, once a vulnerability is found, the software suppliers will release a patch update to improve the flawed code.

Change your passwords

Many website compromises take place by ftp, login, database or control panel passwords being “found out”. Using names of people, places and pets is not good enough anymore. Secure passwords must be used. Yes they are hard for you to remember but it is password protected for a reason – security – so make it a secure password. A secure password should be a minimum of 8 characters and include a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. Even if you haven’t been hacked, it is good practice to change password now and then (let’s say twice yearly).

Take your site offline

If your website has been compromised, then it is best practice to take it off-line while it is repaired. If it has had malware installed, then visitors could unknowingly download viruses to their computers. And if it gets tagged as being compromised then google will catch on quickly and remove you from search engine results until it has been fixed, this will have negative affects on your online reputation.
This article is intended as a very basic introduction to the risks that exist for every website owner. Below are some links to blog articles that delver further into how websites can be hacked:

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/how-they-hack-your-website-overview-of-common-techniques-002339.php

http://25yearsofprogramming.com/blog/20070705.htm

There is no perfectly secure website or web-server. Nor is there a one-way-fits all approach to website security. Artifex Marketing Studio offer Website Maintenance services to help keep your website up-to-date and relevant for your customers. Find out more about our Website Maintenance services…

An Introduction to Website Compromises

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:09:53 +0000

If your website or web server hasn’t been compromised yet – then you are one of the lucky ones. Your website doesn’t have to be a big team player to get caught in the hacker’s spider web. Small websites are also a target especially for planting phishing sites – not even sure what that is…then read on…

What is a website hack?

Your website is created through a bunch of files (html, php, asp, images, video etc), those files are stored on a computer called a “web-server”, much like your computer at home or work, except this computer is configured so that others can connect to it and view the files on it – your web pages.

Just like any computer, these files can be viewed and changed. The website owner might have the ability to view (read) and change (write) the files while all other users should only have the ability to read the files but not change them. For instance, if you have the right username and password you can login to change your files – used to update your site via ftp for example. When somebody gets access to the files, and is able to change them (without permission of the website owner or web server administrator) then the server has been “hacked”. When that person makes changes to your website files without your permission – then your website has been hacked.

Who is a hacker?

Internet crime has exceeded all other known crime sectors – including the drug trade. In many cases a website or server isn’t hacked by a person, but by another computer that was hacked by another computer and so on – through the use of automated programs or botnets. But of course, this botnet was originally programmed by someone.

Why do they do it?

What is the leading motivator of most crimes – money of course! The variety of ways they are able to get financial gain from compromising your website is growing continually, but the three most common (for now) are:

To get access to your visitors personal information – credit card details, FTP access, website login details etc.
To use it as a mail server for sending spam.
To use your web space to host their own websites – typically illegal ones that they cannot get hosted anywhere else. The most common instance of this is the loading of phishing websites. A phishing website is made to look exactly like the real website (usually banking sites). Spam emails are then sent requesting recipients to login to their account. The email will direct them to this fake site instead of the real one, where they then capture their username and password details.

How is a website hacked?

There are a variety of ways, and it can be dependent on your web server setup and website programming, but most commonly website are hacked by:

FTP Password Theft: Some computer viruses (gumblar and martuz are noteable ones) are programmed specifically to get FTP access details. Once on a PC they search it for FTP programs (typically installed on most website developer and some general users computers) where they can store website FTP username and passwords. These viruses get access to these details and pass them on to the hacker. So even though it is more convenient, you should not store your FTP details within an FTP program. This is where protecting your personal computer is important.
File Inclusion attacks: This is a common type of vulnerability found in websites that allows a hacker to include either a local (found within the web server) or remote (found on another server) file within your web page. The included file will be malicious and can execute pretty much anything the hacker wants it to. Because so many of today’s websites are built using cms, blogs, image galleries, shopping carts, forums etc that require masses of programmed files and thousands of lines of code to function – sometimes the programmers will slip up and not program it in the most defensive way. This is where keeping your website up-to-date with the most recent versions of scripts is important.
SQL Injection Attacks: is a code injection technique that exploits the security vulnerability of MYSQL Databases, the database typically used in content management systems. Hence, database backups are a must.
Password Attacks: The ways of gaining password information is numerous. Automated programs will run through every known dictionary word within seconds until it hits the jackpot. They will even scan through some of the harder known passwords for example replacing letters with like numbers (eg 1 for i). Using secure passwords is the only way to guard against this – a combination of letters, numerals, special characters, 8/10/12 characters long and no dictionary words. Even then, they can still be cracked…eventually…so change your passwords for added protection.
Form Mail Spamming: Hijacking of contact forms on website pages is common. Your little form could be used to send out masses of spam mail and you haven’t a clue. It isn’t necessarily your form that is insecure but the script used to send the message. Hackers find the insecure script then use it for their own purposes – however you are the one seen to be the spammer. This often results in your domains IP address being blocked by mail servers such as gmail, hotmail etc – and email deliverability pains set in. So if you have an old html webpage with the same form from 5 years ago – it might be time to check the security of that formmail script. Again, running the most up-to-date scripts is a must.

So, as a website owner keep in mind the following musts:

run the most recent version of your website software and scripts
keep backups of files and databases
keep your computer protected to guard against password logging viruses
use secure passwords and change them periodically

Finding your Gift

Tue, 25 May 2010 11:50:55 +0000

This week I attended “Gifted to Lead” a forum lead by Nancy Beach of Willow Creek Church. This was an awesome event guiding us chickies down the pathway of leadership. In particular, it helped me identify some potential gifts in my life that I haven’t opened yet…have you opened your gift?

You know, I’ve never really considered myself of leadership material, but when I look back at some pivotal moments in my life (all the way back to primary school) there are key events that now look like arrows pointing the way to a position of leadership. That’s an exercise that I’d strongly recommend everyone to do at some stage. Here’s some basic steps:

What are some of the key events, comments, mistakes and wins in your life? From childhood to yesterday – list them.
Is there a common thread running through them? If so, IDENTIFY IT! There might be more than one.
Is it positive, something you are doing or could be doing in your life? Is it or will it bring value to your life? If so, CLAIM IT! Verbally speak it out, pray for it – whatever is your take, but own it.
Is it negative, something that you need to let go of? Is it bringing you down and not adding value to your life? If so, DENOUNCE IT! Write it down, tear it up and throw it away – believe it will no longer influence your life.

I went through this exercise and find an identifiable pathway that leads me to the realm of public communication and leadership – something I have avoided with great effort. And yet now, I think I might be ready for it.

See those key events you identified as stepping stones in your life – hopefully stepping stones towards a gift you haven’t opened yet. My hope is that by pin-pointing those stepping stones (or flashing arrows shouting THIS WAY) you will see that you are actually ready and more prepared to use your gift than you realised you were. Ready to use the gift that is unique to you and your life.

How exciting, this GIFT just might be your call and purpose in life.

Try it – you too might be surprised by where it leads you.

The Morning’s Washing

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:27:38 +0000

Do you ever get to work and then “it” strikes….eek, “Did I turn the iron off?” or “Ah, I forgot to hang the clothes out!” or (in my case) “Did I bring the cat tray inside?”

My working day typically starts around 9.00. Yesterday ‘it’ hit at 11.00 and I realised I hadn’t hung the clothes out? So, at 11.05 it was mouse down and out to the clothes line – that is when I realised another thing I LOVE about working from home. While I was pegging, I remembered back to my school days – the rush and pressure to have the sweeping, dishes and washing hung before 8.30. And oh, how harassed my mum would be as the seconds hand ticked past 8.30 and we still weren’t finished. Pressured to get it all done, so I will get to school and she will get to work on time.

You know, there are many parts of my job as a work from home mum, that brings me the guilts. Such as, not switching the computer off and spending time with the girls, or maybe letting the day pass without making the beds. But there are so many other hassles that my family don’t have to deal with because I don’t have to travel to work each day – like that morning time battle of my youth to get out the door on time and with all the work done.

They won’t know about those hassles, and so won’t be able to compare the pros and cons of a mum working from home. But, at least I can, and that will help me get to sleep tonight with at least one less fleck of guilt on my shoulder.

eBooks and Digital Publishing – saving on many levels

Sun, 17 May 2009 12:30:15 +0000

The term ebook is short for “electronic book”. It is read digitally on a computer. Ebooks are increasingly growing in popularity. They are easy and cheap to produce and distribute. They can include video, audio, hyperlinks and animation as well as text and print.

A small business can use ebooks to help boost sales and increase its customer base in a number of ways. For example:

Provide a free ebook on your website as an incentive for visitors to sign up to your newsletter or submit their contact details.
Regularly publish an ebook that your customers would be interested in, and offer paid advertising space to other businesses as a way to generate income.
Partner with another business, offer free advertising space and request that the advertiser distributes the ebook to their customer base – effectively increasing your potential customer reach.
Write an ebook that can be distributed world wide, and include links to specific landing pages of your website with strong calls to action.
Join an affiliate marketing network, and include affiliate marketing advertisements and links as a means of generating additional revenue.
Create an ebook to sell as well as an extract of the full book. Use the extract ebook to entice customers to purchase the full ebook.

On a personal level, if you have an author inside you begging to come out, then publishing online with an ebook is the ideal avenue for you. Some ebook applications not only provide the tools for creating your ebook but they also provide an online library – giving your ebook access to a worldwide readership.

At euler:design it, we use and recommend myebook.com. Myebook makes it possible for anyone to upload or create from scratch a beautifully simple or adventurously complex ebook in no time. Users can easily publish their book and release it to the world before the (virtual) ink’s dry! You can create as many publications as you want. Myebook also integrates the popular page turning effect, giving a real book reading experience to your readers. And it’s all free.

If you are interested in getting published at myebook, let us know and we can help you get online in no time.

Coffee table books for your customers

Sun, 03 May 2009 12:23:16 +0000

A relatively new marketing tool businesses are adopting is the concept of “Coffee Table Books”. The possibility of short print runs (that is, only having as many printed as you need rather than the previous 1000 quantity limit) are turning them into an ideal promotional tool for small business. But what the heck is it (for those who haven’t watched Seinfeld)…

What is a Coffee Table Book?

Generally they are large books with thick spines, use a heavy weight paper and hard cover printed in full colour. Often seen as ‘photo books’ the content is really limited only by your imagination.

In a business situation they can be used as:

gifts for special customers
seasonal gifts
incentives for survey/questionnaire completions or competition prizes that further market your business
a sellable product
product portfolios

Naturally a photographer or artist can use Coffee Table Books as a means of displaying their artistic creations. Tourism operators can use them as mementos for their guests to purchase as a keepsake. Business operators can turn a Coffee Table Book into a corporate portfolio or as a means of self-publishing a book on a subject matter of their choice.

If you google “Coffee Table Books” you will come up with a number of printers specialising in this new resource. However Click on Print (www.clickonprint.com.au) are an Australian owned photo book printer, with the printing right here in Australia too.

Naturally, the success of the book is largely based on its physical appearance – especially the graphic design, photography and typography…and euler:design it can help you with that and arrange the printing too! ;o)