Securing Your Site, Social Media Challenges and More

by Jason Unger, Founder

Insights / Social Media / Securing Your Site, Social Media Challenges and More

There’s a reason why launching your website is no longer a “set it and forget it” process – you need regular backups, software updates, security patches,  ongoing tweaks, and more. Your website needs to be managed to ensure it’s secure and protected.

Do you know how many times we’ve gotten calls from new customers saying their site has been hacked and they need it fixed, asap? More times than I’d like to share (we even cleaned up one site attacked by Turkish hackers … but that’s another story for another time).

In the wake of recent attacks on WordPress-powered websites – most of which are at risk thanks to cheap web hosting and poor username setup – it’s crucial to take a look and make sure your site is secured. The first of this week’s links focus on tips to help secure your site. (And if it all looks Greek to you, give us a shout and we’ll help you get set up.)

WordPress Security
With the release of every new version of WordPress, the security bug fixing information becomes public. The WordPress dashboard is upgraded automatically or a manual upgrade can be achieved by overwriting the old files with newly downloaded files from the website. Obsolete older versions of WordPress do not have access to security patches. You don’t want to miss the advanced features and functionality.

Quick take: the process of securing your site is a little more in-depth than what’s outlined here, but this is a good overview of some basic steps that should be taken to protect your site.

Survey Points to Challenges Entrepreneurs Face When Using Social Media
Social media is a priority investment among entrepreneurs, according to a new survey released yesterday by Manta, an online small-business community. Of the more than 1,200 small-business owners surveyed, while only 5 percent say they plan on hiring new staff this quarter, close to 26 percent plan to invest most of their money in social media, online advertising and marketing.

But while nearly half of respondents say they’ve increased time spent on social media in the last year, the increased activity comes with its challenges. Here are two of the biggest hurdles, according to the survey’s major findings, and how to tackle them.

Quick take: Like with anything your business does, social media needs to have a defined goal. It could be customer service, it could be sales, it could be marketing — or it could be all of them. But know why you’re doing it and what your customers expect from you on it.

Do Customers Actually Care about Your Company’s Values?
Do customers want more engagement with the businesses they frequent? Do they care about it? Does the word engagement actually mean anything at all? Or is it just another feel-good buzzword?

Quick take: this is an interesting article, and something we think about a lot. We’re a young business and are working to have a culture … but at the end of the day, it’s clear that there’s some things our clients all want – responsiveness and quality results. I’d argue even responsiveness over quality results.