Episode 022: Secure Your Website
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Last week’s challenge: Protect Yourself From Online Scams
Last week we tasked you with educating yourselves and your small business from online scams. While it may seem easy to pick out scams, since many of them are comically easy to spot, it’s not always so easy to spot a scammer.
One of the most recent, and prominent, scams is the widely-covered IRS Scam.
We learned that you must always be vigilant, especially when considering phone calls. It’s so easy to spoof caller ID information. So be sure to reserve healthy skepticism from callers claiming to be from a government or law enforcement organization.
We do recommend two-factor authentication to add a layer of security.
For more tips and resources, be sure to check our notes from last week’s show.
Remember, if you win an award it shouldn’t cost you money, no matter how awesome you are.
- Scamming a Scammer (audio file)
This week’s challenge: Secure Your Website
Chrome began marking sites as Not Secure recently. The impact of not having a secure website may not be immediate, however, there’s a direct correlation in search engine rankings. Website owners may notice a slight uptick in their rankings for their keywords if their site is secure when compared to similar competition.
Also, if your site takes sensitive user information such as email it’s important to secure and encrypt data. If your site isn’t secure, data passed between your site and a visitor’s computer is in “the clear” meaning anyone can see what the data is. If you have a contact form or an ecommerce site then getting an SSL cert is important.
There are different types of SSL certificates available to you, four types in fact.
It’s in your business’s best interests to secure your website. The good news is that many hosting providers provide a free SSL cert via Let’s Encrypt. SiteGround is one such host as is our sponsor, Pantheon. You definitely don’t need to shell out fat stacks o’ cash for a good certificate either.
Resources for This Week’s Challenge
Show Notes:
- 2:00 — We review last week’s challenge and discuss online scams and educating on how not to be duped and ultimately protect your small businesses.
- 17:00 — We decide to tackle the topic of insecurity. SECURE YOUR WEBSITES!!!
As always, don’t forget to leave us that gushy 5-star review on iTunes and what not. And remember, kids, keep it simple and most importantly Keep it Doable!