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Top 3 Cybersecurity Tips for 2021

Top 3 Cybersecurity Tips for 2021

The whole world is spending more time online these days and that includes people who have nefarious intentions. So, here’s a quick reminder of the top 3 things you need to do to protect yourself. Starting with the most important.

Cybersecurity Tip 1. Password Security 

Did you know that a very long password is better than a password that is complex? For instance: goatcheesetrampolineuncleocean is better than C0mpl3x!ty! But regardless, don’t use anything personally identifying in your passwords like your name, your job, your address, your kid, your dog. You get the idea.

Cybersecurity Tip 2. Password Security. So important it is on our list twice 

Create a unique password for every single thing you log in to. Every single one. No, really. Use a password manager like LastPass to help you create and keep track of them (free). If you just rolled your eyes and said you never will do that, you aren’t alone, but you are at risk. At least follow our advice for any accounts that have your bank account, address, social security, or credit card information.

Cybersecurity Tip 3. Check Sender Identity

Most devious plots are hatched through email and, these days, mobile messages. So, take care to verify the sender before clicking on links, opening attachments, forwarding a message, or replying. Check the email address it is coming from. Check that any links are taking you to the place stated by hovering before clicking. Use a really good spam filter (or email program with a really good spam filter) in order to block most of the attacks. Most importantly, just take the time to think critically before acting.

There’s a reason why “Spyder” is spelled with the “y”. Security is important to us. We’ll send more tips in the future and if you’d like to schedule a ZOOM presentation for a team or group on the subject, let us know.

2020 Websites of the Year

2020 Websites of the Year

There are countless stories to tell. We feel honored and blessed to help other small business owners during these times and we are so excited for the years ahead. In the above video, we highlight 5 of these stories. 

jazzyladiescafe.com   •   bethesdalutheranchurch.com       coburgfit.com   

riverhouseflorence.com   •   old-town-inn.com   •    bubzgrubhub.com

Our Spyders have been working hard lately, but that hard work has paid off in the form of several beautiful new websites! Check out our latest website launches below. 

Eugene Film Society

Eugene, OR

Community arts organization that
supports regional filmmaking.

eugenefilmsociety.org

Old Dominion

Eugene, OR

Impeccable auto repair services with excellent customer service.

olddominioncollision.com

Chamber Connector Storage

Eugene, OR

Connecting you to affordable storage.

chambersconnectorstorage.com

 

Studio Tru Salon

Eugene, OR

We go above and beyond to make you feel like a king or queen while visiting our professional hair salon & studio.

studiotrusalon.com 

Fir Grove Cemetery

Eugene, OR

Fir Grove Cemetery is one of the most beautiful and peaceful memorial settings in Oregon.

firgrovecemetery.com

Armored Storage

Eugene, OR

We go above and beyond to make you feel like a king or queen while visiting our professional hair salon & studio.

armoredstorageeugene.com

Fairway Estates

Florence, OR

Come live in Oregon’s
coastal playground.

fairway-estates.com

LifeSlice Photography

Eugene, OR

We bring the art of photography
to a new level.

weddingphotographyeugene.com

Pediatric Dental Associates

Eugene, OR

Specialized dentistry for children and adolescents in a warm and fun environment.

eugenepediatricdentist.com

Cummings Tree Service

Eugene, OR

No tree is too big or too small.

jamescummingstrees.com

HouseTrucks

Eugene, OR

Some turtles have nice shells.

housetrucks.com

Applegate Counseling

Eugene, OR

Support for Individuals,
couples & families.

applegatecounseling.com 

Action 911

Eugene, OR

Emergency restoration services for homes and businesses in Lane County.

4action911.com

Agape Families

Eugene, OR

Oregon-based non-profit that aims to provide hope and stability to families impacted by incarceration.

agapefamiliesoregon.org

Advanced Mobile Wash 

Eugene, OR

Mobile pressure & truck washing for your truck fleet, RV, business
or residence.

amobilewash.com

How to Build a Website From Scratch – The Right Way – 3 Easy Steps

How to Build a Website From Scratch – The Right Way – 3 Easy Steps

We work with a lot of clients that start out building their own website on any number of “do it yourself” platforms like Weebly, Wix, GoDaddy, Square and more. And every once in a while, we support this and help improve these websites – usually because of budgetary concerns. Because of this, we feel it’s important to help others understand best practices for how to build a website from scratch on one of these DIY platforms. Our intention is to save you money, time, and frustration.

NOTE: We absolutely feel the best possible investment you can make in the growth of your business is a stand-alone website. You’re facing an uphill battle if you try to go it alone. There are many reasons for this, that we’ll include at the bottom of this article. But we do want to help if you choose the DIY model.

#1 Content – The One Word Answer to “How to Build a Website From Scratch?”

If you aren’t willing to write content when you build your website…at least 3000 words of it to start and more over time…then you’re wasting your time. Your website will not be found in organic keyword searches unless you point ads to it or have very little competition. Content is the #1 essential ingredient in being found. There’s an expert recipe for creating awesome searchable content. But you can get by just starting with 300 words about each of your services or products, 300 words about you and your team, 300 words about frequently asked questions, and 300 words about anything else important to your customers. Try to write 10 pages.

If you can afford it, hire an expert to look at the content through the lens of a search engine. Maybe even have this expert (hint: us) map out the keywords you should write around. If your eyes started crossing just now, then just write. The only point here is that there are ways to make the content better and give each page a better chance of being found.

Adding more content over time is the key to building your website to become a marketing tool for you. Stagnant websites don’t get as much love, period. Think of your website as a honeycomb. Every page adds a cell to the comb and every cell attracts more bees. Buzz. Buzz.

#2 SEO Tools

Every one of the DIY builders has optional tools for creating metadata. Use these tools to the best of your ability (or hire us to help). The most useful reason is because you can craft your SERP (Search Engine Results Pages). These are the little snippets that show up in searches. Like this one:

how to build a website from scratch

A SERP has a title, a URL and a description.

The DIY builders most often will let you craft these SERPS. Again, there is an expert recipe for this, but the best thing to do if you are going it alone is to try to attract a click. Use action words. Highlight the best of what they’ll learn if they click.

#3 Design

Almost every single DIY website we’ve seen has too many images that take up too much space, are too large, and don’t fit well with the text. Because you aren’t a graphic designer, the chances of you having the same issue are pretty good. So. Follow my father’s advice: KISS. Keep. It. Simple. Sweetie.

One photo per page. Try not to have it be a ginormous photo. Try really hard to make sure it isn’t pixelated. Try to have the content come FIRST, before the photo, so that the search engines will get to the content before running into an image.

Why Don’t We Want You to Follow Our Three Steps for How to Build a Website From Scratch?

I like the bee reference from before, so let’s continue with that. No matter what you do, using a DIY builder means that you will be part of a hive – a very, very, very, very big hive. And so when a search engine finds you, they’ve had to enter that hive and there are a lot of distractions. Even if you have your own URL pointing to your section of honey – there are still obstacles and it’s really noisy, so a search engine won’t stay too long. They prefer websites that have their own piece of property.

Also, you don’t own a DIY website but more, you’re renting it. You own the content, which is another reason to invest in that because you can take it with you when you’re ready.

Last, you won’t be able to easily change the way it looks once you’ve chosen a template so it’s harder for the website to grow with you. Whereas websites we create for you are modular and can morph and change and grow over time. Plus, there are tons of other options for search optimization, functionality, and beautiful design.

The biggest issue is always cost. Keep in mind that we offer payment plans and also think about the investment against a bigger picture. Your website is the single biggest and best marketing tool you can have for the ongoing growth of your business. Somewhere around 90% of people look at a business online before buying from them. That’s almost everyone. Mic drop. 🙂

 

Top 4 Social Media Tips for Business Owners

Top 4 Social Media Tips for Business Owners

Recently, our CEO, Deanna Rivera, hosted a small 2 hour marketing workshop for mother owned businesses. The focus, after polling attendees about their largest concerns, was primarily on social media tips. The day to day care of social media can be an overwhelming subject for most business owners, particularly those who are “doing it all on their own”.

Summarized below are what we feel were the most important takeaways from that conversation. UplinkSpyder may host more of these workshops in the future, so please let us know if you’re interested in attending.

1. Social Media should be used first and foremost as a branding tool for your organization.

Facebook, Instagram and the like provide a way to give potential and current customers consistent information that help to tell your story. Most people won’t buy from your business page directly and your individual posts are only seen by a small percentage of your total audience, so what you want to think most about is the overall impression your page is leaving. If someone were to scroll through all your posts and photos, what feeling would they be left with? Is that feeling consistent with your brand? A great way to influence that feeling is through strategy (see #4 below).

2. Social Media is also a directory.

When looking for you online, your social media channels will be listed along with your website, so it’s important that when people visit you, the information is current and correct and looks its best (and is consistent with your website, other social channels, business cards, and materials.) Note: It’s also important that when you put your business name in to a Google Search, that you personally visit each and every one of the listings that come up with your information and if possible, control the content listed about you.

3. The most successful companies are those that can effectively engage their audience.

This can be done with welcoming questions and comments and interacting online. One of the best ways to do this is through video. Video can especially help to differentiate you from others in your field as it does something no logo or static post can…adds in personality, warmth, and charm. Video can be used in so many ways and always attracts more attention than any other type of post or information.

4. The most important takeaway is about strategy.

If you are posting each day and not thinking about the bigger picture, you’re not only missing the opportunity to craft the impression you’re giving, you’re wasting time. Plan out a week or month of posts at a time. Sitting down once, instead of once or several times daily, and scheduling or planning posts, saves a lot of time that a busy business owner needs. You’re also less likely to forget something and you’re more likely to hit people during peak hours when your posts will make the biggest impact. If video is part of your strategy, create a month’s worth of video posts at once and schedule in when you’ll go live instead of trying to find moments within the busy week.

We discussed much more than this…differentiation between social channels, how to reuse posts, how best to use ads, and a bit about content marketing. The most important thing to remember when marketing your business is that all of these things are tools. Just like you wouldn’t use a hammer before knowing what you want the project you are making to look like…don’t use social media without goals and a vision of where you’re going and how your goals fit into a bigger strategy. Need help with any or all of that? That’s what we’re here for.