Chrome, Search Engines Penalize websites with no SSL Certificates

July began with Chrome “marking” websites with no SSL Certificates. What does this mean? It means that Chrome will list your site as “not secure.” Previously, Chrome displayed a neutral information icon, but starting in July, the browser will warn users with an extra notification in the address bar. Chrome currently marks HTTPS-encrypted sites with a green lock icon and “Secure” sign. 

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer - this technology is used to provide a layer of privacy and encryption between different communicating computer applications. You may have noticed when visiting a website, a green lock on the left side of your URL bar - this is SSL in action.

When an SSL certificate is installed on your domain, the information of your users is unreadable to anyone who attempts to steal it. The only people able to decipher it are the intended recipients at the other end of the connection.

The primary reason to use SSL is to protect sensitive information sent between computers and servers, such as credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information. With an SSL certificate, your customers can do business with you with confidence that their information is going to be safe from identity thieves and potential hackers.

As a bonus, users are increasingly able to recognize when a site has an SSL certificate installed, and they feel more secure completing transactions. Also, an SSL certificate can even give you a boost with your search engine visibility, as Google recently announced that they will be more likely to show your site in search results if it has an active SSL certificate installed.

Your website needs every possible advantage for listings and rankings. We strongly suggest having a SSL Certificate installed on your website. Call Washington Graphic - we can take care of this for you today.

Let's Talk About Your Database Needs

Do you have data that you need to display for your users or customers? You probably need a database that your users can search and explore on your site. And you’ll also need a place to host that database. Oh, and you’ll also need a way to edit and update the database conveniently and simply.

As you can see, without the right expertise, building and maintaining databases can be overwhelming to say the least. Washington Graphic Services has extensive experience building, maintaining, and working with databases for our clients.

WGS can create a searchable database on your site, and even create a dashboard for administrators to use in order to edit the database so that your users are always getting the most up to date information. We can work with you to create user roles and permissions for your dashboard so that you can manage any security needs that you may have. We also take care of all hosting needs for these various elements, so you don’t have to worry.

If you are looking for a solution to your database needs, call Washington Graphic Services today to find out how we can help!

Custom Storefront and Interior Graphics

Washington Graphic Services (WGS) designs and installs storefront and interior graphics in the DC/Baltimore area. WGS will take your storefront from outdated and uninspiring to WOW! Let our Design Team develop custom store graphics to turn your business into an attraction. Whether you are just looking to fill a few windows advertising your big sale or you want your shop front to take on a whole new look, we will handle your job in a timely and professional manner.

Store fronts can be used in many ways. If you’re one of several businesses in a row, store front signs and graphics can be used to identify where you are and make you easy to find. Another option is to list your services and showcase your work. It helps the customer know and understand what your business does, and what you can do for them. You can advertise what you do, what brands you sell, what specials you have, all while educating your potential customer. Think billboard advertising, only more cost effective and driving them directly to your shop or store.

Restaurants can use their storefronts to advertise daily/weekly specials, and retailers can advertise seasonal items or promotions while promoting their brand and image. Let the creative team at Washington Graphic Services take the free space outside of your shopfront and put it to work for you. Our installers will install your custom vinyl graphic wrap quickly and efficiently. Contact WGS for your quote today.

Websites need search engine optimization, now more than ever

I want to tell you why SEO (search engine optimization) is still important to your business, and how ongoing SEO efforts will benefit you and your business website for many years to come.

Search engines like Google and Bing are an ever evolving database of website listings that people use everyday to find business products and services. No one uses yellow pages or phone books anymore and getting listed correctly takes time, resources and skill.  There are a lot of places from which your website could be getting traffic. If you are not listed in every possible category that relates to your business, you are missing out on valuable revenue. Your competition will be in those listings and they did not get there by accident or happenstance.

Your website needs to be searchable when people type in “keywords” - potential customers use search for:

• Finding information
• Solving a problem
• Researching or buying a product

Many of these reasons are perfect opportunities for you to get traffic and customers. These searchers are highly motived people you can bring to your website to learn from you, and potentially buy something. This is especially true if you target the right keywords.

Getting it right with Keywords

It all begins with keywords. These are the words we all type in when we begin our search. A successful SEO campaign involves keyword research. Washington Graphic Services (WGS) analyzes your business, and your potential customers, and we come up with the right keywords for your website. Among other tools and software for analyzing your site, WGS can use Google Analytics, Google Search Console, upload a Sitemap for your site, and make sure your HTML is valid and contains the correct markup to make sure search engines are getting complete and correct information from your site. WGS incorporates these techniques, research, software and programming efforts to maximize your exposure, and to effectively function with search engine algorithms. 

Content matters

WGS will create quality content on your site because "content is king." Content matters because the keywords must match the content. The content must be quality content not just any content. From an SEO perspective quality is important because Google and other search engines are measuring it.

Can Search Engines Find Your Website?

We get asked often...what is SEO? SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an effort to have your website listed in all major websites, in the free (organic) search areas. Washington Graphic Services can analyze your website to help you determine how successful it is at drawing visitors and generating leads. We look at how easity it is to find your site online through Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines, and then we compare the results to your competitors' sites to show you where you stand competitively. How your website is designed and programmed has a large effect on search engine placements, as well as the quality of your content. Content is king...meaning, the original content that relates to your business is the content that people will be typing in a search engine to find you. You can't be found without these components.

Our team will create a list of key search terms used to find your website. What keywords are your target customers using? Our experts can help you to select and implement the most relevant keywords for your audience, which should improve traffic to your site significantly and immediately. In addition, we see how your site performs on the many different mobile devices in the world, and determine how you can reach more with mobile optimization.

Call Washington Graphic Services today. We can get your website working better, listed on search engines, and most importantly...get viewers to your website.

Great content is a must for all websites

Writing great content is the best way to drive customers to your website. This requires time and work - great content won’t happen by itself, and your site needs a pro content producer. Poorly written content is a path that will ultimately get you nowhere. To boost SEO rankings or gain traffic and/or leads, you need to have great content on your blog and website.

Writing original content will cause search engines to give you more exposure and higher listings, which translates to more customers. Google has made it known that they do not like, and will penalize, duplicating or “reusing” content from other sites. Google rewards sites that produce original content with higher search rankings. This is due, in part, to Google valuing active sites over inactive sites in its search results. Great content keeps users on your site longer, improves your site’s search rankings, and will ultimately result in a positive net result on your business.

To create content that works for your site, keep the following in mind:

Making great content requires skill, experience and research!

Create strong defined headlines

Include calls-to-action

Provide answers to your visitors

Create accurate, true and reliable sources

Engage your reader, make visitors want to continue reading

Include compelling visuals (photos, videos, infographics)

Update, Update, Update ... Don’t allow your site to stagnate, Create fresh new content regularly.

Call Washington Graphic Services - we create great content and offer monthly maintenance programs to keep your site fresh!

Time to Redesign Your Website

Every business needs an effective website. It is the hub where all potential clients go to verify your work, experience, products and services. Business websites are your online marketing strategy. Without an effective website, you will never see significant results from any online advertising campaign.

If your website is not making you money, redesign it. When you redesign the site, don’t just worry about it looking good. It needs to effectively and quickly display what your business is, and what you offer. The site needs to entice the viewer enough to dig deeper and look for more specifics.

Warning signs about your current website:

Your website is not generating revenue, sales or leads

If your website receives traffic, but no conversions, this is a problem. Your website could be missing something critical that is turning your website visitors off.

Your website has no conversion

Conversions are the stages a visitor navigates through your website in order to convert. Effective website designs define conversions. Starting from the home page of your website, you should know how visitors will travel through your website to gain what they are looking for.

Outdated websites won't encourage viewers to stay

As time progresses, consumer tastes and preferences change. If your website design is outdated and does not make a good impression, prepare for the exit button. Your website is never finished permanently. Make gradual improvements to your website design over the years to keep up with the times.

First impression is not powerful

First impressions are everything. The truth is that you only have 3 seconds to make an impression on a website visitor. If your website does not make a good impression within this time frame, you will likely miss opportunities.

Not trustworthy and credible

People see website design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business. These statistics are not made up. Your website design is the reason people are converting, or not converting, on your website.

Contact Washington Graphic Services to update and redesign your online marketing strategy today!

301-312-6803

2 Things I Need From You Before We Can Design Your Website(s)

Most of our clients need an updated (or new) website but dread all the time they will have to put into it.

Washington Graphic Services will take your “dread” away. We will write your content, design, create customized graphics, photography, illustrated charts, graphs and any needed content. We will show you what your site should say, how it should be marketed and we will create a call to action to get potential customers contacting you.

Our programmers are experts at producing a product that will function properly in all technology formats such as desktops, tablets and smart phones. We use all the latest technologies so search engines will be able to index you quickly.

Contact Washington Graphic Services and let our team produce your website quickly and without the dread.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Keep your Website Updated and Current-Get New Clients!

Your website content is vital to keeping current and getting new customers.  Every update you make to your website helps you get new visitors, customers, and drives traffic to your site.  An  old website without updates of any kind may be viewed by search engines as a “dead” entity – with no life and nothing new to offer.

Frequently updated websites offer search engines a haven for fresh content and sources of new information for their search requests.  Simply put, if you update your website often with high quality content, search engines will love you for it.

New Content Means Search Engine Indexing

Don’t confuse this phrase with the thinking that fresh content will give you higher indexing.  That may not be the case.  However, the more frequently you update your website with articles, downloads, and new web pages, the more frequently a search engine will stop by to visit your website.  When search engines look at your site more frequently, you have the opportunity to achieve higher rankings based on the content you provide.

Google Loves Frequent Updates

Google is the world most used search engine. Google has tremendous influence on webmasters and how websites are constructed.  When Google expresses its love for websites that update frequently, this is a sure sign that you should add fresh content to your website as often as you can.

New Content, New Keywords

Publish new content, this gets you more opportunities for your site to contain more keywords.  Keywords are high on the algorithm chart for search engine indexing and ranking.  Frequently added content, such as blog or article postings, allows you to optimize the article with pertinent keywords that can attract visitors to your site.

Washington Graphic Services updates/designs websites and gets you new customers. Call Us!

Your Company Needs a Blog

If your business is like most, there is no shortage of potential competitors that provide similar products and services to what you offer. One effective way of setting yourself apart from the competition is by starting a company blog.

A blog can help your business in a number of measurable ways. First, even if two companies make a similar product, no two companies are identical. A blog gives your company an opportunity to show what sets you apart and makes you different from your competitors. The practice of creating regular blog posts, in itself, has the added benefit of developing and displaying your expertise in your field. Also, a blog can improve your search engine optimization. This will allow your site to be found more easily by potential customers, without having to pay for additional marketing.

One of the most important things a blog can provide for your company is a continuous line of communication between your business and your customers. Periodically checking in with your customers and letting them know what is new with your company, or maybe letting them know about an interesting development in your field will keep you in the minds of your customers. This makes them more likely to give you repeat business when the need arises, or recommend your business to a friend.

Additionally, a company blog can tie in nicely with any social media platforms that your company may use. Regular blog posts can provide you with a steady stream of material for social media posts, and conversely your social media can drive traffic to your blog. This combination can be particularly effective for small business trying to build stronger relationships with their customers.

If you would like to learn more about what a blog can do for your company, or if you are interested in getting help with content creation, call Washington Graphic Services today!