Our services include secure hosting, monitoring, maintenance, recovery, security audits, and development. Our projects have ranged from retail eCommerce to compliant hosting for banking institutions.
Your website is a reflection of your organization and deserves the best in aesthetic engineering: excellent web design, unrivaled web cybersecurity, and rock-solid web hosting.
We blend beautiful design, strong cybersecurity, and rock-solid hosting. Our projects encompass banking, energy, non-profit, and medical services.
Today, professional design, mobile device compatibility, and always-up hosting are baseline customer expectations and areas in which we’ve excelled for over two decades. However, we add the additional critical dimension of cybersecurity in the following ways, plus a few special techniques we don’t share with the world.
Today, professional design, mobile device compatibility, and always-up hosting are baseline customer expectations and areas in which we’ve excelled for over two decades. However, we add the additional critical dimension of cybersecurity in the following ways, plus a few special techniques we don’t share with the world.
Software updates, aka “patching.”
Outdated stoftware is one of the most common ways hackers gain access to websites. Several free and open websites regularly publish the latest vulnerabilities in various software products, ranging from server operating systems to website content management systems such as WordPress, Magento, Joomla, Drupal, and OpenCart. The intention is to aid website owners, technicians, and hosting providers in quickly mitigating the announced vulnerabilities with software updates. Unfortunately, hackers have access to the same information, so software updating or “patching” is a race against the clock. We ensure all the software on our hosting servers and your website platforms are up to date.
SSL certificates and HTTPS-based browsing.
HTTPS is a mechanism by which traffic is encrypted between the visitor’s computer and the website hosting server, thereby preventing eavesdropping or “sniffing” information by unauthorized parties. SSL certificates also validate the identity of the website being visited, to ensure the visitor has not been directed to a fake copy of the intended website. Our hosting services come with free SSL certificates for basic websites, and we can implement high-end paid SSL certificates for high-traffic eCommerce sites.
Site and database backups.
Recovery is perhaps the most critical element in any IT system, including websites and eCommerce. Any damage to the website, whether by malicious hackers or well-meaning web authors, can be reversed by restoring a recent backup. Tiered backups that allow restoration from various points in time are a requirement for any content management system, be it WordPress, Joomla, Magento, OpenCart, or Drupal. We log all backup jobs and provide the status thereof in a monthly maintenance report for each website or eCommerce system.
Monitoring for suspicious activity.
Hackers use the “RSGMC” cycle, short for Reconnaissance, Scanning, Gaining Access, Maintaining Access, and Cleanup. For various reasons, the Cleanup phase is often incomplete, leaving clues as to the nature of the attack. We regularly check websites for suspicious activity, such as unusual file changes or rogue user accounts, as a part of our routine maintenance.
Security plugins.
Today’s website security regimens must include a security plugin that helps monitor website access, provides two-factor authentication, scans for malware, and provides a web application firewall. Both WordFence and Sucuri offer excellent solutions in this area.
Secure hosting servers.
Your website’s security is only as good as the security of your hosting provider. Fortunately, Tactical Web Media provides excellent secure hosting for mainstream websites and compliance-based systems such as high-traffic government and eCommerce sites.
Optional security awareness training (SAT).
Phishing simulations and other awareness training will prepare your staff to be a “human firewall,” arguably the most critical security layer in your organization. Phishing scams can steal credentials ranging from your bank account login to your website author login, the latter of which will allow the hacker to steal your data and inject malicious code to attack your users, among other payloads. We offer SAT services to keep your staff trained and ready to avoid phishing scams.
Performance measurements.
While the speed of a website does not directly relate to security, a slow-performing website can mean malicious activity. This is why our periodic maintenance reports come complete with performance statistics.
Quarterly or semi-annual reviews.
Communication between your team and ours is vital in meeting security, performance, and uptime expectations. We recommend quarterly or semi-annual meetings to address upgrades, concerns, and questions concerning your website or eCommerce system.
Never underestimate the impact of a web security breach.
Due to its infinitely broad reach, the security of your website is unequivocally the most critical type of cybersecurity your organization can employ. A hacked website or eCommerce system means the following.
Your visitors, whether buyers or otherwise, will download malware from browsing your website by interacting with infected files and scripts simply by navigating to your home page. Imagine hundreds or thousands of visitors being hacked due to your website.
Google and other search engines will quickly discover the hack and block your site, in addition to placing warnings in the search results stating your site may be hacked.
The malicious actors may steal personally identifiable information or financial data and either sell it on the dark web or demand a ransom from you by threatening the same.
Never underestimate the impact of a web security breach.
Due to its infinitely broad reach, the security of your website is unequivocally the most critical type of cybersecurity your organization can employ. A hacked website or eCommerce system means the following.
Your visitors, whether buyers or otherwise, will download malware from browsing your website by interacting with infected files and scripts simply by navigating to your home page. Imagine hundreds or thousands of visitors being hacked due to your website.
Google and other search engines will quickly discover the hack and block your site, in addition to placing warnings in the search results stating your site may be hacked.
The malicious actors may steal personally identifiable information or financial data and either sell it on the dark web or demand a ransom from you by threatening the same.
In the simplest terms, eCommerce is buying and selling goods and services over the internet, revolutionizing business operations, consumer purchasing, and payment transactions.
eCommerce allows businesses to reach a larger audience than they could through traditional methods like brick-and-mortar stores. Additionally, companies can save on overhead costs like rent and staff wages by selling products and services online.
Another critical benefit of eCommerce is that it allows businesses to compete with larger companies. Through online stores, small businesses can offer a wide range of products at competitive prices, giving consumers more choices and better value for their money.
No matter how successful your eCommerce business may be, you cannot afford to rest on your laurels but rather be constantly innovating and adapting to the changing trends to stay ahead of the curve. Leveraging emerging technologies is vital. New advents in eCommerce platforms can help you manage inventory, shipping, sales tracking, and promotions via social media integration.
One trend in eCommerce is the use of chatbots. Chatbots can help businesses provide better customer service and increase sales. Yet another tool businesses are using to improve their online stores is machine learning. Machine learning can help companies to predict what products customers are likely to buy and recommend products to customers.
Businesses should also consider using voice search to reach customers using digital assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Voice search allows customers to search for products by speaking into a device.
As an online retailer, you need to stay ahead of the game. One way to do this is by using platforms like WooCommerce to help manage your eCommerce business. Woocommerce offers many tools and features to help you run your business more efficiently and effectively. For example, Woocommerce allows you to not only create an online store but also manage your inventory, process payments, and track orders. In addition, there are a variety of themes and templates that you can use to create a custom store design, not to mention extensions to help you expand the functionality of your store.
Utilize personalization to enhance your eCommerce business.
Personalization can help eCommerce businesses improve customer experience and increase sales; it has become an essential factor in eCommerce businesses and critical to gaining customer insight to optimize operations. Personalization is also known as profiling.
Profiling can improve the customer experience by customizing the shopping experience such that every step the buyer takes is aided by information from past actions. Profiling can make it fast and easy for customers to select the options they want.
The use of data analytics allows businesses to gain a better understanding of what customers want and need, which can help expand sales. Profiling can also be used to obtain insights into customer behavior to craft targeted marketing campaigns.
SEO Strategies for eCommerce.
Google’s algorithm changes are constantly altering how search engine rankings are determined. Ecommerce businesses must keep up with the latest SEO trends to remain competitive. Here are some of the most critical, emerging SEO trends for e-commerce:
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular, so businesses should optimize their content for voice searches. This process involves using long-tail keywords and including natural language processing elements like FAQs and chatbots on your site.
Content marketing is still one of the most effective SEO strategies. Deliver as much helpful content and advice to your buyers and prospects as possible. Being viewed as the subject matter expert for your product line will pay dividends.
Mobile optimization is still essential for eCommerce businesses. More people are now searching for products and services on their mobile devices than on their desktop or laptop computers, so making sure your website is responsive and easy to navigate on smaller screens is essential.
Growth of mobile commerce.
Mobile commerce is increasing as more and more people adopt smartphones and tablets. A recent study by IBM found that mobile commerce will account for $17 billion in sales in 2023, up from $6.7 billion in 2012. This growth is being driven by the increasing number of consumers using their smartphones and tablets to shop online.
Keep in mind that mobile commerce is more than just a responsive website. The entire shopping experience must be mobile-friendly to compete in this area.
Omni-channel retailing and eCommerce.
In brick-and-mortar stores, shoppers can touch, feel and try on clothes and other personal merchandise before purchasing. However, with eCommerce, customers cannot do that. They have to rely on the pictures and descriptions provided on the website.
With omnichannel retailing, customers can go to the store to check out the clothes and buy them online if they like one or more items. This way, customers can better understand what they are buying and save money on shipping costs.
Some companies are doing a better job than others regarding omnichannel retailing. For example, Gap has successfully provided an omnichannel experience for its customers. The company offers its customers a “buy online, pick up in-store” option.
In conclusion, the key to staying ahead in eCommerce is to leverage web and online marketing technology to the fullest. Tactical Web Media builds powerful, secure, SEO-friendly eCommerce sites in WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and Opencart. Contact us for a discussion of your eCommerce needs today.
