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5 Reasons why CMS updates are so important

You have all probably noticed that your CMS (Content Management System) gets regularly updated. But have you ever asked yourself why that is and why you need that?

Without getting into detail about the different types of CMS updates (security updates vs functional updates), we have 5 reasons for you, why you should keep your CMS updated.

1.     Protection against hacker attempts

The usage of any digital product is something that always begs the question of how to safely use said product. It doesn’t matter how good and developed a product wants to be, it can never be 100% secure. It’s just a product of the times we live in. There are also people who devote themselves to finding weak points in digital products and possibly using these weak points to carry out ill-intentioned attacks and manipulation. The responsibility to close any security holes falls on the CMS developer. As soon as a problem is identified and fixed, a new version (security update) will be implemented. When you keep your CMS up to date, you are patching any potential security holes. If you don’t update your CMS, then you are potentially leaving your outdated system open to attacks.

2.     A CMS is never perfect

Just like how people aren’t perfect, there is also no flawless product and no perfect CMS. Every CMS has different elements to it, and they are optimized and changed over time. Digital products are a constantly evolving thing that are always incorporating new features. If a new standard is developed, then a new solution must accompany it. It is part of the continuous process and development can never cease because of it.

“A product is never perfect” also means manufacturers must continuously work on their product so that it is as good and safe for the customer as possible.

3.     Technical issues / Bugs

Even experienced programmers and developers can make mistakes that aren’t immediately discovered, or they may not be compatible with other plugins. Such coding errors, bugs and compatibility issues must be fixed and released in the form of updates.

4.     Ever product must be developed further

This point goes together with our second point. There are always newly created standards and sometimes developers want to develop their product further in order to give their customers or users more functions and features.

5.     Cost

It is normally much easier and cheaper to regularly keep your CMS updated than to deal with the fallout that would happen in the event of successful hack on your website, which could lead to you needing to completely remake your website or online shop.

What happens when I never install updates?

If you have never installed an update, and you are convinced that you don’t need to do so because you are satisfied with your “old” CMS, please consider the security issue for you and your customers. You are not only risking the functionality of your website, but also your online credibility from your customers.

What do I need to pay attention to while updating?

Since a CMS is not only the design of your website, but the complete system, you should always be careful when updating your CMS. Backup all important data before installing an update. If you don’t know what that is and how to do it, it would be best to ask someone who would know. Once you have seen someone do it once, you should be able to do it again by yourself.

Want to know more? Contact us!


Source: This coach’s kitchen article of interest is brought to you by rankingCoach™

What do you need to know about Local SEO?

1. What is Local SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to all techniques involved in optimizing the rankings of a website in the organic search engine results. Local SEO provides additional information about the location of a business. This method allows a business to be more visible in the search engine results.

In order to be displayed in the local results you need to add the city or specific area of the city where your business is, to your website’s keywords (services/products). For example, when internet users search for “Pizzeria London” your business will be listed in Local Search Results.

In Google, these results will be visible on the preview of Google Maps and in the listing below where you can see details such as Google Reviews, business category, address, phone number, opening/closing hours, a website link as well as a link providing directions to the business location.

2. Why should you optimize your website for Local SEO?

Local SEO is relevant for many businesses but not necessarily applicable for all websites. For example, Local SEO would be more relevant for a restaurant than it would be for an e-commerce website with no physical location.  Local SEO provides your customers with easily accessible, relevant information about your business which in turn will drive more customers to your location. Optimizing your site for Local SEO is an easy, more effective way to be present in the first results of Google and for your business to have more visibility online. Furthermore, the call-to-action buttons such as ‘Call’ or ‘Directions’ allows your customers to reach you easily without going directly to your site and searching for your business information.

Some facts about Local SEO to consider:

–       70% of all online activity is related to local searches (Source: Google)

–       97% of consumers use the internet to research local products and services (Source: BIA/Kelsey)

–       78% of mobiles searches for local businesses result in a purchase (Source: Local Search Association Conference)

–       People state, that the first reason to do a local search is to find the exact address of a known business (Source: comScore)

3.     How to optimize your website for Local SEO

The first step involved in optimizing your website for Local SEO is to register your business on Google My Business.  It is important to fill out all relevant information needed to ensure the most complete profile of your business.  Furthermore, it is extremely useful to have positive reviews from your customers online. Oftentimes, many customers will read through the review area before deciding if they want to interact with a business.  It is also important to address any negative reviews so your customers can see that you are concerned about their satisfaction.  These reviews, whether positive or negative, have an impact on your position and visibility online.  For example, if your business is in tourism and your main competitors are not present online in Google My Business, your business has a great advantage for being found online, as well as in the search engine rankings.

It is also very important to be present in other local directions such as Yelp, YellowPages, Bing Places, Foursquare, Hotfrog, TripAdvisor, etc. as these platforms provide your business with more online visibility.  They also provide the opportunity for more customer reviews and other helpful information your customers may need about your business.

When registering your business with these online directories it is very important to be as accurate as possible regarding information such as opening/closing times, address, email, phone number, etc. as well as choosing your business category carefully. Choosing the wrong business category in these business directories can result in your customers being unable to find your business.  It is also important to add a visual aspect to your business by uploading current photos to your account, which also helps increase your ranking in online directories.

Lastly, besides business directories you can also improve your Local SEO on your website by including local keywords on your website and improving your contact page.  This can be done by including meta data and integrating a map on your site with your business location on it.

Want to know more? Contact us!


Source: This coach’s kitchen article of interest is brought to you by rankingCoach™

Create the kind of content Google loves to rank

There are many aspects to improving your website’s visibility online. The relative importance of these factors is something that is constantly changing with Google’s periodic updates, which are designed to present its users with the best possible results for each search they make. At present, one of the most important factors when it comes to Google’s ranking decisions is the content of your website, and how this matches the request the user is making of the search engine.

Creating quality content is both a science and an art. There are some set guidelines you can follow to ensure your website is meeting all the requirements, but it is also important that your keywords are naturally and fluently implemented in your content, so that the reader wants to continue finding out more about your website. The technical side of content is easy to outline and teach – ensuring your content is of a high quality is something you may need to spend more time to achieve.

The Science – Structuring content successfully

There are several structural factors that you can rely on to help create Google friendly content. Your text should be split into headlines and sub headlines (h1, h2 and h3) so that Google’s bots can quickly skim read what your website is about. Visitors to your site are more likely to engage with content that is clearly laid out and easy to understand the premise of quickly and succinctly, without trawling through pages and pages of unbroken text. Your content should be the right length for each section – headlines should be between 50 and 60 characters long, meta description should be between 150 and 160 characters to ensure it is displayed correctly in Google results and social media shares.

The Art – Creating quality texts

It is important that your reader feels engaged with your site, and the text is the central means of capturing their attention. Without quality text, readers will quickly hit the ‘back’ button, and Google will notice this and start to rank your website lower in results. Keep content an appropriate length, with catchy headlines and interesting text. Consider adding in rhetorical questions to keep your reader engaged, and take care to use an appropriate tone and voice when addressing your audience. What you are selling can have a significant impact on this – the tone used by a hairdresser (“Are you ready for a new you? Our aim is for you to walk out of our studio feeling fabulous!”) will be very different to that of a lawyer’s office (“We will provide reliable, professional legal counsel at an affordable rate.”). You also need to think about your keywords when creating your content, these should be cleverly and discreetly incorporated, so that the reader knows exactly what you are offering. Simply listing keywords is not a viable alternative, or way of ‘tricking’ Google. Content must make sense, be readable and engaging, and relevant to the services or products you are offering.

Other factors

There are a couple of other tips and tricks for creating high quality content. You should add internal and external links throughout your article or site text – that is, links that link to content on other sites, and links that link to other pages of your own website (so called ‘deeplinks’). Optimise images by ensuring the file names are relevant and the right size, and add a text and title for the image. By following these guidelines for creating quality, structured and readable content, you will be soaring up Google’s rankings in no time!

Want to know more? Contact us!


Source: This coach’s kitchen article of interest is brought to you by rankingCoach™