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Common SEO Mistakes Made By Ecommerce Portals

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On June 20, 2015

In SEO Marketing

June 20, 2015

There are thousands of ecommerce websites offering innumerable line of products, thus, making it extremely difficult to gain prominence in search engine results. By having several web pages listing different items, SEO for an online shopping portal becomes far more challenging than it is for other business websites. Owing to this, there are some common mistakes that most ecommerce companies are likely to make in their SEO campaign. Some of these are discussed below:

  • Not providing product descriptions: While high definition images are essential to drive users’ attention, not accompanying them with product descriptions is the biggest mistake most companies make. Search engine crawlers use the content of these descriptions to index your website for that specific product. Make sure you include proper description giving complete details about the product to increase your web presence.
  • Duplicating content from manufacturers’ website: Most ecommerce portals use descriptions exactly as given on the manufacturer’s website. While you may be providing accurate information about the product, you may get penalized by Google due to duplicacy of content. To avoid this, you must write informative and unique content that help your customers make the purchase decision.
  • Not including product reviews: Not providing product reviews is also a major mistake made by ecommerce websites. These are equally important as descriptions to achieve a higher conversion rate. Majority of customers usually read the reviews posted by previous buyers to decide if they should buy a specific product or not. Positive reviews will help to make your site look credible and boost profits.
  • Duplicating title tags: Another SEO mistake made by ecommerce companies is using the same title tags on all landing pages. Ideally, only the home page should have your brand name in the title tag, as opposed to all inner pages. In order to maximize your SEO potential, try to create unique key phrases relevant to the product listed on the page.
  • Not optimizing URLs: Even if you have a well-designed website and unique product descriptions, you might be losing out on web traffic in the absence of an optimized URL. To avoid making this mistake, ensure that your website has a clean and descriptive URL instead of being a jumbled mix of random letters or numbers. You should also try to include relevant keywords in the URL.

We, at Centex Technologies, provide comprehensive SEO solutions for ecommerce companies. For more information, you can call us at (855) 375 – 9654.

Google Now On Tap – What Is It?

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On June 9, 2015

In Software Development, Tech Buzz

June 9, 2015

In an attempt to enhance search experience for mobile users, Google has once again come up with a remarkable innovation called ‘Now on Tap’. At Google I/O held this May in San Francisco, the company previewed this smart upgrade to Google Now, a feature that will be available in the upcoming Android M.The basic idea behind Google Now on Tap is to enable the users to access information as and when needed, without having to leave the app they are using.

What Is It Exactly?

Essentially, Now On Tap takes the power of Google Now to a whole new level. It will be a core part of your Android operating system that will connect every element of your mobile device with Google’s extensive database. Rather than being a full screen app, Now On Tap will have a card-like interface that will appear on top of whichever app you are using, providing information relevant to the current content on your mobile screen. For instance, if a friend sends you a message about going for a movie, you can quickly tap and hold the home button to invoke Google to read reviews, watch trailer or buy online tickets without closing the app.

How Google Now On Tap Works?

According to Google Now’s product director, Aparna Chennapragada, Now On Tap will scan the words that you are presently viewing on your mobile screen and identify the relevant terms in it. Then, it will search these terms on Google, come up with the most contextual information you might need and present it in a card like format.

Just as with Google’s all other apps, the functionality is not limited for Now on Tap as well. It can provide information on anything and everything right from music, people, movies, restaurants, places and a lot more. Now on Tap will even work with voice search, with the user saying ‘ok Google’ from any screen or app in his phone. Let’s say you are listening to a song on your phone and you want to know about its singer. You simply need to say ‘Ok Google, who is the singer’ and you will automatically get the answer without the need to mention the name of the song.

The rollout is expected to come around the third quarter of 2015 alongside the release of Android M, according to official sources from Google.

Man-In-The-Middle-Attack

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On May 30, 2015

In Security

May 30, 2015

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack occurs when an unauthorized user attempts to actively monitor, capture and control the information transmitted between the source and destination computer. The attack may be carried out to simply gain access to the encrypted/unencrypted information or empower the hacker to modify the message before passing it further.

How Does A Man-In-The-Middle Attack Works?

The man-in-the-middle attack is performed when the attacker gains complete control over the networking router along a normal flow of traffic. The cybercriminal, in most cases, is in the same broadcast domain as the victim. For example, a TCP connection exists between the server and client in an HTTP session. The MITM splits the link into two – one between the server and attacker and other between the victim and attacker. By interrupting the TCP connection, the attacker decodes, alters and inserts fake data into the communication. A man-in-the-middle attack aims to exploit the weaknesses in the communication protocol, convincing the source network to divert traffic through the attacker’s router.

Tips To Prevent Man-In-The-Middle Attacks

  • Pay Attention To Certificate Warnings: A security certificate warning appearing for a website might indicate a serious problem. If the certificate doesn’t match with the server, you might be communicating with a malicious server carrying out a man-in-the-middle attack. Thus, you must not visit such websites, specifically if it involves entering important information like user names, passwords, bank account details etc.
  • Check for HTTPS Encryption: When connecting to sites that process financial transactions such as online shopping or banking, make sure that the session has an HTTPS encryption. When communicating over HTTPS, your web browser checks identity certificates to confirm the credibility of the servers you are connecting to, thus, reducing the possibility of a phishing server.
  • Be Careful While Using Wi-Fi Networks: Avoid doing any online transaction or sharing sensitive information if you are using a public Wi-Fi network. Be more alert if you see certificate warnings and websites without HTTPS encryption on such networks. Always try to use a private virtual private network (VPN) to create a secure connection to a trusted server.
  • Install Anti-Virus Software: Installing and regularly updating anti-virus software can help you defend against man-in-the-middle attacks that involve infecting your computer with a malware.

We, at Centex Technologies provide the most advanced cyber security solutions for businesses. For more information, you can call us at (855) 375 – 9654.

Cyber Insurance – Needs And Benefits

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On May 26, 2015

In Security

May 26, 2015

Cyber insurance is designed to provide coverage from the losses incurred by an organization due to various cybercrimes such as network damage, data breaches, denial of service attacks, identity theft etc. Generally, a cyber-insurance policy protects against two types of risks – first party and third party. The former covers the losses of the policy holder whereas the latter one recompenses for the company’s liabilities towards clients, business partners and shareholders. Coverage options in a cyber-insurance policy may include crisis management, computer forensics investigation, data reconstruction, security liability, protection from cyber ransom etc.

Why Is Cyber Insurance Needed?

Every business, be it large or small, is likely to rely on information technology to some extent. In spite of using sophisticated firewalls and anti-virus software, it is nearly impossible to achieve complete security from cybercrimes. This is where the need for cyber insurance arises. It is particularly important for companies that hold confidential customer data, rely heavily on computer network to carry out business activities and deal in financial transaction processing.

Some of the reasons why companies need cyber insurance are:

  • Safeguarding the data of clients is one of the most important reasons to purchase cyber insurance.
  • Disclosure agreements and commercial contracts stored on the network may contain clauses regarding the confidentiality of the information. These can lead to expensive claims in the event of a breach.
  • Most entrepreneurs believe that their business is sufficiently covered by other insurance policies. However, having a cyber-insurance policy will make sure that all the network security risks are comprehensively covered.

Benefits Of Cyber Insurance

  • Mitigates Risk: Cyber insurance helps mitigate the risk of network attacks by increasing security measures. Insurers need to attain a certain level of cyber security in their organization as a prerequisite for coverage. This helps companies to identify the flaws in their IT system and make improvements in security practices.
  • Reimburses Losses And Penalties: Cyber insurance is immensely beneficial in the event of a large scale network attack. It provides coverage for the losses incurred, costs of notifying the affected individuals, hiring an attorney, legal fees and liabilities to other people.
  • Business Interruption Expenses: Some insurance policies also offer coverage for the income lost by a company as a result of the network or equipment failure due to the cyber-attack.

What is a Sniffer Attack?

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On May 18, 2015

In Security

May 18, 2015

A sniffer attack involves capturing, inspecting, decoding and interpreting the network packets and information exchanges on a TCP/IP network. It aims at stealing unencrypted information, such as user IDs, passwords, email text, transferred files, credit card numbers, network details etc. It is also referred as a passive cyber-threat as the attacker is usually invisible and difficult to detect on the network.

Types Of Sniffer Attacks

  • LAN Sniffing: In this, the sniffer software is installed on the internal LAN to scan the entire network exhaustively. This helps to provide further information such as server inventory, live hosts, open ports etc. Once all the details are gathered, the hacker may launch a port-specific attack.
  • Protocol Sniffing: This method involves creating separate sniffers to carry out attacks on different network protocols. For instance, if a hacker sees UDP packets in a network, a separate sniffer is started to capture information.
  • ARP Sniffing: The hackers steal all the important information related to the IP addresses and its associated MAC addresses. This data is further used to initiate packet spoofing attacks, ARP poisoning attacks or exploit vulnerabilities in the network router.
  • TCP Session Sniffing: This is a basic sniffer attack in which the hackers get hold of the traffic between the source and destination IP address. They target details like service types, port numbers and TCP sequence numbers to create and control a fabricated TCP session.
  • Web Password Sniffing: In these sniffer attacks, the hackers penetrate the HTTP sessions that do not use secure encryption. Following this, the user IDs and passwords can be stolen and used for malicious purposes.

Tips To Protect Against Sniffer Attacks

  • Enable a WPA or WPA2 encryption for your router. Also, make sure you change its default password to limit access to your network. Use a long and secure password consisting of numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters and symbols.
  • Use MAC filtering on your network. You must allow only trusted MAC addresses to access your private VPN, thus, reducing the chances of a sniffer spying on the network.
  • Ensure that the important sites you use, particularly those that involve making financial transactions, have SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. If a site is SSL enabled, it will have a URL beginning with HTTPS instead of HTTP.

We, at Centex Technologies, can assess and implement advanced cybersecurity measures in your organization. For more information, you can call us at (855) 375 – 9654.

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