Many of these changes are aimed at returning more relevant search results for its users by targeting and removing websites employing “black hat” SEO techniques from high ranking positions. Unfortunately, many businesses and SEO specialists were caught off-guard when Google announces some once acceptable SEO practices were heavily penalized by the new update. While these changes may improve the search experience in the future, currently the new Penguin update has caused an uproar from businesses of all sizes that watched their top-ranking websites plummet to be replaced by sub-par websites that have little of no marketing done.

To enhance web presence, small and large companies alike have relied on SEO specialists to tailor their websites for improved searches. Traditional SEO techniques include keyword placement, blog writing and website linking. With the new update, however, these traditional methods of ranking websites are now weighted differently and some techniques have been rendered useless under the Penguin criteria. The effects of the Penguin update have hit small businesses the hardest. With tight budgets and fewer resources, small businesses are not able to react as quickly as larger businesses. To save their search rankings, Google’s Matt Cutts has encouraged businesses to emphasis high-quality content and usability with respect to company websites. It appears Google is trying to foster a more “natural” ranking system; unfortunately, the changes are so drastic that companies are essentially loosing customers due to their new lower rankings.

Written by: Simon D. Rubin

To become a subscriber, one first needs a background check and must conform to strict requirements that are to be set by the developers (including copyrights and trademarks of products and website content). Once approved, special hardware is needed to register and subscribers must agree to several Internet security practices. The .secure domain would not only be constantly monitored but any attack would be investigated and legal penalties would be enforced.

The .secure domain is designed to provide protection for people and businesses that are frequently targeted by hackers, without policing the entire Internet. The added protection of a .secure website would be a great business tool, considering millions of dollars are lost to Internet fraud every year.

Written by: Simon D. Rubin

Application Programming Interface’s (API), the root of Oracle’s lawsuit, use Java code to standardize the interactions between applications and different types of software. Oracle has accused Google of stealing their Java API’s during the development of the Android software. The lawsuit is broken up into 3 phases: (1) a ruling on whether Google committed copyright infringement when developing Android, (2) a ruling on the “fair use” of software API’s (the legality of Copyrighting API’s), and (3) an assessment of damages (Oracle is seeking $1 billion).
On Monday, a verdict on the first phase was released: citing that Google did in fact commit copyright infringement. If API software is considered “fair use” in the second phase of the trial, Monday’s verdict could be overturned. However, if API’s are considered copyrighted material by the court, the implications could affect the entire software industry. If the API’s can be copyrighted, software developers would have to pay royalties to the original developers in order to create new software for the business community, effectively raising the cost to do business and hindering the creativity of software developers. There is no doubt that the final verdict of this trial will be a historic decision.

Written by: Simon D. Rubin

There are several techniques SEO specialists can use to improve the visibility of your product or idea. SEO uses keywords and word placement techniques to boost the ranking of your website in major search engines. If you have a small website with limited pages, SEO specialists like the ones at Fyresite can create more content and webpages embedded with keywords specific to your industry. Even more established websites with many pages could benefits from SEO services by rearranging content and altering the site layout. SEO services do not end at the website level, SEO specialists are also able to optimize your social media sites for higher ranking. Major search engines also take into account the longevity of a website; the older the website, the more likely it is to be ranked. In short, attention to SEO is an investment for the future success of your business. Please call Fyresite today for more information or to speak with an SEO specialist.

Written by: Simon D. Rubin

What many do not realize is that Scottsdale also attracts businesses and entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes; from posh restaurants to physicians and small businesses. Over the decades, Scottsdale has become a center for business-minded individuals and economic growth due to its location, culture, and the efforts of the city to simplify the process of opening a business (for more information see: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Businesses).

Are you a business owner interested in relocating to Scottsdale? Or maybe an entrepreneur with the next big idea? Wherever your niche in the business world is, a professional web designer with the right tools and creative drive will help you effortlessly market and advertise your products or ideas. Over the years websites have become a staple of any successful business venture. Creating a website with customized themes, content, and graphics, however, requires the talents of an experienced web designer. In a competitive industry, a website alone may not be enough. Your customers need to know where to find you and now certain web design firms have the capability to not only create an attractive and professional website, but also market the site to targeted audiences and enhance its visibility on the internet.

Fyresite is your professional web design firm. Fyresite is based near Scottsdale although our web design services extend nationwide. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction through quality website designs, eye-catching in-house logos and graphics, and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to make your business more visible to customers. Whether you are new to business or a seasoned veteran, Fyresite web design have the tools to help your company grow with Fyresite Web Design

Written by: Simon D. Rubin

In 2012, the old hypertext markup language (HTML), as we know it, will be quite different. The current version, still under development, is an all encompassing update to HTML4, Java Script and XHTML1. Its basically a standardization effort to avoid syntax errors, with new inclusions like the and tags. This improved mark up language also defines how invalid documents should be processed, thus ensuring that all browsers are able to treat syntactical errors in a similar manner. This new 2012 trend markup language to look out for is HTML5.

Another trend that has been quietly gaining momentum, with its explosion in to the hot trends list expected early 2012, is the use of large, over-sized headers and logos. The big idea behind this trend is to make an unforgettable first impression on your website visitor. This also takes care of the click-phobic visitor, who has, over time, grown to fear clicking due to years poor navigation experience. What your large headers and logos do is provide a platform similar to a splash page, minus the need for clicking. The visitor just scrolls down to get the details they need.

Single page websites, that have sliders, are also expected to hit the trends headlines. These websites will be more like a business card, showing all the necessary details a visitor may need, including your location, your social media hangouts and so on. The sliders too will improve functionality, by removing the need for the boring dragging the mouse over complicated navigation bars to access information. These sliders mean that instead of a slide show being incorporated in a website, the website itself, becomes the slideshow.

Finally, there is the mobile design, which is already starting to make a huge headway in to the top trends of 2012. With the increase in the popularity of smart phones and tablet technology, web designers will need to learn how to adapt their projects to accommodate this change in screen resolution and size. Luckily for them, there is CSS3, which allows a website designer to make a site that accommodates the mobile technology in to the web design. With more people buying smart phones and tablets, there is a need for websites to look as good on these gadgets. These are some of the 2012 web design trends that are expected to make headlines.

In the last few years, social media has become essential for success in blogging. Engaging socially with your users can help you build partnerships with other webmasters, gain more followers, and access people that can help take your blog to the next level. If done correctly over time, you can build a community that will allow you to sell products, hold events, and grow your brand. Social media plugins can help you easily integrate your blog into the social space.

Social Media WordPress Plugins

There are a few plugins that can transform your wordpress blog into a hub of social activity. The “Tweet – Like” plugin is essential for all blogs, because it allows a user to easily link to your article from their facebook or twitter accounts. It also supports the new “plus one” feature which will soon become important for site rankings. Tweet-Like is a free plug-in that can be setup in about 5 minutes. Tweet-Like gives you the ability to rotate headlines over your twitter, facebook, and plus one buttons. Try creating unique headlines that will draw a users attention straight to those buttons. A headline like “If you hate the recession but like this article, click like”, will grab attention and encourage users to share your story.

Another essential social plugin for WordPress is the “Facebook Social Plugin”. This is a widget that can be placed on your sidebar to provide “social proof” that you run a well-liked website. The plug-in shows images and usernames of every person that has clicked “like” on your website or story. This plug-in is especially important for websites that sell products. Showing proof that other users are happy with your service, will give users the trust that they need to use their credit card on your site. Social proof is a very effective way to show trustworthiness and professionalism, even if a visitor has never visited your site.

A “Twitter Counter” button can also add social proof to your site. You must have an active twitter account with followers in order for it to work. This button can be placed on the header of your site or on pages where users make credit card transactions. These buttons will show new visitors that you are a legitimate business, and are well liked by your customers.

Increasing User Engagement

One factor that is increasingly important to search engines today, is user engagement. Search companies have many ways to track a user’s activity on your site,, and if they visit other pages before leaving. Experts predict that user metrics will become an even more important factor in rankings. In this case you will need better content, more features, and better design to keep the search traffic flowing. One easy way to increase user engagement is to add a poll to your sidebar. The plugin WP-Polls is easy to use and free. It can create any type of poll you want, within minutes. A poll will keep the user on your site longer and more engaged with a attention grabbing question.

Another way to increase user engagement and page-views is a plugin called Outbrain. Outbrain adds 4 images to the bottom of every post, to other pages on your site. These images draw attention and make a user more likely to stay on your site longer. One drawback to outbrain, it that it rotates a paid ad into these images every once in a while. But, the benefits seem to outweigh this factor.

As social media and user engagement become more important, webmasters will have to adapt. Becoming more involved in the social space is essential to start any new site. Facebook is an enormous platform that site owners can no longer ignore. It is important to develop and change your site to stay ahead of the curve and keep your users coming back.

Mike runs the new relationship and dating site called Dating Tips 1. It provides users with online dating advice, how to read body language on a date, and tips to improve their success for meeting people online.

The long standing party line “Macs don’t get viruses” is finally being proven wrong, on a sizable scale. Those users who believe that the Mac OS is impenetrable, incorruptible and invincible are in for a rather severe surprise. An Apple Care Executive (ACE) claiming that not only is malware a problem on Macs it is also increasing from day to day and moment by moment. According to an unnamed ACE we were able to confirm what security companies have been shouting in vain for years: malware for Mac’s OS has arrived, and people need to be adjusted and ready to deal with it. Still most people think Mac users have nothing to worry about when it comes to malware, and this has been true for many years. However, now things are changing. A malicious app called MAC Defender is infecting more Mac users than ever before. An ACE said that “more and more people” are falling for the MAC Defender attack.
This ACE confirmed that the company was getting a large amount of calls regarding a Mac malware called “Mac Defender.” One ACE representative reports that call volumes are 4 to 5 times the average, and that the “overwhelming majority” are MAC Defender-related. The MAC Defender Mac security threat appears to have become one of the most serious to ever hit the Mac OS. Even though the code requires victims to give permission for installation, because of a false sense of security a large number of Mac users have fallen prey to this virus.
Many people have been tricked into downloading the software thus far and more are joining the ranks each day. This particular virus poses as an anti-virus software in order to dupe users into knowingly installing it. This fake anti-virus software then opens back door portals allowing hackers to breach firewalls, giving them access to sensitive information and allow them to wreak whatever havoc they choose in your cyber world. According to an apple related website this is how the Mac users become infected: “The developers use SEO to get infected sites to the top of search engine results. Clueless users who click certain links are sent to a rogue site, where JavaScript on the page automatically downloads a file. If a specific web browser option is checked like the one allowing Safari to open safe files after downloading; the malware file decompresses and its installer appears on screen. If the user clicks the Continue button then the app will install.” The Mac Defender malware is a phishing program that fools users into thinking they are downloading anti-virus protection, meanwhile it’s actually going after credit-card and other sensitive information. ZDNet estimates between 60,000 and 125,000 Mac users have fallen victim to the scam in the past month alone. These Mac users have reportedly already fallen victim to the malware’s identity theft scheme, by which it will ask people to unlock the software with a credit card, denying each one but asking people to try another. Each time the user enters new information it is recorded. Some victims have compromised as many as 5 credit cards.

“Many now frustrated Mac users thought their Mac was impervious to viruses; this could be a real wakeup call for Apple. If malware like this keeps making its way into cyberspace and onto computers, Mac is going to have to change a lot of what they do to protect not only their users but a large reason behind their market share (virus invulnerability). Allegedly, Apple has explicitly told ACE employees not to aid users in removing the malware from their systems out of fear that they would expect similar assistance in the future with other viruses. The only help an Apple Care representative is expected to provide if the malware is installed on a person’s computer is to make sure Mac OS X and security are up-to-date, and then they are to direct people to the Mac App Store or the Apple online store; where apple turns a profit selling anti-virus software. However, If a person has not yet actually installed the malware, ACE’s are allowed to instruct people to quit the installer and delete the downloaded file. Apple’s policies differ greatly in this area from those of Microsoft, which offers free support for malware, and Dell and HP, which will scrub a system but only for a fee.
While support from Apple is a welcome development, the company’s initial reaction is disturbing in its own right from a consumer’s perspective. Perhaps more disturbing, to many Mac users is the realization that their OS’s, so long considered safe from most Internet viruses, are not immune after all.