News and Events

Business owners and web developers are all concerned with how well their site ranks with the various search engines the world over. They know that internet users are driving today’s business world in more ways than one, but how do you know if your site is the right combination of quality ingredients to keep your business high in the ratings amongst search engines? Lucky for us, Google has provided us with some key insight into how they prepare the coding used to scan the millions and millions of sites out on the web and determine those that deserve the highest ranking or the lowest.

Google actually has created a series of questions that web developers and business owners can keep in mind as they consider adding content or revamping their site completely in order to help them get the desired content quality that gives them the edge above their competition. Some of the questions are listed here:

• Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it shallower in nature?

• Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?

• Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?

• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

• Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?

• Does the article describe both sides of a story?

• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?

• Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?

• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?

• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?

• Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?

• Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

These are just some items Google suggest are kept in mind by those looking to get the highest quality content on their site to improve search rankings. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details” and Google stresses not solely putting your focus on making your site compliant with the algorithms they use to search sites for quality, your focus should always be on your content and the functions of the site so users have a pleasant experience when they do visit.

Once again the country took time to honor those who lost so much 10 years ago in the terror attacks that took place on September 11th. It is important that we use it as a constant reminder that we can never be too careful. That doesn’t just mean while we’re traveling, cyber attacks are just as much a concern with the dawn of social media.

According to Dr. Farshid Delgosha, a professor at the New York Institute of Technology the reason cyber attacks are becoming more prevalent is because consumers are able to access the Internet and complete tasks from basically anywhere through mobile devices. Wireless traffic exchanges can be monitored by hackers and someone’s device can be accessed so personal data can be stolen.

Social Media is another cause for increased cyber attacks, because let’s face it, it makes the Internet and sharing information with people so much more fun and pleasurable so you end up doing it more often. Cloud computing could be another weak point that hackers could take advantage of, but Dr. Delgosha thinks this technology needs additional work and understanding before taking a stance on security.

It’s important that we all take the security concerns with our mobile devices, social media and other forms of information technology very seriously. Dr. Delgosha along with his entire team at the NYIT are putting on a Cyber Security Conference on September 15th to examine and bring awareness to all of the security issues consumers will face if you are interested in gathering more information.