System Update: 4.18a - [4/28/2011]
System Update 4.18 is available to all Precision Computing Arts/Fastwebdev web hosting clients, and it's chock full of useful and fun features, which are summarized below. If you have any questions or would like us to help you implement these features, please don't hesitate to contact us!
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ECOMMERCE IMAGES UPDATE

Product zoom images
Use the new product image upload user interface to upload zoom images of your products. When a zoom images is loaded the system will display a zoomed version of the image when a visitor hovers over the main product detail image.

Bulk image import
Easily import your main product images as well as more product images. To learn more, go to the store import/export page and click the bulk image upload option.

Additional product images
It is now easier to load more product images using the new product image upload user interface.

What We Do to Improve Customers' Search Engine Results

We design all websites with good search engine performance in mind, and my customers' websites appear to be doing well. I've had customers get VERY expensive estimates from SEO experts who proposed to do what 23 already had done (or could do) myself. We did the necessary work, and their search engine results improved.  

With the client's input regarding desired search keywords, we make sure keyword content is complete, and keywords and meta tags are present for each page. Then we use the built-in search engine submission features available on your Cool Tools system, which hits all the major engines.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Standings in Search Engines

1. Brainstorm which keywords you want people to use to find your site, and and be sure those keywords are already in the pages of your site. The most important keywords should be on your home page. (If you decide to hire us to help, be sure to write down and send us all the keywords that are most important to you.)
2. Type your keywords into the major search engines (mainly Google.com, Yahoo.com, and Bing.com, in that order of importance). If your site is on the first page, you've got it made! Check out your competitors, too, and see what keywords find their sites high up in the results. Note that some businesses have so much competition that it's virtually impossible to always land on the first page of the search engine results, so no one can guarantee top-page performance. Also be aware that search engines change their methods for finding sites relatively frequently, so your site may be at the top of the heap one day and appear to move down the next; there's no way to really prevent that. Regardless of what the search engines do, your best bet is always to have high quality keywords in your content and meta tags.
3. Look at which directories pop up with your keywords and get into those directories (each directory will explain how to get listed).
   For example, we plugged "real estate appraisal wisconsin" into Google and found several real estate appraiser directories at the top of the search results, including http://appraiserusa.com/wisconsin/, http://www.alamode.com/DirectoryGenerator/Appraiser_Wisconsin.htm, and http://www.appraisercentral.com/st/wi.htm.
   
   We generally recommend customers submit to the directories themselves, because it requires knowledge of their business and sometimes payment; it's tedious data entry work, but generally easy to do. Having us do something you can easily do yourself would not be cost-effective for you.
4. Consider some paid advertising (e.g., Google Adwords and various directories). I think this can be a last resort, except for industry "musts."

System Update: 4.18 - [3/28/2011]  

The most recent System Update 4.18 is available to all Precision Computing Arts/Fastwebdev web hosting clients, and it's chock full of useful and fun features, which are summarized below. If you have any questions or would like us to help you implement these features, please don't hesitate to contact us!

CONTENT SLIDER
Use the content slider to set up animated content sections with your own background images and text. Visitors can use arrows or page icons to navigate between slider content sections.

Edit any page, click the add button and choose the content slider from the design/layout component section.

GOOGLE FONTS DIRECTORY - CUSTOMIZE YOUR SITE WITH NEW FONTS
Most newer web browsers now support the ability to download fonts, giving you more control over how your site text looks. Google has setup a font directory to easily allow you to use new fonts on your website.

In the text & styles area, you can now choose from a selection of many different font styles from the Google font directory. To choose your additional fonts, click the font drop down and click the more fonts link.

Use caution when selecting additional fonts. Adding more fonts to your site can cause your site to load slower, so be sure to only select fonts that you are using on your site.

SIDEBAR CONFIGURATION
The sidebar configuration window provides easier access to sidebar minimum width and other options. An icon has been added to the top sidebar to open up the sidebar settings window. You can set the minimum sidebar width as well as enable/disable sidebars while editing the page.

DESIGN LIBRARY
More color layout options have been added to the design library. To view more options, go to the design library, find a design and click the color icon to preview the design in many different color schemes.

ECOMMERCE

• Sidebar links mode - expandable tree format
• Sidebar links mode - display categories as section titles
• Option for full path navigation (breadcrumb links on top of all product pages)
• Easier to move products/categories in and out of the hidden products area
• Customize all labels/text for shopping cart and checkout pages
• Configure gift certificate expiration
• Customize css/style for the product sub category and links display

MULTIPLE FILE UPLOAD (DRAG DROP) FOR CHROME AND FIREFOX
When using Firefox or Google Chrome, you can multi-select and upload files. This is useful for setting up photo galleries or uploading files via the file manager. The upload form also includes a drop box. You can select files form your computer and drag them to the drop box to automatically upload them to your website.

PREVIEW : LAYOUT BUILDER (ADVANCED FEATURE)
Get more control over your design with new layout builder designs. Customize the backgrounds, margins and padding for different areas of your layout (quickbar, logo, banner, menu bar, content areas, sidebars, footer). This is an advanced feature that requires good knowledge of web design/css.

PREVIEW : WEB DEVELOPER TOOLS (ADVANCED FEATURE)
Use the web developer tools to customize your website. This is an advanced feature that requires good knowledge of web design/css and web programming. 

• Install custom template templates
• Create custom layouts for products
• Upload your own menu buttons
• Customize your menu styles, photo gallery styles and more.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
We are always looking to improve the quality of our services and your feedback is appreciated. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us know.

The Huffington Post recently reprinted a blog article by Anne Hill titled "5 Great New Social Media Strategies." Read the complete article. I've summarized this article for you below*.

Most companies today understand they need great SEO for their websites, and they need to actively participate in social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. However, there are some new FREE options for you to consider in your quest for successful Internet marketing. These include:

1. Set up a Yelp Business Profile. This is especially useful for storefronts, but can be used for non-storefronts as well. Yelp provides a mobile app for finding products and services while you're on the road, and Yelp has an extensive set of features that allow people to review businesses and post events. Visit yelp.com to get started.
2. Get listed in Google Places. It turns out that being listed in Google Places will improve the Google search results for your business. If that's not an incentive, we don't know what is! Visit Google Places to get started.
3. Increase your visibility as an expert on Quora. Quora bills itself as "A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it." Quora is a place to learn and to have others learn from you. Visit Quora to get started.
4. Use video to get your message across. There's nothing like a video to showcase your products, services, and to give your business personality and pizazz. A small video camera or smart phone will get you started for little money. Post to YouTube and other social networking sites.
5. Use Meetup to create or join a group for local events. This tool is perfect for businesses that regularly hold informational meetings. Visit Meetup to get started.

* Special thanks to Kevin McGinn of Kevin McGinn Stables for bringing this article to our attention!

For those living in the techno age, this is really a hoot.

http://biggeekdad.com/2010/12/blackberry-not-working/

The Costco Connection (February 2011) recently featured an article titled "Nine Steps to Getting Your Website Noticed" by Andy Tilbrook. The original article is available at http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201102?pg=28#pg28.

Here are highlights of the tips:

1. Be sure to submit your website to the big 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo!, and Bing). Links are:
   • www.google.com/addurl/
   • http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
   • www.bing.com/webmaster/SubmitSitePage.aspx
2. Submit your site to dmoz, a human-reviewed non-profit Web-monitoring project that links to Google's directory. Link is: www.dmoz.org/help/submit.html
3. Include a sitemap, which provides a list of your web site's pages for the major search engines. You can generate a sitemap automatically at www.xml-sitemaps.com. After generating the map, you will need to upload it to your website and submit it to the search engines.
4. Be sure the content of your site includes the key words and phrases that people would enter into search engines when they are looking for the type of product or service that you offer.
5. Try using Google's keyword tool to get ideas for keywords to include in your site. Link is: www.google.com/sktool/
6. Be sure the filenames of your photos include descriptive keywords, such as avoid_gum_surgery.jpg. (And don't forget to include the "Alt" tags.) 
7. Encourage links from other (related) websites to yours. For example, when commenting on blog articles that are related to your business, be sure to include a link back to a relevant page on your website. Also, ask for other sites to link to yours. For example, if you sell volleyball uniforms, ask the webmaster for your local volleyball club to link from the volleyball club's site to your site.
8. Use informative description and title meta tags on each page of your site. These tags are not visible to website users, but most search engines employ them when creating a listing for your website's pages in their indexes.
9. Use relevant, visible headings that employ your search engine keywords throughout your site.

If you would like us to help improve your site's search rankings using the tips below, please contact us.

Click above to read the entire blog article

Our friend and client Karalyn J. Eckerle of Cardinal Point Virtual Assistants wrote an excellent blog article titled "Are You Nobody? Do Your Customers Know Your Name?" We encourage you to read the entire article to fully enjoy her great tips and wonderful writing style. But if you're in a hurry and want some truly useful nuggets of marketing advice, read the Top Ten List below:

1. Branding (name association) is an important concept in business.
2. Word-of-mouth advertising is the most valuable marketing tool we have.
3. Become known in your field by telling people what you do, with passion!
4. Connect with folks through business cards that reflect your character and the type of work you do, and then be imaginative in your use of those cards.
5. Distribute at least 5 business cards every day, preferably with a customized note on the back.
6. A frequently-updated website and a blog are nearly mandatory in today's Internet-oriented business world. (Please contact us if you need help with these items!)
7. Visit Internet blogs and websites related to your business, and comment on blog articles that you find.
8. When commenting, leave a link to your own blog or website in your signature line.
9. Be a physical presence in your community, volunteering your expertise to become better known (plus, volunteering can be fun and emotionally rewarding).
10. Toot your own horn occasionally so people will know who you are and what you do.

We completed a website makeover for Karalyn's company, Cardinal Point Virtual Assistants, on January 19, 2011.

Credit card fraud can be a concern for anyone who accepts credit card payments, either in a brick-and-mortar retail setting or when selling products and services online.

Credit card processing typically uses both Credit Card Verification Value (CVV) and Address Verification System (AVS) to help prevent credit card fraud. The CVV is a three- or four-digit code on the card that indicates the user has physical access to the card. The AVS verifies that the billing address given by the buyer matches the card account holder's address. Mismatches in either CVV or AVS could indicate fraud.

This blog article addresses important issues regarding AVS and CVV and offers some tips on avoiding credit card fraud, especially with respect to online transactions. We also offer some specific details about the Site Builder (aka "Cool Tools") shopping cart e-commerce system that is available through our website hosting service.

You will find some excellent advice in all the linked articles near the end of this post, but the quote below is quite telling:

"Always use AVS and CVV/CV2/CVC (Card Verification) on every transaction you process. This will at the very least guarantee that the card holder has the card, and it is being billed to an address registered to the card.

If possible, check each order that is processed through your website. If you come across a suspicious order, call the customer to verify who they are. If the order is extremely large or talking to them is unconvincing, request them to fax a copy of their drivers license to you, and a signed invoice. These may be a small inconvenience to some of your customers, but the cost of fraud to your business is far greater than not taking the extra steps. Most customers are happy to verify information with you, as preventing fraud is a concern of theirs as well.

Also if you can, require a signature with every package that you ship. A signature is the only way to prove proof of delivery."

Be sure there's a good explanation if the address on the credit card does not match the purchaser's address. And be particularly wary of foreign orders, especially those from Nigeria, anywhere in Africa, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

If you suspect credit card fraud, immediately contact your credit card company/merchant account gateway company for advice, and be sure to keep detailed records of all transactions and communications with the buyer and any potential victims of stolen identity.

If you use our "Cool Tools" shopping cart systems with a merchant account, your shopping cart system records AVS and CVV responses from your merchant account gateway, but it does not automatically decline suspicious transactions. You are responsible for analyzing transactions that come through the shopping cart. (Check with your merchant account gateway company to see whether they offer any options for making the authorization process more restrictive.)

Here is a general explanation of how our "Cool Tools" shopping cart works:

The gateway processes the card based on the merchant's settings. Our shopping cart system accepts the order if the gateway says the transaction was approved and tries to report details (such as the transaction id) about the transaction back to the merchant. All merchants should review their orders before completing them (completing tells the gateway to capture the funds reserved during the original transaction). The gateway checks CVV and AVS information if the merchant has these options as part of their merchant/gateway account. Full details would be available by viewing the transaction in the virtual terminal provided by the merchant's gateway.

To reduce the chance of being the victim of a credit card fraudster, always carefully check the Fraud Screening section of your order processing page before you complete a credit card order. A message such as the one below, along with non-matching addresses in the order's Billing Information or Shipping Information sections, could indicate potential fraud:

Fraud Screening: AVS-Card code does not match
CVV-Not Available

Note: CVV information may be unavailable for any number of reasons, none of which the shopping cart system controls.

For best protection, you need to use manual detection (e.g., checking each transaction carefully before you complete it) and set up your Gateway to be more restrictive about credit card transactions. The shopping cart system by itself cannot prevent credit card fraud.

We recommend that you checkmark Enable CVV in your shopping cart system's Store Manager (see 7. Payment Methods/Merchant Account). We also recommend that you checkmark Require Agreement/Consent CHECKBOX and enter an explanatory message such as "Please check this box to confirm your agreement to be responsible for payment on your order." in your Store Manager (see 4. Checkout Settings). You may want to display more detailed terms and conditions; this is just an example.

"Cool Tools" Shopping Cart Points to Remember
Your payment gateway (merchant account) allows you to process credit card transactions over the Internet. The merchant account/gateway interfaces with our shopping cart system. The gateway is responsible for verifying and processing the credit card orders.
 
Our shopping cart system does not restrict transactions based on CVV or AVS match; that is the gateway's responsibility. The shopping cart system does not screen or prevent transactions from going through (merely reports any responses from the gateway). It is the merchant's responsibility to check the records with the gateway if anything appears amiss.

• http://intellivative.com/avs-and-cvv-when-to-use-it-and-why.html
  • What are AVS and CVV?
  • Do I need to use AVS and CVV?
  • What type of order is it?
  • Will it make a difference in my transaction fees?
  • So besides extra fees, what good are AVS and card code?
  • How do I know what these cryptic response codes mean?
• http://www.paradata.com/content/help/faq/security_faq.shtml
  Security / Fraud Protection FAQs (from Payment Processing Inc. (PPI))
  • How secure are PPI payment products and payment gateway?
  • How can I remove the risk of fraudulent credit card use and resulting costs to me or my customers?
  • What fraud screening does PPI offer?
  • Am I liable for fraudulent card use or chargebacks?
  • What is CW?
  • What is CVV?
  • What is AVS?
• http://www.bankcardcentral.com/resources/articles-merchant/cvv-avs-security-codes.html
  Details about CVV Security Codes and AVS Verification Security
• http://www.process4america.com/Responding_to_Chargebacks.pdf
  Recommended best practices for preventing and responding to chargebacks.
  Per Wikipedia, a "chargeback" is the return of funds to a consumer, forcibly initiated by the consumer's issuing bank. Specifically, it is the reversal of a prior outbound transfer of funds from a consumer's bank account, line of credit, or credit card.
• http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Merchants-Can-Reduce-Credit-Card-Fraud&id=5141319
  Addresses 10 ways merchants can reduce credit card fraud (below) and lists top real-time payment gateway services (our "Cools Tools" shopping cart interfaces with most of these):
  1. Use Address Verification Service (AVS).
  2. Use Card Verification (CVV/CVV2).
  3. Use a Threshold Management Service.
  4. Scrutinize orders from free email accounts.
  5. Scrutinize orders with a different Ship to address than Bill to address.
  6. Scrutinize international orders / foreign credit cards.
  7. Understand that an Authorization Code does not mean the credit card is not stolen.
  8. Use an Advance Fraud Protection Service.
  9. Use a PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant data storage service.
  10. Review and implement PCI standards policies.
• http://www.merchantequip.com/merchant-account-blog/36/what-does-a-fraudulent-transaction-look-like
  • What does a fraudulent transaction look like?
  • Businesses will always suffer more from fraud than consumers!
    (Card testing and fraudulent orders are the two main types of credit card fraud.)
  • Card testing (or carding).
  • Preventing card testing.
  • Fraudulent orders.
  • Preventing fraudulent orders.
  • Common fraudulent order flags.

Check out "Video Can Be A Moving Tool For Your Business," by Mark Shapiro, in The Costco Connection magazine (December 2010). The article discusses ways you can use video on YouTube and/or your website to build brand awareness, reach new customers, and increase sales.

The new Site Builder (aka Cool Tools) System 4.17a update is available. The new update is just awesome, just chock full of wonderful new features. These include changes to:

User interface, especially the editing features ~ Image and text components ~ Design and layouts ~ Social networking buttons ~ Google page translation ~ Google settings menu ~ Blogs and RSS ~ Ecommerce product links and other improvements ~ Mobile website administration ~ Account settings ~ Message Board ~ Media files ~ Spam Filters ~ Additional Layout columns ...and more » read full article