*Hack Attacks! Tips for Securing Your Website*

From the time the first computer turned on with password protection, thrill seeking computer nerds have tried to crack the code. In modern day we call this hacking. There are many forms of hacking from malicious, to opportunistic, and in many cases, just because they can. Your website is a very public profile, running 24/7 and visible around the globe. Hackers are always looking for the perfect opportunities to hack into your site for use or abuse.

The newest attacks are not intrusive, it’s all about links. Computer hackers can secretly embed hundreds or thousands of links into your website. Hidden links are against Google policy, and if the company suspects that your website has these links, your ratings will drop. Google could even remove your website from its index.

If you are planning to build your website using WordPress, think again. WordPress is now the number one hacked website and blog platform on the internet. For a very simple blog, it can be effective and secure, but when you begin adding features required for website design and other bells and whistles, it can leave back doors open for intruders.

When managing your own hosting, be sure to use a twelve to fourteen random digit and capitalized passwords. Passwords made from simple names and words can be hacked easily using automated hacking tools. Auto repair websites should always be hosted on a professionally maintained server with the latest security updates. There are many companies that offer this service for $ 10 to $ 30 a month.

Ask your web designer how your website is coded, and keep to the "simpler the better" plan. Every script or gadget you add to the website provides an access point for unwelcome intruders who can have access to your files. Websites designed more than two or three years ago should be sure that their code is not out of date which could leave an open security hole.

Just like automobiles, Auto repair websites need regular preventive maintenance. If you haven’t done any maintenance to your website in 6 months or longer, it may be time for a digital oil change!

Danny Sanchez
CEO Autoshop Solutions, Inc.
AMI Instructor
www.autoshopsolutions.com

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Apex, NC – Jan. 4, 2010 – For the third consecutive year, Autoshop Solutions website swept the competition away at AutoInc’s annual website competition. This year, Autoshop Solutions took away five of the Top Ten award winning sites— a feat on it’s own, however this is the second year in row!  Autoshop Solutions, the innovative website marketing company run out of Apex, North Carolina is completely revolutionizing the independent automotive presence on the internet.

Taking away five of the ten awards available is nothing trite. AutoInc’s Top 10 Automotive websites are judged on strict criteria. First impression, website objective, visual design, interactivity, and consumer friendliness are just some of the categories that a website needs to incorporate in order to make it to the top.

"Seeing that two repeat websites in addition to three new websites took away five out of ten awards this year is a huge honor for our clients as well as us," said Danny Sanchez, CEO & Founder of Autoshop Solutions, "Not only does this mean that our customers are successful with their businesses, but that they are helping to make our industry more web-savvy in an already internet driven society. Congratulations to all of the winners for an excellent job with their websites and online marketing efforts!”

With beautiful, full color websites tailored for each independent shop, consumers can see what services a shop offers and see first-hand whether or not the shop is right for them. Autoshop Solutions is giving small independent businesses a big internet presence. This is revolutionizing business for the automotive industry.

Thirty years ago, independent auto shops relied on word of mouth, Ad Packs, newspapers, and the Yellow Pages to get the message across that they were the best in their field. Yellow Pages alone could cost a company a thousand or more dollars a month, depending on what type of presence they had. Autoshop Solutions offers a more affordable and effective way for shop owners to reach their target markets.

This year’s Top 10 competition recognized those websites that maintained a personal connection to customers, along with search engine optimization, integrated marketing campaigns and active social media outlets.

See this years winners and 2010, 2009 winners here:  http://www.autoshopsolutions.com/award-winning-designs.php

www.autoshopsolutions.com

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Welcome to Crystal Stangeland our newest Autoshop Solutions team member!

Crystal Stangeland comes to Autoshop Solutions from Hanley Wood where she served as an Account Executive helping to produce the industry event ASRW – Automotive Service Repair Week.  ASRW is the umbrella for NACE – International Autobody of Congress & Exposition and CARS – Congress of Automotive Repair & Service which is owned by ASA – Automotive Service Association.  Crystal will be responsible for cultivating new business relationships within the auto repair industry and helping Autoshop Solutions expand its footprint as the only website design & internet marketing agency dedicated to independent shops in the automotive industry.

“We are thrilled to have Crystal join the team.  Her experience in the automotive Industry is a true asset to our company and our customers.  She has a successful industry track record – helping CARS and NACE grow into a hugely successful industry-wide trade show,” says Danny Sanchez, Founder & CEO of Autoshop Solutions.

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I have been studying Social Marketing for the past 3 years, and how it can be applied to our business model.  Social marketing is still in its infancy so there is a long way to go in understanding how to apply this to our automotive businesses.

It can be a great tool, but I assure everyone, there are no quick and easy ways to use Social Media Marketing to attract new customers.  Social marketing is all about joining the conversation in progress, not advertising where people are talking.  Social Media Marketing is having something worth talking about and engaging people in conversation.

Social Media Marketing is the “hot button” right now and companies are looking to capitalize on everyone’s interest in getting in on the action.  Don’t get caught up in the hype, and be careful where you invest you resources.  Fortune 500 companies are spending millions trying to figure it out, let them spend some money and we’ll learn from their mistakes.  This type of media is around to stay, but not all the venues, Twitter has over $ 155 million in venture capitalization, but has yet to figure out how to monetize the project.  MySpace was making a cool million a day just from their advertisements on their home page, but now is struggling to maintain and has cut back significantly to stay in business.  Facebook is currently seeing black on the books, but advertisers are still testing the impact Facebook campaigns are having, the results are not in yet.

Build a Facebook fan site for your business, use it to talk about your involvement in the community, use it to help promote charity groups, get involved with local causes, Chamber of Commerce events, City events, and community news.  If you get involved with the intent of helping others, you chances of success in the social environment are much higher.

Danny Sanchez

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Google has announced that it is going to share adspace revenue with mobile networks to entice their support on the Android mobile platforms.  In return Google is asking its partners, both carriers and manufacturers to ship phones with Google’s suite of mobile platform applications.  Although the handheld mobile internet market is still evolving,  Google is clearly investing and helping other companies benefit while the technology and demand increase.

For auto repair, transmission and collision shops it means that we need to be looking at our internet based marketing (websites, email, search)  and planning ahead to make sure they are compatible with mobile platforms like the Droid and IPhone.   There are new website and search engine optimization techniques that help with mobile compatibility, even slides and movement can be made compatible now.

Danny Sanchez

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Many people thought MySpace.com was going to be the next “silver bullet” in online marketing, it never came to fruition.  Now many people are turning to Facebook for the “Easy” way to reach out to new customers.

Facebook is a good tool for branding your company and helping you spread your message.  Just keep in mind that Facebook is a conversation in progress, you don’t throw your call to action information into the conversation, you have to join the conversation.  Like any other type of advertising, it is a commitment of time, resources, and money.

In future posts, I will discuss the key points of using Facebook.  For now, don’t lose track of the fact that Facebook did not become popular because of its ability to convert prospects into leads.  Count on the fact that, as Facebook looks to monetize their volume of users, people will leave, disgusted that their once marketing-safe environment is now power targeting ads on the same pages they hold personal conversations.  Companies that misuse or overplay their marketing message on Facebook will soon feel the wrath of angry Facebook users.

Facebook can be another tool for helping you brand your company; we do recommend all shops setup fan pages and post at least weekly.  Shop owners we interviewed that are having ”success” on Facebook, are only bringing in 1 or 2 new customers a week and are spending an average of 5 hours a week on Facebook.  Some have reported as much as 8 hours a week to get 2 new customers.  Although every new customer is valuable, we certainly don’t recommend the average shop owner to invest 1 whole business day, every week in Facebook.

Internet marketing takes work, there are no shortcuts.  Regardless of where you choose to invest your time and money for advertising on the Internet, your website is your anchor for all your online marketing.  Make sure yours is cutting edge and ready to receive traffic from your Facebook pages.  Good Luck! And watch for more on Facebook marketing to come.

Danny Sanchez

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The Internet changes faster than the weather here in North  Carolina, and Google is constantly making adjustments to keep a fair and level playing field for legitimate businesses.  One of the areas Google is focusing on next is “over optimized” websites, or websites with what is called keyword stuffing.   Keyword stuffing is considered an unethical practice, because what developers do is use the keyword in question throughout the text abnormally often. The recommended keyword density is from 3 to 7%, anything above this, say 10% density, starts to look very much like keyword stuffing and it is likely to raise a red flag and be removed by search engines or be banned for the practice.   A text with 10% keyword density hardly make sense when read by a human, and it is not useful content.

Keyword density in the title, headings, and the first paragraphs matter more. These areas should closely follow the guidelines of 3 to 7% keyword density.   If you have a high density percentage for a frequently used keyword, then consider replacing some of the occurrences with additional less used keywords to broaden your search exposure, and find other pages to include more content for primary keyword density (for example “auto repair”).  Organic search is a long term commitment, and Google rewards those companies that follow interactive best practices, and consistently provide useful content.

Read Google’s advice on choosing an SEO Expert, click here.

Danny Sanchez

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