In the last day or two, there has been an announcement by security boffins that the implementation of Wi-Fi security protections in many devices has been not quite as secure as it needs to be. As one reviewer puts it, it has been discovered that there is ” a fundamental flaw in the way Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) operates.” In the online article Everything With Wi-Fi Has a Newly Discovered Security Flaw. Here’s How to Protect Yourself, Time magazine describes the problem, “In some cases, a hacker could exploit KRACK to inject malware such as ransomware into websites,... [...]

Getting traffic to your site is not only good; it’s necessary if you are going to make any sales. But traffic alone isn’t enough. Visitors have to convert into buyers. We just came across a useful (and free) 22-point checklist on improving your site’s conversions. It was on a Shopify merchant’s site. The checklist mentions apps that run in the Shopify system as methods for implementing the suggestions. But, if you aren’t using Shopify in your business, you can use the suggestions by using other apps or doing the work manually. The point is the concept; you can work... [...]

I was just reading one of Richard Branson’s recent posts on his blog. In his post he claims that his own productivity is enhanced because he doesn’t work all the time. Every day he invests time in exercise (in his case, it’s time before his work day), in family activities and other outside activities. Only then does he feel ready to put in a good day’s work. How about you? are you working all the time? It’s easy to get in that trap. According to Branson, this kind of work schedule can kill your productivity. Maybe it’s time for all of us to reevaluate how we... [...]

Many of our long-time readers will know of pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian. He operates on children with heart problems, often children who would not have any other means of surgery because their family can’t afford it. Dr. Mani, as he is called, is able to provide this surgery because he earns the money for the expense through selling training products on the internet. We have several of his training products ourselves. One of his popular e-books is Copywriting Tips To Make You Very Rich. As a long-time colleague of IM NewsWatch, he has offered to give 100 of our readers... [...]

There are many factors that influence the success of a site. The most important is the content. Top quality content can me even poorly designed sites beloved by visitors. Beyond that, though, there are technical issues that can influence search engine ratings of a site, things like security, speed performance, mobile friendliness and SEO. We just came across a website the offers a free evaluation of these four factors that affect both search engine ratings and the perception of individual visitors to the site. It’s called Website Grader and it’s a service provided by Hubsite. We tested... [...]

Our friends over at WebsiteBuilder.org sent us a cool and informative infographic to share with you. The information here can improve your email marketing success tremendously. With 119 facts, you’re sure to find something you don’t already know that will bump up your results. Click on the graphic to read their article and see their infographic.  [...]

ComScore has just released its latest statistics on top websites, based on number of monthly visits. The results are generally in line with our intuitive expectations, but there are a few surprises. The top 5 are: 1. Google sites, including YouTube, etc. (with nearly a quarter billion visits per month) 2, Facebook 3. Yahoo 4. Microsoft 5. Amazon AOL comes in at number 8, not as prominent a position as in its heyday, but still quite strong. LinkedIn (16) beats Twitter (18), which beats SnapChat (21), which beats Pinterest (23). You will recognize most of the other top 50 site found in this list. You... [...]

Since 2004, Vstore.ca has been a host to free e-commerce stores for small businesses. These stores were supported by ads that Vstore placed on these e-commerce sites. They also offered premium versions of the stores that were ad-free. They offered a free auction service for the stores they hosted, as well. Offering a free service such as this isn’t a cost-free process; the servers and maintenance are expensive. The costs have to be covered by advertising or by upsells to a significant portion of the clients, or the service isn’t economically viable. Sadly, Vstores.CA has concluded that... [...]

Yesterday, the US Supreme Court affirmed Colorado’s right to require online merchants to collect sales tax from Colorado residents who buy from them. Until now, buying online from a merchant located in anther state has required the buyer to pay sales tax directly to the state, rather than requiring the merchant to collect tax, in behalf of the state. States prefer the latter because individual payments directly to the state are a “hit or miss” proposition. The state can more easily hold a merchant accountable than it can hold thousands of individuals accountable. If other states... [...]

Here are a few tips on building a business online. Many people try and fail. Maybe these will help you succeed. Be professional in all you do. You don’t want to make a quick buck; you want a long-term business. First, always take the high road. Sleazy marketing will bite you. It’s no way to build a real business. Second, carelessness in your work or lack of serious, concentrated action can kill an otherwise profitable business. Procrastination, at best, delays your success. And it can do more, killing your business completely. Understand the “landscape” 1. Know where... [...]