website security
Website Security in Today’s Digital Landscape: Protecting Your Online Assets and Reputation

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the importance of robust website security cannot be overstated. As a premier Phoenix Web Design Company, Epic Web Solutions is highly experienced in creating secure websites that safeguard both your business and customers. Effective website security is essential for protecting your valuable online assets, maintaining your reputation, and ensuring uninterrupted online services to your clientele.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a solid understanding of the importance of website security and effective strategies for protecting your online presence. Your website is your digital storefront and a core component of your brand identity, making the investment in security undeniably essential for your business.

Are you ready to enhance your website security and safeguard your online assets? Let the experts at Epic Web Solutions, a leading Phoenix Web Design Company, help you implement secure and reliable web solutions tailored to your unique business requirements. Contact us today to discuss your security goals and get started on the path to building a safe and secure online presence.

Understanding the Risks of Unsecured Websites

Recognizing the potential risks associated with unsecured websites is essential for protecting your online assets and reputation. Let’s explore some common threats:

  1. Cyberattacks: Cybercriminals can exploit vulnerabilities in your site’s unsecured areas, enabling them to gain unauthorized access and steal sensitive data or cause operational disruptions.
  2. Data breaches: Hacker intrusions can result in data breaches, with severe consequences for your business, such as legal repercussions, costly damage repair, and loss of consumer trust.
  3. Negative impact on brand reputation: Inadequate website security can tarnish your brand’s reputation and drive away potential clients, significantly impacting your revenue in the long term.

In light of these risks, investing in a secure website is crucial for the ongoing success and growth of your business.

The Role of SSL Certificates

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates are a fundamental component of website security. SSL encryption ensures that data transmitted between your site and users remains confidential and secure. Here’s why every website should have an SSL Certificate:

  1. Enhancing user trust: Displaying a visible SSL Certificate boosts your site’s credibility and shows users that their information is secure while browsing your website.
  2. Protecting user data: SSL encryption prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data transmitted from your site, such as login credentials, personal information, and payment details.
  3. Improving search engine ranking: SSL Certificates contribute to a higher search engine ranking, as search engines reward sites that prioritize security with better visibility in search results.

To benefit from these advantages and provide a secure experience for users, you should implement an SSL Certificate on your website and ensure that it is up to date.

Implementing Robust Security Measures

Establishing a secure online presence requires implementing a range of security measures to protect your website from potential attacks. Consider the following strategies:

  1. Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF is a security barrier that filters and monitors incoming traffic, blocking potential attacks and protecting your site from unauthorized access.
  2. Implement malware scanning: Regular malware scanning will help identify and remove malicious software hidden in your site’s files, ensuring your website remains secure and protecting user data.
  3. Secure password practices: Encourage users to create strong, unique passwords for their accounts on your site. Moreover, store these passwords securely using encryption methods like hashing or salted hashing.
  4. Keep software and plugins up to date: Regularly update your website components, including content management systems, plugins, and themes, to ensure optimal security and protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities.

Utilizing various security strategies will bolster your website’s defenses and minimize the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.

The Impact of Proactive Monitoring

Proactively monitoring and maintaining your website’s security is invaluable for safeguarding your online assets and ensuring uninterrupted provision of your services. Let’s delve into the importance of ongoing security monitoring:

  1. Early threat detection: Timely identification and remediation of vulnerabilities in your site is crucial, as it helps prevent potential attacks and minimizes security risks.
  2. User trust retention: Regularly updating and monitoring your website’s security measures strengthens user trust in your brand, improving customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business.
  3. Maintaining performance and functionality: Proactive monitoring enables you to maintain your site’s functionality through software updates and performance optimization, enhancing user experience and promoting hassle-free engagement.

Consistent monitoring and maintenance of your website’s security ensure that your online platform consistently meets high-performance standards and remains a safe place for users to engage with your brand.

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, robust website security is indispensable for safeguarding your business, customers, and online assets. Equipping your website with effective security measures such as SSL Certificates, firewalls, malware scanning, and secure password practices helps protect against cyberattacks and data breaches. Moreover, prioritizing proactive monitoring and maintenance enhances your website’s performance, user trust, and overall browsing experience.

Are you ready to take the next step in securing your online presence? Trust the experienced team at Epic Web Solutions, a premier Phoenix web design company, to create a custom and secure website tailored to your business needs. Contact us today to learn how we can develop a secure and reliable online platform that safeguards your digital assets and helps foster lasting client relationships.

Epic Web Solutions Recognized By Clutch As One Of The Top Web Designers In Phoenix

clutch image1At Epic Web Solutions, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technology, providing our clients with cutting-edge website design, development and internet marketing. Our focus on using proven techniques, along with innovative strategies, has allowed us to create a large, loyal and very satisfied customer-base.  We know that there are a lot of other website design and development businesses out there, or other companies that claim to be experts in SEO, but many are not capable of delivering on their promises or provide short-term solutions that are not capable of standing the test of time.  Epic Web Solutions is a lean and efficient web company, maintaining a focus on our client’s needs at all times.  The bottom line is, we deliver on our promises and our clients are more than satisfied with results.  At Epic Web Solutions, we are proud to be included on Clutch, a website dedicated to connecting customers with leading, reputable IT services that deliver results for their clients.

Clutch utilizes an innovative research process that melds the best of traditional business-to-business research along with honest customer reviews.  Clutch is used internationally to connect businesses and customers and it ensures that the businesses have a proven ability to deliver.  Clutch ensures an ability to deliver by weighing three factors:

  1. References and Reviews
    • As the most heavily-weighted component, honest client feedback is collected and assessed (including things like project size, project complexity, quality of completion, cost, schedule, and willingness to refer/recommend the business)
  2. Clients and Experience
    • Clutch also analyzes a company’s clients as a whole to determine if the firm has delivered to not just small clients but global brands. Clutch also analyzes the depth of experience an IT company has as well as their ability to deliver on complex projects while still creating value.  Additionally, does the IT company not only perform but actually align its experience with its stated services strategy and area of focus.
  3. Market Presence
    • Finally, when analyzing marketing presence, it must be determined if a company presents information that is clear and professional and is their own website consistent and high-quality, complete with a portfolio. Additionally, does an IT firm develop a strong reputation and authority within their chosen sector?  Has the IT company received any industry recognition or awards.  And lastly, does the company have a social media presence that reinforces their brand position and domain authority?

By carefully considering and weighing all of these different aspects, Clutch provides an accurate and immensely useful index of IT firms and website development businesses to clients, providing peace of mind that these businesses can truly deliver.  At Epic Web Solutions, we are proud to be included on Clutch’s 2016 list of Top Phoenix Web Designers, and we look forward to providing many more clients with our top-tier, innovative services that deliver tangible results.

Technology-Driven Web Design & SEO

A commitment to providing high-quality, personalized and technology-driven service.  That is what you get with Epic Web Solutions.  There are a lot of website design companies out there and many people claim to have the ability to help a client with their website design, digital marketing, and SEO needs but the reality is, many are not capable or qualified to deliver on their promises.  At Epic Web Solutions we focus on utilizing industry-leading technologies, the most current SEO strategies and digital marketing techniques and, with years of knowledge and experience, ensure client satisfaction at every stage of a project.

                At Epic Web Solutions we try to be as accurate as possible in the bidding process. We like to have an initial conversation with clients and get a list of exactly what they are looking for.  To help us best determine the scope of the project, and so that we can provide the most accurate bid, we discuss subjects like a custom vs.  template website design.  Custom designs take longer to accomplish and are thus more expensive but for those who want a truly unique site that sets their business apart custom is the best option.  Additionally, we like to ask clients if they will want to be able to edit the website themselves once the website is launched.

If so, a WordPress site is ideal because it is very user-friendly.  We highly recommend that clients opt for responsive websites because they adapt to things like the user’s screen size, orientation and platform, making viewing and use much more enjoyable and efficient.  A well-designed website is a powerful marketing tool for clients so we highly recommend that a client chooses to make it responsive so that they can provide their customer with the best user experience.  If a client chooses to make their website responsive we factor that into the scope and bidding process.  Next we like to discuss content needs with our clients.  We need to get an idea of how many pages of content will be needed for the website and if our clients will need assistance in writing the content.  Also, we need to know what kind of website our client is interested in – is it e-commerce, informational or an application?  Each additional feature/functionality need will impact the scope of the project and influence our bid.  While these questions may sound overwhelming and some of these items may change during the process of the project, by discussing it up front we are able to provide the most accurate, competitive bid possible and begin our effort of providing the best service available to our clients.

Once our bid has been accepted, we like to jump right into a project with our clients.  It is important to us that we get to know each client on an individual and personal level which is why we have a kickoff meeting either by phone or in person.  We take great pride in the relationships we form with our clients and that begins with the kickoff meeting where we not only get to know a client’s unique business but their goals as a business and for their website as well.  At Epic Web Solutions, we have created a design questionnaire for clients to complete that helps clients narrow in on specific goals and helps to guide us in the design process.  Additionally, we research the competition but remain focused on defining our client’s brand so that our clients can be set apart from others within their industry. We work with clients to develop a project plan to ensure business goals are achieved while also implementing optimization strategies that help our clients have the competitive edge.
52649d8d-bdf7-45d9-9879-02dec5f5ef4fAfter the kickoff meeting we begin the design process.    At Epic Web Solutions we use a research-driven design approach.  We do not make assumptions in our design process, we use proven and innovative design techniques to ensure client satisfaction.  We give the completed questionnaire to our talented website designers who take all of the information, as well as meeting notes, and develop a homepage mockup based on what they are given. Once the homepage mockup is completed we send it to the client for review.  Here, and in every stage, we continue to communicate with clients so that we can actively work towards a mutual goal.  Our focus is to not only provide a fast, excellent website and unparalleled services but to help clients further define their brand and expand their customer base.  Our client’s brands are their identity, what their customers recognize, and their promise to customers about who they are – we help clients clarify their brand to their customers, create brand recognition that customers will know and keep returning to, and help our clients deliver on that promise to customers by extending their brand across all platforms.  While we use a research-driven design approach, we know that technology is constantly evolving and we ensure that clients stay on the leading edge of technology.  When designing a website for our client we carefully choose and construct website architecture, content, color, and typography to help best accentuate a client’s brand.  Our clean, responsive websites are consistent and compelling so that our clients are able to engage in a unique way with their customers. At Epic Web Solutions, we carefully create a high-impact design that is also seamlessly functional and outperforms the competition.

above-the-fold-top-heavy-algorithm-changeAs we work together in the design process and collaborate on each stage, we encourage clients to participate in the final outcome.  Revisions are a necessary part of the process and allow us to hone in on the best website design for their unique business.  As our client reviews the completed homepage mockup, and we progress through the completion of inner website pages, our client provides us with feedback on what they like or dislike.  We encourage clients to make either general or specific suggestions for changes that they would like to see made and we collaborate on appropriate revisions while remaining goal-focused. We communicate these revisions to our designer, who makes the updates.  We then send the revisions to the client and this process is repeated until the client is 100% happy with the design and signs off on it.  Once we have solidified the general style of the website the revisions tend to become less and the revision process moves along rapidly.  This stage of the process is incredibly important because we want to ensure that the design is exactly what our clients want, and changes are much easier to make on a design than they are on a coded website.

 

163137bf-12c6-4eb1-946b-f67eecbc642eOnce all designs have been approved by our clients, we then begin the coding process.  We give our website programmers the approved design files (PSDs), which they take and translate into code. The client has minimal involvement during this process, as we are simply taking the visual look that they are happy with and turning it into a functional website. We put the completed code onto our test server so the client can see and interact with their new site, instead of just looking at an image of it. This test site should look identical to the design that the client approved so it is a great opportunity to truly see the design come to life.

 

9ed8ba15-0468-4c4d-968e-0f36d68c7f48       During the design and coding process we may use what is known as Lorem Ipsum text, which is essentially placeholder content, until completed client-appropriate content is available.  If the client prefers, they can supply the content.  But, if the client would rather have Epic Web Solutions write client-specific content for the new website design, that service is available as well.  Our content writers are trained in SEO optimization techniques to help clients improve their organic SEO ranking.  Once content is available we fill in all of the blank pages and remove any Lorem Ipsum text from the test site.  During this process the website begins to really make the transition from a design into a finished product.  If we are remodeling an old website, we will start by pulling all of the old content from the site and putting it into the new design.  This gives us a pretty good baseline and the client can suggest any changes that need to be made. Any potential issues with formatting or layout are also addressed at this stage because client satisfaction is our top priority. SEO is not magic, it is a specific science that helps you improve your rank in search engine indexes.  It is incredibly important to carefully craft website content to ensure that it is SEO optimized so that our client’s maximize the impact and effect of their website.

 

HomeSmart Infographic At Epic Web Solutions, we take great pride in our pre and post-launch process.  Some website design companies will simply launch the website design, hand it over to the client, and that will be the end of interaction between the website designer and the client.  We believe in going above and beyond for our clients because client satisfaction is our priority.  During both the pre-launch and post-launch process we have a checklist that we go through to ensure optimized functionality, speed and performance.  We complete this checklist any time we launch a website.  We do this so that there is no need to constantly go back and fix issues after the site is live; we do not launch a website unless our client tells us to. This is much more involved than most of our competitors but it is just another step we take that we believe is one of the reasons we have such long-standing client relationships.

 

After a client’s website has been launched we do not disappear.  At Epic Web Solutions, our services go beyond launch into the post-launch process.  We leverage our expertise, along with monthly analytics and regular communication with clients to keep websites fresh, engaging and as always – a useful marketing tool so that our clients keep current customers happy and continue to attract new customers.  Our ongoing support even after a project is complete is a show of our commitment to our client and the pride we take in our work.

 

c775bb18-2ec2-40e9-bc2f-89b512104b8eWe are able to not only discuss these services with our existing clients and prospective clients, but provide them with proven results.  We have long-standing relationships with clients because we listen to what our clients want and make those goals our goals.  We do not make promises we cannot follow through on.  We carefully craft stylish, innovative, responsive websites and increase our clients organic SEO rankings through research-driven design that produces real results.  We keep open lines of communication with our clients so that we can collaboratively work towards ensuring each website is exactly what our clients want and we never launch until a site has been fully approved by our clients.  At Epic Web Solutions, we enjoy getting to know each client and pride ourselves on providing highly individualized service based on each client’s needs.  We serve all industries and all clients and simply put- our creative ideas perform and our success is measured by our results.  Let us use our digital strategy, focus on technology, creativity, and passion for what we do to provide a customized solution for your next website design.

Improving Your Website Accessibility

When designing a web site, the desire for accessibility is inherent. Despite this, most Arizona Web Design developers inadvertently overlook the need to make website accessible to the disabled. Web Design that is decidedly conscious of such needs can be extended to meet the needs of such users. The push for greater web site accessibility is becoming more and more main stream. Already, many major websites have improved their accessibility to those with disabilities, and are striving to do even more.

Clearly no one would intentionally exclude any person or group from accessing their public website. No one would consciously design exclusion into their website, but on many occasions this happens inadvertently. The goal of a website is to reach as many users as possible and provide them with information pertinent to your business or organization. Making your website highly accessible only heightens the reality of this goal. Highly accessible Arizona Web Design is not only beneficial to a greater number of users; it is beneficial to your interests as well.

Awareness of the need and opportunity for increased website accessibility is just the first step. Once you start considering this possibility more deeply, you may be concerned about the ability to make a highly accessible website that is also attractive and technologically savvy. Such concerns are unfounded. Expert Arizona Web Design specialists are masters of ingenuity and artistry on the web. Their jobs revolve around the need to approach tasks creativity. The challenge of heightened accessibility will simply be another feature of design for them to creatively overcome. Nearly all aspects of web design can be altered and improved to be highly accessible while also remaining cutting edge.

You may be surprised to find that Arizona Web Design that is accessible to those with disabilities is also more highly compatible with a number of hand-held devices. When highly accessible, your website will typically be more navigable and visible on these devices. The concessions necessary for improved accessibility tend to make web design more user-friendly for those accessing the web on smart phones, tablets, and the like. What’s more, highly accessible websites tend to attract more attention from major search engines as well. The features that make them more accessible also allow them to be more favorably indexed by these entities.

While you may be sufficiently motivate by the positively implications of creating a more highly accessible web design, you can be further induced by the possibility of unfavorable ramifications. To date, claims have been successfully filed against entities with a large web presence whose design was not accessible to the blind. Courts ruled in favor of the prosecutors, stating that this inaccessibility was in direct violation of law, specifically the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Increasing the accessibility of your website through thoughtful Arizona Web Design is not only considerate, it is beneficial to you as well. A minor investment in greater accessibility will improve your visibility on the web, allowing even more users to come in contact with your products and services. As this is directly in line with your goals and best interests, designing increased accessibility into your website is a true win-win situation.

How An Arizona Web Design Company Can Create Your Website

When I needed to hire an Arizona web design company to help me create a website, I also wanted to know the process they would use so that I would feel comfortable with what they were doing. There are a number of steps that are quite important in the process of website design.

Research is the first step that any good Arizona website design company will take. For instance, any company I select must take the time to learn about my company and the direction I want it to take. They should look into my most likely customer base and ask lots of questions to find out what I really need. The next step is to brainstorm about what the website needs and come up with a variety of concepts that I could approve.

Along with that it is important that I know what I need my website to do so that the Arizona web design company I have selected can determine which technical requirements must be met. For instance, do I want just the basics of HTML or something more exciting such as a site designed with Flash, or some of each? Any good web design company such as Epic Web Solutions, will create an outline so that I can get a pretty good idea of what the website will look like and can approve it, as well as getting a price quote based on my requirements. Obviously, if I want to add more difficult things to my site it will add to the total cost of the work.

A professional Arizona website design company will help me verify that my content is relevant and contains sufficient information to appeal to the clients I am looking for. All the bells and whistles can’t take the place of clear content. They are specialists in helping me choose not only the right colors as well as the fonts that will be used. Professional web design companies such as Epic Web Solutions (epicwebaz.com) understand the importance of user friendliness and good download speeds for the website. They also know how to make a website easy to move through so that people will spend more time on my website.

Finally, no matter how great my website looks, if no one can find it, then it isn’t doing me much good. I need my website to be found on the first page of search engines, and a good web design company understands that fact and they know the steps that must be taken to get my site moving up in the rankings.

Phoenix Web Design: The Five Keys to Happy Clients

Today, we are going to fill you in on an industry secret: There are quite a few companies that offer business web design in Phoenix.

What do you mean you already knew that?

In all seriousness, Arizona – like any other part of the civilized world – has its share of business web designers and online marketing experts. And yet, we have been able to grow our company significantly over the years. We like to think that a large part of that success has to do with our creativity, and the fact that we build business websites that are as good as, or better than, any other website design company in Phoenix.

But we also know that there is a lot more that goes into keeping our clients happy. Here are five things we do to set Epic Web Solutions apart from our competitors… and why you shouldn’t hire a business web design team in Arizona that doesn’t do any of them:

We design great business website layouts. Although it’s not the only thing that matters, having a good artistic eye is critical to designing a profitable site.

We incorporate search engine optimization into every project. On the other hand, what good is your work of art if no one sees it?

High-quality web hosting is part of the package. This is a piece of the puzzle that a lot of clients forget about, but having your site be online continuously, updated against security threats, and loading quickly is probably more important than you think.

We put customer service front and center. In almost any business, and especially ours, your work is never great until your client thinks it’s great. Getting input and feedback from our clients has been invaluable to our business.

Epic Web Solutions offers business websites at affordable rates. No matter how great your business website is, you have to make more money from it than you spend, which is why we work so hard to keep our fees competitive.

While these might not be the Phoenix web design and search engine optimization “secrets” you expected, they have helped us build a very successful company. So the next time you look to design, or re-design, your company’s website, why not give us a call?