Sydney Web + Tech

Website and Internet Specialists

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4 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain Name

Choosing the perfect domain name is almost as important as choosing your business name.
It is your online identity representing your business and brand.

A website domain name and domain name registration is a completely different service to website hosting, although they are often offered by the same provider.

We’ve found the steps below can help you choose the perfect domain name

1. Short and Simple

The perfect domain name is:

  • Easy to type – this is critical – avoid slang or words with multiple spellings
  • Easy to remember
  • Easy to relay to someone
  • Easy to pronounce
  • Easy to fit on printed material
  • Easy to fit into a SERP (Search Engine Results Pages)

2. Keywords

Keywords describe products or services your business offers – the words (or phrases) people enter into search engines.

Try to put a keyword for your business into your domain name.

3. Keep it Simple

Trendy domain names can be confusing and annoying. Generic words relating to your product or service are more effective.

Try to avoid:

  • Numbers
  • Hyphens
  • Deliberate misspellings

Definitely avoid choosing a domain name that is a variation of an existing domain name by:

  • Adding an ‘s’
  • Misspelling
  • Hyphenation
  • Adding an extra word
  • Mixing up the same words

4. Choose your Domain Name Extension

(Otherwise known as a tld: top level domain)

There are many domain name extensions available now.
You should consider who your target audience is.

Australian businesses wanting a local website domain name,
these are easily recognised and trusted locally:

.com.au
.net.au

Australian non-commercial organisations only (conditions apply)
are allowed to use these domain name extensions:

.org.au
.asn.au

Any organisation or individual worlwide, including those in Austrailia,
can use these domain extensions:

.com
.net
.org
.info
.biz

Determining a website domain name for your business can be a challenge. Doing some research and getting creative now will serve you well.
The domain name you select will represent your online business going forward.
You can contact us for any advice or assistance, we’re always happy to help.

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Google Mobile First Indexing

Google Mobile First Indexing –
Did your website get a good Report Card?

Your website must be mobile friendly as now Google is indexing from the mobile version of your site first, rather than the desktop version. (Not everyone has two different versions of their site, just know that your site needs to be mobile friendly).
This is because more web searches are being made from mobile devices.

There are some simple things you can do to help with your website’s Google mobile first indexing and ranking, such as:

  • Make sure your website is secure with an SSL certificate and
  • has easy to read text.

Google Mobile First
Has your website received a Google Search Console Mobile First Indexing report yet?
How did it go?

Want know more about Google Mobile First Indexing (or anything techy)?
 
Let’s Talk

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Website Check

Website Checklist

website check

The same as caring and maintaining our cars, our homes and anything we have invested in, we should periodically do a website check.

Here are just a few questions you should be asking.

Is your website more than 2 years old?
Older websites can look out of date, as well as start deteriorating, if not updated.

Is your website Mobile Friendly?

This will greatly affect your Google ranking.

Can you recover from a disaster:

such as being hacked, or your website being damaged or lost completely?
Sadly, we have written many websites quickly from scratch as clients have lost everything from such disasters.

Do you backup regularly?
If so, have you tested that back up to make sure it works?

Is your website secure?

Is the site protected with SSL?
It is virtually a requirement of Google. Viewers don’t want to visit unsafe sites.

Are the passwords you and others use to access the site more than 15 characters and cryptic?.
We see multiple password attack attempts daily.
Your website’s security may depend on that long, annoying password.

Is the site scanned for malware regularly?
Can you detect if files are being changed without your permission?
We have all seen examples of what malware can do.

Do you keep your site up to date?

Is the code on your site updated when new versions are released, such as: plugins, core code or themes?
Keeping code updated is another way to help protect against hacking.
Your security may be compromised through old code.

Is it is a risk to the viewer?
Hacked sites can have hidden malware that is passed on to other computers. Your client’s security can be in jeopardy.

Is your site slow or damaged?
Viewers will click away from sites that don’t load quickly or are not working properly.

These factors will influence your sites effectiveness in delivering your message and attracting new clients.

 How did your website go?

I’d like a Free Website Check Up*

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Sydney Web and Tech Rebranding

Sydney Web and Tech Rebranding
Guest Blog – Tara Ladd of Your One & Only

February 18, 2018 By Tara Ladd

Sydney Web and Tech rebrand and naming
I was asked by Sydney Web and Tech to help them come up with a new look and feel for their business. We wanted to create something that would make them appealing yet approachable in the market. Originally Sydney Web Creations, we changed their name to ‘Sydney Web and Tech’ to centralise more around what they specialise in; web development, web hosting and security.

Emphasising on this approach I decided to play on the HTML coding aspect of web development and highlight that within their brand.

Below is the before and after.

Sydney Web and Tech Rebranding

Continuing on with the rollout of their branding collateral, we created their business cards with the same idea concept, seen below.

Sydney Web and Tech Rebranding

If you like what you see and are keen for a chat, get in touch – click here.

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Western Union Money Transfer Scams

Were you a victim of Western Union Scams?

Western Union scams

There has been so many different scams involving Western Union as the conduit for payment.

Here’s one example from several years ago, involving a family member and the sale of their truck.

The truck was advertised in the Trading post and one day later it was sold.
But…
The buyer was on an oil rig.
Although payment for the truck itself was ok, he was having difficulty in transferring money for the truck to be shipped from N.S.W. to W.A., without which the sale could not go through.
Would it be possible for the shipping cost to be added on to the total truck sale price, and to send the shipping cost directly to the shipper via Paypal?
Of course it will be handled by Western Union, so it’s all above board.

Alarm bells were rung and the sale did not go through.

Below is the email from Paypal, involving the payment through Western Union.

western union scams

You may be Eligible for a Refund

Not everyone has escaped these scams
Western Union has admitted to aiding and abetting wire fraud and has paid a US$586 million to the US Department of Justice. This money is being used to provide refunds worldwide to eligible victims.

Take Action Now
The ACCC is encouraging all Australians who lost money to Western Union scams (including dating and romance scammers) between 2004 and 2017 to take action by 31st May. You may be eligible for a refund.
Further information can be found on the ACCC website :Victims scammed via Western Union.

If you would like any information or advice regarding scams in email or through the internet, please contact us.