You are reading the article Is Your Website Fast Enough? updated in November 2023 on the website Cancandonuts.com. We hope that the information we have shared is helpful to you. If you find the content interesting and meaningful, please share it with your friends and continue to follow and support us for the latest updates. Suggested December 2023 Is Your Website Fast Enough?
New data shows how slow is too slowConversion rate optimisation specialists have been recently shared two new pieces of research which show that page load speed should be a concern for all. I thought I’d summarise them here as a reminder that speed matters!
The first shows data shared by Walmart shows how their conversion rate varies as page load times increases. You can see there is a dramatic decline in conversion as page load times increases to 4 seconds:
Secondly Tagman published research that showed a similar pattern, except with specific conversion rates.
How can we review and improve our site performance?Google has been releasing tools for to help you with your website loading speed for some time now but what is classed as a fast website and does it really impact your rankings?
Google clearly take this area of website management seriously, they want users to be delivered relevant content quickly, and therefore it would make sense that they would use it as a factor in ranking your website. It’s more obvious to see the impact of slow loading websites on your bounce rate than search but lets look at the tools now available to help you make sure your loading times are not affecting your rankings or site conversion.
18th November updateAnother update on this tool – the Google Analytics blog has announced that this tool is now freely available in analytics without the need for special config. Here is what to look for:
Google Page Speed Report(s)We reported back in August 2011 that reports are now available within Google Analytics which will give you the insights into average page loading speeds along side bounce and exit rates per page of your website. To enable these reports you will need to follow the instructions at the link below:
You can also get an overview of your websites average load time within Google Webmaster Tools, under Labs and site performance on the left hand side navigation.
September 2011 updateIn September a new announcement on the Google Analytics blog shows how you can go once step further and see whether page speed is impacting on conversion – to help make the business case for improvements.
If you have ever wondered or wanted to show how having a slow website impacts conversions you now can on a page by page basis, the average load times.
As soon as you have updated your analytics settings (in code) as per this article you will start to see the reports within Google Analytics. From this point I would suggest creating a dashboard based on average site speed, slowest loading pages & conversions by load speed brackets. This should form part of the weekly health checks on your website & steps can then be taken to improve areas of the site as needed.
Improving your Page Speed New Google toolDespite all the free tools Google has already released over the years it recently launched a new tool to help website owners do an even better job. This does reinforce how important Google see this area, they are taking this metric seriously when it comes to ranking in websites and while that is unproven I think is now so easy to improve your website you would be unwise not to look at your own website. You can learn more about this new service named – Google Page Speed Service here.
Page Speed Service fetches content from your servers, rewrites your pages by applying web performance best practices and serves them to end users via Google’s servers across the globe.
An alternative tool which offers a similar service and several more features is CloudFlare, I have used this at First 10 Digital, CloudFare have free and paid services – it’s worth checking out!
Do you have any tips for improving site performance? Please share them below if so!
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There Is Not Enough Usable Space, Diskpart Virtual Disk Service Error
While creating a partition on a hard disk by using the Diskpart utility, some users encountered the error “There is not enough usable space for this operation.” According to the error message, you are unable to create a new partition because of the lack of usable space on your hard disk. In this article, we will see how to deal with this error to get the issue fixed.
The complete error message displayed by the Diskpart utility could be either of the two:
There is not enough usable space on specified disks to extend the volume
There is not enough usable space for this operation
Diskpart Virtual Disk Service error, There is not enough usable spaceIf Diskpart is showing the “Virtual Disk Service error: There is not enough usable space for this operation” while creating a new partition, the following solutions may help you fix the problem:
Check the partition style of your Disk
Rescan your disk
Shrink the partition on your hard drive
Use a third-party tool
1] Check the partition style of your diskOne possible cause of this error is the limitation of an MBR disk. If the disk installed on your system uses the Master Boot Record, you will not create more than 4 partitions on your disk. Whereas, in the GPT partition, there is no such limit. You can create unlimited partitions on a GPT disk, but Windows allows only up to 128 partitions on a GPT disk.
Check the partition style of your hard disk. To do so, follow the steps below:
Launch the Run command box.
The above command will open the Disk Management tool.
Select the Volumes tab. You will see the partition style of your hard disk.
If the partition style of your hard disk is MBR and you already have 4 partitions on it, you have to convert it into GPT to create more partitions. Do note that the conversion is possible only if the hard disk contains no partitions or volumes. If your hard disk contains any partitions, you have to delete them before converting MBR into GPT. This action will also erase all the data on your hard disk. That’s why we suggest you backup all your data on an external hard disk.
The GPT disks use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS mode. You can check your BIOS mode in the System Information. If your BIOS supports both legacy and UEFI modes but it is set to the legacy mode, you can convert it to UEFI.
After converting your hard disk from MBR to GPT, check if the Diskpart is showing the same error while creating partitions.
2] Rescan your diskThe Rescan command helps you detect new disks added to your computer. When you run this command, it detects the configuration changes on your hard disk and updates the information. You can try running this command in Diskpart and see if it helps. Follow the steps below:
Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type Diskpart and press Enter.
Type Rescan and press Enter.
After rescanning your disks, check if the issue persists.
3] Shrink the partition on your hard driveAccording to the error, your disk does not have enough usable space. To fix this problem, you can shrink a partition to leave unallocated space. After shrinking the partition, you should be able to create a new partition. The steps to do this are written below:
Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type Diskpart.
Type select disk #. Replace # with the disk number. For example, if you want to create a partition on disk 0, you have to type select disk 0 and press Enter.
Now, you have to select the partition on your hard disk which you want to shrink. For this, type list par and press Enter. This command will list all the partitions on your hard disk.
Now, type sel par #. Replace # with the partition number on your hard disk. After selecting a particular partition, say, partition 3, you will see a message “Partition 3 is now the selected partition.”
Type shrink desired=size minimum=size. After that hit Enter. Replace the string size in the command with the actual size on the disk that you want to shrink. The size that you enter to shrink the volume should be less than the total size of the selected partition. For example, if the total size of the selected partition is 16 GB, the size to shrink the partition should be less than 16 GB.
After the above command is executed successfully, a partition with unallocated space will be created. You can view this unallocated space in Disk Management.
To make the unallocated space usable, you have to format it. Type fs=ntfs quick and press Enter.
Wait till the formatting process gets completed.
After the formatting gets completed, a partition of the desired size is created. In step 6 above, we have used the command shrink desired=size minimum=size. This command consists of two values, namely, desired and minimum. Let’s see the meaning and purpose of each of these values.
Desired: This represents the actual amount of space that you want on your partition.
Minimum: It represents the minimum space on the selected partition.
If the size entered in the desired value is not possible to create, Windows will create the partition of the size that you enter in the minimum value. You can also enter the same size in both of these values.
Read: Diskpart error, The device does not recognize the command.
4] Use a third-party toolYou can also use a third-party tool to create partitions on your hard drive. If you search online, you will find many disk and partition manager tools that come with both free and paid plans.
Related:
How do you fix the virtual disk service error the specified disk is not convertible?You may see an error message “The specified disk is not convertible” while converting an MBR disk into GPT by using the Diskpart utility. The complete error message is:
The specified disk is not convertible.
According to the error message, the disk you want to convert from MBR into GPT is not convertible. To fix this error, you should know what an MBR partition style is and what a GPT partition style is. If you want to convert an MBR disc into a GPT, your BIOS should support the UEFI mode. This is because the GPT disks use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS mode.
If your BIOS supports both legacy and UEFI modes, you will be able to convert legacy to UEFI. If your BIOS mode is already set to UEFI, but you are still getting this error message, you can use a third-party tool or software, like Minitool partition wizard to convert MBR to GPT.
Read: DiskPart error, Data error Cyclic redundancy check.
How do I fix the virtual disk service error volume size is too big?The virtual disk service error volume size is too big usually occurs when you format a particular disk drive by using a FAT32 file system. In such a case, you can try another file system to format the disk drive, like NTFS. There are several limitations of the FAT32 file system. The maximum file size limit for the FAT32 file system is 4 GB. This is the reason why Diskpart displays this error while formatting a disk drive of large size by using the FAT32 file system.
Read next: Diskpart has encountered an error, The media is write-protected.
9 Ways You Can Make Your Website More Accessible
Incorporating accessibility on your website is the right thing to do today.
Why?
Because 25% of adults in the U.S. live with a disability, according to the CDC.
However, too many websites still lack accessibility features.
That means millions of users are struggling to use the web.
What Is Web Accessibility?Web accessibility is about designing and developing websites, tools, and technologies that people with disabilities can use, according to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
People with disabilities should be able to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with, and contribute to the web.
Web accessibility applies to all disabilities that affect access to the web, including:
Auditory.
Cognitive.
Neurological.
Physical.
Speech.
Visual.
Where Does ADA Stand?The most relevant sections of the ADA to web accessibility are Title II and Title III.
Title II requires state and local governments and governmental entities receiving federal funding to provide qualified individuals with disabilities with equal access to their programs, services, or activities.
Title III prohibits “places of public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, museums, and hospitals from disability-based discrimination.”
While the ADA does not clearly address the question of web accessibility, websites and apps are often considered as part of a business.
New Wave of ADA LawsuitsRecent years have seen a spike in the number of ADA-based web accessibility lawsuits.
There were 2,256 ADA website-accessibility lawsuits filed in federal courts in 2023.
However, it appears the curve is flattening.
How to Optimize Your Website for Disabled UsersOptimizing a website for disabled users makes perfect business sense.
You can cater to a broader market segment while building a positive brand image.
Once you have tested your website for web accessibility, you can implement the following steps:
1. Add Images with Alt TextA picture may be worth a thousand words, but visual elements like images are an accessibility barrier to blind users and those with low vision.
They often have to rely on assistive technologies such as Screen Readers and refreshable Braille Readers.
Screen Readers are software programs that read the text on the screen using a synthesizer or Braille display.
However, neither of these technologies can read images or the text in the images.
So, you need to add Alt Text to describe your images to disabled users.
Make sure to describe the image as clearly as possible.
You can use alt attribute for brief descriptions and “Longdesc Tag” for lengthy descriptions.
2. Allow Users to Enlarge Font SizesPeople with low vision often can’t read small text sizes.
So, they have to use specific font settings when browsing your website.
Offering an alternate style sheet with the ability to enlarge the font size without breaking your page layout should make it easier for them to read your content.
Also, make sure your CTA buttons have a larger font size.
Also, make these buttons visible to people with impaired vision.
3. Keep Contrast Sensitivity in MindAlong with text size, think about color and contrast.
People with vision impairments such as retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataract have low color contrast sensitivity.
When designing your webpages, make sure to have a high contrast between the foreground and background, such as yellow letters on a black background.
Avoid using thin fonts.
Also, try to avoid using any JavaScript or CSS features that will prevent visually impaired users from increasing the contrast.
Just like the text size, color contrast is also critical for CTAs.
While black text on a white background has the highest readability, you can also use a combination of black text on a yellow background and yellow text on a blue background.
Avoid using combinations like green text on red background and vice versa as they are hard to read.
4. Add Keyboard NavigationFor blind and visually impaired users, navigation is a challenge.
As they can’t use a mouse to browse the site, you have to incorporate keyboard navigation into your website.
Blind users will use Braille keyboards to access your site.
Make sure disabled users can access all interactive elements of your website, including:
URLs.
Anchor text.
Drop-down menus.
Widgets.
Forms.
CTAs.
Dialog boxes.
Also, make JavaScript widgets accessible with the keyboard.
Alternatively, you can use HTML links, buttons, and form fields alone to make sure all elements of your website are keyboard-accessible.
5. Make Video and Multimedia AccessibleVideos and other multimedia elements on your website play a critical role in increasing the user-engagement on your website.
While blind and visually-impaired users can’t see visuals, deaf users and those hard-of-hearing can’t hear audio.
You can use an audio description to describe visuals-only parts such as images, gestures, and changes in settings, among others. It will help blind users to enjoy the video.
However, use your better judgment when adding an audio description.
Make sure you don’t end up with hours of audio description, making it a meaningless experience for the user.
You can provide text captions that synchronize with the video and audio tracks for users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Make sure to use the right color contrast to highlight the captions correctly.
Finally, you will have to use an accessible multimedia player.
Fortunately, HTML5 players provide a better chance of incorporating accessibility.
6. Use Descriptive URLsScreen readers can quickly and precisely read descriptive URLs, offering blind and visually-impaired users some context.
Meaningful descriptions also make it easier to skip to the right content.
For example, when describing the link of the “About” page, keep the following mind.
Also, don’t add links to images that can’t support Alt Text.
7. Use ARIA RolesARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Applications.
It helps you make dynamic content more accessible.
ARIA roles and attributes provide more information or context about a website element to screen readers and other assistive tools.
The six most common categories of ARIA roles include:
Landmark: Screen readers use this role for navigation.
Document Structure: It offers a structural description of a section.
Widget: It describes interactive elements lacking semantic equivalents in HTML.
Abstract: It helps organize and streamline a document.
Window: It creates a subcategory or subsection of the main document.
Live Regions: It helps assistive tools to detect dynamic content changes on a webpage and alert disabled users.
However, only people with access to source code and with the knowledge of ARIA and HTML5 can and should make these changes.
You should contact your website developer for further details.
8. Avoid Using Placeholder Text in FormsOnline forms often use placeholder text to describe various elements to save space.
However, placeholder text is usually gray.
Visually impaired users can’t read it due to the low contrast.
It is also a non-label text, which means screen readers will usually skip place holder text. As a result, blind users won’t be able to read this text either.
These steps will improve usability for blind and visually impaired users. However, when taking these steps, make sure to avoid creating a cluttered web form. Try to keep it as simple as possible.
9. Minimize the Use of TablesUsually, screen readers will inform blind users of how many rows and columns a table has.
However, it is often challenging for screen readers to read the tabular data in the same flow that matches the visual order.
So, wherever possible, use CSS for data presentation.
If you must create a table, use the correct headers for each row and column.
You can also use HTML5 table captions to provide additional context to your disabled users.
ConclusionCreating an accessible website not only makes good business sense, it is also the morally right thing to do.
So always keep accessibility in mind.
Hopefully, these tips will help you as you optimize your website for disabled users.
8 Quick Seo Wins For Your Brand New Website
Websites can take time to return on your investment of money and resources you put into them.
That doesn’t mean you have to sit back and wait for that day to come.
In fact, there’s a lot you can control with search engine optimization.
I recommend the following SEO monitoring and optimization tactics so you can measure your website’s visibility in search and position it for success.
1. Set Up Analytics And Diagnostic ToolsTo know how well your site is performing and to measure improvement and gains along the way, you’ll want to get Google Analytics or a similar website analytics tool for tracking visitors to your site and behavior within it.
There’s a lot that you can learn in terms of insights from web analytics and it is helpful to have an objective benchmark or baseline to operate from across areas of traffic, content, conversions, and more.
Also, you should get Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools accounts.
Those will provide more information about how the search engines see your site and provide additional keyword performance data that Google Analytics lacks.
2. Map Out Optimal Site ArchitectureMuch like outlining a paper in school or the flow of a book, we should do the same with our website content.
Adult books aren’t often a single chapter with everything crammed into it. Likewise, a website shouldn’t have everything jammed into a single page.
Most of the time the home page is navigational introducing the brand or organization and leading users to other pages on the site. Think about how deep you get in your content.
Whether it is informational, ecommerce, or other types of topics, arrange it in a way that makes sense and goes from general to specific.
Don’t try to stuff too much into single pages.
Add sub-pages when topics and sub-topics warrant it.
Long-form content is great for technical and specific topics.
On top of that, the search engines can see the vertical depth of content in addition to the wideness of the top-level pages and sections.
3. Be Strategic With Internal Link StructureInbound links to your site from other sites provide authority status for the pages and your site overall.
That process of sharing value doesn’t stop at the page that receives the link(s).
How you link to pages within your site can have a big impact on the page value and link value distributed throughout the site.
Know or keep in mind that you don’t want to link to every other page on the site from every page.
Keep your top-level navigation focused and only link where relevant and necessary.
That will help you pass the page value into the areas you want to in a focused way.
When every page has links spelled out to every other page, it is chaotic and doesn’t help prioritize link authority value and also erodes the work you have done to cleanly organize your site architecture for the search engines.
4. Create Quality ContentMore content – as long as relevant, high quality, and helpful for your audience is always better.
Whether you’re lengthening existing pages, adding more, or going further in-depth, go for it.
This is your chance to look at how your migration or new site launch went and put your foot on the gas.
If you have thin pages with little text or a lot of pages that have significant overlap or duplication of content relative to others on the site, find a way to enhance or eliminate those pages.
Going back to the site architecture and internal linking details I shared, you don’t want to hurt those formats and efforts.
5. Monitor And Troubleshoot IndexingPriority number one is to make sure you’ve got your XML sitemap, chúng tôi and any in-page canonical and indexing commands in a good place.
From there, you can monitor how quickly the search engines index your pages.
You may feel like it is overkill, but spend a lot of time in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools making sure that the sitemap is validating and that the pages indexed are the ones you expect and in priority order.
Don’t assume that you’ll build it and Google will come.
Get things submitted, watch for errors, and monitor the overall indexing process to ensure that it is moving as fast as possible and that any errors are addressed immediately.
6. Optimize Page SpeedLike content, don’t settle when it comes to page load times.
Evaluate page speed on your site using tools like the Google Chrome Lighthouse auditing developer tool.
Is it fast? Then make it faster!
Slow or not up to industry benchmarks? Speed it up!
Don’t ignore speed or push it off until later in the process.
Lean on dev and IT resources as you can to push for the maximum speeds you can reasonably achieve.
Time is of the essence and you don’t want to invest in a ton of other optimization areas with a subpar speed profile.
7. Maintain Clean CodeIf you have speed issues, indexing issues, or concerns overall about the code, you should dive deeper.
A lot of content management systems include plugins and bloated code that is not needed or useful.
Developer shortcuts (I love developers – I’m not disparaging them) or out-of-the-box things that you don’t need can impact speed and indexing.
They can also cause headaches for you when uploading or updating content if things break often.
Minimalist, clean code helps you across the full spectrum impacting the quick wins I have outlined.
8. Build Links And CitationsExternal authority and validation signals are important.
Building on what I noted in the internal linking section, you should think about any and all relationships that could result in another, credible site linking to your site.
Think about partnerships, charities, customers, memberships, trade associations, credentials, and credible directories that could and should be linking to your site.
Make a list and plan to establish those links on the web to mirror the relationships in real life.
Beware of the traps and shortcuts with buying links that can get you in trouble though as you go through the process.
Other types of links or mentions that add credibility are often referred to as citations.
These can come through establishing Google Maps listings through Google Business Profiles, by submitting to data aggregation services, and other prominent directories and map sites on the web.
All of these links and mentions grow the footprint for your brand and point to your website as the hub or authority for your business or organization.
ConclusionTaking a proactive approach with a new website to realize quick wins can help reduce the time it takes to get the visibility you deserve for your new website.
New sites can take some time to build up authority status from external links and from having relevant content that the search engines deem better than others featuring similar topics.
SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it thing.
However, if you dive into the quick win areas and focus on what you can monitor and improve, you’ll give your site a head start and a chance to return on investment and work toward your goals in a quicker time frame.
More resources:
Featured Image: Who Is Danny/Shutterstock
What Type Of Ssl Certificate Does Your Website Need?
Computer users worldwide are wary of hacks and privacy violations, so it pays to continue to be vigilant with your website’s security.
If you’re working in SEO, you have no doubt come across SSL certificates and digital encryption.
But what does SSL mean and why do SSL certificates have to do with your digital marketing strategy?
In this article, you’ll learn about the different types of SSL certificates available and how to move forward with installing one on your server.
Implementing high-quality SSL can mean great things for your website; it helps confirm to users that they’re in a safe space and you’re taking steps to protect their data.
What is SSL?SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. This is what protects the information in your browser while you’re sending it across the Web to the server where it will be received.
SSL helps provide your visitors a more secure online experience. It’s important to choose the type of certificate that is right for your site and make sure it is installed properly.
What Does an SSL Certificate Do?When you use the internet, your browser uses SSL encryption to communicate securely with a website. SSL ensures that all data passing between you and a site is protected against man-in-the-middle attacks.
An SSL certificate can also protect against other types of attacks, but not all of them. Some attacks are specific to SSL certificates and can result in a web server being entirely compromised.
The initial communication process the protocol initiates is called the TLS handshake. This is a server configuration that supports the SSL certificate.
With a handshake, two parties over the Internet generate unique security keys for that session in a fraction of a second. These keys work to encrypt the communications being sent, and decrypt the communications being received.
For each new secure session, different session keys are generated.
Say, for example, you try to access a secure website that has been locked down with the required SSL certificate.
Any data you send, whether you fill out a form or create an account, is secure after you open this connection. It is free from interference by any unscrupulous parties who might be looking to intercept that private information.
This TLS handshake process is critical to the processing of secure data sent over a website.
What is TLS?Any discussion about SSL would not be complete without some talk about TLS.
SSL works with TLS, which stands for Transport Layer Security. This is a web security protocol (similar to HTTP/2) that facilitates data privacy and security. This in turn results in secure communications between machines on the Internet.
TLS includes the following three components: encryption, authentication, and integrity.
Encryption: TLS helps to hide the transfer of private data from any third-party prying eyes. This makes viewing any website more secure.
Authentication: The authentication component of TLS ensures that the two parties who transfer this information are who they say they really are. In other words, data being sent over the protocol will be both encrypted and authenticated.
Integrity: This component of TLS helps ensure that the data has not been faked or otherwise tampered with.
Encryption, authentication, and integrity all work together to ensure that your data is kept secret from prying eyes and that they don’t have access to data you intend to send to the recipient’s website.
What is TLS 1.3 and Why is it a Big Deal?The most recent version of TLS is TLS 1.3, which replaces the earlier version 1.2.
This version of TLS includes faster processing of the handshake component when compared to TLS 1.2. Because it’s faster than its predecessor, every possible additional increase in potential page speed can help your website’s performance.
Another aspect of TLS 1.3 that makes it desirable for SEO professionals is the fact that there are fewer steps in the client/server authentication process. This may further improve potential speed on those servers where this is correctly implemented and optimized.
The other aspects that make TLS 1.3 attractive include cipher suites that are more secure, as well as zero round-trip time, which further improves and streamlines the TLS handshake process.
This means that the new version of TLS translates to improved performance and better security, all points to consider as you select the appropriate security protocols for your website.
Regardless of what type of SSL certificate you use, your server should be properly configured and have the required components in place for the successful installation and operation of the SSL certificate with TLS.
What are the Different Types of SSL Certificates?
Domain validated SSL.
Organization validated SSL.
Extended validation SSL.
Wildcard SSL.
There are two main types of SSL Certificates: Domain Validated (DV) and Organization Validated (OV). They offer different levels of protection, validation, and pricing.
The cheapest SSL Certificate is the DV Standard SSL which is generally considered a starter certificate. It can oftentimes be free (especially if you’re using something like Let’s Encrypt) and will get your site up and running in no time.
For a bit more, you can get an OV SSL Certificate which is usually used by larger companies that have a consolidated domain name or multiple domain names. This option does cost a bit more but can be well worth it. From this point on, it is all about your budget and what you feel is best for your security needs.
Standard SSL certificates have a limited set of features, while extended level security is available for additional fees.
Domain Validated CertificatesDomain validated certificates can prove that the requestor owns or controls the domain name it uses to communicate with the site. This type of SSL is the lowest level of SSL certificate that you can get.
Unless you’re dealing with sensitive user information, user logins, or things of that nature, you may not need to get anything other than a DV certificate.
These types of certificates use an X.509 public key, which is used by the transport layer security (or TLS). For this type of certificate, the applicant for the certificate is verified. In order to become verified, said applicant needs to prove that they have control over a certain domain.
This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to enable an SSL certificate on your site because it doesn’t require all that much effort to get verified.
To get a domain validated certificate, you must prove control over your domain name through a response mechanism, typically by responding to something like an email contact in your domain’s WHOIS, verifying through a DNS TXT record, or by responding through a known potential contact on the domain (such as admin or mail).
These types of certificates, however, aren’t sufficient when handling sensitive data on external websites because you don’t need to provide proof of ownership or control over a domain name’s corresponding private key in order to acquire one.
This means someone else could get a certificate for your site and spy on the information users send to it, or impersonate your identity.
DV certificates also expire after about 1 year, so they should only be used temporarily as website owners transfer to more secure OV certificates in order to maintain a greater level of trust with their visitors.
A DV certificate is fine if you don’t need tighter security. However, fraudsters can manipulate DV certificates by fooling users into thinking that the website is legitimate.
As a result, the user could still enter their personal private information. If a high level of security is important to you and is necessary for your type of site, you will want to consider an organization-validated certificate (OV).
You may want to think about switching from a DV to an OV certificate if you have to do any of the following:
Have high-security protection for any sensitive data from users.
You want to include your official company name on the SSL certificate (this is something that is more trustworthy among users).
You want to communicate the fact that your site is a legitimate company, and does not engage in fraudulent hacking activities.
You’re planning on growing your business and need the additional power of higher security in order to do it.
When it comes to security, you can never be too careful. For those who want to get into the higher end of SSL certificates, using an organization-validated certificate could be for you.
Organization Validated CertificatesOrganization validated certificates require an applicant to be verified before they can acquire one. The certificate authority will contact you and verify that you own or control the domain name associated with the certificate by asking questions about how it’s registered and configured.
Organizations are typically better protected because you have to prove ownership or control over a DNS record, such as the website’s A record or SRV record (if using single-name or SAN SSL), and have it reflect the certificate’s details.
You can also add other records like MX or TXT to offer transparency and provide greater assurances that the domain’s owner is legitimate.
After going through this verification process, the certificate authority will issue an OV certificate, which is typically valid for one year and can be renewed at any time after that by following the same procedure.
It used to be that DV, OV, and EV SSL certificates were valid for two years, but this was changed to 1-year certificates on September 1, 2023.
The main protection that OV certificates offer that DV certificates don’t is the inability of fraudsters to obtain one. They cannot easily obtain OV certificates because their organization is not easily validated.
Extended Validation (EV) SSL CertificateAn EV SSL Certificate will cost quite a bit more than the above, depending on what kind of features you need. Discuss your needs with a trusted security auditor who can guide you through the process and make recommendations based on their knowledge and years of experience.
As a general guideline, if your site is using things like an account area or logins, an order process, or other highly sensitive areas, then you may want to go with an EV SSL certificate.
Most SSL certificates can be issued within 15 minutes to an hour after receiving the request, which means they are quick and easy to install. The more complex SSL certificates, however, may need the services of an SSL installation professional.
Considering that most popular browsers such as Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge will alert users whenever they encounter a site with an expired certificate or one that was issued using weak encryption strength (e.g., a 1024-bit key), it makes sense to get yourself secured by purchasing an SSL certificate from a trusted provider.
Reputable providers include companies like Comodo SSL, DigiCert, GeoTrust, GlobalSign, RapidSSL, and Thawte. The benefits of using SSL certificates from such trusted providers include the following:
Peace of mind knowing that your money is protected by leaders in SSL certificate security and backed up by strong support teams.
Fast, easy to install certificates that come with added features such as DV or DV Extended Validation (EV), which may be required for your business to grow.
Affordable prices on most available SSL certificate products (some under $200 at the time of writing), making it more affordable for small businesses without breaking the bank.
Easy-to-use software like Let’s Encrypt or DigiCert Installer, which makes installing your purchased certificate a lot easier than it would be otherwise.
Not all SSL certificates are created equally, however, and different types have varying levels of encryption, protection, and features.
Wildcard SSL CertificatesYou may also come across wildcard SSL certificates. These are issued with unlimited subdomains and typically cover a single domain name (@) or multiple top-level domains (www*.example.info).
For example, let’s say you wanted control over a site with the following domains:
Wildcard SSL certificates extend DV-issued SSLs by offering domain validation for multiple subdomains. This is great when you want to protect email and other sensitive accounts at your organization, but it typically costs more because of the added verification steps involved.
Certificate authorities will contact you about all of the domain names specified in your request and verify that you control each one before issuing a certificate. Before doing so, they’ll check their WHOIS database and make sure no other parties have registered those records.
They will also request proof that you own or control them from websites like Geotrust (which requires logging in to your administrative account).
You then receive a certificate for every unique second-level domain specified in your application, which usually lasts for about a year.
Why is an SSL Certificate So Important?According to Google’s Transparency Report, the following shows how the adoption of the HTTPS secure protocol has progressed worldwide since May 1, 2023, as per their “percentage of pages loaded over HTTPS in Chrome by platform” report:
On March 21, 2023, the pages loaded over just Chrome overall was 45%. On July 31, 2023, that number was 97%.
On March 21, 2023, the pages loaded over Chrome on Windows was 39%. On July 31, 2023, that number was 90%.
On March 21, 2023, the pages loaded over Chrome on Mac was 43%. On July 31, 2023, that number was 95%.
On March 21, 2023, the pages loaded over Chrome on Android was 29%. On July 31, 2023, that number was 94%.
Clearly, SSL certificate use and HTTPS usage have grown exponentially over the past decade.
Even though it’s in use primarily as a tie-breaker signal, if your site is still utilizing HTTP protocol, you may want to consider the switch. However, it’s not entirely necessary.
Common SSL AttacksSome of these types of attacks include:
Advanced Persistent Malware.
Man in the Middle Attacks.
SSL Renegotiation Attacks.
SSL/TLS Downgrade Attacks like:
Poodle Attacks.
Freak Attacks.
Logjam Attacks.
Drown Attacks.
TLS Truncation Attacks.
and plenty of others.
While I am not going to go into what these attacks are and how to perform them, we will look at how SSL helps protect the browser against a Man in the Middle Attack.
To understand more about how an SSL certificate protects you against certain types of attacks, let’s examine how this type of attack works and how an SSL certificate would (hypothetically) work in this situation.
What is a Man in the Middle Attack?This type of attack occurs when attackers end up interrupting any data transfer or existing conversation. They disguise themselves as both legitimate parties – the website sending the data, and the user receiving the data.
As a result of this disguise, they are able to find out exactly what information a website is receiving from a user.
Where Do SSL Certificates Come In?These certificates act as a shield between your website and the attacker. By providing such protection, your website can essentially be free of these types of attacks, and it will be more trusted to your users as a result.
SSL certificates also provide authentication capabilities, since they are digitally signed by the trusted third-party who issues them. Since an SSL certificate is installed on the webserver hosting the site, they can be used to secure URLs on that particular server.
By using this “shield” on your site, you protect yourself along with your users from prying eyes, making sure that their private data is secure so long as they continue to use your website.
And now you know why one of the SSL certificate symbols is that of a “shield” in addition to a padlock!
How Do You Plan on Implementing Security on Your Website?The big question is: What level of security do your users need?
If you have a site where passwords or orders will be entered, then a domain-validated SSL should be sufficient for now.
An EV certificate ensures that all data passed between visitors’ devices and yours can’t be compromised – and at a price that’s affordable for most businesses today.
When it comes to protecting users’ data online, these types of certificates are the most trusted by modern browsers and computing platforms.
Your website’s security is absolutely an important consideration, especially if you maintain ecommerce and other types of information-sensitive websites.
How do you plan on using an SSL certificate in your next website project?
More Resources:
3 Best Windows 10/11 Cryptocurrency Widgets For Your Website
3 best Windows 10/11 cryptocurrency widgets for your website
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If you haven’t been hiding a rock without an internet connection in the past few years, then you’ve probably heard about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other forms of cryptocurrencies.
Recently, cryptocurrencies have skyrocketed in both popularity and worth. People all over globe, especially from Japan and USA, have invested heavily into one or another cryptocurrency.
This isn’t surprising as in 2023 alone Bitcoin, the current king of cryptocurrency, has hit record highs with a %480 increase. Right now, Bitcoin is worth over $7,000. To put in perspective the rapidness of the rise of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin was worth only $1.00 in April 2011.
If you are an investor or soon-to-be investor of cryptocurrency, then it is essential to keep track of the various currencies. There are many apps, programs, and webpages that you can use to keep track of Bitcoin and other cryptos.
However, if you are an owner of a website, then you will want to add a Windows 10 cryptocurrency widget. These widgets can help you and your viewers keep track of your investment in a convenient way.
In this article we will discuss the best Windows 10 cryptocurrency widgets that you can use. However, first up, lets talk about the importance of keeping track of your cryptocurrency investments.
Why keeping track of your investments in cryptos is importantCryptocurrencies in particular are known to be highly volatile. This means that the crypto you’re investing in could be taking nose dives or soar to new heights at any given moment.
There are numerous tools that you can use to keep up to date on your cryptos. You can use anything from mobile applications to Google Sheets to help you determine the next directions your investments will take.
Perhaps, one of the best way to keep tabs on your crypto investments is to use a Windows 10 cryptocurrency widget.
Fortunately, there are numerous websites that offer free widget plugins and script coding that you only need to copy and paste into the HTML of your website. Here are 3 websites that offer some of the best Windows 10 cryptocurrency widgets.
Windows 10 cryptocurrency widgetschúng tôi is an amazing website that offers free script coding for a wide variety of widgets related to Bitcoin. Bitcoin currently has the highest value, so naturally most people will be interested in it.
In this website you will find widgets that will give you the latest Bitcoin news, active forums, news tickers, Mining pool hash rate, and of course price and charts. All of these features are not part of a single coding, which means they are divided into different widgets. You can easily choose what type of information you want to show on your website.
On the bottom of this web page, there are simple and clear instructions on how to add these widgets to your site. Of course, you will still need basic HTML editing skills in order to be able to add widgets.
Finally, you are also given instructions on how to personally customize the widgets. They give you coding information on how to change the widget’s color theme and how much information is displayed.
These Bitcoin widgets are amazing, but obviously you won’t find information about other cryptocurrencies by using them.
Expert tip:
You can choose literally any coin to compare with major currencies. For example, you can see how Ethereum is holding up against Bitcoin, USD, CNY, and even Gold. They also have a search option where you can find information about pretty much any cryptocurrency out there.
CryptoCompare also offers several different types of Widget settings that you can choose from. For instance, if you want to have a widget on your website that provides more information, then you will want to use the “Chart Advanced” widget setting.
On the other hand, you can try the “Header V2” Widget setting for a more minimalistic widget.
As you can see, the Widget Wizard from CryptoCompare is highly versatile and useful. All you have to do is find the ideal widget for your website and copy the coding to the website’s HTML.
ALSO READ: Best Windows 10 desktop gadgets to download
To access these Widgets that are built specifically for WordPress, you will have to pay a small fee and install a plugin. Obviously, if you built your website using WordPress, then this is probably the best way to get your hands on Widgets for your website. Apparently, you do not have to copy or edit any of HTML coding as the plugin they offer allows you to easily add the cryptocurrency widgets to your site.
Therefore, users do not need any technical skills to utilize these Widgets from CodeCanyon.
Once you buy and install the plugin, you will be able to edit and choose a widget template to your liking. Furthermore, the Widgets support up to 1500 cryptocurrencies so you shouldn’t have a problem finding the one you’ve invested in.
Conclusion
Cryptocurrencies are growing more and more popular with each passing year. Therefore, people are always on the look out for live price tickers of cryptos. While there are many applications and software that can display this information a Windows 10 cryptocurrency widget is perfect for a website. Use the tools from the websites mentioned above to not only keep you up to date, but also increase traffic to your website.
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