Turn Left - Web Development, Hosting and Marketing Expertise for Banks and Credit Unions

Good Security on Banking Site No Match for Poor Security Elsewhere

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:25:18 -0500

Marc Rapport's advice in his article at CUTimes.com is a good reminder that even high-caliber security like MemberProtect provides is cannot protect bank and credit union user's who don't exercise good judgment when managing their online identities.

New Bugat Malware Aimed at Banking Websites to Steal Customer Data

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:06:23 -0500

Security researchers have recently discovered a new black market malware application specifically targeting banking websites that offer ACH and wire transfer services. Similar to its popular counterparts Zeus and Clampi, Bugat works by harvesting logon, RBA and PIN credentials from infected users' machines, among other things. Most bank and credit union websites have few defenses against this type of malware application, but the latest versions of MemberProtect can help to render Trojan horse applications like Bugat ineffective.

Google Will Now Alert You if Your Website Has Been Hacked

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:58:12 -0500

For some time now Google has warned its search users if your site contains malware or other dangerous code. Unfortunately, they did not provide any notification to webmasters of the hacked sites. This meant that website owners usually learned of hacking issues from their customers or site visitors. Not only can that be embarrassing for site owners, but it can also have a severe impact on sales and lead to potential identify theft, especially on banking websites.

Well, now I have good news, especially for banks, credit unions, retail e-commerce and other website owners for whom security and quick response to website hacks is of utmost concern. According to Google's Webmaster blog, Google will now notify webmasters when Googlebot has detected that a website has been hacked.

Code Optimization A Factor in Google Search Rankings Yet?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:56:56 -0500

If you've worked with us on a web development or SEO project, then you've undoubtedly heard us preach the benefits of code optimization. Not only does lightweight, well-optimized code reduce development, troubleshooting and on-going maintenance costs, but front-end code optimization can improve user experience as well by, among other things, reducing page load times.

There has been buzz for the past few months that Google may give developers another benefit to optimizing code for fast page loading - search engine rankings.

Modern Take on Keynesian and Austrian Economic Theory

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:31:54 -0500

I liked this innovative approach to showcasing the root fundamentals of the economic theories of Hayek and Keynes. I was also impressed that they shot the video for this on a Canon 7D digital SLR. Give it a look, it'll take you back to all the good memories you have of college econ lectures.

Personalization More Important Than Ever When Banks Communicate with Customers

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:26:02 -0500

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston's post today titled When "Customer Service" Letters Undercut Bankers should remind us of the importance of personalizing communications to banking customers.

Using Google Reader to Monitor Competitor Websites for Changes

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:15:39 -0500

Unless you have the luxury of having no competitors, then you probably have at least some interest in keeping tabs on your competition. For example, perhaps you're a banker and want to stay abreast of your competitor's mortgage interest rates. But what's the easiest way to do that? If your competitor offers a rate notification service, you could sign up for that and just wait for the emails to arrive. If they don't offer that service, then you could periodically remember to visit their website to veiw rates. But there's a faster, easier way you can keep tabs on not only their rates, but any other changes they make to their website. I'll explain in this screen cast how to use Google Reader to monitor your competitor's website in a way that will automatically notify you anytime content changes.

Ally Bank Provides Good Example of Straightforward Twitter Use to Engage & Serve Customers

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:01:17 -0500

One of the most popular questions we've fielded from our clients over the past twelve months has been, "How do we use Facebook and Twitter effectively?" While can provide many strategies that vary by client, a real-world example speaks volumes. Ally Bank provides just such an example.

Calculating Website ROI for Banks and Credit Unions

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:34:42 -0500

For over 10 years we have worked with banks and credit union managers to design and implement online banking, internet & e-mail marketing, customer service and website solutions. In many instances, prior to our work with the organization, they had few metrics by which they measured their website's return on investment (ROI). To help our prospective clients establish a starting point for measuring ROI, we created an online Bank and Credit Union Website ROI Calculator.

Banks and Credit Unions Missing Opportunities by Not Implementing Live Chat on Websites

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:23:48 -0500

With so many users turning to the Internet for their banking activities, it's disappointing how few small banks and credit unions offer customers a live chat communication channel on their public facing websites. Live chat results in significant cost savings versus telephone support. Live chat also increases a bank or credit union's ability to convert visitors into new customers. Given these and other benefits, I'm consistently surprised at the two reasons managers most commonly give for not implementing live chat.

How Credit Unions and Banks Could Use Social Networking More Effectively

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:59:17 -0500

The CEO of a mid-sized credit union in Michigan called me to ask advice on how best to use Facebook as part of his credit union's marketing strategy. He wanted to know the benefit of having a Facebook page and how it would actually benefit his bottom line. He was skeptical of the value that social media offered his organization and wondered if I thought his skepticism was justified. He said my answer was helpful to his decision whether to move forward, so I thought the information might also help other bank and credit union executives in evaluating whether to use social media.

Internet Evolution Magazine Spotlights InetSolution in Discussion of Website ROI

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:03:56 -0500

Internet Evolution magazine has spotlighted InetSolution in an article today discussing the increasing interest in measuring website ROI on websites, especially those banking and other websites that are not traditional e-commerce websites.

Comparing Changes in Word Documents Using Google Docs

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:29:29 -0500

Yesterday one of my clients called to ask me for help comparing two versions of a legal document in Microsoft Word. He had sent a legal contract to someone who subsequently edited and returned the document, but without any indication of the changes made. Word does have a feature to allow you to compare two revisions of a document to find the changes, but some people find it clunky to use. I suggested an easier method that even a computer novice can do using the free Google Docs application.

Why Your Products May Not Appear in Google Shopping Search Results - Answer

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:17:36 -0500

In my previous post I shared a cry for help from someone who asked why products from his Google Base Feed were not showing up in the Google Shopping search results. The answer was obvious to me only because I'd encountered this exact situation several times before, but it's a common mistake that many people (including me) make, especially when starting out with Google Base feeds.

Why Your Products May Not Appear in Google Shopping Search Results

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:25:49 -0500

Today someone asked me for help to figure out why products from his e-commerce store have stopped appearing in Google Shopping search results. He has been submitting a product feed to Google Base for over a year and until recently, he generated a significant amount of traffic and sales from Google Shopping clicks. He had successfully validated his feed format and confirmed that it contained the required parameters. With one look at his feed format, I knew exactly why he his products had stopped showing up in Google Shopping results.