Many internet users think that if they only visit legitimate websites they need not worry about contracting malware (malicious software). Current statistics however unfortunately demonstrate that the operating system of every person with a PC is inevitably open to infection – there are 140 000 known viruses and 85 million spam emails sent out each day to the unsuspecting public. Virus removal is crucial, because not only can malware expose your personal details to criminals, it can severely damage the efficient functioning of your computer.

The following guide outlines the essential actions you need to take to keep your PC healthy and free from malicious software.

1 – Firewall protection

The first step in securing your computer is activating firewall security. A firewall operates like a protective shell surrounding your system that acts as a filter between you and the Internet. It identifies and blocks suspect software from entering, while allowing above board information to pass through. Some operating systems such as Windows XP have an inbuilt firewall which can be switched on and adjusted in your security settings. If you don’t have this protection already installed, make sure to get one.

2 – Antivirus software

Viruses can enter your computer system in sneaky ways that your firewall cannot pick up and block, such as through downloaded files and emails (even those from trusted friends may be infected). They work internally to undermine your PC’s operating system through replication, so that even your legitimate files become corrupted. Sound antivirus software will scan for these types of infections and delete them before they can compromise your PC.

3 – Anti spyware software

Current research has shown that 9 out of 10 computers are infected by spyware, it is the most common form of malicious software affecting Internet users. The purpose of spyware is for unsolicited and aggressive marketing activities – it causes annoying advertising popups, can redirect your PC to suspect websites and in its worst form can even monitor your every key stroke so that criminals gain access to sensitive private information. Spyware and adware can sometimes enter your computer system undetected by antivirus software. For this reason the experts in computer security recommend you have both antivirus and antispyware software installed.

4 – Password protection

From Trojans to spyware, there is a frightening amount of malicious software designed by criminals to gain access to your private information. Because of this, it’s important to both change your passwords fairly regularly, as well as to make them harder to guess at. Try to keep passwords at least 7 characters long with a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters and numbers.

5 – Email safety

Emails give hackers and spammers direct access to your PC, so it’s essential to make sure your emailing software provides secure scanning of all attachments and clear filtering of spam. Always be cautious of email attachments – 90% of viruses enter your PC through this method so make sure you know the sender before opening them. Another thing to be aware of is that under no circumstances should you ever respond to emails asking for your financial and personal information – no legitimate company would approach you with such a compromising security request.

6 – Web browser security

Hackers regularly target weak security cracks in browsers or their plug-ins to enter your computer system and infect it with malicious software without your knowledge. Since the Internet Explorer browser is generally the most susceptible to this, if you’re using IE it’s a good idea to change your security settings from ‘default’ to ‘high’ for extra filtering. You might want to consider a different browser option that has less of a reputation for virus attacks, such as Mozilla Firefox or Opera.

7 – Downloading caution

Free internet downloads are often suspect – you have to ask yourself how the supplier benefits from offering something for nothing. The fact is that spammers disguise malicious software, from viruses to spyware, within the free programs they offer. Once you allow the download, the infection has permission to bypass your firewall and antivirus software. Also bear in mind that if you download peer-to-peer files, they should always be scanned by your PC security software to make sure they’re not infected.

8 – Software updates

Software updates include identification of new malware for your PC to guard against. As different malware is constantly being created, it’s important to keep current software that recognises fresh variations and prevents them from slipping though your security measures. The majority of viruses are concentrated on the Windows platform, so if this is what you use it’s a good idea to run automatic updates for new Windows XP patches when released by Microsoft.

The above preventative steps will significantly increase the ability of your PC to keep itself protected from infection. Reliable and comprehensive antivirus software is crucial, so when shopping around it’s highly advisable to do your research and make sure it ticks all the right boxes for full proof security.

Michael Preston – IT Consultant and expert in virus removal.

While general internet marketing strategies will certainly help promote your retail store, there are some unique marketing ideas that can help propel you right past your competition, many of whom don’t even have a web presence.

First, you should make use of all the general Internet marketing strategies: set up a website, get links to it from as many sites as possible, submit it to search engines (especially local search engines like Google Local and Yahoo Local), and generally promote it in every place and on everything you can. Once this is done, it is time to look at the more specialized marketing a retail store can do.

Most of your walk-in clients are going to be familiar with the products you sell, and chances are many of them will already be regular customers. Your online campaign, then, is not really aimed at people who already shop at your store.

Instead you want to attract new business. For small brick and mortar retail stores, the goal should probably be to go from being a strictly local business to a regional or even national business. This is not as crazy as it sounds, because retail stores have a huge advantage over service-oriented businesses. While most services require the customer to be nearby, a retail business can usually can send products to customers no matter where they live.

To do this, you will need a shopping cart system like the ones used by Amazon.com or the major online department stores. Shopping carts allow customers to select which of your products they want, decide the quantity, and enter their shipping and payment information. The capability of buying and selling goods and services online is often referred to as e-commerce.

One major note about e-commerce needs to be made here: you must have a completely secure payment system before you start selling products online. The last thing you want is for someone to have their credit card information stolen.

Shopping cart systems are available for purchase from many software companies, and there are even some great open source solutions, which means they are free. There are also online services that provide robust e-commerce solutions, often integrated with email services and extensive tracking and reporting tools.

Besides e-commerce, you can also use the Internet to promote your brick-and-mortar retail store by offering online coupons and other Internet only promotions. Run an online sale, offer free shipping for orders over a certain amount, or give the first 100 buyers a free promotional item.

People love getting something for nothing, and many will visit your online store just for the special bonus. This gives you the additional benefit of getting your visitor’s contact information so you can follow up via email and postal mail. Just be sure visitors know they will be receiving information, and always provide a way for them to unsubscribe from your email list.

All of these ideas will help you use the Internet to promote your brick-and-mortar store, while bringing you new customers and providing information and services to the customers you already have. So go for it. Get your website up and running and watch your products sail off the shelves!

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com
About the Author
Ricardy Banks is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Internet Advertising Solutions http://www.bestsearchestate.info , Travel http://www.airlinestravel.info and Debt Consolidation http://www.loan-shopping.info

First and foremost, content needs to be written to draw in the reader and effectively describe the product or service you are selling, leading the user to a purchase decision – if you don’t accomplish this in your copy, then what is the point of having a website?

Understanding the nature of your audience is the most important part of this, and conducting online market research may lead your website’s copy in a direction you never expected. Discovering which variations of your target keywords will bring the appropriate audience to your site is critical.

Weaving those terms into copy that satisfies the needs of your business while speaking clearly to your audience is not an easy task, but an acquired skill.

Secondarily, how content is written determines where a website appears in relation to its true competition. For example, a search on “resume scanning” might lead to many useful articles for job searchers about how resumes are now scanned electronically. Yet, if your product is “resume scanning software” you do not necessarily need to be included in those results, unless competing products also exist there and the target audience is in fact searching for just “resume scanning”.

Content writing can be one of the most difficult parts of search engine marketing. You need to write to please both the search engines and your website’s audience. A good Search Engine Marketer (SEM) will understand his or her target audience. A great way to understand your targets audience’s nature, you can conduct online market research. Doing thorough research can bring valuable information such as the keywords that you as an SEM needs to be targeting. When writing your content these keywords need to be weaved into it while still focusing on the purpose on the content.
When it comes to content writing the first thing you need to keep in mind is that your audience needs to be drawn in.

The content needs to be interesting, descriptive and it needs to lead the audience to a purchase decision.
How your content is written can affect how your website appears in relation to its competition. To search engines such as Google, the content of your website is very important. You can no longer just pummel your content with one specific keyword to try fooling search engines into listing your website higher in its rankings. Many search engines now search your copy for relevancy, making their results more valuable to users.

Another useful byproduct of writing quality content for visitors is that if they like it, they will link to it. This will result in the page (and the site) climbing even higher in the search engines’ rankings.

In the end it is your website visitors that you should write for and not the search engines. Search engines are looking to please their users and so should you.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com
About the Author
Jai Patel writes about SEO, SEM and search engine optimization http://www.albaengine.com