Previously, we talked about the dangers and potential financial losses from a malware attack, which included being blacklisted by search engines. Apart from harming your business, malware can also harm your customers, lower your SEO rankings and damage your reputation:
Loss of SEO Ranking and Reputation:
Search engines keep information on websites that are infected with malware, and Google will drop your site from the index. A “warning’ also appears on search results alerting users that your site may be hacked. Your customers will steer clear of you, especially if their computers are infected by your website, and as a result your reputation can be severely damaged. Your hard-earned SEO rankings will drop and it may take weeks, or even months, to climb back up the SEO ladder.
Illegitimate Links and Information Theft:
Another issue with malware is that it can install illegitimate links on your website and direct the traffic from your site to theirs. Customers will end up on a totally different site, which is usually rather ‘distasteful’. Some malware will also infect your visitors’ computers, stealing confidential and sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card data. This can also lead to more headaches, such as identity theft, or worse yet, long term legal issues that will cost you a fortune.
Close to 10,000 websites get blacklisted from malware infection daily, so it’s not a matter of whether your site gets hacked nowadays, it’s a matter of when your site will be hacked! You may think it won’t happen to you, but malware is often circulated by legitimate websites – some 90% of the time!
You might think, I have a small business, hackers won’t bother with me! Well, hackers actually like to target small to medium size businesses, because they usually don’t have security measures in place. Criminals are very capable of finding weaknesses in your website to place the malware. So, how do you know if your website is compromised what can you do to protect yourself and your clients?
- Use Google Chrome to search and visit your website, and check if there’s a warning of malware. You can also check by using this link- http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=(insert your website here)
- Your website designer or developer can also help you check for malware, and update the platform that you are using to strengthen your website’s security. It is a misconception that you will be protected through just hosting or firewalls.
Still unsure if your website is safe and secure? Don’t take chances! Concept Designs and Marketing can help. We have malware protection services that will scan your website daily to detect any suspicious activity, and promptly remove any ‘unwelcomed’ malware, giving you peace of mind and saving you thousands of dollars from harmful damage.
