Global School - Blogs

Is My Website Secure?

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:33:00 +0000

In June 2004, Iacovos Zachariades, President and CEO of Global Reach Internet Productions, published an article in B2B Insights entitled “Is Your Website Really Secure?” In this article, he explains the importance of having a properly installed SSL certificate for all websites.

This article proved to be a sign of things to come as 15 years later, encrypting your website with HTTPS is as important as ever, and has become the new norm in website development. For example, Google is reporting that over 80 of the top 100 websites now use HTTPS by default.

Further proof of the importance of encryption is that the Google Chrome browser has been displaying HTTP pages as “Not secure” in the navigation bar itself.

For an in-depth explanation of how an SSL certificate works and how it benefits your business, the team at Global Reach has composed this helpful video:

Since 1995, Global Reach Internet Productions has been helping clients resolve issues related to website development, hosting, design and internet marketing.

If your website is not secure or you have a question about obtaining an SSL certificate, don’t hesitate to contact a specialist today.

Recently Launched Websites | January 2019

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:30:00 +0000

At Global Reach, we take pride in connecting our clients with web solutions that meet their unique needs. Whether that means a quick, cost-efficient template or a tailor-made solution with top-of-the-line design and state-of-the-art functionality, we work rigorously to ensure our clients get everything they need from their website.

Find out what we've been up to this month! Take a look at some of our most recent work below:

Unis Parts and Services (Opens in a new window)

Iowa College Access Network (ICAN Succeed) (Opens in a new window)

Stellar Performance (Opens in a new window)

SiteViz Offers New Accessibility Checking Tool & Enhanced Photo Editing Features!

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:28:00 +0000

At Global Reach, we are always working to make sure our content management systems offer the best possible experience when it comes to editing your website. That's why we will be releasing an update to the SiteViz Premier content editor this week that will improve the way you create content throughout your website. This improved content editor will build on the ease of use that SiteViz Premier clients are already familiar with, but will also provide some additional features designed to improve experience.

New Photo Editor Features

In an effort to allow our clients to be able to have more detailed control over their photos, the upgraded editor features an image tool with advanced settings. The Styles field allows you to add refined styles; for instance, you can now specify different levels of padding on either side of your image. The Stylesheet Classes field allows you to add any classes that our design team has designed specifically for your website.

Web Content Accessibility Checker

Perhaps the most noteworthy update that comes with this new editor is the Accessibility Checker. In the past year, Web Content Accessibility has become very important for websites. Updating a website to be in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requires three steps:

Updating the underlying code of the website to be compliant
Making sure all of the colors used on the website have enough contrast so that users with visual impairments are able to read them
Updating the actual content of the website to be compliant.

This last item is in fact the most time consuming portion of making a website WCAG compliant. It also requires a lot of work from our clients, as they need to develop an ongoing commitment to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in order to ensure they maintain compliance as they edit or add new content to their website. While we train clients on how to maintain WCAG compliance themselves, these rules can be tricky to remember. Because of this, we wanted to provide a tool that would look for basic problems within your text and help you correct them. The new accessibility checker will review the content in the editor and notify you of items that are missing elements that would improve accessibility. For instance, if you are using an image on the page, but have not entered alt text for that image, the accessibility checker will notify you of this and provide a convenient way to add that text.

While this accessibility scanner does not detect the wide range of issues that we correct when we make a website fully compliant, it will be a helpful tool for you to use, either to maintain compliance on your website, or to help you be aware of what content might be difficult for some users to access.

If you have any questions about this new editor, or would like information about making your website fully WCAG Compliant, please contact us!

New Hires | May 2017

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:27:00 +0000

Global Reach is excited to welcome Vanessa Van Gorp! She will be joining our team as a part-time graphic designer.

Prior to joining Global Reach, Vanessa worked at an internship at a small design agency in Rock Valley, Iowa, where she gained experience in WordPress, SEO, and print design. Vanessa is a native Iowan, growing up in Pella, and recently graduating from Dordt College with a B.A. in Graphic Design. She currently lives in Altoona with her husband, and they will be celebrating their one year anniversary this month.

Outside of work, she enjoys riding her bicycle, reading books, exploring the city with her husband, and browsing Pinterest for DIY projects and new recipes. Although she has never traveled abroad, she hopes to explore Europe one day.

At Global Reach, she is looking forward to the collaborative design process and learning from other people. Please join us in welcoming Vanessa to our team!

What Can We Learn from Pokemon Go?

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:25:00 +0000

It started with a low-profile launch, but within days, Pokemon Go became one of the most popular mobile apps of all time. Pokémon Go has enticed people of all ages to get out of the house and into their communities, scouring the outdoors in search of friendly, imaginary monsters.

Love it or hate it, Pokemon Go's influence doesn't stop at mobile gaming. Such an immensely successful experience holds lessons for anyone looking to have an impactful website.

Simplicity & Fun

Pokemon Go is easy to sign up for and easy to play. The interface is bright, clean, and simple. When you open the app, the first thing you see is the gameworld map - you're immediately ready to play!

Website owners can take a cue from Pokemon Go by learning to get out of their users' way and make their website easy to use.

Prioritize the content most important to your users.
Reduce the number of steps needed to complete important tasks such as signing up, making a purchase, or registering for events.

Local Engagement

All of the action of Pokemon Go happens exactly where users physically are. This total commitment to location-based personalization makes the game fun, and also creates the potential for strong synergy between the game, local businesses, and the user.

How can we as website owners reap those same benefits? Amplify your online business with local engagement.

Partner with organizations in your community for special events.
Cross promote your website with other businesses in your area.
Use social media to connect local happenings with online content.

Consider All Types of Users

Despite Pokemon Go's incredible popularity, it isn't perfect. But we can learn from its mistakes. For example, there are plenty of Pokemon critters to be found in bigger cities and suburbs, but the developers didn't consider how the game would be played in rural areas where Pokemon and Pokestops (where players procure necessary in-game items) are scarce. Without Pokemon to catch or the items needed to do so, the experience for more isolated players is lacking.

We can avoid the same pitfall if we are sure to consider usability for all of our users. Does your website work for everyone?

Users on mobile devices?
Users with slow internet connections?
Users with disabilities?

Inspiration for great website design and development can come from anywhere! Interested in a consultation for functional design, online marketing, or accessibility? Global Reach is ready to help you with your online evolution.

Accept Payments via SiteViz Premier's Submission Forms Module!

jane@gripdev.com (Global School) — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 15:23:00 +0000

Global Reach is announcing another enhancement to SiteViz Premier which allows for the processing of online payments using the submission forms module. Introducing the new and improved Submission Forms Module with Payments! The extremely valuable ‘Payments’ feature is immediately available as an add-on to any SiteViz Premier website.

With this new feature configured, the process of accepting payments is as simple as creating a multi-step submission form. Accept a simple transaction or allow your visitors to complete multiple choices to generate the final total before checkout. Once the ‘Payments’ add-on is enabled, we’ll help you with the setup and provide you the necessary training to get you started.

Interested in collecting online payments through your website?