Tag Archive for: Web Design Aurora

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What Your Small Business Needs to Know About Local Cookies & 3rd Party Cookies

What your small business in Ontario needs to know about local cookies and 3rd party cookies - what are website cookies

It may feel like talk about GDPR and Cookies came out of nowhere, however, these have been ongoing major issues for a long time. Regulation is finally catching up with the ever-expanding online world. Learn what they are, what they do, and if you can block them. Here are the basics every small business owner in Ontario should know about Local Cookies and 3rd Party Cookies.

Know the Basics: What are Cookies and What Do They Do?

When we’re talking about website cookies, we’re not talking about the delicious chocolate chip variety. Cookies are used to track and remember website visitors. Technically speaking, cookies are tiny bits of code that are placed in the browser of your computer so that a specific website may remember your specific computer.

Local Cookies vs. 3rd Party Cookies

Cookies are split into local cookies and 3rd party cookies. I will explain the differences between both further on.

Local Cookies are cookies used on and by a specific website to enhance user experience.

They can have a variety of uses such as:

  • Remembering items in a Shopping cart (e-commerce)
  • Recording that you’ve already exited a pop-up and not to show it again
  • Tracking sitewide search results to show you similar products (e-commerce)
  • Analytics Data (most websites use an analytics tracking tool, we’ll talk more about this below)

3rd Parties use cookies to track visitors’ use of their apps or extensions. If you’ve ever watched a video on a website, YouTube or Vimeo has likely been tracking your cookies.  3rd Party Cookies include:

  • Video streaming services (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
  • Sound streaming services (Soundcloud, etc.)
  • Google Adsense (Google Ads)

Here is an example of Google Adsense’s Cookies description:

“AdSense uses cookies to improve advertising. Some common applications are to target advertising based on what’s relevant to a user, to improve reporting on campaign performance, and to avoid showing ads the user has already seen. Cookies themselves contain no personally identifiable information. Depending on the publisher’s and the user’s settings, information associated with cookies used in advertising may be added to the user’s Google Account.” – Source Google AdSense

Please keep in mind that to check your preferences, especially with search engines like Google & Bing and carefully choose which information to share.  The same goes for Social Media streams like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Can You Block Cookies?

While it is possible to block local cookies, less than 5% of users choose to.  Why? Because it makes using the Internet very difficult.  You will not be able to use any website that requires you to log in (Hotmail, Gmail, stores you may have an account with, etc.) as these websites all track your personal preferences to cater the experience to you specifically.

Blocking 3rd Party Cookies however is very simple and typically has no adverse effects. To block 3rd Party Cookies you will need to look up instructions specific to your Internet Browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.).

Do You Know What Information Your Small Business Website is Collecting?

As a small business owner, you really should know the answer to this question, however the answer is likely, no.  We may think about what information we provide to websites we visit, however we rarely think about what our own site may be collecting.

To see what information your websites collect, my clients can email me for a detailed report. Otherwise, you can use this free tool at your discretion. Keep in mind, it is likely tracking your information too! Here is a free Cookie Checker.

I hope this article helped shed some light on Cookies; what they are, how to block them and how to check if your small business website is using them.

For more tips like these you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter as well for more education and inspiration!

Deanna

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How to Check If an Email Is Spam

How to Check If an Email Is Spam

Part of my service offering is acting as a Virtual Administrator for my clients. This means being there when they need someone who is technically inclined.  It can be anything from consulting, training and also just helping them with day to day tasks and questions.

Spammers Are Getting Better

Last week, a client was sent an email from GoDaddy, who she does have an account with.  The email was designed exactly like a GoDaddy email. And the from address appeared as “support@godaddy.com”. The request in the email was the validate her email address, a simple request.

How to Check Hyperlinks Without Clicking

At first, everything looked like it was an official email from GoDaddy.

Until, I hovered over the “Validate Your E-Mail” button.  As you can see in the screenshot, the hyperlink connected to the button was NOT directed to GoDaddy, but to a WordPress website.

When in Doubt, Ask for Help

Needless to say, my client forwarded me the email and asked if it was legitimate. No matter the request, if my clients have a strange feeling about an email, I ask they send it for my review.

Common Things to Check if an Email is Spam

  • Spelling Errors
  • From Address
  • Customer Number
  • Visual Formatting
  • Hyperlinks

1. Spelling Errors

This is the easiest tell-tale sign of a spam email, and you can tell right away. If the subject line or any of the content has spelling/grammar mistakes – proceed with caution!

2. From Address

This used to be another easy one to check for spam, however now spammers can “mask” this address, as in this case.

3. Customer Number

If the email is legitimate, it should note your Full Name and/or Customer Number somewhere within the email.

4. Visual Formatting

If you have received emails from this source before and you notice that the formatting does not look consistent, it could be spam. It’s important to check for the header, footer and graphics.

5. Hyperlinks

If everything is lining up, and you’re still unsure if this is spam or not – hover your mouse over any buttons or links they are asking you to click.  Then if the link directs you to anywhere except the supposed domain, this email is spam.

If you have checked all the above items and you are still unsure, you can forward the email to your virtual administrator or IT support representative. You can also call support of the supposed company and ask them if an email was sent to you. Make sure you get their email off of the website directly!

Don’t forget to join the conversation online on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for even more tips.

Until next time,

Deanna

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Tag Archive for: Web Design Aurora