Podcasts about cctlds

As the internet becomes more integral to economic development, cultural diplomacy, and public governance, there may be strategic value in having custom generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Active participants in the global Internet Governance space, Lance Hinds and Carlton Samuels, are back to discuss ICANN's New gTLD Program: Next Round, which is currently open. The conversation covered, among other things:    *  the difference between country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and gTLDs;   *  the current state of use of ccTLDs in the Caribbean region;   *  the New gTLD Program and the benefits that could be realised; and   *  the challenges to Caribbean countries and organisations to apply for new custom gTLDs.   The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)       Enjoyed the episode?  Do rate the show and leave us a review!       Also, connect with us on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/   Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/   Twitter –  https://twitter.com/ICTPulse   LinkedIn –  https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/   Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj    Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez ----------------

Welcome to "Cutting Edge: Web Content Development". In this episode, host Jonathan Ames interviews Jimmy Griffith, head of search, and Chloe Kane, SEO content writer at The Luxurist Method. They share valuable insights on international SEO, discussing strategies for language optimization, localization, and link building in global markets.

(Aired March 14, 2024) Rage Against The Levine - Get into the minds of the Sherpas with this DomainSherpa Review! In this show, The Sherpas play The Domain Game (starting at the 22:55 mark), where they guess what certain domains were bought and sold for by the Sherpas and discuss the reasons behind their evaluations. Today's domains are APC.net, Portage.id, and KYC.me. They discuss Bitcoin and altcoins. The Sherpas review a list of domains about to come up for auction on NameJet.com, including Wolfs.com, EliminateDebt.com, TravelBug.com, and Booyah.com. The Sherpas talk a about investing in ccTLDs, managing domain inventory, and domain pricing. Also, DomainSherpa is now integrating with Muse.ai for episode transcripts and an AI-driven video player to easily look for topics, words, phrases, etc., and jump to the points in the video where they occur. Let us know your feedback! Plus, all DomainSherpa podcasts are now up on our YouTube channel at DS.tv and much more! JT is joined by Drew, Shane, and Mark Levine - so be sure to tune in!!

(Aired March 7, 2024) DomainSherpa – Down The Rabbit Hole – March 7, 2024: NameJet, SnapNames & the Domain Aftermarket As we say on DomainSherpa - all roads lead to domains. And in the reverse, domains has us venturing "down the rabbit hole" into different topics all the time. This is a tech-adjacent, digital asset, pop-culture, tangent-positive monthly podcast - with some domains stuff thrown into the mix for good measure. In this episode, JT is joined by Drew, Matt Overman of Identity Digital, and Mike White of Newfold Digital to discuss the domain name aftermarket. Mike manages NameJet and Snapnames on behalf of Newfold, Matt and JT were both previous GMs of NameJet, and Drew was one of NameJet's power users in the past and they all dive into the platform and how it operates in the domain aftermarket ecosystem. They also discuss the domain name lifecycle, different types of inventory on the platforms, how ccTLDs and gTLDs operate in the aftermarket, and a whole lot more! So, tune in and jump down the rabbit hole with the Rabbit Hole Gang!

This episode contains: We're recording just after Valentine's Day. Sorry, we didn't get you anything, EXCEPT FOR THIS PODCAST! Ben was a bit disappointed in Valentine's Day this year... he's also working on "not wasting his midlife crisis." He chats about layoffs and opportunities and productivity, but Steven thinks that perhaps Ben's having a midlife revelation. Ben's reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. Steven and Devon have been managing democracy in HELLDIVERS 2. Devon doesn't know how to define video games, or perhaps he knows too much how to define video games. HELLDIVERS is pretty much the video game equivalent of Starship Troopers, with all the satire involved. Steven also really enjoyed Blue Eyed Samurai on Netflix. Not science fiction, but it's worth your time. Guess what? Ben's dental company had a major data breach. It's time to freeze your credit FOR FREE at the following addresses to to avoid ID theft: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/ https://service.transunion.com/dss/login.page https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html Unless you're planning on taking out a new credit card or buying anything in the next few days, you should freeze your credit. If they are asking you for money, you're in the wrong place. It took Ben 15 minutes to do it, big thanks to password managers. Ben is now the Credit Score Fairy.   This Week on the Internet: Not all TLDs are Created Equal. In light of the recent cancellation of the queer.af domain registration by the Taliban, the fragile and difficult nature of country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) has once again been comprehensively demonstrated. When the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, it fell foul of the EU's rules for the registration of domains under the “eu” ccTLD. To register (and maintain) a domain name ending in .eu, you have to be a resident of the EU. When the UK ceased to be part of the EU, residents of the UK were no longer EU residents, and lost their .eu domain names. Also, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukranian Vice Prime Minister asked ICANN to suspend ccTLDs associated with Russia. While ICANN said that it wasn't going to do that (they should change their name to ICANT), because it wouldn't do anything useful, some domain registrars (the companies you pay to register domain names) ceased to deal in Russian ccTLDs, and some websites restricted links to domains with Russian ccTLDs. Generic TLDs (gTLDs) like .com, .net, .gov and other really cool new gTLDs like .rocks, .ninja, and .supplies are far better to register. https://www.hezmatt.org/~mpalmer/blog/2024/02/13/not-all-tlds-are-created-equal.html   This Week in Space: Tiny moon of Saturn holds young ocean beneath icy shell. Saturn's moon Mimas harbors a global ocean beneath its icy shell, discovered through analysis of its orbit by Cassini spacecraft data. This ocean formed just 5-15 million years ago, making Mimas a prime candidate for studying early ocean formation and potential for life. This discovery suggests life-essential conditions might exist on seemingly inactive moons, expanding our search for life beyond Earth. Guess where else we've discovered oceans? Devon says "Earth." Ben knows he got that info from SeaQuest DSV. Saturns rings may have always been there for us, but what have they done for us lately? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207120512.htm   Patreon-only mid-pod: Ben has changed his note taking game, using Obsidian. Steven has rewatched Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Will X-Men 97 be terrible or radical?   Science Fiction Book Club: This week we're doing a spoiler-filled review of the novella Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin. An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet's finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out eons ago. After all this time, there's no telling how they've devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49669410-emergency-skin TLDR: Ben and Steven loved it, but Devon was a little lukewarm and wished it was longer and more nuanced. Next week in the Science Fiction Book Club we'll discuss Randomize by Andy Weir. Get it for free if you have Amazon Prime and be informed for next week's discussion: https://www.amazon.com/Randomize-Forward-collection-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B07VDJBKNJ

CENTR, the association of European country code top-level domain registries (ccTLDs), yesterday hosted an event on access and cybersecurity, where speakers discussed the role of the internet infrastructure actors such as ccTLDs registries in online security, stability, and resilience. Entitled 'Access & Cybersecurity: streamlining end-users' experience in accessing a safe and secure European domain space', the event brought together speakers and audience members from EU institutions, stakeholders in the internet space, and CENTR's membership. The discussion revolved around how to strike the balance between the cybersecurity of infrastructure and user safety online, while maintaining an easy access to the space. The discussion explored the role country-code top-level domains play in this and how industry and policymakers can continue to work together to address these issues going forward. Pearse O'Donohue, Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission, said, "At the European Commission we are fervently committed to the multistakeholder model, and continued discussion with trusted experts from the industry and the wider DNS community is crucial in order for policy makers to create legislation that is implementable and proportionate. We must work together to make sure that those who are acting in bad faith don't undercut those who are playing by the rules". Peter Vergote, Legal & Corporate Affairs Manager at .be registry DNS Belgium said, "The success of ccTLDs lies in the trust of our users. By aligning at European level we can provide users with a secure online space that has minimal abuse and maximum safety. We must focus on the sustainable growth of our industry and help users identify and avoid less reliable players". Kristian Ørmen, Vice President Registry Services of .se registry Internetstiftelsen, added, "We have an important educational responsibility as a community and as authorities. By increasing the awareness of citizens, users, law enforcement, policy makers, and the internet community as a whole, we can ensure greater safety online for everyone". The first of its kind for CENTR, the event took place as a complementary discussion to CENTR's 70th Legal and Regulatory workshop of 7th February, which gathers CENTR members from across Europe to share insights on compliance and implementation of cybercrime-related legislation. It launches a series of events which will delve into CENTR's principles 'Towards a Stronger Internet: Principles for the Next Digital Decade', the association's proposed framework for safeguarding Europe's digital future in the decade ahead. Polina Malaja, Policy Director at CENTR, noted, "We are delighted to have been able to host this event on the occasion of our members gathering in Brussels for our Legal and Regulatory workshop. This was a unique opportunity to discuss the intricacies of how the internet infrastructure and EU institutions can work together to protect users online, while maintaining reliable access to secure and safe domain space in Europe. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Thanks to the growing prominence of Artificial intelligence (AI), .ai, the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Anguilla has experienced an exponential increase in the take-up of .ai domains. However, Caribbean countries have not been aggressive in increasing the take-up and use of their ccTLDs, though there are numerous opportunities to be had. With longstanding players in the global Internet Governance space, Lance Hinds, of Guyana, and Carlton Samuels, of Jamaica, we discuss:    *  the benefits of using ccTLDs;   *  why some countries enjoy a large number of active ccTLDs;   *  reasons why Caribbean countries have not sought to foster greater use of their ccTLDs; and    *  ways in which Caribbean countries can increase the attractiveness and consequently the value of their ccTLDs.   The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)    Enjoyed the episode?  Do rate the show and leave us a review!     Also, connect with us on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/  Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/  Twitter –  https://twitter.com/ICTPulse  LinkedIn –  https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/  Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj    Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez   ---------------- Also, Sponsorship Opportunities! The ICT Pulse Podcast is accepting sponsors! Would you like to partner with us to produce an episode of the podcast, or highlight a product or service to our audience? Do get in touch at info@ict-pulse.com with “Podcast Sponsorship” as the subject, or via social media @ictpulse, for more details.   _______________

Episode 171 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of July 24-28, 2023.1. Google and Microsoft Ad Revenue Up: What Does This Mean for Marketers? - Google and Microsoft both reported strong earnings for Q2 2023, with ad revenue growth outpacing overall revenue growth. Google's ad revenue was up 3.3% year-over-year (revenue increased by $1.85 billion from the previous year, while YouTube ad revenue was $7.67 billion, up from $7.34 billion in 2022), while Microsoft's ad revenue was up 8%. Google's ad revenue growth was driven by growth in Search and YouTube. Microsoft's ad revenue growth was driven by growth in Bing and LinkedIn. LinkedIn's overall revenue increased by $197 million, driven by stronger interest in its Talent Solutions recruitment offerings. But LinkedIn saw a decline in overall ad spend in the most recent period, though Microsoft also reduced its overall marketing spend to offset this. On another front, LinkedIn is also still reporting that it has 202M+ users in United States.Based on LinkedIn's reports from earlier this year, is that the platform has seen A 22% increase in views of updates in the main feed year-over-year A 25% increase in public conversations in the app YoY Newsletter creation increased 10X in 2022 What you really need to know, however, is who of your target audience is active in the app, and for that, you can use LinkedIn's Audience insights, and/or your company page analytics, to glean more info on your specific active audience. Taking into account that LinkedIn is seeing ‘record levels' of engagement, these types of data notes can help to inform your strategy, and reach the people that are engaging with your business.2. Meta's Ad Revenue Up 12% In Q2 - Meta's ad revenue increased by 12% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the year-earlier period, surpassing expectations.Advertising revenue for Q2 2023 was $31.5 billion compared to $28.2 billion in the same period in 2022. This success helped drive total Meta revenue to grow 11% year-on-year from $28.8 billion in Q2 2022 to $32 billion in Q2 2023.Meta's Q2 2023 performance also showed impressive growth in user engagement. Facebook's daily active user count increased by 5% to reach 2.06 billion. The number of monthly active users was 3.03 billion, up 3% year-on-year. The “family of apps” category, which includes Instagram and WhatsApp, saw a 7% year-over-year rise in daily active users, totalling 3.07 billion. The number of monthly active users in this category also increased by 6% to 3.88 billion. This is the first time that Meta has achieved double-digit growth since the fourth quarter of 2021, with much of its strong performance driven by growth in ad revenue. This sends a clear message that digital advertising is bouncing back after it took a setback due to the economic downturn. Now, forecasters are predicting increased ad spend for later on in the year, which will create more opportunities for marketers.3. Google: DSA And GDA Advertisers Should Upgrade To Performance Max - Google announced two voluntary upgrades to Performance Max for Dynamic Search (DSA) and Google Display (GDA) advertisers. The AI-driven platform optimizes performance across channels by allowing users to customize their inputs, making it more responsive to individual business needs. Advertisers have seen an average increase of 15% – 20% in conversions after upgrading to a unified campaign strategy.One of the recent enhancements in Performance Max prevents your campaign from serving ads on traffic related to certain brands. This would offer more control over search results. Advertisers can now specify landing page URLs or exclude certain URLs at the campaign level, offering greater customization via brand settings.Performance Max customizes your entire Search ad to match consumer intent better using automatically created assets. These automatic assets will soon appear in the asset reporting table, giving users more control. Performance Max also simplifies the implementation of audience strategies through goals directly integrated into the campaign, like new customer acquisition. Google plans to add re-engagement goals in Performance Max later this year to help retain existing customers. Instead of manually managing complex user lists and exclusions, Google will automatically distinguish between new and existing customers.Although voluntary, the self-upgrade process is highly recommended to start with Performance Max for DSA and GDA campaigns. Advertisers who choose to upgrade can use best practices offered by Google to ensure new Performance Max campaigns are set up for success.4. TikTok Text Posts: A New Way to Express Yourself - TikTok has announced a new feature called "Text Posts" that allows users to share text-only content on the platform. Text Posts can be up to 1000 characters long and can include images, stickers, and hashtags.The introduction of Text Posts is a significant development for TikTok, as it allows users to share more creative and expressive content on the platform. Text Posts could also be valuable for businesses as they present a new avenue for content creation and customer engagement on TikTok.5. Google Merchant Center Adds Customer Support: What You Need to Know - Google Merchant Center is a free service that allows businesses to manage their product listings on Google Shopping. Google has launched a new customer support feature on Merchant Center. The new tool enables retailers to input their customer support information and returns policy. Merchant Center is then able to share these details with shoppers without them ever having to leave the program.Google explained the importance of providing customer service information via a statement issued on Merchant Center: "Customer service is important for your business and your customers because it allows you to help customers solve any issues with your product or service. "It also helps you build trust with your customers. So it's important that your customers know how they can reach you for support." Here's how Google said retailers can add their customer support information: Log into Merchant Center. Once on the Home page, navigate to the Add customer support info card. Select Add info. Input the following customer support information: Customer service telephone number Customer service email address Customer service web page URL (i.e. link to a customer service form) Select the “Live chat support available” toggle if your business supports this Select the “Chat bot support available” toggle if your business supports this After providing the relevant information, select your preferred contact method. Once these steps are complete, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click  ‘Save'. 6. Google Cracks Down on Automated and AI-Generated Reviews - On August 28, 2023, the “Product Ratings policies” will be updated.. The updated Product Ratings policies addresses the issue of automated and AI-generated content in reviews. The new policies state that reviews that are primarily generated by an automated program or AI application should be flagged as spam using the attribute.The rules clearly state not to submit reviews that stem from conflicts of interest or contain inauthentic remarks. This includes reviews paid for, employee-written, or composed by individuals with a vested interest in the product.This is to ensure that users see genuine and helpful reviews when they are making purchasing decisions. To ensure compliance, Google combines automated and human evaluation methods. Machine-learning algorithms will support this effort while specially trained experts deal with more complex cases requiring context. Actions against violations can range from disapproving violating content or reviews, issuing warnings, or suspending accounts for repeated or severe offenses.You can read the updated product ratings policy here.Businesses can now use a new tool called the "Review Spam Report" to submit spam reviews to Google for review.7. Google Expands Site Names Support for Subdomains: Improve Your Visibility in Search - Google has expanded support for site names on subdomains through the alternateName property, allowing websites to display their preferred site name in search results. This is a significant improvement for websites with multiple subdomains, as it can help them to improve their visibility in search results.Previously, Google would only display the main domain name in search results, even if a website had a preferred site name for a subdomain. This meant that websites with multiple subdomains could be difficult to find in search results, as users would have to know the exact subdomain to visit the website.With the expanded support for site names on subdomains, Google will now display the preferred site name for a subdomain in search results if it is configured correctly. This will make it easier for users to find websites with multiple subdomains, and it could lead to an increase in traffic for these websites.As a reminder, the best way to indicate a preferred site name to Google is to make use of WebSite structured data, as explained in their site name documentation.Find out more in the blog post and in their documentation.8. Are .AI Domains Good for SEO? - There are two kinds of domain names. There are gTLD and ccTLD. A gTLD is a Generic Top Level Domain. These kinds of domains are not associated with any country and can be used worldwide. Typical gTLDs are .com, .net, .org, .biz, .xyz and so on. A ccTLD is a TLD (top level domain) that is associated with a specific country. Google uses ccTLDs to localize the websites that use them with the countries those TLDs are associated with. The .in TLD helps Google to determine which country that domain name is relevant to. This aligns with how people of the world generally expect the Internet to work..AI domains are country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) that are associated with the island of Anguilla. However, they are also becoming increasingly popular for use by businesses and organizations around the world. In the July 2023 Google SEO Office hours session, Google's Gary Illyes answered the question about whether there was a downside to using the .AI domain since it's associated with the Caribbean island of Anguilla. “As of early June, 2023, we treat .ai as a gTLD in Google Search, so yeah, you can use it for your global presence””Gary's answer calls attention to the importance of verifying if a domain extension chosen for a website is treated as a ccTLD or a gTLD because that could make a difference in the website ability to rank worldwide.There are a few reasons why .AI domains may be a good choice for SEO. First, they are relatively short and easy to remember, which can make them more likely to be typed into search engines. Second, they are associated with the concept of artificial intelligence, which is a growing field of interest.However, it is important to note that .AI domains do not have any inherent SEO benefits. Whether or not they help your website rank in search results will depend on a number of other factors, such as the quality of your content and the number of backlinks you have.Google publishes the list of ccTLDs that are treated by Google as generic top level domains. The list shows that ccTLDs like .eu and .asia are treated like gTLDs. Other international domains that are treated like gTLDs are .ad, .co, .fm, .tv and of course .ai.9. Google's John Mueller: Programmatic SEO is Spam - Google's John Mueller has called out "programmatic SEO" as a form of spam. This type of SEO involves creating large numbers of low-quality landing pages that are designed to rank for specific keywords.Mueller said that programmatic SEO is often used to target "hyper-specific" keywords, such as "songs about dogs" or "maps of schools." These keywords are often not very competitive, so it is easy to rank for them with low-quality content.Mueller warned that programmatic SEO can lead to penalties from Google. He said that Google is "trying to get rid of this stuff" and that it is "not something that we want to see in the search results."

Episode 164 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of June 5 - 9, 2023. And the show notes for this episode was generated using generative AI. And like always, I curated the articles for the show.1. Google's Structured Data Validator vs Schema.org -During June 2023, Google SEO Office Hours, Google's Martin Splitt answered a question about structured data validation and how Google's validator can show different results than the Schema.org validator.Both Google and Schema.org offer tools for validating if structured data is correct. Google's tool validates structured data and it also offers feedback on whether the tested structured data qualifies for rich results in the search engine results pages. Rich results are enhanced search listings that makes the listing stand out on the search results. The Schema.org Schema Markup Validator checks if the structured data is valid according to the official standards.Per Splitt, “Schema.org is an open and vendor-independent entity that defines the data types and attributes for structured data. Google, as a vendor however, might have specific requirements for some attributes and types in order to use the structured data in product features, such as our rich results in Google Search. So while just leaving out some attributes or using some type of values for an attribute is fine with Schema.org, vendors such as Google and others might have more specific requirements in order to use the structured data you provide to actually enhance features and products.”In conclusion, Google's validator has a purpose that is different from just checking if the structured data is valid. It's checking to see if the structured data that Google requires (for potentially showing a webpage in enhanced search results) is valid. The Schema.org validator is just checking for standards and has nothing to do with how Google uses structured data.You can watch the June SEO office hour here.2. Google's Latest Search Console Update Makes it Easier to Fix Video Indexing Issues - Google has released an update to its Search Console, aimed at refining video indexing reports. This enhancement promises to offer you more precise problem descriptions and actionable solutions to help boost the visibility of your videos in Google Search.Previously, users encountered a generic "Google could not identify the prominent video on the page" error. Now, Google has decided to provide more specific details to overcome this problem. Here's what you need to know: Video outside the viewport: If your video isn't fully visible when the page loads, you'll need to reposition it. Make sure the entire video lies within the renderable area of the webpage. Video too small: If your video is smaller than desired, you should increase its size. The height should exceed 140px, and the width should be greater than 140px and constitute at least one-third of the page's width. Video too tall: If your video is taller than 1080px, it's time to resize it. Decrease the height to less than 1080px to comply with Google's new guidelines. While you might still see some old error messages for the next three months, Google plans to phase these out, replacing them with these new, more detailed notifications.By adhering to these updates, you can maximize your video's prominence on Google Search and enhance user engagement. Happy optimizing!3. Navigating the World of Domains: A Google Insider's Advice -  Let's delve into the world of domain names and how they can impact your business's digital reach, guided by insights from Google Search Advocate, John Mueller.Mueller recently clarified the differences between generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), following Google's decision to reclassify .ai domains as gTLDs, breaking away from their previous association with Anguilla.In essence, gTLDs (such as .com, .store, .net) are not tied to a specific geographical location, unlike ccTLDs (like .nl for the Netherlands, .fr for France, .de for Germany) that are country-specific. Mueller pointed out that if your business is primarily targeting customers within a certain country, a ccTLD might be the way to go. On the other hand, if you're aiming for a global customer base, a gTLD could be the better option.Importantly, Mueller also highlighted the need to consider user perception. He posed a question to consider: will users click on a link they believe is meant for another country's audience?Furthermore, Mueller also cautioned against using TLDs that may appear spammy, as it can harm your site's credibility.His advice underscores the importance of strategic decision-making when registering your domain, reminding us that the choice of a domain name is not just a technical one, but a business decision that can have a significant impact on your online presence.4. Google's Verdict on the Impact of Security Headers on Search Rankings - In your quest for a secure website, you may have come across HTTP headers - bits of data that offer valuable metadata about a webpage to browsers or web crawlers. The most well-known among these are response headers, like the infamous 404 Error or the 301 redirect.A subset of these headers, known as security headers, play a critical role in fortifying your site against malicious attacks. For instance, the HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) header mandates that a webpage be accessed only via HTTPS, not HTTP, and ensures the browser remembers this preference for the future.While a 301 redirect can guide browsers from HTTP to HTTPS, it leaves your site exposed to potential 'man-in-the-middle' attacks. An HSTS header, on the other hand, ensures your browser requests the HTTPS version directly, effectively bolstering site security.A question was recently posed to Google's John Mueller about whether integrating security headers, like HSTS, could influence website ranking. Mueller's response was clear: the HSTS header does not impact Google Search. This header's purpose is to guide users to the HTTPS version of a site. As for deciding which version of a page to crawl and index, Google uses a process known as canonicalization, which doesn't rely on headers like HSTS.So, while security headers might not boost your site's search ranking, their importance in maintaining a secure browsing experience for your users cannot be overstated. Remember, a secure website is a trusted website, and trust forms the foundation of any successful online presence.5. Debunking 'Index Bloat': Google's Take on Effective Web Page Indexing - In a recent episode of Google's 'Search Off The Record' podcast, the Search Relations team at Google tackled the topic of web page indexing, putting a spotlight on the much-discussed theory within the SEO community: "Index Bloat."This theory, often cause for concern, refers to a situation where search engines index pages that aren't beneficial for search results. It includes pages like filtered product pages, printer-friendly versions, internal search results, and more. Advocates of the index bloat theory argue that such pages can confuse search engines and negatively impact search rankings. They link this issue to the concept of a crawl budget, which is the number of URLs a search bot will crawl during each visit. The theory proposes that index bloat can lead to an inefficient use of this crawl budget, with search bots wasting time and resources gathering unneeded data.However, Google's John Mueller challenged this theory, stating there is no known concept of index bloat at Google. According to Mueller, Google doesn't set an arbitrary limit on the number of indexed pages per site. His advice to webmasters is not to worry about excluding pages from Google's index, but instead, focus on creating and publishing useful content.While some supporters of the index bloat theory have pointed to issues like accidental page duplication, incorrect robots.txt files, and poor or thin content as causes, Google asserts that these are not signs of a non-existent "index bloat," but simply general SEO practices that require attention.Some have suggested using tools like Google Search Console to detect index bloat by comparing the actual number of indexed pages to what's expected. Google's stance implies this comparison isn't indicating a problem, but is instead part of routine website management and monitoring.Google's official stance dismisses the idea of index bloat. Instead, the emphasis should be on ensuring the pages submitted for indexing are valuable and relevant, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.6. Controlling Googlebot: Decoding Google's Search Relations Podcast Insights - In the latest episode of the 'Search Off The Record' podcast, Google's Search Relations team, John Mueller and Gary Illyes, delved into two key topics: blocking Googlebot from crawling certain parts of a webpage and preventing Googlebot from accessing a website completely.When asked how to stop Googlebot from crawling specific sections of a webpage, such as the "also bought" areas on product pages, Mueller emphasized that there's no direct method to achieve this. "It's impossible to block crawling of a specific section on an HTML page," he clarified.However, Mueller did propose two strategies, albeit not perfect ones, to navigate this issue. One involves utilizing the data-nosnippet HTML attribute to stop text from being displayed in a search snippet. The other strategy involves using an iframe or JavaScript with the source blocked by robots.txt. But be wary, as Mueller cautioned against this approach, stating it could lead to crawling and indexing issues that are difficult to diagnose and solve.Mueller also reassured listeners that if the same content appears across multiple pages, it's not a cause for concern. "There's no need to block Googlebot from seeing that kind of duplication," he added.Addressing the question of how to prevent Googlebot from accessing an entire site, Illyes provided a straightforward solution. Simply add a disallow rule for the Googlebot user agent in your robots.txt file, and Googlebot will respect this and avoid your site. For those wanting to completely block network access, Illyes suggested creating firewall rules that deny Google's IP ranges.To sum up, while it's impossible to stop Googlebot from accessing specific HTML page sections, methods like the data-nosnippet attribute can offer some control. To block Googlebot from your site altogether, a simple disallow rule in your robots.txt file should suffice, though you can take further steps like setting up specific firewall rules for a more stringent blockade.7. Sweeping Changes to Google Ads Trademark Policy: What You Need to Know -  Google Ads is making significant changes to its Trademark Policy that could impact how your advertisements are run. Starting July 24, Google will only entertain trademark complaints that are filed against specific advertisers and their ads. This is a shift away from the current policy, where complaints can lead to industry-wide restrictions on using trademarked content.This change is a response to feedback from advertisers who found the previous system frustrating due to over-flagging and broad blocks. The new policy aims to streamline resolutions, making them quicker and more straightforward. In addition, it will provide greater clarity and transparency for advertisers, a much-needed improvement many have been advocating for.As explained by a Google spokesperson, "We are updating our Trademark Policy to focus solely on complaints against specific advertisers in order to simplify and speed up resolution times, as opposed to industry-wide blocks that were prone to over-flagging. We believe this update best protects our partners with legitimate complaints while still giving consumers the ability to discover information about new products or services.”Do note that any trademark restrictions implemented before July 24 under the current policy will continue to apply. However, Google plans to phase out these limitations for most advertisers gradually over the next 12-18 months.You can learn more about these changes by visiting the Google Ads Trademarks policy page here.8. Double Menus, Double Fun: SEO Unaffected by Multiple Navigations - In a recent SEO office hours video, Google's Gary Illyes made it clear that the presence of multiple navigation menus on your website doesn't affect your SEO performance - be it positively or negatively.The question arose during the video discussion, asking whether having two navigation menus - a main one featuring important site categories and a secondary one focusing on brand-related extensions - could potentially harm SEO performance.Illyes' response was reassuring. He stated that it's highly unlikely that multiple navigation menus would have any impact on your website's SEO. In other words, whether you have one, two, or even more navigation menus on your page, Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough to recognize these elements and process them accordingly.So, rest easy and design your website to best serve your audience. Remember, whether your navigation is on the top, left, or bottom of your page, Google's got it figured out!9. Google's Eye on XML Sitemap Changes: Resource Efficiency in Action - Google's own Gary Illyes recently reaffirmed that the tech giant is diligent about scanning XML sitemaps for updates before launching the reprocessing protocol. This practice is rooted in the desire to conserve valuable computational resources by avoiding unnecessary reprocessing of unchanged files.When asked whether Google compares current and previous versions of XML sitemaps, Illyes's response was a resounding yes. He explained that Google refrains from reprocessing sitemaps that have remained the same since their last crawl - a measure designed to prevent wastage of computing resources.However, any modifications in your sitemap, whether in the URL element or 'last mod', will trigger a new round of parsing and generally initiate reprocessing. Illyes pointed out that this doesn't automatically guarantee that the altered URLs will be crawled, as they must still pass through the usual quality evaluations like any other URL.Importantly, if a URL is deleted from the sitemap because it no longer exists, it doesn't imply that it will instantly be removed from the index or prioritized for crawling to expedite its deletion. Keep this in mind when making changes to your sitemap.10. Boost Your Search Rankings: Google's Advice on Consolidating Pages - In a recent SEO office hours video, Google's Gary Illyes brought up a valuable point about web page consolidation. He discussed 'host groups', a term used when Google displays two results from the same domain in search results, with one listed below the other.Illyes suggested that when your website forms a host group, it indicates that you have multiple pages capable of ranking well for a particular query. In such cases, he recommended considering the consolidation of these pages, if feasible.This advice aligns with Google's host groups documentation, which recommends setting one of these pages as the 'canonical' if you'd prefer users to land on that page over the other.The concept of a host group comes into play when two or more consecutive text results from the same site rank for the same query and hence, get grouped together.The rationale behind Google's recommendation for consolidation could be understood as an attempt to prevent your pages from competing against each other. When two pages vie for the same ranking, consolidating them could potentially boost the ranking of the remaining page.From an SEO perspective, having two listings could increase your click-through rate. However, the idea of consolidation is to create a more streamlined user experience and possibly enhance your page's ranking.Keep in mind that this is an approach to consider and may not suit every situation. Always consider your unique context and audience needs when making SEO decisions.11. Unlocking Video Thumbnails in Google Search: Key Insights Revealed -  Recent changes to Google's approach to video thumbnails in search results have prompted many queries. These alterations ensure that video thumbnails are displayed only when the video constitutes the main content on a webpage.This doesn't imply that the video must be the first element on your page. Instead, as Google's Gary Illyes explains, the video should be immediately noticeable — it should be "in their face right away." This user-centric approach enhances the user experience, eliminating the need for them to hunt for the video on the page.Illyes encourages web developers and SEO experts to consider the user's perspective. When visitors land on your page, they should not have to actively search for the video. It should be prominently displayed, akin to the approach of popular video platforms like Vimeo and YouTube.Remember, the aim of these changes is to reduce confusion and streamline the user experience by ensuring that videos are easy to find and view. Take inspiration from major video sites to better understand what Google's algorithms are seeking.12. Enhanced Conversion Tracking with Microsoft Advertising's New Cross-Device Attribution Model -  Microsoft Advertising is set to enhance its tracking capabilities with the introduction of a Cross-Device attribution model. Revealed in Microsoft's latest product update roundup in June, this model promises to provide more accurate insights into customer conversion journeys across multiple devices and sessions.With this new feature, if a customer clicks an ad on their laptop and later completes a purchase on their phone, Microsoft Advertising will attribute the conversion to the original ad click on the laptop. This development will ensure that your marketing efforts are accurately credited, regardless of the device where the conversion ultimately occurs.As a result of this new tracking model, marketers may notice a slight uptick in the number of conversions reported in their performance metrics. If you observe an increase in conversions, the new Cross-Device attribution model could be the driving factor. Keep an eye on your reports to understand the full impact of this latest update on your performance data.13. New Verification Mandates for Microsoft Ads: Everything You Need to Know -  Starting August 1st, Microsoft Advertising will be implementing a new policy to enhance transparency and security. Only ads from verified advertisers will be displayed on the platform. If you haven't yet met the Microsoft Ads verification requirements, it's crucial to complete them before August 1st to ensure your ads continue to run smoothly.The Microsoft Ads Advertiser Identity Verification program, which was launched in June 2022, is rolling out the following important dates: As of July 1st, all new advertisers must be verified before their ads can go live. If you haven't received an email from Microsoft about account verification by July 15th, you should reach out to Microsoft support. Starting August 1st, Microsoft Advertising will exclusively display ads from verified advertisers. Once verified, all ads will showcase: The name and location of the advertiser. The business or individual responsible for funding the ad. Additional information explaining why a user is seeing a specific ad, including targeting parameters. In addition to these updates, Microsoft Advertising is also launching a new feature - the Ad Library. This will enable all users to view ads shown on Bing that have gained any impressions in the European Union. Users will be able to search for ads in the Ad Library by using the advertiser's name or by entering words included in the ad creative. The details of the advertiser will be displayed in the Ad Library.Stay ahead of the game and get your account verified to enjoy uninterrupted ad delivery with Microsoft Advertising!14. Unleashing New Opportunities: LinkedIn Introduces Direct Messaging for Company Pages - In a bid to foster more professional connections and interactions, LinkedIn is set to expand its messaging tools. The platform has now introduced a new feature that allows Company Pages to send and receive direct messages (DMs). This marks a major development as previously, one-to-one messaging was only available for individual LinkedIn members.LinkedIn's new feature, termed Pages Messaging, paves the way for members to directly contact brands. Conversations can cover a broad range of topics from products and services to business opportunities. To handle these two-way conversations, organizations will be equipped with a dedicated inbox, enabling them to manage and prioritize incoming inquiries that are most relevant to their business.As a result of this feature, companies might see a significant increase in messages inquiring about opportunities. However, LinkedIn's 'focused inbox' system, which segregates DMs based on priority and topic settings, can help manage the influx. In addition, companies have the option to disable the Message feature if they wish.LinkedIn has been quietly testing this feature with a select group of users in the past month. Considering that over 63 million companies actively post on their LinkedIn Company Pages, this new feature could potentially revolutionize direct interactions and unearth fresh opportunities.Furthermore, LinkedIn is exploring the integration of an AI assistant to aid in lead nurturing. This could be a significant asset, allowing users to research the person they are communicating with without the need to manually browse through their profile or posts.While it might not be a 'game-changer', the new Company Page messaging feature, which is being rolled out from today, is certainly a noteworthy addition to consider in your LinkedIn marketing strategy.15. Apple Amps Up Privacy: A Glimpse at iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma - In a continued commitment to user privacy, Apple has introduced fresh security enhancements in iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, aimed at curbing intrusive web tracking. The new Link Tracking Protection feature is at the heart of this upgrade.Activated by default in Mail, Messages, and Safari (while in Private Browsing mode), Link Tracking Protection zeroes in on tracking parameters in link URLs, which are often used to monitor user activity across different websites. The feature scrubs these identifiers, thereby thwarting advertisers' and analytics firms' attempts to bypass Safari's intelligent tracking prevention functionalities.Typically, these tracking parameters are attached to the end of a webpage's URL, bypassing the need for third-party cookies. When a user clicks the modified URL, the tracking identifier is read, enabling the backend to create a user profile for personalized ad targeting.Apple's new feature disrupts this process by identifying and removing these tracking components from the URL, ensuring the user's web page navigation remains as intended. This operation is quietly executed during browser navigation in Safari's Private Browsing mode and when links are clicked within the Mail and Messages apps.To strike a balance, Apple has also unveiled an alternate method for advertisers to gauge campaign effectiveness while preserving user privacy. Private Click Measurement, now accessible in Safari Private Browsing mode, enables the tracking of ad conversion metrics without disclosing individual user activity.In conclusion, Apple's latest efforts reflect a renewed commitment to user privacy, promising to make online experiences safer and more secure across their operating systems.

Episode 163 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of May 29 - June 2, 2023. And the show notes for this episode was generated using generative AI. And like always, I curated the articles for the show.1. Google Search Console Insights Adds New Report to Track Growing Content - Google has added a new report to Search Console Insights that track your content's growth over time. The report shows you how many impressions and clicks your content has received and how its ranking has changed. This information can help you identify your most popular content and change your content strategy to improve its performance.To access the new report, go to the Search Console Insights page and select "Your Growing Content" from the menu. The report will show you a list of your top content, along with the following information for each piece of content: Impressions: The number of times your content has been shown in Google Search results. Clicks: The number of times users have clicked on your content in Google Search results. Position: The average position of your content in Google Search results. Growth: The percentage change in impressions, clicks, and position from the previous period. You can use the information in this report to identify your most popular content and change your content strategy to improve its performance. For example, you can promote your most popular content on social media, write more content on similar topics, or optimize your content for specific keywords.2. Google Now Treats .ai Domains as Generic Top-Level Domains - Google has updated its search algorithm to treat .ai domains as generic top-level domains (gTLDs), rather than country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). This means that .ai domains will now be eligible to rank for global search queries, not just those specific to Anguilla.This is a significant change for businesses that use .ai domains. In the past, these businesses were limited to targeting local traffic. Now, they can reach a global audience with their websites and marketing campaigns.If you have a .ai domain, you can optimize your website for global search queries today. Here are a few tips: Use relevant keywords throughout your website content. Create high-quality content that will attract and engage visitors. Build backlinks from other high-quality websites. Promote your website on social media and other online channels. Following these tips can help your .ai domain rank for global search queries and reach a wider audience.3. Google Penalizes Websites with Cheap TLDs - Google's John Mueller said on Reddit that Google penalizes websites that use cheap top-level domains (TLDs). Cheap TLDs are domains that cost less than $10 per year and are often associated with spam and low-quality websites.Google's decision to penalize websites with cheap TLDs indicates that the search engine is more aggressive against spam. In recent years, Google has been cracking down on spam and low-quality websites, and this latest update is another step in that direction.If your website uses a cheap TLD, you may want to consider transferring it to a more reputable domain. This will help to improve your website's ranking in Google Search results and protect you from being penalized.How do you know which TLDs are spammy? Check out, Spamhaus.org.4. Google Launches ‘Product Studio' - Google has announced the launch of Product Studio. This free tool uses generative A.I. to create high-quality product images. Product Studio is available to all businesses, regardless of size, and can create images for various purposes, including product listings, marketing campaigns, and social media.To use Product Studio, businesses upload their product images and provide details about the product, such as the product name, category, and color. Product Studio will then use this information to generate high-quality images, including lifestyle images, product shots, and close-ups.Product Studio will be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. It can help businesses to save time and money on product photography, and it can help businesses to create more engaging and visually appealing product listings.It's important to note that Product Studio is currently in the pilot phase, and Google is working with a select group of retailers to test and refine it. However, they have expressed their excitement to see what's possible with this technology.5. YouTube Shopping and Discovery Product Ads Requirements - Google has clarified the requirements for YouTube Shopping ads and Discovery product ads. The new requirements are designed to help retailers understand why their ads may not perform well and how to address any issues.The new requirements for YouTube Shopping ads include the following: Your products must be eligible for sale on Google. Your products must be in stock and available for purchase. Your product prices must be accurate and competitive. Your product descriptions must be clear and concise. Your product images must be high-quality and relevant to your products. You can review the Google Shopping ads policy center and free listing policies to understand better how the policies are enforced.6. Microsoft Introduces ‘Insights' for Universal Event Tracking Tags - Microsoft has unveiled ‘insights' for Universal Event Tracking (UET) tags in an exciting development for data-driven marketers. This feature, designed to enhance your understanding of user engagement on your website, will be automatically enabled for all existing UET tags starting June 29.A Microsoft Advertising UET tag monitors visitor activities on your website following an ad click. This tag collects relevant data, empowering you to keep track of conversion objectives and create specific remarketing lists for effective audience targeting. UET tags enable the tracking of various conversion goals, such as purchases, sign-ups, downloads, and more. These goals can be configured based on criteria like visitor count to specific pages, time spent on the website, the number of pages browsed, and clicks on your mobile app, among others.The newly introduced UET Insights bring several advancements designed to provide a more in-depth understanding of user interactions on your website. These insights are integrated into a powerful dashboard that showcases crucial data such as: Overall visits to your website and the number of visits each page has received Breakdown of sessions based on country of origin and device type Data on quick backs (customers who spend only a few seconds on your website) Information on the duration visitors spend on your website Additional indicators like page latencies, interactions (clicks and scrolls), purchase cart carts specifics, cart abandonment details, and JavaScript browser errors are also included.UET Insights extend beyond providing a comprehensive understanding of your website's performance. They help enhance the effectiveness of ads through refined targeting, fraud detection, and minimizing conversion loss. This leads to a richer understanding of user behavior and website performance, resulting in more efficient advertising strategies.Activating UET Insights doesn't require coding. Existing tags were automatically updated, and any new tags created will come pre-equipped with UET Insights. Notably, there's no data sampling involved, ensuring that the information you receive is complete and representative. UET Insights does not adversely affect your site's performance, and the collected data is processed and presented almost instantly on the UET dashboard.Advertisers maintain complete control over UET Insights and can choose to turn them off if needed. Those wishing to opt out can do so through the UET Dashboard in the Microsoft Advertising platform. To learn more, visit the Microsoft Advertising help page.

An age-old debate in SEO has been about how to structure your domain: Should you use subfolders or subdomains? If you're in the international space, maybe you should be using ccTLDs? Alain Machado shares his thoughts on this timeless SEO question. Sometimes in SEO, we go in circles debating the same thing day after day, year after year. Nothing epitomizes this more than the debate about using subdomains or subfolders. No matter how many times Google's John Mueller says that either is fine (some caveats included) we don't seem able to give up this question. Unfortunately, it all trickles down to the client. Join Alain Machado and Mordy Oberstein as they take up an age-old SEO question!

Als Jurist mit einem LL.M.-Abschluss in Computer- und Telekommunikationsrecht begann Peter seine Karriere bei einem ISP. Danach war er Präsident der ISPA Belgium (Internet Service Providers Association) und der EuroISPA (European ISP Association) und begründete im Anschluss DNS Belgium, eine gemeinnützige Einrichtung zur Verwaltung der ccTLD .be. Vor seiner Zeit bei CENTR war Peter Director der European Government Relations bei eBay. In dieser Funktion eröffnete er das Government Relations Office in Brüssel und befasste sich insbesondere mit Fragen zu KMU und Privatpersonen, die auf der Plattform eBay handeln. Heute beaufsichtigt Peter alle Aktivitäten von CENTR und steht in Kontakt mit Registrys, Institutionen und anderen Organisationen im Internet-Ecosystem. Timestamps 00:56 Peter's Aufgaben und Erfolge als General Manager bei CENTR 02:37 Die Beliebtheit von ccTLDs 04:28 ccTLDs während der Pandemie vs. heute und wofür sie genutzt werden 06:38 Zurück zu den 90ern, als ccTLDs ins Leben gerufen wurden 09:16 Der Einfluss von NIS2 auf europäische ccTLDs 11:55 Wie ccTLDs durch CENTR geschützt werden 13:17 Die Zukunft der ccTLDs: Renewal Rates and neue Registrierungen Shownotes About CENTR About Peter Van Roste This podcast is presented by InterNetX

SPF and DMARC use on GOV domains in different ccTLDs https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/SPF+and+DMARC+use+on+GOV+domains+in+different+ccTLDs/29384/ CVE-2022-47939 ksmbd Vulnerability https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-47939 Netgear Vulnerabilities https://kb.netgear.com/000065495/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Some-Routers-PSV-2019-0208 PyTorch Malicious Dependency https://pytorch.org/blog/compromised-nightly-dependency/

SPF and DMARC use on GOV domains in different ccTLDs https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/SPF+and+DMARC+use+on+GOV+domains+in+different+ccTLDs/29384/ CVE-2022-47939 ksmbd Vulnerability https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-47939 Netgear Vulnerabilities https://kb.netgear.com/000065495/Security-Advisory-for-Pre-Authentication-Buffer-Overflow-on-Some-Routers-PSV-2019-0208 PyTorch Malicious Dependency https://pytorch.org/blog/compromised-nightly-dependency/

International SEO is just ccTLDs and hreflang, right? Nope. Webcertain's Gemma Houghton joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share the deeper side of international SEO: * Why international SEO is its own art and science * When you should begin with international SEO efforts * The role of culture in international SEO Listen as Gemma and host Mordy Oberstein dive into the holistic nature of international SEO.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of CISO Tradecraft -- the podcast that provides you with the information, knowledge, and wisdom to be a more effective cybersecurity leader.  My name is G. Mark Hardy, and today we are going to discuss how nation state conflict and sponsored cyberattacks can affect us as non-combatants, and what we should be doing about it.  Even if you don't have operations in a war zone, remember cyber has a global reach, so don't think that just because you may be half a world away from the battlefield that someone is not going to reach out and touch you in a bad way.  So, listen for what I think will be a fascinating episode, and please do us a small favor and give us a "like" or a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform -- those ratings really help us reach our peers.  It only takes a click -- thank you for helping out our security leadership community. I'm not going to get into any geopolitics here; I'm going to try to ensure that this episode remains useful for quite some time.  However, since the conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing for over two hundred days, I will draw examples from that. The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.  If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.  If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” That's a little more detailed than the classic Greek aphorism, "know thyself," but the intent is the same even today.  Let me add one more quote and we'll get into the material.  Over 20 years ago, when he was Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld said: "As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know.  We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.  But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know.  And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones. So, knowledge seems extremely important throughout the ages.  Modern governments know that, and as a result all have their own intelligence agencies.  Let's look at an example.  If we go to the CIA's website, we will see the fourfold mission of the Central Intelligence Agency: Collecting foreign intelligence that matters Producing objective all-source analysis Conducting effective covert action as directed by the President Safeguarding the secrets that help keep our nation safe. Why do we mention this?  Most governments around the world have similar Nation State objectives and mission statements.  Additionally, it's particularly important to understand what is wanted by "state actors" (note, I'll use that term for government and contract intelligence agents.). What are typical goals for State Actors?  Let's look at a couple: Goal 1: Steal targeting data to enable future operations.  Data such as cell phone records, banking statements or emails allow countries to better target individuals and companies when they know that identifying information.  Additionally, targeting data allows Nation state organizations to understand how individuals are connected.  This can be key when we are looking for key influencers for targets of interest.  All targeting data should not be considered equal.  Generally, Banking and Telecom Data are considered the best for collecting so be mindful if that is the type of company that you protect.  State Actors target these organizations because of two factors:The Importance of the Data is the first factor.  If one party sends a second party an email, that means there is a basic level of connection.  However, it's not automatically a strong connection since we all receive emails from spammers.  If one party calls someone and talks for 10 minutes to them on a phone call, that generally means a closer connection than an email.  Finally, if one party sends money to another party that either means a really strong connection exists, or someone just got scammed. The Accuracy of the Data is the second factor.  Many folks sign up for social media accounts with throw away credentials (i.e., fake names and phone numbers).  Others use temporary emails to attend conferences, so they don't get marketing spam when they get home.  However, because of Anti Money Laundering (or AML) laws, people generally provide legitimate data to financial services firms.  If they don't, then they risk not being able to take the money out of a bank -- which would be a big problem. A second goal in addition to collecting targeting data, is that State Actors are interested in collecting Foreign Intelligence.  Foreign Intelligence which drives policy-making decisions is very impactful.  Remember, stealing secrets that no one cares about is generally just a waste of government tax dollars.  If governments collect foreign intelligence on sanctioned activity, then they can inform policy makers on the effectiveness of current sanctions, which is highly useful.  By reporting sanctioned activity, the government can know when current sanctions are being violated and when to update current sanctions.  This can result in enabling new intelligence collection objectives.  Examples of this include:A country may sanction a foreign air carrier that changes ownership or goes out of business.  In that case, sanctions may be added against different airlines.  This occurred when the US sanctioned Mahan Air, an Iran's airline.  Currently the US enforces sanctions on more than half of Iran's civilian airlines. A country may place sanctions on a foreign bank to limit its ability to trade in certain countries or currencies.  However, if sanctioned banks circumvent controls by trading with smaller banks which are not sanctioned, then current sanctions are likely ineffective.  Examples of sanctioning bank activity by the US against Russia during the current war with Ukraine include:On February 27th sanctions were placed against Russian Banks using the SWIFT international payment systems On February 28th, the Russian Central Bank was sanctioned On March 24th, the Russian Bank Sberbank CEO was sanctioned On April 5th, the US IRS suspended information exchanges with the Russian tax authorities to hamper Moscow's ability to collect taxes. On April 6th, the US sanctioned additional Russian banks. These sanctions didn't just start with the onset of hostilities on 24 February 2022.  They date back to Russia's invasion of Crimea.  It's just that the US has turned up the volume this time. If sanctions are placed against a country's nuclear energy practices, then knowing what companies are selling or trading goods into the sanctioned country becomes important.  Collecting information from transportation companies that identify goods being imported and exported into the country can also identify sanction effectiveness. A third goal or activity taken by State Actors is covert action.  Covert Action is generally intended to cause harm to another state without attribution.  However, anonymity is often hard to maintain.If we look at Russia in its previous history with Ukraine, we have seen the use of cyber attacks as a form of covert action.  The devastating NotPetya malware (which has been generally accredited to Russia) was launched as a supply chain attack.  Russian agents compromised the software update mechanism of Ukrainian accounting software M.E. Doc, which was used by nearly 400,000 clients to manage financial documents and file tax returns.  This update did much more than the intended choking off of Ukrainian government tax revenue -- Maersk shipping estimates a loss of $300 million.  FedEx around $400 million.  The total global damage to companies is estimated at around $10 billion. The use of cyberattacks hasn't been limited to just Russia.  Another example is Stuxnet.  This covert action attack against Iranian nuclear facilities that destroyed nearly one thousand centrifuges is generally attributed to the U.S. and Israel. Changing topics a little bit, we can think of the story of two people encountering a bear. Two friends are in the woods, having a picnic.  They spot a bear running at them.  One friend gets up and starts running away from the bear.  The other friend opens his backpack, takes out his running shoes, changes out of his hiking boots, and starts stretching.  “Are you crazy?” the first friend shouts, looking over his shoulder as the bear closes in on his friend.  “You can't outrun a bear!”  “I don't have to outrun the bear,” said the second friend.  “I only have to outrun you.” So how can we physically outrun the Cyber Bear? We need to anticipate where the Bear is likely to be encountered.  Just as national park signs warn tourists of animals, there's intelligence information that can inform the general public.  If you are looking for physical safety intelligence you might consider:The US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.  The State Department hosts a travel advisory list.  This list allows anyone to know if a country has issues such as Covid Outbreaks, Civil Unrest, Kidnappings, Violent Crime, and other issues that would complicate having an office for most businesses. Another example is the CIA World Factbook.  The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Additionally you might also consider data sources from the World Health Organization and The World Bank If we believe that one of our remote offices is now at risk, then we need to establish a good communications plan.  Good communications plans generally require at least four forms of communication.  The acronym PACE or Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency is often usedPrimary Communication: We will first try to email folks in the office. Alternate Communication: If we are unable to communicate via email, then we will try calling their work phones. Contingency Communication: If we are unable to reach individuals via their work phones, then we will send a Text message to their personal cell phones. Emergency Communication: If we are unable to reach them by texting their personal devices, then we will send an email to their personal emails and next of kin. Additionally, we might purchase satellite phones for a country manager.  Satellite phones can be generally purchased for under $1,000 and can be used with commercial satellite service providers such as Inmarsat, Globalstar, and Thuraya.  One popular plan is Inmarsat's BGAN.  BGAN can usually be obtained from resellers for about $100 per month with text messaging costing about fifty cents each and calls costing about $1.50 per minute.  This usually translates to a yearly cost of $1,500-2K per device.  Is $2K worth the price of communicating to save lives in a high-risk country during high political turmoil?  Let your company decide.  Note a great time to bring this up may be during use-or-lose money discussions at the end of the year. We should also consider preparing egress locations.  For example, before a fire drill most companies plan a meetup location outside of their building so they can perform a headcount.  This location such as a vacant parking lot across the street allows teams to identify missing personnel which can later be communicated to emergency personnel.  If your company has offices in thirty-five countries, you should think about the same thing, but not assembling across the street but across the border.  Have you identified an egress office for each overseas country?  If you had operations in Ukraine, then you might have chosen a neighboring country such as Poland, Romania, or Hungary to facilitate departures.  When things started going bad, that office could begin creating support networks to find local housing for your corporate refugees.  Additionally, finding job opportunities for family members can also be extremely helpful when language is a barrier in new countries. If we anticipate the Bear is going to attack our company digitally, then we should also look for the warning signs.  Good examples of this include following threat intelligence information from: Your local ISAC organization.  ISAC or Information Sharing Analysis Centers are great communities where you can see if your vertical sector is coming under attack and share your experiences/threats.  The National Council of ISACs lists twenty-five different members across a wide range of industries.  An example is the Financial Services ISAC or FS-ISAC which has a daily and weekly feed where subscribers can find situational reports on cyber threats from State Actors and criminal groups. InfraGard™ is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of the private sector for the protection of US Critical Infrastructure.  Note you generally need to be a US citizen without a criminal history to join AlienVault offers a Threat Intelligence Community called Open Threat Exchange which grants users free access to over nineteen million threat indicators.  Note AlienVault currently hosts over 100,000 global participants, so it's a great place to connect with fellow professionals. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA also routinely issues cybersecurity advisories to stop harmful malware, ransomware, and nation state attacks.  Helpful pages on their websites include the following:Shields Up which provides updates on cyber threats, guidance for organizations, recommendations for corporate Leaders and CEOs, ransomware responses, free tooling, and steps that you can take to protect your families. There's even a Shields Technical Guidance page with more detailed recommendations. CISA routinely puts out Alerts which identify threat actor tactics and techniques.  For example, Alert AA22-011A identifies how to understand and mitigate Russian State Sponsored Cyber Threats to US Critical Infrastructure.  This alert tells you what CVEs the Russian government is using as well as the documented TTPs which map to the MITRE ATT&CK™ Framework.  Note if you want to see more on the MITRE ATT&CK mapped to various intrusion groups we recommend going to attack.mitre.org slant groups. CISA also has notifications that organizations can sign up for to receive timely information on security issues, vulnerabilities, and high impact activity. Another page to note on CISA's website is US Cert.  Here you can report cyber incidents, report phishing, report malware, report vulnerabilities, share indicators, or contact US Cert.  One helpful page to consider is the Cyber Resilience Review Assessment.  Most organizations have an IT Control to conduct yearly risk assessments, and this can help identify weaknesses in your controls. Now that we have seen a bear in the woods, what can we do to put running shoes on to run faster than our peers?  If we look at the CISA Shield Technical Guidance Page we can find shields up recommendations such as remediating vulnerabilities, enforcing MFA, running antivirus, enabling strong spam filters to prevent phishing attacks, disabling ports and protocols that are not essential, and strengthening controls for cloud services.  Let's look at this in more detail to properly fasten our running shoes. If we are going to remediate vulnerabilities let's focus on the highest priority.  I would argue those are high/critical vulnerabilities with known exploits being used in the wild.  You can go to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog page for a detailed list.  Each time a new vulnerability gets added, run a vulnerability scan on your environment to prioritize patching. Next is Multi Factor Authentication (MFA).  Routinely we see organizations require MFA access to websites and use Single Sign On.  This is great -- please don't stop doing this.  However, we would also recommend MFA enhancements in two ways.  One, are you using MFA on RDP/SSH logins by administrators?  If not, then please enable immediately.  You never know when one developer will get phished, and the attacker can pull his SSH keys.  Having MFA means even when those keys are lost, bad actor propagation can be minimized.  Another enhancement is to increase the security within your MFA functionality.  For example, if you use Microsoft Authenticator today try changing from a 6 digit rotating pin to using security features such as number matching that displays the location of their IP Address.  You can also look at GPS conditional policies to block all access from countries in which you don't have a presence. Running antivirus is another important safeguard.  Here's the kicker -- do you actually know what percentage of your endpoints are running AV and EDR agents?  Do you have coverage on both your Windows and Linux Server environments?  Of the agents running, what portion have signatures updates that are not current?  How about more than 30 days old.  We find a lot of companies just check the box saying they have antivirus, but if you look behind the scenes you can see that antivirus isn't as effective as you think when it's turned off or outdated. Enabling Strong Spam Filters is another forgotten exercise.  Yes, companies buy solutions like Proofpoint to secure email, but there's more that can be done.  One example is implementing DMARC to properly authenticate and block spoofed emails.  It's the standard now and prevents brand impersonation.  Also please consider restricting email domains.  You can do this at the very top.  Today, the vast majority of legitimate correspondents still utilize one of the original seven top-level domains:  .com, .org, .net, .edu, .mil, .gov, and .int, as well as two-letter country code top-level domains (called ccTLDs).  However, you should look carefully at your business correspondence to determine if communicating with all 1,487 top-level domains is really necessary.  Let's say your business is located entirely in the UK.  Do you really want to allow emails from Country codes such as .RU, .CN, and others?  Do you do business with .hair, or .lifestyle, or .xxx?  If you don't have a business reason for conducting commerce with these TLDs, block them and minimize both spam and harmful attacks.  It won't stop bad actors from using Gmail to send phishing attacks, but you might be surprised at just how much restricting TLDs in your email can help.  Note that you have to be careful not to create a self-inflicted denial of service, so make sure that emails from suspect TLDs get evaluated before deletion. Disabling Ports and Protocols is key since you don't want bad actors having easy targets.  One thing to consider is using Amazon Inspector.  Amazon Inspector has rules in the network reachability package to analyze your network configurations to find security vulnerabilities in your EC2 Instances.  This can highlight and provide guidance about restricting access that is not secure such as network configurations that allow for potentially malicious access such as mismanaged security groups, Access Control Lists, Internet Gateways, etc. Strengthening Cloud Security- We won't go into this topic too much as you could spend a whole talk on strengthening cloud security.  Companies should consider purchasing a cloud security solution like Wiz, Orca, or Prisma for help in this regard.  One tip we don't see often is using geo-fencing and IP allow-lists.  For example, one new feature that AWS recently created is to enable Web Application Firewall protections for Amazon Cognito.  This makes it easier to protect user pools and hosted UIs from common web exploits. Once we notice there's likely been a bear attack on our peers or our infrastructure, we should report it.  This can be done by reporting incidents to local governments such as CISA or a local FBI field office, paid sharing organizations such as ISAC, or free communities such as AlienVault OTX. Let's walk through a notional example of what we might encounter as collateral damage in a cyberwar.  However, to keeps this out of current geopolitics, we'll use the fictitious countries Blue and Orange. Imagine that you work at the Acme Widget Corporation which is a Fortune 500 company with a global presence.  Because Acme manufactures large scale widgets in their factory in the nation of Orange, they are also sold to the local Orange economy.  Unfortunately for Acme, Orange has just invaded their neighboring country Blue.  Given that Orange is viewed as the aggressor, various countries have imposed sanctions against Orange.  Not wanting to attract the attention of the Orange military or the U.S. Treasury department, your company produces an idea that might just be crazy enough to work.  Your company is going to form a new company within Orange that is not affiliated with the parent company for the entirety of the war.  This means that the parent company won't provide services to the Orange company.  Additionally, since there is no affiliation between the companies then the legal department advises that there will not be sanction evasion activity which could put the company at risk.  There's just one problem.  Your company has to evict the newly created Orange company (Acme Orange LLC) from its network and ensure it has the critical IT services to enable its success. So where do we start?  Let's consider a few things.  First, what is the lifeblood of a company?  Every company really needs laptops and Collaboration Software like Office 365 or GSuite.  So, if we have five hundred people in the new Acme Orange company, that's five hundred new laptops and a new server that will host Microsoft Exchange, a NAS drive, and other critical Microsoft on premises services. Active Directory: Once you obtain the server, you realize a few things.  Previous Acme admin credentials were used to troubleshoot desktops in the Orange environment.  Since exposed passwords are always a bad thing, you get your first incident to refresh all passwords that may have been exposed.  Also, you ensure a new Active Directory server is created for your Orange environment.  This should leverage best practices such as MFA since Orange Companies will likely come under attack. Let's talk about other things that companies need to survive: Customer relations management (CRM) services like Salesforce Accounting and Bookkeeping applications such as QuickBooks Payment Software such as PayPal or Stripe File Storage such as Google Drive or Drop Box Video Conferencing like Zoom Customer Service Software like Zendesk Contract Management software like DocuSign HR Software like Bamboo or My Workday Antivirus & EDR software Standing up a new company's IT infrastructure in a month is never a trivial task.  However, if ACME Orange is able to survive for 2-3 years it can then return to the parent company after the sanctions are lifted. Let's look at some discussion topics. What IT services will be the hardest to transfer? Can new IT equipment for Acme Orange be procured in a month during a time of conflict? Which services are likely to only have a SaaS offering and not enable on premises during times of conflicts? Could your company actually close a procurement request in a one-month timeline? If we believe we can transfer IT services and get the office up and running, we might look at our cyber team's role in providing recommendations to a new office that will be able to survive a time of turmoil. All laptops shall have Antivirus and EDR enabled from Microsoft. Since the Acme Orange office is isolated from the rest of the world, all firewalls will block IP traffic not originating from Orange. SSO and MFA will be required on all logins Backups will be routinely required. Note if you are really looking for effective strategies to mitigate cyber security incidents, we highly recommend the Australian Essential Eight.  We have a link in our show notes if you want more details. Additionally, the ACME Orange IT department will need to create its own Incident Response Plan (IRP).  One really good guide for building Cyber Incident Response Playbooks comes from the American Public Power Association.  (I'll put the link in our show notes.)  The IRP recommends creating incident templates that can be used for common attacks such as: Denial of Service (DoS) Malware Web Application Attack (SQL Injection, XSS, Directory Traversal, …) Cyber-Physical Attack Phishing Man in the middle attack Zero Day Exploit This Incident Response Template can identify helpful information such as Detection: Record how the attack was identified Reporting: Provide a list of POCs and contact information for the IT help desk to contact during an event Triage: List the activities that need to be performed during Incident Response.  Typically, teams follow the PICERL model.  (Preparation - Identification - Containment - Eradication - Recovery - Lessons Learned) Classification: Depending on the severity level of the event, identify additional actions that need to occur Communications: Identify how to notify local law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and insurance carriers during material cyber incidents.  Additionally describe the process on how communications will be relayed to customers, employees, media, and state/local leaders. As you can see, there is much that would have to be done in response to a nation state aggression or regional conflict that would likely fall in your lap.  If you didn't think about it before, you now have plenty of material to work with.  Figure out your own unique requirements, do some tabletop exercises where you identify your most relevant Orange and Blue future conflict, and practice, practice, practice.  We learned from COVID that companies that were well prepared with a disaster response plan rebranded as a pandemic response plan fared much better in the early weeks of the 2020 lockdown.  I know my office transitioned to remote work for over sixty consecutive weeks without any serious IT issues because we had a written plan and had practiced it.  Here's another one for you to add to your arsenal.  Take the time and be prepared -- you'll be a hero "when the bubble goes up."  (There -- you've learned an obscure term that nearly absent from a Google search but well-known in the Navy and the Marine Corps.) Okay, that's it for today's episode on Outrunning the Bear.  Let's recap: Know yourself Know what foreign adversaries want Know what information, processes, or people you need to protect Know the goals of state actors:steal targeting data collect foreign intelligence covert action Know how to establish a good communications plan (PACE)Primary Alternate Contingency Emergency Know how to get out of Dodge Know where to find private and government threat intelligence Know your quick wins for protectionremediate vulnerabilities implement MFA everywhere run current antivirus enable strong spam filters restrict top level domains disable vulnerable or unused ports and protocols strengthen cloud security Know how to partition your business logically to isolate your IT environments in the event of a sudden requirement. Thanks again for listening to CISO Tradecraft.  Please remember to like us on your favorite podcast provider and tell your peers about us.  Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn too -- you can find our regular stream of low-noise, high-value postings.  This is your host G. Mark Hardy, and until next time, stay safe. References https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17976-if-you-know-the-enemy-and-know-yourself-you-need https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns  https://www.cia.gov/about/mission-vision/  https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/ukraines-accounting-software-firm-refuses-to-take-cyber-attack-blame/  https://www.wired.com/story/notpetya-cyberattack-ukraine-russia-code-crashed-the-world/  https://www.nationalisacs.org/member-isacs-3  https://attack.mitre.org/groups/  https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt  https://www.publicpower.org/system/files/documents/Public-Power-Cyber-Incident-Response-Playbook.pdf 

If you're just starting out online, one of the first things you'll need to do is choose a web host. This can be a daunting task, especially if you don't know what to look for. Avram discusses the different types of web hosting services and helps you decide which one is right for you. He also gives you some tips on how to choose a web host that meets your needs. So, whether you're looking for shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, or something else entirely, Avram's got tips on how to make the best decision possible!Registering a Domain NameThe first step in setting up your web presence is to register a domain name. Your domain name is the address of your website on the Internet. It's what people will type into their browser to find your site. For example, Google's domain name is google.com. Domain names can be registered with any number of registrars, but we recommend that you use a registrar that also offers web hosting services. This way, you can register your domain name and set up your website all in one place.There are two parts to a domain name: the top-level domain (TLD) and the second-level domain (SLD). The TLD is the part of the domain name that comes after the dot. For example, in the domain name google.com, the TLD is .com. The SLD is the part of the domain name that comes before the dot. In google.com, the SLD is google. You can choose any TLD you want when you register your domain name, but some are more popular than others. The most popular TLDs are .com, .org, and .net.You can also register domains with country-specific TLDs such as .us, .UK, and .ca. These are known as ccTLDs (country code top-level domains). If you're targeting a specific country audience with your website, it can be helpful to use a ccTLD. However, ccTLDs are not required. You can register a .com domain name and use it for a website targeted at any country audience.Different Types of HostingShared HostingShared hosting is the most popular type of web hosting. This is because it's the most affordable option. With shared hosting, your website shares a server with other websites. This can be a great option if you're just starting out, as it's very budget-friendly. The downside of shared hosting is that your website may be affected by the traffic on other websites on the same server.WordPress HostingWordPress hosting is a type of web hosting that's specifically designed for WordPress websites. WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to create a website without having to code it yourself. WordPress hosting usually comes with pre-installed WordPress, which makes it easy to get started. It also often includes features such as increased security and performance, as well as customer support specifically for WordPress websites.VPS HostingVPS, or Virtual Private Server, hosting is a step up from shared hosting. With VPS hosting, your website is still sharing a server with other websites. However, you have your own virtual space on that server. This means that your website will not be affected by the traffic on other websites. VPS hosting is a great option if you're looking for more control over your website.Dedicated HostingDedicated hosting is the most expensive type of web hosting. With dedicated hosting, your website has its own server. This means that you have complete control over your website and it will not be affected by the traffic on other websites. Dedicated hosting is a great option if you have a high-traffic website or a website that requires special security.Cloud HostingCloud hosting is a newer type of web hosting. With cloud hosting, your website is hosted on a network of servers. This means that your website can be quickly and easily scaled to meet your needs. Cloud hosting is a great option for businesses that are growing quickly or have high traffic levels.How to Choose a Web HostNow that you know the different types of web hosts, how do you choose one? Here are some tips from Avram:Decide what type of web host you need based on the type of website you have. If you have a small personal website, shared hosting may be all you need. However, if you have a large website or one that gets a lot of traffic, you may need VPS or cloud hosting.Consider your budget. web hosting can range in price from $50 per year to $500 per year or more. Choose a web host that fits your budget and meets your needs.Read reviews of web hosts. There are many web hosting review websites where you can read about the experiences other people have had with different web hosts. This can be a great way to narrow down your choices and choose a web host that is right for you.

Today I'll be recapping the Google Office Hours with Google's John Mueller from January 21st, 2022. As always, I'll provide a synopsis of the question and answer, my opinion, and a link to the question in the video. The video ran an hour, I'll try to summarize this for you in about 15 minutes.Full Show Notes / Blog @ https://opinionatedseo.com/s2e16Questions seemed to focus a bit on internationalization, and internal linking. Hope you enjoy:The value of internal links in header, footer, or in content?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=41Seeing links - they are paid, and the sites are ranking #1, why is that contradiction from what Google says?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=88Some links are not crawling according to Google Search Console.https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=20325% of the pages have dropped being indexed, quite dramatically a few months ago. Submitted pages dropped by 50%. They thought it might be structured data that's not valid.https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=342Seeing images in organic search results, not the image tab. There isn't documentation in google Search Central. https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=655Multiple websites for each location but just a different phone number and address.https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=833Allright, then it was my turn. We have a strong US presence and moving into international. Should we go with ccTLDs or a single domain with subfolder country / language. Technology isn't an issue, and I think being able to target Google Search Console to each unique domain by country may be the most advantageous option.https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=1217Is there a way to capture a folder without a trailing slash in Google Search Console adding a new property?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=1998Site downtime, and how that affects indexing.https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=2064Splitting the domain, what should we do in search console?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=2321This is kind of a reverse internationalization, removing the countries from the site and just focusing on one. But all the countries were already in subfolders, so would moving the main language to the root have a big impact on ranking?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=2684This person really asked, can we trust the answers given. https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=2868Internal Linking, more important than URL structure?https://youtu.be/Waynp8mMqRg?t=3058I then had a chance to talk to John again and ask about client side rendering issues a client was having, this particular client was having trouble replicating the issue as GoogleBot sees it. 

Welcome to the Kickstart Commerce podcast where we share search marketing and domain investing strategies to help grow your business. In today's episode, our guest is Dennis Tinerino — a domain investor, domain developer, and the founder and editor of DomainSmoke.com, the industry's easiest resource for searching and find domain gems.  Today Dennis and I discuss: How familial roots and a career in sales landed him in the crosshairs of domain investing and development Dennis then shares why he chose to focus on hand-regging domains as well as developing domains in the web directory communities. Dennis also shares the backstory to starting DomainSmoke.com, and how he's helping to educate and level up the next generation of domain investors. We also chat about portfolio size and hygiene, and the types of domains Dennis has found success investing in, like ccTLDs, and strategies where he's realized substantial failure, like investing and developing new gTLDs. Last but not least, Dennis arrives bearing 3 exclusives offerings by way of a digital scavenger hunt as well as a FREE FOR ALL domain investing resource to all listeners… so tune in all the way to the end for more details. In closing, don't forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, or however you desire to listen.

Lidia Infante joins the podcast to discuss what international SEO really is: * Information density and its role in SEO * How Natural Language Processing has impacted international SEO * Why understanding user tendencies is a must when doing international SEO Not unlike other areas of SEO, the conversation around international SEO has become far too cliched. There are far too few discussions about the idiosyncrasies of various markets and how that plays out for both bots and users. When it comes down to it, international SEO means understanding how Google functions and how users operate, it's not just ccTLDs and hreflang! Here's a summary of what we talked about

Welcome to the Kickstart Commerce podcast where we share search marketing and domain investing strategies to help grow your business. In today's episode, our guest is Mark Ghoriafi, a professional domain broker and the principal of MrPremium.com — a domain name brokerage and acquisition firm that has brokered $Millions in premium name sales, achieving countless industry and registry sales records. Today Mark and I: Talk about how the gift of gab that has proven profitable for him later in life wasn’t always the case during his early school days. We also discuss how he leveraged a career as a wrestling personality to brokering .club and .global domain names. Mark unveils how he positioned companies to realize innovation through the education and use of new domain extensions, ccTLDs and domain hacks to promote their brand. And last but not least, Mark also sheds light on how MrPremium.com uses clubhouse to promote and broker domains as well as other outbound marketing tools used — LinkedIn, MixMax, and much more. In closing, don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, or however you desire to listen.

Neste episódio do Camada 8, recebemos dois convidados da ICANN (Corporação da Internet para Atribuição de Nomes e Números) no quadro Roteamento de Ideias: Daniel Fink e Nicolás Antonello. Foi uma conversa sobre o que é a ICANN e sua importância na Governança da Internet, como funciona a estrutura de nomes de domínio (gTLDs e ccTLDs), o sistema de DNS, Hyperlocal e muito mais. Ouça e aprenda mais sobre essa instituição de extrema relevância no ecossistema da Internet! ICANN https://www.icann.org/ IANA https://www.iana.org/ LACNIC https://www.lacnic.net/ Registro.br https://registro.br/ Curso "Implementação de servidores recursivos com DNSSEC e HYPERLOCAL" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9tayhWRS0I&ab_channel=NICbrvideos Hangout KSK Rollover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f31MB9KMGRA&ab_channel=NICbrvideos Redes Sociais: https://www.youtube.com/nicbrvideos/ https://www.twitter.com/comunicbr/ https://www.telegram.me/nicbr/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/nic-br/ https://www.instagram.com/nicbr/ https://www.facebook.com/nic.br/ Contato Equipe Ceptro.br cursosceptro@nic.br Direção e edição de áudio Equipe de comunicação do NIC.br You Project Veja também https://nic.br/ https://ceptro.br/

Welcome to the Kickstart Commerce podcast where we share search marketing and domain investing strategies to help grow your business. In today's episode, our guest, Nikul Sanghvi, is a highly-esteemed, professional domain investor of ccTLDs, and the founder and principal of hypernames.co — a digital asset boutique connecting startups and subject matter experts with high impact, memorable domains. Today Nikul and I dive deep into: Insightful perspectives and lessons learned about his ccTLD investing experiences thus far Including detailed analysis of his best year in domaining yet, detailing purchases, renewals, registrations, commissions, and fees, and more The pros and cons of ccTLD investing, and everything in between Predictions for what’s next on the horizon for ccTLDs In closing, don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, or however you desire to listen.

Welcome to this episode of Kickstart Commerce podcast where we share search marketing and domain investing strategies to help grow your business. In today's episode, our guest is Mark Levine — a serial entrepreneur and astute domain investor, once owning category-killer domains such as Published.com, BookPrinting.com and many more valuable one and two word .com domains. Today Mark and I discuss: How a lucrative career in a book publishing and technology company introduced him to domain investing He also shares how and why domain investing has sharpened his business acumen We also talk a bit ccTLDs, and which extensions he actively invests in And last but not least, Mark reveals his overall 2020 domain results as a part-time domain investor — including average acquisition and sales data, portfolio sale-through rate, and much more. In closing, don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Spotify, or however you desire to listen.

Welcome to the Kickstart Commerce podcast where we share search marketing and domain investing strategies to help grow your business. In today's episode, we have a two-for-one special in having none other than Nikul Sanghvi and Morgan Linton join us. Nikul Sanghvi is an analytics extraordinaire by day and a highly-esteemed Domain investor of ccTLDs by night.  He’s the founder and principal of hypernames.co — a digital asset boutique connecting startups and subject matter experts with high impact, memorable domains. Morgan Linton is one of the most learned, generous personalities you’ll encounter in the domain industry. A multilingual domain investor, broker, blogger, serial entrepreneur and, if that wasn’t enough, he’s added angel investor in the last few years. He’s also the co-founder of Bold Metrics, a venture-backed SaaS company using contactless Machine Learning to unlock body data. But as for today, Nikul, Morgan, and I discuss “the state of ccTLD investing”, diving deep into: Insightful perspectives and lessons learned about their ccTLD investing experiences The pros and cons of ccTLD investing, and everything in between Predictions for what’s next on the horizon for ccTLDs In closing, don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher, or however you desire to listen.

Welcome to this episode of Kickstart Commerce podcast where we interview “a jack of all trades, a master of what’s important”, Steve Webb — the man behind the man of the curtain as a researcher, developer, and marketer at Park.io, a backordering service for drop catching expired ccTLD domains.  In today’s episode, Steve and I discuss: His journey into the domain industry The hidden world of drop catching as it relates the ccTLD ecosystem How to appraise ccTLDs, and why .io domains are skyrocketing in price New backorder service offerings at Park.io How COVID has impacted Park.io and the domain industry in general In closing, don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode via iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher or how ever you desire to listen.

Two guests shed light on ccTLDs. .Com is king in much of the world, but not in Europe. In many European countries, the country code domain name (ccTLD) is used more often than .com. On today’s show, I talk to two people who live and breathe ccTLDs. First, I talk with Peter Van Roste, who […] Post link: Country Code Domains – DNW Podcast #208 © DomainNameWire.com 2020. This is copyrighted content. Domain Name Wire full-text RSS feeds are made available for personal use only, and may not be published on any site without permission. If you see this message on a website, contact editor (at) domainnamewire.com. Latest domain news at DNW.com: Domain Name Wire.

When entrepreneur Adrian McKeown started a new online makeup business, his prior knowledge of domain values lead him to acquire category killer ccTLD Makeup.co.nz. In just 2 1/2 years, it's grown to annual sales of 7 figures. Learn how the credibility of having the EMD category killer lead to key business opportunities. He discusses why he's not switching from the exact match domain to a more brandable domain name, which is especially unusual in the highly branded makeup market, but he shares how his understanding of this particular niche informed his domain strategy and branding strategy.

Outside of Government, the use of country code top level domains (ccTLDs), such as .ag; .lc, .jm and .tt, are not popular in the Caribbean. Further many Caribbean countries do not directly manage their own ccTLDs, and so may not fully appreciate the value of that resource. One of the exceptions is Trinidad and Tobago. In this episode, we talk to Professor Patrick Hosein, of the Trinidad and Tobago Network Information Centre (TTNIC), on managing the .tt domain extension, and how TTNIC has been influencing how the Internet and Internet Governance continues to develop in Trinidad and Tobago. Useful links to things mentioned during the episode can be found at  http://bit.ly/2LQBUYB   Don't forget to subscribe to the show!  

Welcome to this episode of Kickstart Commerce podcast where I interview George T. Bundy, CEO of BRS Media.   With more than 20 years of experience in pioneering domain usage for multimedia purposes, such as radio and podcast websites, BRS Media is the parent company of the dotFM (.FM) and dotAM (.AM) registries.    Picking up from where we left off at meeting one another for the first time while attending NamesCon, tune in and listen as George and I discuss the following topics:   How BRS Media stumbled upon .FM and .AM offerings How the domain industry has changed over time What the future of domains may consist of Are ccTLDs impacted by new gTLD offerings Why emoji domains make business sense, especially for multimedia brand Why dotFM choose to venture into offering emoji domains Don’t forget to subscribe as you enjoy this week's episode.  Also, please visit KickstartCommerce.com and DNAdverts.com to learn more about search marketing and domain investing ideas to grow your business.  

If you don't build a personal network, you limit your ability to sell domain names. Today's Sherpa describes how his personal network was critical to his professional success selling .com.au domain names. Without a network, he wouldn't have been able to acquire customers or close deals. All investors focused on ccTLDs should watch this show.

Meet a guy who has sold a half million worth of ccTLDs last year. Is it too late to get into domain investing? Nope. This week’s guest is another example of someone who got in late and found a successful niche. Mike Carson sold about a half million dollars worth of domains last year. Combined […] Post link: Making money with ccTLDs – DNW Podcast #136 © DomainNameWire.com 2020. This is copyrighted content. Domain Name Wire full-text RSS feeds are made available for personal use only, and may not be published on any site without permission. If you see this message on a website, contact editor (at) domainnamewire.com. Latest domain news at DNW.com: Domain Name Wire.

This week, Nick and Martin provide an update on what they've been doing and discuss whether to use country specific domain names for SEO.

Are ccTLDS a good investment? Victor asks that questions and other as he speaks with guest Bruce Tedeschi, author of the book Domainers Complete Handbook. Also Jothan speaks toDNZoom founder Sean Stafford about hisebook DomainGraduate, Tapping the Online Mines, which offers everything a beginning domainer needs to know, including beginning investing, plus dealing with PayPal and setting up business models.Related articles across the webReport from Seattle Domain Name RoundtableHow Domains are Virtual Real EstateNew Media Sales and Name IntelligenceConverting Domain Assets Into Effective Online Businesses; Domains are The New Real EstateSorting and Monetizing Domain Investments; Managing Taxes with Domain OwnershipUnderstanding Your Domain TrafficBeginners Guide to Domaining ebook DomainGraduateDetails on the .XXX Top Level Domain

Google has cut off keyword data altogether as they Move Entirely to Secure Search. We learn about the transition of State of Search the website to now State of Digital with Bas Van Den Beld, the founder of State of Digital.

Mikkel and Andy discuss Ways T

What categories of domains monetize best, what ccTLDs monetize, how does international traffic compare in monetization to U.S. traffic, and more as Victor speaks with with Joe Higgins and Simon Pupo of Rookmedia, the PPC company that is turning heads with great performance, shares insight on how they achieve success in todays PPC market.

Talking Global Domains and the Health of the ccTLDs Market as Daniel Eisenhut, Chief Sales Officer of EuroDNS joins Victor in a discussion about the global domain market. Discussion includes the health of the ccTLDs market and how new gTLDs might impact that.

Talking Global Domains and the Health of the ccTLDs Market as Daniel Eisenhut, Chief Sales Officer of EuroDNS joins Victor in a discussion about the global domain market. Discussion includes the health of the ccTLDs market and how new gTLDs might impact that.

An entrepreneur and investor, Michael Gilmour started his domain name business by placing a big bet: his last $100 on a single domain name that he immediately parked. Learn how Gilmour parlayed his earnings from that single domain into a portfolio that at its peak generated thousands of dollars a day in parking revenue.

Chef Patrick discusses Internationalized Domain Names with Aaron Krawitz, an active domain investor and a co-owner of IDNTools.com. They discuss IDN sales such РФ.com, and the continued progress towards internationalized .COM names, as well as questions from listeners on parking, sitebuilding, revenue and ccTLDs.

Patrick Ruddell aka Chef Patrick is announced as the new cohost of Domain Masters alongside Victor Pitts. They interview each other and share their insight to the domain industry on the value of dotUS gTLDs and ccTLDs.

Are ccTLDS a good investment? Victor asks that questions and other as he speaks with guest Bruce Tedeschi, author of the book Domainers Complete Handbook.

Are ccTLDS a good investment? Victor asks that questions and other as he speaks with guest Bruce Tedeschi, author of the book Domainers Complete Handbook.

Monte welcomes Jothan Frakes of Jothan.com and Brian Benko of NoParking.com. In the past decade, Jothan has been Technical Operator of 5 ccTLDs, and CTO of a registrar/registry company. Brian Benko helps monetize your property above and beyond what parking your domains can provide.

Jothan Frakes hosts Antony Couvering from namesatwork.com

Jothan Frakes hosts Antony Couvering from namesatwork.com