1. Give your blog or website an Https cover.
Starting July 2018, Google will deprecate websites that do not have HTTPS Security layer. If you do not have HTTPS implemented on your website, Google Chrome will give a message to the visitors that the site is 'not secure'. Other search engines and people will also feel that the website might not be secure enough.
If you have a free blog, check whether your blog's URL starts with HTTP or HTTPS. If the latter, you are already behind the SSL security layer. Wordpress.com and Blogger blogs already have this security cover.
Luckily, getting the HTTPS certificate for base level security is so simple and free. For more on this subject, you can visit these resources:
- Lets Encrypt: a dependable SSL certification
- How to get HTTPS security for Blogger blogs with independent domain
- Security layer for better SEO
2. Back up your data immediately; back it up regularly in future.
Though web hosts are getting more secure and sturdy, more and more reports are seen about data from websites being hacked, instances of sudden bad performance by websites, blackouts, data loss and other nasty things happening to small website owners and bloggers. Natural calamities such as heavy cyclones also have destroyed host servers in the recent past.
Some hosts are reported to be goading users of inexpensive plans to upgrade and if that is not done, giving poorer service.
You yourself can sometimes take an action by mistake that may turn your website/ blog unusable, or corrupt or delete its data.
Don't think that your data is safe if your blog is on a free platform such as Wordpress or Blogger. No, it is not. In addition to other risks, there is also risk of their suspending your account if they don't find your content appropriate.
So, if you have not been backing up your data so far, start backing up your website/ blog's data right now.
3. Be discreet from now on. Delete all 'bad' content.
In the face of enormous pressure from government investigating agencies, web hosts and social media biggies often have to share customer data with them. Many governments have enacted laws that can be used by authorities to harass bloggers on slight provocation.
Bloggers are also liable to defamation and charge of content theft. In many countries, religion is taken too seriously and anybody writing or drawing anything looking to belittle any religious saying or icon can face severe reprisals in the hands of religious zealots and fundamentalists.
Therefore, please remove content from your blog that would-
- be taken as violating your country's laws;
- provoke your government to invite action against you;
- be taken as socially inappropriate or hurting religious sentiments;
- invite legal action for defamation;
- invite notices and legal action for using others' content.
If you have linked to bad websites, remove those links or disavow those links.
Search engines as well as humans don't like to be fooled. Google has publicly said many times that it penalizes action that is meant to artificially boost a website's reputation such as paying to get backlinks.
Many SEO 'experts' advise bloggers in general and specifically their clients to use tricks to get to the top of search pages. Some bloggers use other tricks such as inflating traffic figures to show one's influence, taking actions that would harm their competitors' blogs/ websites, starting controversies so as to receive huge traffic, etc.
If you want to blog with a long-term goal, please avoid all tricks. In today's web world, tricks generally do not work; and if they work sometimes, they do not bring long-term success. If you already are using tricks to fool people or search engines, it is time to stop doing so, so that you do not repent later.
Happy blogging!
