In Orange County, everyone is internet-dependent, from business owners to their customers. It’s a rare person now that completely shuns the internet, for the ease that it provides in just about any interaction. You can purchase a car online if you want to, or you can secure a loan. You can chat with someone halfway across the world in real time, or you can book a flight. Think about what all this would have required a half century or even a couple of decades ago, and consider how all of our lives have changed in the interim. Then take a moment to think about some of the dangers that this new way of life has brought with it.

Data Breaches

Data breaches and identity theft are probably the most significant concerns of living in “the internet age,” Orange County. Look at the recent theft of vital information from as many as 500,000 Google+ users. Google felt that the appropriate action to take was to shut down the service entirely. Think about the repeated data breaches that have taken place with banks, department stores, and social media sites in the past couple of years.

It seems that there are two ways of reacting to this sort of thing. We can blithely continue to use the internet as we’ve been doing and hope for the best, or we can completely cut ourselves off from automation, social media, and various online activities for fear that we’ll be the next victim of a full-scale hacking effort. But as a business owner, you cannot afford to withdraw from online usage. You need to have a website, and you need to collect at least some amount of customer information, as your Orange County SEO company will tell you.

Striking a Middle Ground

It is your prerogative how you want to behave in your personal life. If these data breaches spook you so much that you want to avoid buying things online or ever dispensing your personal information, then you can do that. But if you’re the operator or owner of an Orange County business, you can’t expect to compete without a fully functioning website. The way to tackle this issue is to speak to your SEO company and get some reassurance that all appropriate actions are being taken to protect your customers’ private information, including addresses, phone numbers, and credit card info.

For the most part, people aren’t going to be scared off by data breaches. It’s frightening when they happen, but at the same time, the internet is too convenient. Hiding in caves or under the bed isn’t the answer to an admittedly legitimate concern. But if your SEO company uses the appropriate security measures on your site, Orange County, then your customers shouldn’t have any paralyzing fears about buying from you.