What is PHP and why is it so important?

PHP is a server side programming language that powers about 70% of all websites on the internet. It is the backbone to popular frameworks like WordPress, Laravel, and many others. Imagine your website is a busy restaurant. The code (HTML & CSS) is the dining room, decorations, and the menu. Its what the customer (user) interacts with. The database is the storage where all of the raw ingredients are held. For a website, this includes things like user data, images, and blog posts. PHP is the kitchen staff. Users click a page (order an item), they don’t go retrieve the ingredients and make the item themselves. Instead, PHP (the kitchen staff) handles gathering the ingredients, cooking the meal, plating, and handing it back to the waiter to deliver to the customer. Without PHP, the internet as we know it today would be unable to function. Just like a restaurant would fail without its amazing kitchen staff.

How is PHP Vulnerable?

2 major bugs were found within core PHP recently. PHP released a news article detailing the situation and resolutions. These vulnerabilities are labelled as critical level vulnerabilities. These are so dangerous because it can allow attackers to compromise entire web servers without a login. It also bypasses security plugins on common platforms. Below are details on the two vulnerabilites and how they relate back to our restaurant analogy:

The “Out of Memory” Trick (CVE-2026-109618):

• Imagine the kitchen staff has a limited number of plates. An attacker orders a meal so massive that the staff runs out of plates halfway through (an “Out of Memory” error). When the staff scrambles to clean up the mess, they accidentally read a set of hidden instructions the attacker slipped into the order, running malicious commands in the process.

The “Ghost Order” Trick (CVE-2026-109619):

• The kitchen staff uses the same notepad for multiple orders. If an order fails, they are supposed to erase the notepad. This bug happens because they forget to erase it. A new, seemingly innocent order comes in, but the staff accidentally reads leftover, malicious instructions from the previous failed order (this is a “stale state” or “use-after-free” bug).

Who Is Affected?

Any website running an outdated version of PHP. If your website is running a supported version of PHP, the security patches are already released and available to the public. The real danger zone is websites on EOL (end-of-life) versions of PHP. These versions no longer receive security updates and will remain vulnerable. Please refer to PHP’s support versions post for more information on your version of PHP.

What Should Website Owners Do?

If you manage your own server & website, please check your current PHP version and apply the necessary updates. Refer to PHP’s latest news post for more information.

If you use managed hosting, contact your web host immediately to confirm that the critical 10/21 PHP patches have been applied.

All CourseVector managed websites have been updated to resolve the vulnerabilities detailed above.

Does your footer include a graveyard of policy links that nobody has reviewed in years? It is easy to overlook the “standards” when building and maintaining a website. Which policy pages your website needs depends on who you are.

Municipalities have the firmest legal requirements, nonprofits have a few of their own, and small businesses have fewer than you might think. Accessibility and privacy, though, apply to almost everyone in practice.

Here is how we sort them for our municipal, small business and nonprofit clients.*

Right to Know: required for municipalities

If your municipality has a website, Pennsylvania law says your Right-to-Know information must be on it. Businesses and nonprofits can skip this section; the law covers government agencies.

Section 504(b) of the Right-to-Know Law requires four things, posted at the municipal office and online:

1. Contact information for your Agency Open Records Officer (AORO)
2. Contact information for the Office of Open Records (OOR), which hears appeals
3. A form residents can use to file a request (the OOR’s standard form works)
4. Your regulations, policies and procedures for handling requests, if you have adopted them

Many municipalities still miss this. When the OOR reviewed agency websites in 2023, only 73 percent posted all three basics: AORO contact, OOR contact and a request form. It also flagged outdated AORO contact information as a common problem.

It’s important to note that every state has a public records law, but most don’t call it “Right to Know.” In other states, it may go by:

• New York: Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
• New Jersey: Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
• California: California Public Records Act
• Texas: Public Information Act
• Ohio: Public Records Act
• Florida: Public Records Law, often grouped with its Sunshine Law

The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is separate and covers only federal agencies, not municipalities.

Best practice: give Right to Know (or your state’s equivalent) its own page, link it from the main menu or footer, and make sure it shows up when someone searches your municipality’s name plus “Right to Know.” Update the AORO name every time staff changes.

A related requirement: under Act 65 of 2021, the Sunshine Act also requires meeting agendas to be posted on your website at least 24 hours before each public meeting.

Charitable solicitation disclosure: required for registered nonprofits

This is the nonprofit counterpart to Right to Know. Much like open records rules, charitable disclosure wording may differ from state to state. These states require wording, which usually shows up on donation pages. Each one points donors to a state agency where they can look up the charity’s filings:

• Florida: tells donors they can get the charity’s official registration and financial information from the Division of Consumer Services, by calling toll-free within the state (1-800-435-7352) or visiting their website. It also states that registration does not imply endorsement.
• Georgia: says a full and fair description of the programs and a financial statement summary are available on request.
• Maryland: says documents filed under the Maryland Solicitations Act are available from the Secretary of State for the cost of postage and copies.
• Michigan: requires only the charity’s registration number.
• Mississippi: directs donors to the Secretary of State’s office (888-236-6167) and says registration does not imply endorsement.
• New Jersey: tells donors that the Attorney General can provide the filed information, including the percentage of contributions that went to the charitable purpose in the last reporting period. It requires the most detailed wording of any state.
• New York: says the latest annual financial report is available from the charity or from the Attorney General’s office.
• North Carolina: points to the State Solicitation Licensing Branch for financial information and a copy of the license, and says the license is not an endorsement by the state.
• Virginia: says financial statements are available from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
• Washington: says the charity is registered with the state’s Charities Program and gives the phone number and website for more information.
• West Virginia and Wisconsin: both have their own wording. Other compliance lists also include Colorado and Kansas, each with registration-number style lines.

Pennsylvania’s Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act requires registered charities to include a standard disclosure statement on written solicitations and donation receipts. Here is the wording:

The official registration and financial information of [Organization Name] may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999.

Put it on your donate page and in online donation receipts, not just printed appeals. If you solicit donors in other states, many of them have their own required wording, and organizations commonly post a combined multi-state disclosure on the donation page.

If your nonprofit asks for donations from people outside Pennsylvania, other states may require their own registration and disclosure wording, so many organizations post a combined multi-state disclosure on their donation page; check with your attorney or a registration service to see which states apply to you.

Accessibility: expected of everyone, and the statement is strongly recommended

Every organization in this article is expected to have an accessible website. What differs is how the rule is enforced. In every case, the practical standard is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Municipalities (ADA Title II). In 2024 the Department of Justice finalized a Title II rule requiring state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. In April 2026, DOJ pushed the deadlines back one year:

Don’t read the extension as a pause. DOJ said plainly that the duty to make digital services accessible continues now.

Small businesses and nonprofits (ADA Title III). There is no federal web rule for private organizations, and DOJ has paused that rulemaking indefinitely. That doesn’t mean you’re exempt. DOJ’s position is that Title III covers websites of organizations open to the public, and courts measure sites against WCAG 2.1 AA. Plaintiffs filed 3,117 federal website accessibility lawsuits in 2025, up 27 percent from 2024, and small businesses are frequent targets. Nonprofits that receive federal funding also fall under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

For everyone, the rule covers more than web pages. PDFs, forms, menus and documents count too, and scanned documents are among the most common failures.

The statement. An accessibility statement isn’t required by name, but it tells visitors your standard and how to ask for help. A solid statement includes:

• The standard you are working toward (WCAG 2.1 AA)
• A contact for reporting barriers, with what to include: the page, the problem, and the format the person needs
• How to request a document in an alternate format
• Known limitations, such as older archived PDFs
• The date it was last reviewed

A few words of caution: an accessibility overlay or toolbar widget does not by itself make a site compliant, and some plaintiffs’ firms specifically target sites that rely on one. Describe the real work you have done, not the plug-in.

You’ll notice we don’t call websites “ADA compliant,” and unless you can prove compliance we’d encourage you not to either. Compliance is a strong word. It implies a finished state that no website really reaches. Content changes every time someone uploads a PDF, posts a photo or adds a new page. No scan, plug-in or one-time audit can promise that every page works for every visitor. Claiming full compliance can also backfire. It can invite complaints from visitors who hit a barrier, and in 2025 the FTC fined an accessibility overlay company $1 million for claiming its tool made sites compliant. Instead, say what’s true: your site is designed to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, you review it regularly, and you’ll fix any barrier someone reports. That language is honest, defensible, and closer to what the law actually expects, which is ongoing effort.

Privacy Policy: recommended for all, required in practice once you collect data

Pennsylvania has no comprehensive consumer privacy law yet (late 2026). A bill, HB 78, passed the House in 2025 and is still pending in the Senate; it would require covered businesses to post a privacy notice. Even without it, most websites end up needing a privacy policy:

• Tools you use require one. Google Analytics, advertising pixels and many payment and email platforms make a privacy policy a condition of their terms.
• Other states’ laws reach you. California’s online privacy law applies to commercial sites that collect personal information from California residents, wherever the business is located.
• Visitors expect it. A contact form, newsletter signup, online store or donation form all collect personal information.

Keep it short and honest. Cover:

• What you collect: form entries, email addresses, payment details, and automatic data like IP addresses and cookies
• Why you collect it and who sees it, including vendors such as payment processors or your web host
• Third-party tools (analytics, embedded maps, social media feeds) and links to their policies
• How long you keep it and how someone can ask you to delete it
• Who to contact with questions

For municipalities: add that anything submitted may be a public record under the Right-to-Know Law. A resident filing a complaint should know their submission could be released, with personal details redacted where the law allows.

For nonprofits: donors care most about one question: do you sell, rent or share donor information? Answer it directly. A clear “we never sell or trade donor information” builds trust on the donation page.

For everyone: collect only what the form needs, and never ask for Social Security numbers or similar identifiers on a web form.

Privacy law follows your visitors, not your address. You might have noticed the CA privacy law statement above. U.S. privacy laws generally protect people based on the state where they live, not the state where an organization is located. A Pennsylvania business, nonprofit or municipality with a website can be subject to the privacy laws of every state its visitors come from. As of 2026, about 20 states have comprehensive consumer privacy laws in effect, and more take effect in 2027. Pennsylvania’s own bill is still pending. Most of these laws apply only once an organization meets certain thresholds, often around 100,000 residents of that state, though some states set the bar lower. Most exempt nonprofits, but Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Oregon largely do not. Government agencies are generally exempt from these consumer laws, but municipalities still answer to their own state’s public records and data breach laws. A good privacy policy explains what you collect and how visitors from any state can exercise the rights their state’s law gives them.

Legal Disclaimer: nice to have

A disclaimer isn’t required, but it is cheap insurance against claims that someone relied on outdated or incomplete information. Some examples of sections may include:

• General: the site is a public service for viewing information, and unauthorized changes are prohibited
• Liability: no warranty on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of posted information
• Endorsement: naming a business or product is not an endorsement
• Email: no guaranteed response time to email
• External links: the organization doesn’t control or vouch for linked sites

Tailor it to what you publish:

• Municipalities: state that the official version of an ordinance, budget or minutes is the one on file at the municipal office. That protects you when a posted PDF lags behind an amendment.
• Small businesses: if you publish advice, such as financial, legal, health, fitness or home-improvement tips, say it is general information and not a substitute for professional advice. Note that prices and availability can change.
• Nonprofits: if you share resources or referrals for the people you serve, say you don’t control or guarantee outside services, and include an emergency contact line where it fits.

Terms and Conditions: recommended if you sell online, nice to have otherwise

Terms and Conditions set the rules for people who do something on your site beyond reading. If your site is informational, a good disclaimer covers most of the same ground.

• Small businesses: if you sell online, terms are close to essential. Cover payment, shipping, returns and refunds, warranties, and limits of liability. Link them at checkout, not just in the footer.
• Nonprofits: worth having for event tickets, class or program registrations, and membership sign-ups. Spell out cancellation and refund rules, and whether part of a ticket is tax-deductible.
• Municipalities: useful for online payments (utilities, permits, fees), resident portals, and pavilion or program registrations.

Write them in plain language and link them where the transaction happens. Payment and registration vendors often supply their own terms, so check what is already covered before writing new ones.

Internal Policies: recommended for all

Internal policies govern how your staff, volunteers and officials run your website and social media. They aren’t required, but they keep your accounts consistent, protect your reputation, and make sure access doesn’t walk out the door with one employee.

A good social media or website policy covers:

• Which accounts are official and who is authorized to post
• Who holds the passwords and admin access, and what happens when someone leaves
• Comment rules and when comments may be hidden or removed
• Who reviews website content and how often
• Guidance for staff and volunteers posting about the organization on personal accounts

Municipalities have higher stakes. In Lindke v. Freed (2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that an official’s social media activity is government action when the official has actual authority to speak for the government and is using it. Blocking residents or deleting critical comments on an official page can then raise First Amendment claims. Municipal policies should apply comment rules the same way regardless of viewpoint, separate official accounts from officials’ personal pages, and address how posts are retained as public records.

Nonprofits should also address volunteers and board members speaking for the organization, and avoid political campaign activity on official accounts, which can put 501(c)(3) status at risk.

Your website policy checklist

Start with the required items for your type of organization, then work down the list.

PA Municipalities

• Right-to-Know page with AORO contact, OOR contact, request form and procedures
• Meeting agendas posted at least 24 hours before each meeting
• Accessibility review against WCAG 2.1 AA, including PDFs
• Accessibility statement
• Privacy policy, including the public-records note
• Legal disclaimer
• Adopted social media and website policy

Small businesses

• Accessibility review against WCAG 2.1 AA
• Accessibility statement
• Privacy policy, if you use analytics, forms, a newsletter or online sales
• Terms and conditions, if you sell online
• Disclaimer, if you publish advice
• Social media and website policy for staff

Nonprofits

• Pennsylvania charitable solicitation disclosure on the donate page and receipts
• Accessibility review against WCAG 2.1 AA
• Accessibility statement
• Privacy policy with a clear donor-information statement
• Terms for events and registrations
• Social media and website policy for staff, volunteers and board

CourseVector builds and maintains websites for municipalities, small businesses and nonprofits, including accessibility reviews, policy pages, and converting PDFs into accessible web pages. Contact us to review your site.

*Always check with your solicitor or legal team to make sure that you’re covering all of your legal requirements and your acceptable level of risk. We are not lawyers and this article is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice.

Find Your Name

If you see your business’, organization’s, or municipality’s name hidden in this newsletter, contact us and let us know! We’ll send you a gift for being a super sleuth for this quarter.

Nominate your Borough Website

Do you know of an award winning website? Nominate them for the Borough News Communication Contest award. Communication with residents is a critical function of local government. Awards will be issued and presented at PSAB’s Annual Conference, June 6-9, 2027 at the Hershey Lodge.

The deadline for nominations is February 12, 2027.

Judging criteria for websites includes:

• Content Quality
• Structure and Navigation
• Layout/Design/Visual Appeal
• Functionality
• Interactivity
• Overall Experience
• Use of Technology

Check your issue of Borough News for the nomination form. If you have questions, contact Rick Habacivch at rhabacivch@boroughs.org or 717-236-9526, ext 1049.

Have a Question?

Do you have a question about web design, IT, or security? Drop us a line. We may answer in an upcoming newsletter or create a free cybersecurity poster with your topic.

Let’s Celebrate You!

Do you have an announcement, accomplishment, or just plain good news to share? Let us know. We would love to share your good news in our newsletter.

Gary’s laptop had a good run.

It survived software updates, questionable browser tabs, too many open programs, and years of being carried from meeting to meeting.

Then came the coffee.

One spill. One dead laptop. And, unfortunately for Gary, zero backups.

That is how a small accident becomes an IT horror story.

Data Loss Does Not Always Come From Hackers

When people hear “data loss,” they often think about ransomware, hackers, or some major cybersecurity incident. Those are real threats, but they are far from the only ways important files disappear. But 64% of data loss comes from the mundane, boring stuff our buddy Gary experienced. Computers fail. Hard drives die. Phones get lost. Employees accidentally delete folders. Files become corrupted. Devices are damaged by water, power surges, drops, fires, and plain old bad luck.

We all know that these things can happen. What’s worse is they usually happen without warning.

A Backup Is Your Way Back

A good backup gives you another copy of important information that can be restored if the original is lost, damaged, deleted, or encrypted.

For businesses and organizations, you’ll want all the stuff that allows you to keep operating even when systems fail. This might include documents, financial records, photos, website files, contact information, project files, policies, forms, and years of institutional knowledge.

Without a backup, recovering that information may be expensive, incomplete, or impossible.

And while professional data recovery services sometimes work, “we’ll recover it later” is not a backup strategy.

Cloud Storage Is Helpful, But It Is Not Always a Backup

Services like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and similar platforms are useful because they keep files online and can synchronize them across devices.

Don’t mistake synchronization for a good backup.

If a file is accidentally deleted, overwritten, corrupted, or affected by ransomware, those changes may also synchronize to the cloud. Some services offer version history and deleted-file recovery, but retention periods and features vary.

Organizations should know exactly what is being backed up, where the backup is stored, and how long older versions are retained.

The Best Backups Happen Automatically

If your backup plan depends on someone remembering to copy files every Friday afternoon, eventually someone will forget.

Automatic backups reduce that risk. A common guideline is the 3-2-1 backup strategy:

Keep three copies of important data, store those copies on at least two different types of storage, and keep at least one copy separate from your primary environment.

For example, your organization might have working files on a computer or server, an automated cloud backup, and another protected backup stored separately.

The exact setup will vary depending on your organization, but the goal is simple: one damaged laptop should not be able to destroy your only copy of important information.

Backups Need to Be Tested Too

Having a backup system is great. Knowing that it actually works is better.

Organizations should periodically verify that backups are completing successfully and that files can actually be restored. A backup that has quietly failed for six months is not much help when disaster finally strikes.

This is especially important for critical business records, financial information, website data, and other files your organization cannot easily recreate.

Do Not Wait for the Tombstone

Did file backups every cross Gary’s mind? We may never know. The coffee was hot and swift.

Backups are one of those cybersecurity precautions that feel unnecessary right up until the moment they become essential.

Take a few minutes to check your organization’s backup process. Find out what is protected, how often backups occur, where those backups are stored, and whether anyone has tested the recovery process recently.

Because laptops can be replaced.

Your data may not be so lucky.

Backup or beware.

CourseVector grants permission to use this artwork for any non-commercial purpose as long as the CourseVector contact information remains, as is, on any reproduction or use.

Great ideas don’t happen in a vacuum.

This year, we’re excited to launch The Exchange (formerly Professional Day).

This isn’t a boring conference where you just sit and listen. It’s a fun, hands-on event designed to help you share ideas and build real connections with other local professionals.

What you can expect:

• Real Insights: Hear fresh ideas and practical strategies you can use right away.
• Great Connections: Network with local leaders and peers.
• A Great Time: Meet and discuss in a relaxed environment with food and drinks on us. The evening will be scored by our musical guest, Caden Cookus!

We are also excited to feature CourseVector’s Gabriel Mariani in a talk about the current AI landscape and what it means for your business. 

Featured Guests

Whether you want to grow your network, build new skills, or get inspired, there’s something here for you.

We can’t wait to see you at The Exchange.

Register Now!

We’re so grateful to all who joined CourseVector and Triscari at our inaugural

Professional Day Exchange.

Today we’re taking a look back on that event and what made it so great.

Last year’s Professional Day Exchange brought together professionals from across our community for a day of learning, connection, and inspiration — all centered around the theme of professional and personal growth.

We kicked off the morning with fresh coffee from Nour, fueling great conversations and networking with our wonderful collaborators.

The event gave us a unique opportunity not only to meet the wonderful CourseVector staff who helped reformat our websites, but also to connect with some of your other clients and learn about their services. Lunch was also a delicious bonus!  Everyone was incredibly welcoming & friendly, as always.

~ Carleigh Williams
Project Coordinator AP Williams

I really enjoyed the setup of the networking event.  I had plenty of time to visit with different people and really get to know them and their businesses. I loved that it was quiet and we could actually talk to each other, instead of just pretending that we could understand each other over the noise, as I do during most networking events.  I would love to have a table next year!

~ Marsha Cleff
6Star Resume

Omega eCycles‘ Reesy Neff presented thoughtful discussions on how to better serve our communities while responsibly disposing of unwanted electronics and clutter — a perfect blend of sustainability and service.

Great small personal event.  Made a couple of good contacts.  TU for the invite.

~ Steve Troutman
Senior Solutions Consultant Greenstar Cloud

Catalyst by Design’s Samantha Stewartz shared practical strategies to combat the challenges of a sedentary job, reminding us that even small movement habits can make a big impact on long-term health and productivity.

Thank you, Coursevector, for inviting me to the networking event. I made several contacts and gained a lot of useful information. The event was a great success as far as I am concerned.

~ Nora Sites
Nora’s Country Attic

Chef Lou Sackett, founder and teacher at Prep Hold Cook, treated everyone to a delicious, make-ahead lunch — the perfect example of how a little preparation can make healthy eating easy, even on the busiest days. We even got to take home three exclusive recipes that perfectly exemplified her mission of prep (make a delicious dinner), hold (have leftovers – no problem), and cook (have lunch for the next two days)!

It was great to meet the staff of CourseVector in person finally, and also to learn about Triscari.  I enjoyed talking to Mike about earning revenue through sponsorships, and look forward to hearing about the social media marketing plans you and Abby will develop.  And my compliments to Armani; for such a young man, he’s very personable and well-spoken – his enthusiasm is refreshing.

~ Chef Lou

Coming Soon – The Exchange 2026

We were so proud of the success of this event, but that was only the beginning. This year, we’re coming back with free food, drink, entertainment, and new connections!

There is still time to register. You can find more details about this year’s event in our post here.

Register Now!

Your Data Is Not Public: Protecting Sensitive Information While Embracing AI

Artificial intelligence makes drafting emails, summarizing documents, analyzing information, and completing everyday tasks faster than ever. With various tools easily accessible, employees are adopting them quickly and often before organizations have had time to formulate policy.

That creates a simple but important cybersecurity problem: not everything you have access to is information you have permission to share.

Customer records, employee information, account numbers, internal documents, financial records, passwords, contracts, and other confidential information can all become security risks when they are copied into an AI tool without understanding where that information goes or how it may be used.

The challenge is not necessarily stopping employees from using AI. As The Hacker News notes, organizations need practical safeguards that allow people to use these tools without creating an unnecessary opportunity for a data breach.

AI Tools Need Data

AI tools work because we give them information. But not all data is the same. Asking an AI tool to rewrite a generic sentence is very different from uploading a spreadsheet containing customer names, addresses, account information, or employee records.

Establishing boundaries around what information employees may share and how that information may be handled is key in protecting an organization from inadvertently sharing sensitive information.

Before entering business information into any AI platform, employees should consider a few basic questions:

• Does this contain personal or confidential information?
• Does the AI provider retain what I enter?
• Can the information be used to train the provider’s models?
• Who else may have access to the information?
• Has my organization approved this tool for this type of data?

If you do not know the answers, confidential information should stay out.

Not All AI Tools Carry the Same Risk

One of the easiest mistakes organizations can make is treating every AI product as though it works the same way.

It does not.

An AI writing assistant that helps correct grammar may have access to very different information than an AI application connected directly to your email, cloud storage, accounting software, or customer relationship management system.

When evaluating an AI product, organizations should consider the vendor, its security history, how it handles submitted data, its compliance practices, and what other systems the application can access. This type of contextual risk assessment shows that the risk depends heavily on what the application can see and do.

That also means employees should not assume that a tool is safe simply because it is popular, free, or built into software the organization already uses.

Access Does Not Mean Permission

Cybersecurity policies frequently focus on preventing outsiders from accessing information. AI introduces another concern: what authorized employees do with information after they access it.

An employee may legitimately have access to a customer database, personnel file, financial report, or confidential document. That does not automatically mean the information can be copied into an outside AI service.

Organizations should establish clear rules identifying which tools employees may use, what information can be entered into those tools, and whether certain applications or integrations are prohibited.

AI Security Is Not a One-Time Decision

Anyone online knows that technology is an everchanging landscape. Approving an AI application today does not mean it will carry exactly the same risk next year.

Software changes. Vendors introduce new features. Permissions expand. Applications begin connecting with additional services. Employees also discover new ways to use the technology. For this reason, an organization’s cybersecurity policy should be reviewed annually. As a matter of fact, public companies must report their cybersecurity analysis to the SEC annually. Your board of directors or council might require something similar even if your insurance company does not.

Being an ever-growing part of our technical repertoire, AI security needs ongoing review. Organizations should assess AI tools being used, what information employees are sharing with them, and whether those tools still meet the organization’s security standards; monitor changes in permissions and data flows; review vendor updates; and audit AI use over time. This can be a lot without professional help, and having a trusted IT professional in your corner can certainly help.

Lock It. Protect It. Respect It.

Most employees are not intentionally putting company information at risk. The problem is that AI makes sharing information extremely easy. Copy, paste, upload, and suddenly data that once existed only inside your organization has been submitted to another system.

A few seconds of consideration can prevent a much larger problem.

Treat personal, customer, employee, financial, and confidential business information as exactly what it is: private data entrusted to your organization.

Use approved tools. Follow your organization’s policies. Remove sensitive information when it is not necessary. And when you are unsure whether something should be shared with an AI application, ask before you upload it.

AI can be an incredibly useful business tool. Safe adoption does not require saying no to AI altogether.

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That approach may have worked in the past, but with the advent of AI, search engines are no longer just matching words on a page. They are trying to understand what people actually need. They want answers. They want help. They want confidence that the searcher is making the right decision. Modern SEO/AI marketing needs a better approach.

Keywords Still Matter, But They Are Not Enough

Though AI is changing how keywords work, it isn’t eliminating their effectiveness in digital marketing. If you are a roofer in Harrisburg, you still want a page that targets “roof repair Harrisburg.” The keyword still tells Google and the customer what the page is about.  But now, the keyword is only the starting point.

Building a Decision Page

A strong SEO page should help a visitor decide what to do next. That means the page should not just say, “We offer this service.” It should explain the service, compare options, answer common questions, show proof, and make the next step obvious. In essence, a page should serve as an informational package to the reader. 

Following this approach, you’ll need to define:

1. Keyword: What service or topic is the page about?
2. Explanation: What does the customer need to understand?
3. Comparison: What options or choices should they consider?
4. Proof: Why should they trust you?
5. Next step: What should they do now?

Why This Matters More With AI Search

AI search makes this shift more important. People are not only typing short phrases anymore. They are asking more detailed questions. They are comparing options. They are looking for recommendations. A list of websites from a search engine isn’t good enough anymore. They want the AI to do the heavy lifting in solving their problem. 

Five Steps to Create a Page Optimized for AI SEO

1. Start With the Main Keyword

Every page still needs a clear topic, like “roof repair Harrisburg”, “prosthetic hand Pittsburgh”, “estate planning attorney Camp Hill”, etc. Use the keyword naturally in the title, main heading, introduction, and page copy. Be mindful of stuffing. 

2. Explain the Service Like You Are Talking to a Customer

Assume the visitor does not know the details.  Explain what the service includes, who needs it, when it matters, and what problems it solves.  A good explanation makes the customer feel understood. It also helps search engines connect your page to related questions and searches.

3. Compare the Customer’s Options

Most customers are trying to choose between options. Repair or replace? Basic or advanced? Local provider or national company? A strong SEO page helps people understand the choices, and guides them towards a solid answer. 

4. Add Proof

Unsubstantiated claims are not enough.  If you say you are experienced, prove it.  Use reviews, photos, project examples, certifications, staff bios, case studies, service-area details, or before-and-after examples.

5. Make the Next Step Obvious

Don’t leave the visitor wondering what to do. Give them a clear call to action, so that they can continue on their decision-making journey. Examples include: Call for an estimate, schedule a consultation, upload a photo, ask a question.

Conclusion

Digital marketing in this new landscape of AI doesn’t have to be painful. Following these steps in content creation will allow you to create content that better serves your customers, and that AI can read. 

1. Stop building pages that only target keywords.
2. Start building pages that help customers make decisions.
3. Use keyword the tell people what the page is about.
4. Explain the keyword to help people understand.
5. Provide content copy that helps them choose.
6. Provide copy that helps them trust you.
7. Provide an easy way for them to act.

Outdo your competitors by keeping up with AI. To learn more about AI SEO, check out CourseVector’s blog. 

Creating a community and engaging with your customers is a great way to increase your sales. If you’re in a service-based industry, provided value-added content may be a way to remind your customers that you are the expert in your field that they should trust. A newsletter is a powerful tool for engaging your audience, building relationships, and driving business growth.

Choosing a newsletter service can feel overwhelming because there are so many options, each catering to different needs, budgets, and levels of expertise. We’ve tried to help you narrow down the choices, features, analytics, and pricing for the newsletter options to use with your WordPress website.

Note on Pricing: Since plugin rates fluctuate, we will be ranking pricing on a $ (Budget-Friendly) to $$$ (Enterprise/Premium) scale.

MailPoet

MailPoet is a good choice for WordPress users seeking an integrated email marketing solution. Here are several reasons why someone might choose MailPoet as their WordPress newsletter plugin:

Key Features:

• Create and send newsletters directly from WordPress.
• Drag-and-drop email builder with templates.
• Automated welcome emails and post notifications.
• Manage subscribers and segments within WordPress.
• Reliable email delivery without relying on a third-party service
• WooCommerce integration for e-commerce stores.

Pros:

• Fully integrated into the WordPress admin interface.
  • This integration means you can send in WordPress without limit.
• Allows for e-commerce, like product recommendations and cart status updates.

Cons:

• Requires you to send from an email linked to the WordPress domain (e.g., name@yourdomain.com).
• Your site must be reviewed by MailPoet before you can use their service.

Pricing: $ – $$

We recommend MailPoet for Businesses. Businesses can use newsletters to promote products, sales, and updates. But if you don’t want to push products and sales on your clients, maybe providing a “news you can use” type newsletter can remind your customers that you’re the expert in your field to trust.

Newsletter

The Newsletter plugin is a free, user-friendly WordPress tool ideal for small businesses and bloggers. Here are some reasons why you might choose this option for your WordPress newsletter plugin:

Key Features

• Unlimited subscribers and newsletters.
• Built-in drag-and-drop editor.
• Advanced targeting and segmentation options.
• Supports SMTP for better email deliverability, but this option may require additional setup costs
• Integrates with popular WordPress newsletter plugins like WooCommerce and Contact Form 7.

Pros:

• The free tier has no sending limits.
• Using this plugin is easy and has little impact on your site.

Cons:

• Relies on your server and requires configuring an external SMTP service (which may incur additional costs/setup).
• Lacks advanced automation options (scheduling) as well as analytics.

Pricing: $

We recommend Newsletter for Municipalities. Municipalities may find newsletters beneficial to raise awareness of community happenings. You can also use this as a showcase for what you are doing to support your citizens.

MailChimp

Mailchimp is a great choice for users who want a robust tool with seamless WordPress integration. Here is a deeper dive into this WordPress newsletter plugin:

Key Features:

• Seamless integration with Mailchimp’s platform.
• Easy opt-in forms and custom fields.
• Integrates with WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and Contact Form 7.
• Built-in analytics and reporting.
• GDPR compliance options.

Pros:

• Includes in-depth analytics.
• Easily integrates with third-party web tools.
• Works independently of your WordPress server performance.

Cons:

• The dashboard is very complex, making it hard to learn and comprehend.
• You can’t do much within the free tier.
• Is external to the WordPress dashboard.

Pricing: $$ – $$$

We recommend MailChimp for bloggers. Bloggers can use newsletters to share new posts and grow readership. If you wish to share new posts, choosing a WordPress newsletter plugin that allows you to share posts automatically from your WordPress blog will help you work smarter, not harder. Bloggers can also use the in-depth analytics it provides to grow their reader base.

FluentCRM

FluentCRM is a cost-effective, self-hosted email marketing and CRM solution for WordPress users who need advanced automation, segmentation, and integration features without relying on external platforms.

Key Features:

• Manage email campaigns and segment contact lists.
• Self-hosted solutions, running right inside of WordPress.
• Robust analytics and workflows available.
• GDPR Compliance.
• SMTP for better deliverability, but this option may mean a higher setup cost.
• LMS, Membership and eCommerce support.

Pros:

• The service has a flat fee, regardless of the number of subscribers.
• Automation is made easy.

Cons:

• The free version is very minimal in its offerings.
• Lacks a built-in landing page builder (which you would use for sales pages or forms).

Pricing: $$

We recommend FluentCRM for freelancers. Freelancers often have to work harder to find and keep clients. Newsletters can be a handy tool to showcase your expertise and attract clients.

Email Subscribers & Newsletters (Icegram)

Email Subscribers & Newsletters (AKA Icegram) is perfect for beginners and small businesses looking for a budget-friendly, all-in-one WordPress newsletter plugin to collect leads, send automated newsletters, and track performance without requiring advanced technical skills.

Key Features:

• Collect leads and send automated newsletters.
• Scheduling options for regular emails.
• Tracks email opens and clicks.
• Supports HTML templates.
• GDPR-compliant subscription forms.

Pros:

• Setup is quick and simple.
• Serves as a budget-friendly option that gets the job done.

Cons:

• Customizing layouts requires basic HTML/CSS knowledge.
• Is inherently more limited in its offerings (specifically automation).

Pricing: $

We recommend Icegram for E-commerce stores. E-commerce stores can use newsletters to promote new products and sales. I’m sure we’re all subscribed to at least one online shopping newsletter… Think about the engagement, holiday news, new product offers, and sales alerts that show up in your inbox.

Whether you’re just starting or you’re a seasoned business owner/blogger, a newsletter is a great way to stay in touch with your customers or leads.

How to Simplify the Decision?

1. Set Goals: Define whether you need basic newsletters, lead generation, or complex automations.
2. Test Free Plans: Start with trials to compare usability and features.
3. Check Integrations: Ensure it works with your existing tools (CRM, website, and payment systems).
4. Compare Pricing: Factor in growth costs and hidden fees.
5. Assess Support: Prioritize platforms with responsive customer service.

If you need help making the decision, feel free to ask your IT department or your website developer.

For more information, you can contact us here.

What are backlinks? How do you get them? And how is the backlink landscape changing with AI? Let’s explore how backlinks can help (or hurt) your SEO.

What is a Backlink?

A backlink is a link from another website to your website. If a local newspaper writes about your business and links to your website, for example, you have earned a backlink.

Backlinks have been part of search engine optimization for decades, but the way search engines evaluate them has changed considerably. It is no longer a matter of collecting as many links as possible.

Google uses links as one of many signals to understand pages, discover content, and evaluate relevance. The quality, context, and usefulness of a link are much more important than simply increasing your backlink count.

Think of a backlink somewhat like a recommendation. A recommendation from a respected organization familiar with your industry carries more weight with a potential customer than a recommendation from a completely unrelated stranger.

Do Backlinks Still Matter for SEO?

Yes, backlinks still matter. But with the search landscape shifting as people and search engines rely more on AI, backlinks are taking on a slightly different role.

Modern backlinks have three different kinds of value:

1. Traditional SEO value. Relevant links can still help search engines understand your reputation, subject area, and relationships to other sites.
2. Discovery value. A backlink gives crawlers and search systems another path to discover your business and content.
3. AI authority/citation value. This is the newer piece. If reputable sources across the web consistently mention your company, quote your information, link to your research, or identify you as a source in your field, that creates a stronger web footprint for AI systems to work with.

It is important to remember that there are still actual humans surfing the web. Legitimate referrals from friends, influencers, businesses and other trusted sources still matter even as AI continues to take more of the search landscape.

Can I Buy Backlinks?

Technically, someone will certainly sell them to you. That does not make buying backlinks for SEO a good idea.

Google considers buying or selling links for the purpose of manipulating search rankings to be link spam. That’s right – spam is not reserved for those annoying phone calls and emails we all get. It applies to scamming the SEO machine, the automated link-building services, excessive link exchanges and other schemes designed primarily to manufacture ranking signals.

You may still pay for advertising, sponsorships, influencer promotions or other legitimate marketing opportunities that include links. Google recommends qualifying compensated links with attributes such as rel="sponsored" or, in some cases, nofollow.

So if an email arrives promising “1,000 high-authority backlinks” for $29.99, keep your money. A legitimate SEO strategy should not depend on manufacturing thousands of links.

What makes a good backlink for modern SEO?

Because there is no single metric that determines whether a backlink is valuable, it’s important to look at the bigger picture.

A worthwhile backlink usually comes from a website that is relevant to your business, organization, industry or community. The site should have a legitimate reason to mention you, and the link should appear naturally within useful content.

For example, a Pennsylvania landscaping company might earn links from a local chamber of commerce, a supplier, a landscaping association, a community organization it sponsors, or a news publication covering one of its projects.

Those connections make sense.

A link from an unrelated website containing hundreds of pages created solely to link to businesses does not carry the same value.

Good place to earn backlinks

Rather than searching for websites where you can “drop a link,” look for legitimate relationships and opportunities that naturally result in links.

• Professional and Industry Organizations – If you belong to a professional organization, chamber of commerce, or something similar, this is a great place to put your website for a credible backlink if that is part of your membership.
• Local Organizations and Community Partnerships – Businesses that sponsor nonprofits often get exposure for their efforts. It’s a win win: you get to do good in your community while getting some publicity to boot.
• News and Public Relations – Note and newsworthy events are always a great way to get links back to your website.
• Useful Original Content – By posting useful content, links get generated organically. When people find your content useful, they want to link to it. This might include original research, statistics, an industry guide, a downloadable resource, an infographic, a survey, a detailed tutorial, or a genuinely useful answer to a common question.
• Business Relationships – Suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, professional partners and organizations you work with may maintain dealer directories, partner pages, case studies or resource pages.

Are guest posts bad?

Guest articles are not automatically bad. Writing an informative article for a legitimate industry publication can establish expertise, introduce your organization to a new audience and generate referral traffic.

Problems arise when guest posting becomes a backlink factory.

Publishing dozens of low-quality articles on unrelated websites with keyword-heavy links pointing back to your site is exactly the type of tactic search engines have spent years trying to identify.

The article should exist because the audience will find it useful, not because somebody needed somewhere to insert a backlink.

What about directories?

Directories require the same quality-over-quantity approach.

A legitimate chamber directory, professional association, manufacturer directory or respected local business directory can be useful.

Submitting your website to hundreds of generic “SEO directories” is another story. Google specifically identifies low-quality directory and bookmark links as examples of link spam.

Ask yourself one simple question:

Would I want my business listed here if search engines did not exist?

If the answer is no, the directory probably is not worth your time.

Should I leave links in blog comments and forums?

Not as an SEO strategy.

Participating in a legitimate discussion because you have useful information to contribute is perfectly reasonable. Dropping links into forums and comment sections simply to create backlinks is outdated and can become spam.

Google recommends that websites identify user-generated links with rel="ugc" or nofollow, and specifically lists optimized links in forum comments as an example of link spam.

Participate in online communities because they contain your audience, not because you are hoping to sneak another backlink into your profile.

What if spammy websites link to me?

This is another area where SEO advice has changed significantly.

Nearly every established website eventually accumulates strange or spammy backlinks. You do not need to panic every time an unfamiliar domain appears in your backlink report.

Google says that in most cases its systems can determine which links to trust without additional help from the website owner. Its Disavow Links tool is intended primarily for situations involving substantial artificial or low-quality links combined with a manual action or a serious risk of one.

In other words, don’t disavow every link that an SEO tool labels “toxic.”

If your business previously participated in aggressive paid link schemes or you received a manual action from Google, backlink cleanup may be necessary. Otherwise, random spam links on the internet are not something the average website owner needs to obsess over.

Building Backlinks the Right Way

Backlinks remain an important part of SEO in 2026, but Google’s systems have become far better at identifying links created primarily to manipulate rankings. Google’s current Search Essentials emphasize helpful, reliable, people-first content while its spam policies specifically target artificial link-building practices.

Building credible links takes time. A business with 75 legitimate, relevant backlinks can have a much healthier backlink profile than a competitor with 10,000 manufactured links. Rather than asking: “How can we get more backlinks?” A better question is: “What can we create, contribute, or participate in that people would genuinely want to reference?”

If this still sounds confusing, or if you don’t have the time to build backlinks properly, consider CourseVector’s Organic SEO Service which includes backlink building strategies.

This is a short survey, and we welcome candid feedback. What’s working? What’s frustrating? What would make working with us easier?

Our clients shape how we improve, and we genuinely use your feedback to guide what we do next.

It only takes about 2 minutes.

Turn your municipal calendar into a tool residents can actually use.

CourseVector’s Premium Events & Reservations service expands your website calendar beyond basic event listings. Manage municipal meetings and activities, accept registrations for recreation programs, and provide online booking options for facilities such as pavilions, meeting rooms and other reservable spaces.

Better Event Management

Create detailed events with dates, times, locations, organizers and recurring schedules. Council meetings, public hearings, recreation programs, community celebrations and municipal closures can all be managed through one calendar system.

Recreation Registration

Allow residents to register online for recreation programs, classes, camps, workshops and other municipal activities. Registration limits can help staff manage programs with limited capacity.

Pavilion & Facility Reservations

Use online booking tools for pavilions, community rooms and other municipal facilities. Residents can view available options and submit reservations through the website instead of relying entirely on phone calls, paper forms or office visits.

More Flexibility as Your Needs Grow

Premium features can support registrations, booking, waiting lists, attendee management, reminders, virtual events, enhanced locations and other event-management needs.

Premium Events & Reservations: $100/year

Available for eligible CourseVector-managed websites. Setup requiring custom workflows, payment processing, extensive configuration or third-party integrations may require additional fees. Contact us today to claim your upgrade.