First Ascent Design

05/29/2026

If you’ve ever opened your inbox to a flood of weird contact form spam and failed login alerts, you already know bots are constantly knocking on your website’s front door. AI is making it incredibly cheap and easy for attackers to scale these automated scripts and scan thousands of small websites looking for any weakness.

If your site relies on plugins and third-party tools to function (and most do), you are in a continuous race against these automated threats. A plugin that was completely safe two years ago could be an open vulnerability today. Website security is a continuous process. Here’s how we handle it.

On the blog, we explain how we build server-level defenses to keep our clients' websites locked down.

With automated AI attacks surging, smaller websites are becoming prime targets. Here is how we build server-level defenses to keep your data safe.

05/27/2026

🐾 Meet Miko, our May Pet of the Month and the "Lil’ Low Rider" keeping our Partnerships & Growth Coordinator, Layna, on her toes!

Miko might have short legs, but he has high standards for the amount of attention one dog should receive. While Layna is busy building relationships, Miko's work strategy involves nestling into Layna’s neck during busy workdays. He’s also a firm believer that he is a one-of-a-kind original. Whenever he spots another Corgi in the wild, he is visibly shocked to learn he isn't the only one in existence.

Full name: Miko Teddy Scarane

Other nicknames: Mr. Goo, Fluffy Boy, Meeksees, Meek Mill, Lil’ Low Rider, Chonky Boy, and Bing B**g (yes, in the “Inside Out” voice).

Cutest behavior 😇: Being a world-class nuzzler. He’ll either nestle his head directly into your neck or shove it under your hand to demand immediate head scritches.

Worst behavior 😈: Being a total cuddle-hog. He picks on his big sister, Mila, just to make sure he’s the only one getting pets. 🥲

05/26/2026

Last week we joined a group of local science professionals (including our friends at BioConnect DE) for an advisory breakfast at Newark Charter School. We got to talk with the students about why being able to communicate well and explain complex ideas matters just as much as technical skills when you're building a career. Thank you to Mrs. Mundell for having us!

05/22/2026

Our Digital Marketing Manager Nicole Hallberg and Lead Developer Sean Clendening headed up to Philly this week for the Northeast Bureauverse conference. The presentations covered managing constant AI upgrades, keeping up with client expectations, and making sure agencies stay human in an automated world. They even ran into Steve, John's agency coach, while they were there!

05/21/2026

Out of the office and directly into the shade. ☀️🍹

05/19/2026

We’re excited to support the First State AI Summit as the Coffee & Breakfast Sponsor! Join us on June 3rd at the UD STAR Campus for a keynote from NVIDIA and a full day of insights on responsible innovation. We’re excited to support our client, Diamond Technologies, Inc., in their role as presenting sponsor for this inaugural event.

Register here: https://first-state-ai.udel.edu/first-state-ai-summit-2026/

05/15/2026

Proud to have been part of the organizing team and a sponsor for the Delaware Teacher Pathways Showcase at Wilmington University! It was a great opportunity to connect with the leaders and organizations shaping the future of education in our state. Delaware is making strides in how we prepare and support the next generation of teachers. ⭐

05/13/2026

Team building, one "First Ascent" at a time! 🧗‍♂️

05/12/2026

"We should really be doing more video." If you’re a team of one (or a very busy few), that’s usually the last thing you want to hear.

The problem isn't a lack of stories. It’s a lack of bandwidth to capture them while you’re also writing the newsletter, editing the website, staffing the event table, and other duties as assigned. We recently presented a workshop with the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) on how to bridge that gap without adding a ton of hours to your workweek.

The goal is to shift your mindset from "making" content to simply documenting the work and amplifying it across every channel. With a smartphone and a basic 4-step system, you can stop starting from scratch and turn a single 30-second video into a repeatable content engine.

Stop starting from scratch. Learn the 4-step video content system small teams use to capture, create, and distribute video without a big production budget.

05/11/2026

A few months ago OpenAI opened the ad floodgates to 800 million+ users. But are ChatGPT ads the future of your marketing plan? Between massive ad spend minimums and unclear reporting, these ads aren't quite ready for primetime for most brands.

Our co-founder Pauline Himics sat down to talk about why the real win right now isn't in the paid space but in the organic one. She breaks down why your AI strategy should focus on organic search optimization before you shell out for a ChatGPT ad buy.

Read the full post: https://firstascentdesign.com/chatgpt-ads-early-data/