Category Archives: Computers and the Internet

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Making Your Business Look Better

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When you are a freelancer, if you have just started a small company, it can feel like you will never be taken seriously. It is hard to pitch for work, and you sometimes feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. You are just one person, so how can you present yourself as more prominent without lying about it? 

The chances are you don’t have loads of money to sink into your appearance, but you do have some time to work on it. Having a professional-looking ‘shop window’ means you are much more likely to nab those clients sooner rather than later. Here are some things you can do to look bigger and better. 

Photo by Jealous Weekends on Unsplash

Design

Your logos and all of the imagery on your social media, your websites, your station should be sleek and interesting. Over complicated logos can get confusing – even if they are great to look at. Canva has a great free membership which gives you access to a lot of tools to help you design everything you are going to need from PDFs and eBooks to YouTube covers and Twitter covers. This will mean nothing looks stretched or out of place. Before you start putting up the first design you created, think about the overall image you want to get across. Take your time, draft up a few options and then for with the ones that make the most sense for what you are doing. 

Think about the clients that you want to attract, check out your competition and people in the same field to get an idea of the standard that is expected. 

Portfolio

Your online portfolio tells people who you are, what you do, how well you do it, and sometimes there are packages on there that can be ordered too. You shouldn’t put everything you have ever done on there, but you should curate works that look pleasing together, and have a flow. This goes for anything from design work and videos to copywriting and photography. There should be a clear understanding of your style and what you offer. 

In your about me, make sure that you are transparent and open. Personality can matter a lot when you are hiring or being hired. They need to know if they can work with you or not. 

Remember that your older work, unless it was for a particularly prominent client, isn’t going to be as skilled as your current works. 

Calls

If you take calls about business, you should strongly consider if you want people to call your personal mobile phone. Many people don’t want that and feel it crosses the boundaries between private life and work life. So there are a couple of things that you can do. If you stick with the same number, put your phone to divert after a particular time at night. Secondly, consider a service that will handle your calls for you like Ivy Answer. Thirdly, think about having a mobile phone that is purely for work purposes. 

Email

Your email should be outlook or Gmail. It should be tied in neatly to your website and business name. They just don’t look that great. Even more so if your email address if from years ago and you haven’t changed it. Making a business email is easy and should be an option somewhere in your hosting. It also shows that you care about the details and your personal brand – which is excellent for the clients to see. 

Testimonials

If you have worked for a few clients, it is time to ask them for some testimonials about your work. This shows that you have work and will give prospective clients a better view of what you are capable of. The reviews don’t have to be glowing, but they should talk about your work ethic, did you deliver on time, how the value for money was. These things are important to people when they are hiring companies to work with. If you don’t have any testimonials, don’t be tempted to fabricate something. Instead, you should reach out to friends and offer a small piece of work or service in return for the testimonials. 

Social Media

Your social media is going to matter because everyone is there! Make sure all of your covers are the right size, and that you can see your website clearly on everything. Don’t spam your own links and products all the time, instead create a social media plan that has a defined goal like driving traffic, or securing leads. 

When it comes to looking professional, much of it is time and acting professionally. Present yourself in the best light, and you will look like an agency or larger company without effort. 

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Should You Outsource The IT Needs Of Your Small Business?

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Image From Pixabay.com License CC0

At the center of any small business is the idea that drives it. This concept will be the reason that you started your company in the first place, and it will be the thing that hopefully generates you all of your profits. 

But very often when it comes to running a small business, you end up spinning lots of different plates. You’ll be worrying about keeping your company website up-and-running, managing your social media accounts, trying to get your website more exposure, making sure your antivirus is up-to-date, and worrying about your firewall, and router. 

Unless you are in the business of IT, these are probably not your fields of expertise. But, hiring a professional with the relevant skills and experience can be costly. And then you’ll also have to worry about managing them, and maybe even finding space for them in your organization. This may not be a viable option for you. 

Consider Outsourcing Your IT Requirements

Whatever your business needs in terms of IT support, there are plenty of great companies who are very well positioned to give you excellent service. Click here for an example of one such company. 

By outsourcing IT requirements, you will be freeing up your time in order to focus on the things that really matter to your business. You’ll be able to expand and grow in new ways, and you will have more energy for progress. 

Getting The Experience That Your Company Needs

Someone with the right experience levels and skill set could easily do a much better job of managing your tech support than you. You will be supported by a team who will have the relevant qualifications and will have no doubt handle multiple clients in a similar situation to yourself. They will understand the needs of your business and be able to react to this immediately. 

Access To Industry Standard Software

Your IT consultants will be able to set you up with some of the most useful pieces of software for your business. You’ll get updates as required, and whenever there are developments in areas of technology that may benefit you, you can access this quickly. This will allow you to position yourself ahead of others in the industry, whose in-house IT support may not have the knowledge or infrastructure to get on board with changes quickly enough. 

Security And Data Protection

Your customer’s data is extremely valuable. Not just to you, but to hackers who may try and benefit from it. With cybersecurity representing such a significant threat to business, you need to make sure that this is managed effectively. 

Having a managed IT solution will allow you to protect your data effectively. By keeping your network secure, and carrying out regular data compliance audits, your IT support company will help you rest easy, safe in the knowledge that your data is safe. In completing these audits, you can be sure that you will also meet any official regulatory requirements. 

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Things Your Business Can’t Afford To Skip

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When you run a business from home, you are your own marketer, content creator, website maker, and so much more. And it is essential for you to learn as much about the foundations of your business as possible. There are weeks and sometimes months that the time and/or money is strapped. So you can make some smart decisions to help keep your bank balance healthy, and help you maximize your time too. 

Photo by Emma Matthews on Unsplash

Expenses

They wrack up thick and fast, but if you aren’t tracking them correctly you’re going to be missing those tasty tax deductions for one, and for two you might get audited, and if it doesn’t add up you’ve got some trouble. 

It can be hard to keep all of the paper receipts, so start taking photos of each receipt that relates to your business, and add them all to a file. 

Coaching

To be better at business, in general, there are two paths you can opt for. One is coaching, the other is hands-on experience. There are so many coaches who specialize in small business or freelancers who are looking to expand and grow. They often have experience in your field too. The great thing is, you can find a lot of guidance and support for free online now. Or, you might have a B2B scheme in your area with offers of assistance. Spend some time looking around for free support tools. 

Uptime

You can’t afford to have lousy technology. You need as much uptime as you can muster. And sometimes this means you might need to call in the professionals, visit onlinecomputers.com for more. Managed IT services might just save your business. This one will save you time, time which can be put back into working on your business. 

Social Media

If you aren’t on social media already – that is your first mistake. If you are, and you aren’t leveraging that into more traffic and sales – that is a big mistake too. Take some time to sit down and work out your followers and reach on all of your platforms. Take a look at your analytics. Where is doing the best? What time does the most engagement or impressions happen? 

How are you going to compute those numbers into something actionable? First, take a look online for some guidance on how to put together a social media campaign. Remember to have your goal in mind – traffic? Sales? Social growth? Each one will require different actions from you. 

You can always hire someone to do those things for you, but it pays for you to learn to do them yourself too. If you have the knowledge, you can then build a campaign for someone else to carry out and report back on. 

Of course, there are more things like insurances, retirement plans, long term financial planning, and more and all will make a positive impact. But it is vital to tackle things in the personal development area, something that can free up time, and explore services that will ensure you never miss a beat in the fast-paced online world. 

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5 Top Advantages Of Online Payroll

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 Our landscape is becoming increasingly digital, and this is reflected in every aspect of how we do business; from our marketing to our cloud-computing or EDI transactions. It’s no surprise that so many companies are braving the switch to an online payroll solution. When you’re running a business and have so much to do, you’ll welcome any way that you can to make life a little easier! If you’re someone who’s thinking about online payroll, let’s take a look at a few reasons why you’ve got the right idea! 

More Accuracy

 With an online payroll system, you are increasing your chances of accuracy and decreasing the risk of human error. Errors made in the payroll departments can slow down the efficiency of your company and lose your credibility, so it’s best to avoid this at all costs! By automating the processes, and reducing human input, you don’t have to worry about mistakes being made. 

Search for documents

With an online payroll system, you’ll ensure that you have an easy way to search for pay-related documents as and when you need them. An online system makes it very easy to look back and search for what you need; whether this is to create a report or for the purposes of tax queries. You’ll find that such easy access to data increases productivity and efficiency both. When time is money, improving business efficiency is a top priority! 

Saves time 

With an online payroll system, it’s fast and easy to complete your payroll tasks which will free up time elsewhere in your business. As well as this, with an online system, it’s straightforward to figure out bonuses, overtime or pay per hour or month etc. Having all the information that you need in one place makes it easy to get the best use out of your payment data.

Maintain Consistency 

 When you keep your data within one online source, you will be ensuring that it is always collected in the same way and adheres to the same procedures. Many companies these days are making a move to cloud-based solutions such as Cloudpay. This is a viable system for those who are seeking to gain consistency and accuracy within their global based payroll systems. With cloudpay, you get rid of the complexities associated with international payroll. Cloudpay can also be integrated easily with ERP or HCM software for businesses who require this. 

 Tax purposes 

 Online payroll systems can help you to timely file the correct tax forms as and when required. You’ll receive reminders, and thus you won’t run the risk of any penalties. When you’re running a business, there is so much to think about, and so taking advantage of what the digital world can offer is always an excellent idea! 

 If your company is looking at opting for an online or cloud-based payroll system, you certainly won’t regret it! Keeping up with all the digital changes in the modern business world can far enhance the agility of your company. Staying ahead digitally can also give you an advantage over your competitors. 

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Your Smartphone Can Simplify Your Life–If You Use It Properly

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Smartphones are incredibly versatile devices that are capable of enriching our lives and helping us stay connected. Unfortunately, the way they invade our lives as been met with a lot of negativity with some critics even argue that they’re taking over our lives and, thanks to social media, making us more stressed than ever.

But that’s simply not true.

One argument is that people tend to interact less in person now that we have smartphones, but if anything, people are more prone to interact with each other thanks to the internet, especially if they previously lacked confidence or had no real social connections in their daily lives. But to go an extra step further; did you know that smartphones are now capable of completely simplifying your life and getting rid of a lot of clutter, stress and frustration?

Photo by Unsplash (CC0 License)

Use your phone to help keep your life schedule

Your phone is a convenient little organizer that can help you keep things in order, take notes and also schedule things with notifications. There are pre-installed apps that can help you do this on both iOS and Android devices. For example, you have Apple Calendar and Google Calendar on your phone which can also be edited and accessed on laptops and desktops.

Notifications can also be attached to sound clips and music which can be played to alert you when something is coming up soon. There are also third-party notifications that can add extra features such as smart reminders or even use text-to-voice reminders.

A quick break to have some fun

For many people, smartphones have become the ultimate portable gaming device. With both the iOS and Android app stores, you can download thousands of fun games for free or even pay a small price to play premium titles such as slots online or fully-fledged ports of existing PC and console games. These games are great for having a bit of fun on a commute or when you’re waiting for someone, and they’re even a good choice to replace existing consoles if you don’t have time to play full games anymore.

Fun also doesn’t need to be limited to video games. Fun can also be reading or watching your favourite shows which can be another way to clear up the clutter in your home. You can purchase digital versions of all of your books or even subscribe to a service to get unlimited access to thousands of books to read, and there are also options for audiobooks and subscription TV on your phone. This means you never have to buy a physical copy of a show anymore and they’re conveniently organised and stored in your phone, able to be transferred to any new device you buy in the future.

Shopping made convenient with your phone

Ever needed a last-minute purchase from the store? Perhaps you’ve forgotten the milk or maybe you need to buy a lot of drinks but don’t see yourself carrying everything.

Thanks to the myriad of shopping services available, it’s incredibly easy to just make a purchase on your phone and have it delivered to you within 24 hours. There’s nothing quite as convenient as shopping from the comfort of your phone and it can simplify your life greatly while also giving you more time to spend on other things.

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Launching An Online DIY Store

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Everything is online now. In fact, many people will source tools and wires for more significant projects online too. The bottom line is it is cheaper all around, atypically faster. Although there will always be a place for putting your boots on and walking around a DIY store that smells like wood and paint, it is easier to order in bulk online. But when you are thinking about opening a DIY store online, there are a few things you might want to think about. 

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Storage

Your store is online, which cuts down on a lot of costs already, but you’re still going to need plenty of storage. You’ll need somewhere to store all of your stock. Most of the time, a garage will do – depending on what you are doing and the levels of stock you intend to sell. Of course, over time you’ll likely expand, and in doing so, you’ll need higher stock levels and more storage – but for the meantime factor space into the cost. 

Supplies and Kits

Depending on what you are going to be selling, it will mean you might need to have some suppliers lined up. There is always the opportunity to have your own tools and wires created, but you need rapid prototyping and probably need to buy in bulk. You need to provide, at a minimum, the basics that every tool she would need. Or, if you decide to be specialized, then that is great – but remember that buyers come in all budgets. So you’ll need to have a basic range right up to a high-end (which you can order at a moments notice should anyone order one). 

When it comes to kits, people aren’t always savvy with everything they need. So if you can put kits together like – replacing a door frame, beginners plumbing kits, essential tools kit… you get the idea. Easy kits that people can purchase and have everything from the screws to the right putty. 

Information

Part of the reason so many people head to a DIY store is for information on the project they are undertaking. But you can jump the gun and prepare some blog posts that cover a range of topics. Think about the most common things people are looking for and answer those questions. 

  • What color should grout be?
  • What’s the best way to clean paint brushes?
  • Can I repair bricks and pointing myself?
  • How do you bleed radiators?
  • How to fix a faulty lightswitch
  • The quickest way to clean clogged outdoor pipes
  • How to unclog a toilet

Experts

If you are thinking about opening a DIY store, the chances are not only do you have a lot of experience personally but you probably also know a lot of people who might be classed as experts in their field. Along with the instructions and general questions and articles you should have, consider having some videos. Where the experts give recommendations about tools (that you stock), and how to complete a job at home. 

People are more likely to buy from other people who they consider an expert in their field. 

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4 Functionality Problems That Are Ruining Your Business Website

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Every business needs a website these days, otherwise, you’ll struggle to find new customers. But having a website isn’t enough, you need a good website that potential customers can use easily. The most important thing when building a website is functionality because a website that isn’t user friendly isn’t going to get many conversions. If people enter your site and they can’t work out how to navigate the pages and find the products that they’re interested in, they’re quickly going to leave. If your website isn’t getting that many conversions, you might be making one of these simple functionality mistakes. 

Image From Pixnio

Not Making A Mobile Version 

The majority of websites are accessed on mobile devices and tablets rather than laptops or desktop computers these days. If you only have a browser version of your website, it will be incredibly frustrating to use on a mobile device because the proportions will be all wrong, and that means that the majority of users aren’t experiencing the best version of the website. It’s so important that you make a specific mobile version of the site so it runs smoothly on all devices. If you’re having trouble with this, you need to get in touch with a professional digital marketing agency that specializes in website building. They will be able to help you create a website version of the site that functions properly on all devices. 

Too Much Going On 

When you’re creating a website, you need to consider the 3 I’s; inform, invite, and intrigue. You need your website to look good and it needs to have enough information, but still leave room for people to explore the website. But you won’t be able to achieve that if you have too much going on. It also means that people can’t easily spot what they’re looking for. It’s good to have pictures and videos on the site as well, but if the front page is filled with them, it becomes overwhelming. Less is more when it comes to website design so only include things that are absolutely necessary and cut the rest. 

Tiny Hyperlinks 

Hyperlinks are there for a reason, to be clicked on. So why would you make a website with tiny hyperlinks that are hard to spot and frustrating to click on? You’d be surprised how many people make this basic mistake and it makes navigating the website very frustrating for the user. You don’t have to put giant buttons on everything but when you’re adding hyperlinks to your website, make sure that you’re not making them too small. 

Too Many Pop-Ups 

Pop-ups can be useful on your website, especially for things like building your email list or advertising deals and offers. However, you’ve got to remember that people hate pop-ups and they can quickly become annoying. If somebody goes on your website and they are met with a pop-up, they’ll close it down and it won’t bother them too much. But if they have to close down 5 separate pop-ups before they can even see the homepage, that is going to be a problem. You can still use pop-ups, just use them sparingly. 

If your website isn’t converting very well, it’s likely that you’re making some of these simple functionality mistakes.

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9 Common Mistakes Website Owners Make

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There’s a lot that goes into making a website. You need to have the initial idea, the time to make it happen, an idea of how to make the site profitable, and so on. Even if you do all of these things, however, it’s always possible that you won’t quite hit the heights that you expect to hit, purely because of some fundamental errors that hold the website back from reaching its full potential. If you’re not quite reaching the number of visitors that you’d like to reach, then take a read below, where we outline some of the common mistakes that website owners make. 

Source: Pexels.com

Overcomplicating the Text

You know what your website is about and why it’s there, what it should provide for your visitors, and so on. But your visitors don’t. They’re just turning up. In their quest to fill their visitors in on all the necessary information, some website owners go overboard, and try to explain everything. The text on your website should be readable, succinct, and to the point. People online have short attention spans, and they’re not going to sit through a convoluted essay that explains your website. If you find the art of writing too difficult, then hire a third party to do the job for you.  

No Focus on SEO

You could have the single greatest website in the world, yet it wouldn’t count for anything if you’re not also focusing on the SEO side of things. Building and curating the website is one half of your job; the other is in the marketing. As such, it’s recommended that you spend some time reading up on the best modern ways of spreading the word about your site. Without it, there’ll be an upper limit to how much success you will find. 

Too Much Social Media

Some website owners don’t spend enough time marketing their site; others spend too much time, and especially so when it comes to their social media channels. Now, let’s not make any mistake: your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages are important. But they are not the end goal — your website should be the end goal. You should essentially be using your social media pages as a vehicle to drive visitors to your website. Don’t make the mistake of putting all your best content on those channels — all you’ll be doing is boosting the other website’s revenue. Save it for your own site. 

Understanding the User

It’s your website, sure, but it’s not for you — it’s for your visitors. As such, you should be looking at all the site decisions through the lens of “what is best for your visitor?” One way to do this is to make the most of UX research software. With that, you’ll be able to create your website with the user experience at the forefront of your mind. They’re the ones who will be interacting with the front facing aspect of your website, so it’s in your — and their — best interests to make it as enjoyable an experience for them as possible. 

Trust Issues

The internet has done a lot of good for humanity, but it would be wrong to pretend that there are no issues. Cybercrime, for example, is increasingly common, and it’s rightly making people less trusting when it comes to the online world, and the websites that they choose to interact with. When it comes to your website, it’s important that you’re not allowing your visitors to have any doubts about your overall credibility and trustworthiness. To begin with, make sure you have all the latest security certificates (this is non-optional if you’re selling items/handling sensitive data). Another way to build trust is to have as much contact information listed on your site as possible. People will feel much more relaxed about using your site if they know that they can get in touch with you via email, live chat, phone, and so on. 

Source: Pexels.com

Lack of Value

We said earlier that your website doesn’t exist for your benefit; it’s for your visitors. So take a look at the type of things you’re putting on there, and ask yourself who it benefits. If it’s all for you, then it’s time to mix things up. You have to provide value to your visitors, otherwise, why would they come? Things like blogs, tutorials, and interesting content will all give them a reason to visit your site. You shouldn’t only be asking strangers to grow your site or business — you should give something back. 

Checking Out Processes

It takes a lot of effort to make a sale online. If you have someone who is interested in buying from you, then please, please, please, make it easy for them to complete the process. Some websites take for granted that if someone puts something in their virtual shopping cart, then they’re going to check out — in actual fact, this isn’t true. Shopping cart abandonment rates are high. Can you really afford to lose business for something as silly as a complicated checking out process? Your goal is to make it streamlined and fluid. If there are multiple steps and only one payment option, then you run the risk of them changing their mind. Don’t let it happen.

Lack of Updates

It’s always important to remember that a website owner’s work is never really done. You can sit back and admire your good work, but not for long! To stay relevant, you need to keep things updated. There’s always something questionable — and a little sad — about visiting a website that hasn’t been updated in a couple of years. Once you’ve got the fundamentals of your website in place, it’ll just be about tweaking things here and there, and also adding a regular blog — it makes a big difference!

Simple Mistakes

Finally, take the time to ensure that you’re not making any simple errors that undermine your site. Spelling and grammatical errors, as well as low-quality videos and photographs, bring down the quality of your website more than you might think. 

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Entrepreneurs: You Don’t Have To Do Everything

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Entrepreneurs who have decided to quit their jobs to become their own boss tend to share a common story. They grew bored of their workplace.

For young parents, it’s often a matter of flexibility. Some companies fail to offer flexible working hours, which can impact on the relationship of families with young children and babies. As a result, launching a home-based business often feels like the best option to make a living while caring for the kids.

For others, the cumulation of frustrations drives them to quit. Whether it’s a bad boss or an unpleasant colleague, more and more individuals decide to take matters in their own hands and create a safe and welcoming job for themselves.

Regardless of the reason behind your independent career, you are likely to find yourself battling with the challenges of your solitary position. Indeed, when you launch a solo-business, you need to be smart to make it work. You can’t only focus on your expertise. You need to establish the necessary process to run your business as effectively as any other company. Ultimately, your clients expect the same level of professionalism and reliability than they would from bigger firms. While you might be tempted to spread your work across multiple fields, you should stay away from multitasking. Indeed, you’re unlikely to have the necessary skills to manage multiple business processes. Besides, you will soon run out of time if you try to do everything! Instead, you need to find effective alternatives.

The Internet is a dangerous place; you shouldn’t go alone there

If digital plays a role in your business activities – whether you’re using online storage options or interacting with your customers online –, you need to consider the safety of your IT solutions. As surprising as it might sound, many independent entrepreneurs put their business at risk by failing to introduce online safety measures. More often than not, the idea is that hackers and other cyber attacks are more likely to target large corporates. In reality, while big firms can be the victim of a hacking attack, cybercriminals prefer small businesses. Indeed, the absence of adequate protection makes them an easy target. Admittedly, it would be foolish to expect you to become an IT expert on top of your other skills. Therefore, it’s a good idea to entrust your digital protection to a specialist, either by using a software tool that does all the hard work for you or by finding an IT security consultant.

Find an IT consultant

Wait, how much tax do I owe you?

Preparing your taxes is never easy. But when you manage a business, there are many regulations, exceptions, and calculations that you may not be aware of. It’s not uncommon for small businesses to over- or underpay their taxes as a result of miscalculations or lack of knowledge. The worst thing that can happen is to get in trouble with the tax collecting organization, which is never a good thing for a small business. Instead, you should find professional expertise that you can trust in your day-to-day activities. Solo-entrepreneurs on a tight budget tend to prefer using cloud accounting software tools that let them keep track of their budget, invoices, and other financial transactions and duties in real time. Alternatively, if you don’t have any time to dedicate to the matter, you should let an accountant manage your books and your taxes.

Google Analytics is free, but I still don’t get anything from it

Collecting customer data is an essential part of your business growth. For solo-entrepreneurs, the abundance of free and cost-effective tools offer a strategic advantage, whether you need to check your web visits on Google Analytics or your keyword rank. Unfortunately, while data are easy to access, analyzing them a lot more challenging. Countless amateurs waste precious hours reviewing Analytics dashboards without being able to find pertinent information. In fact, the situation is so dire that Google decided to provide free support sessions to entrepreneurs via the Digital Garage initiative. But, the truth is that unless you’ve got time to invest in learning a new skill, one-to-one Analytics sessions are not going to be helpful. Instead, a dedicated consultant who can provide regular data reports and highlight threats and opportunities can be the best solution to encourage you to grow your business.

I’m not too sure about this strategy

Ah, designing your business strategy is not for the faint-hearted. It takes excellent data knowledge and analytical skills, which, if you haven’t invested in a data collection and interpretation solution, is going to be difficult to achieve. Many entrepreneurs fall in the trap of bad strategy approaches, which force them to accommodate conflicting factors as they occur without giving their business a chance to focus on a long-term goal. At its core, your strategy needs to serve as a response to a market challenge. As a result, you need to know and understand the problem to provide the best-suited response. Working closely with a consultant is a preferable solution.

You may be knowledgeable, but you’re only one person

The truth is that even with the best of will, you can’t tackle all the challenges of your business. Running a business is not a one-person job. You need all the support you can get to be able to stick to your professional goals. Indeed, too many new entrepreneurs get trapped in a situation where they spend the majority of their time managing their business instead of using their expertise to deliver income-generating services. There is no point in learning the skills if the cost of your doing the work in-house is too high. That’s where outsourcing can help you to maintain your market position by freeing up valuable time.

I’m ready to hire someone… but how do I do it?

Are you ready to bring a new employee on board? Hiring your first employee is one of the most difficult things you’ll have to do, especially if you lack recruitment experience. However, mistakes can prove devastating for your reputation and your finances. It’s always a good idea to hire a recruitment specialist for the task.

Know how to recruit

The image of the multitasking and hard-working entrepreneur is, unfortunately, wrong. When you are ready to launch your own business, you need to accept that you can’t manage on your own. Finding consultants to support you and outsourcing specific jobs can help you to build a profitable and sturdy business.

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Easy Steps To Protect Your Business & Secure Your Website

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Business and your website security will extend far beyond protecting any sensitive data behind a particular firewall. Hackers are looking more and more at attacking websites and as a result, can be a threat to an entire business system. The goals that they have range from small disruptions to the day, to large and costly takedowns that can really impact the website and then the business as a result (through like data hacks and breeches). Cyber attacks can lock you out of a website, until you pay a ransom, sadly are things that are on the rise. But there are steps that you can take to protect the website that you have the data that you have. You can keep customer information safe and clear, and protect online assets with smart security choices.

So with all of that in mind, here are some of the ways that you can protect your business, as well as your website, and all of the data that comes along with it.

To start with, you have to think about the basics. And some of the basics of website security starts with having preventative measures in place that will help to keep the hackers out in the first place; there are a few things that can be simple to do. For example, start off with the following:

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  • Automate any of the operating systems that you have and auto-updates for your website, so that ‘human error’ is eliminated.
  • Make sure that you use strong passwords, change them regularly, and even use two-step authentication if needed.
  • Keep email systems secure and make sure employees know what to look out for (such as not opening attachments from people that they don’t know, and so on).

Security Protection

Malware is a term for all  threats that are used to attack computers, online data, and other online systems. These things, like viruses, can get into a system and cause a lot of problems, as well as steal vital information. They can lock systems, websites, and even bring down a network. So steps need to be taken to make a difference to reduce the threat of this. So maintaining up-to-date software for viruses and firewall systems, will help to add another layer of protection from attacks. The whole thing around computer security systems can cybersecurity can feel really overwhelming as you don’t know where to start. So if that sounds like you, then you could click here to learn more about how you can get started with your IT services and how to manage them.

Secure Hosting Service

If you are able to use the right web hosting service then it can be a great way to reduce the risk of any security worries. This is definitely of importance when it comes to have an ecommerce platform, so it is worth doing your research to make sure that you choose a secure host for your website. You’ll have the added back-up and help from them a host too, so it is worth having.

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