Author: Victor Frazier

While it would be nice to have a team of web developers in your office available for all of your needs, the reality is that it would be very expensive and it’s not something that is cost-effective for many small businesses. As technology becomes more in-demand, so do the costs.

An experienced developer can cost you well over six-figures in salary alone, and then when you add up the other costs, like health care and other benefits, it becomes out of touch. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have access to top quality developers when you are in need.

There are a lot of talent available on freelance marketplaces, giving you the ability to hire talent from all over the world and only pay for what you need done. Many developers like to work under this model because it allows them to pick and choose their projects and work when they want, giving them the ability to take time off when they please. Many of these are educated and have a college degree. Here are the best places to hire a web developer online.

UpWork.com

This is a great option for developers as well as any other freelancer available. You can also search by location if you are looking for talent close to you.

“UpWork is great because there is a lot of great talent with different rates available,” says Hill Web Marketing’s Jeannie Hill, an expert at understanding a searcher’s intent. “I suggest taking the time to not only look over experience and portfolios, but also spend the time to dig through the reviews.” You can often save yourself a lot of time and potential issues by looking for freelancers with solid feedback.

You are also protected by UpWorks payment system, which gives you control over the amount and frequency you can be charged.

Freelancer.com

One of the original and most popular options, this has probably the largest pool of talent to pick from. There is a lot of entry level, so you have to be prepared to spend time interviewing before you hire.

“You can usually find the lowest rates here, but make sure you see previous work history,” offers Darryl Howard of Blogger Tips. “This can also be easily faked, so put a potential hire through the test first, and be sure to test his or her knowledge with some questions to help you feel confident. The good thing is Freelancer acts as an escrow service, and you pay only when satisfied.”

HireGeeks.com

While a lot of freelancer marketplaces offer a lot of different services, from developers to graphic designers and content writers, HireGeeks is geared towards more technical jobs, like development and coding.

“There are a lot of solid technical experts that can be found here, and this is a good resource for those odd one-off jobs, like having a custom plugin coded or a new application developed to handle pulling API data,” says Irene McConnell of Arielle Executive. “No matter how technical the task, you can usually find someone here capable of getting it done.”

Toptal.com

Looking for the best possible freelance talent when it comes to development projects? Look no further, as this is where many of the largest companies in the world come when they want the best.

“The name says it all, as it’s short for ‘Top Talent’ and they claim to have the top 3% of talent when it comes to developers,” says Oliver James of Perth Web Design. “Along with top talent comes top prices, so be prepared to spend more than you would on some of the other platforms that doesn’t have a barrier of entry.” If someone is on Toptal, then they are highly regarded when it comes to programming and development.

While there is no need to hire from here when it comes to simple jobs, this is a great resource if you are a Fortune 500 company with deep pockets and you demand the very best in everything.

Fiverr.com

When you need a quick simple job done, this is a good option. You won’t find the top talent here, but you will find capable people for simple tasks.

“There are often times you need something done that may seem complex to you, but some someone with basic computer skills it can be done in a matter of minutes,” explains Pedro Del Nero of Vaporizer Vendor. “Something as simple as placing tracking pixel code in a website header might give a business owner anxiety but a freelancer can do it in 2 minutes.”

In a simple situation like this, it’s work paying someone $5 or $10 and not having to deal with it. They make a quick dollar and you get the task done correctly.

Guru.com

This is another marketplace with a lot of developers actively looking for new projects. On here, you have access to more than 3 million experts. But, be careful because anyone can claim they are an expert.

“Guru is a great user friendly marketplace to find help, but just be aware that it’s such a large database and there are no prequalification or testing done before someone can offer his or her help. The due diligence falls entirely on you,” suggests April Gillmore, CEO of ClickFirst Marketing. “I would suggest using this for very basic projects to start.”

The good thing with these type of marketplaces is that they are great at finding talent and using small tests to see how capable and reliable they are. Over time you can assign more difficult and complex tasks to those that have proven themselves.

PeoplePerHour.com

This option has grown in popularity, and it’s similar to UpWork in the sense that you can find almost anything here, from logo designers to blog writers for a health and fitness blog.

“You will want to really test potential hires before offering any complex development work,” says Tad Thomas of Thomas Law Offices. “You can literally hire by the hour, so the initial capital requirement to test options is low. For a new business or a SMB with limited resources, this is a great affordable option.”

You are also protected by their payment gate, which only releases the funds to the freelancer when the customer is satisfied and signs off on the completed job.

Running a small business isn’t easy. It take a lot of time, so whenever you can use software to help run, manage and operate your business, it should be something you at least look into. Often times it makes the operational process, which can free up more time for you to use in areas that help grow your business.

The last thing you want to do is suck up all your time doing meaningless tasks that could be handled using the correct software applications. To help you do a little software and program audit, here are several must-haves that you should look into if you’re not already using them.

QuickBooks

If you are still doing your books the old fashioned way then you are wasting time. Manually entering data into books by hand is wasting resources. And while there are many accounting software options available, QuickBooks is the all-time favorite.

“QuickBooks is standard, and I would be willing to bet that the majority of small businesses are using this option,” says Andrew Tran of weighted blanket manufacturer Therapy Blanket. “The nice thing about this is that you can grant access to your accountant, so they can easily get to any information needed.” This is a much more convenient option than dumping it all on them right before April 15^th.

There are a few different option available, but the basic one is adequate for most SMBs.

Microsoft Office

Are you doing word processing, creating spreadsheets or making presentations? Or are you reading these type of documents? If so then you need to have an active Microsoft Office subscription.

“Not only do you need a MS Office account to create and read documents, but if you want to use Outlook as your email client you will also need this,” says Loren Taylor of Soothing Company. “You can get access for as little as $69.99 a year, and that allows you to install your license on multiple devices, like a desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile device.”

There are some knock-off products that are similar, but they never work properly. Always go for the original.

Google GSuite

“Google’s GSuite product gives businesses the ability to use its Gmail email platform for their email system, which is the primary reason most opt to go with this option” Says John founder of Full Face Snorkel Reef Masks 

Gmail is a great email client, and if you are using emails on your own domain, like on this Gold Coast pest control company, then you can use GSuite to run them through Gmail. It’s a great solution and it’s very inexpensive, at around $5 a user per month. Aside from the email, you also get cloud storage and Google Docs, as well as access to all of their other applications.

It’s a very affordable software that will enhance your business. Nothing will come close to this in terms of dollar value. It’s first in its class. You can launch a fitness blog and use GSuite to create custom email addresses that use your domain name, but Gmail’s functionality.

InfusionSoft

If you have a CMS need, then this is one of the most powerful options, as you can integrate it with almost anything out there and it allows you to create custom rules that will automate a large percentage of your marketing effort.

“InfusionSoft’s autoresponder and automation process is top of the line and you can set custom rules and features that act differently according to how and when a prospect responds or takes action to either another email or to a piece of content on your website,” offers Chris Moberg of Slumber Search.

Because InfusionSoft is so complex, it can take some time to really understand all of its features. There are a lot of InfusionSoft experts out there that you can hire to not only set it up for you but walk you through the entire platform and really explain all its capable of. The more you understand it, the better you can leverage its full power.

InterCom

Installing Intercom on your website is like hiring a fulltime customer service agent and having them work 24/7 for you and never asking for a day off. If you are a service provider or an e-commerce website then this is a great addition.

“Intercom is great for live chat as well as for initiating conversations offline in the event that it’s afterhours and your office is closed,” says Ignacio Soria of CANN & Co. “If a visitor clicks on the chat icon and it’s when your business is closed you can have it pre-set to ask them to leave a detailed message and a contact number so you can answer their questions as soon as you reopen.”

It’s very affordable and the analytics and data it collects can be used to really improve your business.

Slack

Slack is something that almost all remote teams use. It’s an internal communication platform that keeps all conversations, notes and ideas in one central location for all to see and access.

“Slack is great for all businesses, from large creative teams consisting of dozens of people located all over the world, to local businesses with a few employees all in one small office,” says Pat Skinner of AnswerFirst, a company you can read more about here. “I like it just for the communication capabilities. Rather than having people using multiple different chat platforms, emails, texts, etc., you can keep all communication on Slack.”

When you make it a rule to keep all communication on a Slack channel you eliminate excuses, lost communications, etc. It’s all there, all the time, and for all to see.

Let’s face it, running a business takes a lot of hard work and also requires wearing many hats if you’re to succeed and become profitable. For example, you’ll need to market your products and services, keep in touch with clients, manage your staff, and ensure that the business stays ahead of your competition at all times. One of the easiest ways to improve your overall productivity and boost your output is by incorporating useful technology that automates crucial tasks in your business.

Here, we describe the top five technologies that will give your new business an edge and dramatically improve your chances of success.

Security tech

Security threats exist left, right, and center irrespective of the niche your business is operating in. Some of the areas where security risks exist include:

Physical boundaries

These are the walls within which your business resides. Properly manning the likely entry points helps prevent undetected intrusion. For small businesses, installation of security cameras and alarm systems will effectively mitigate the physical threats. For large businesses where exit and entry points are busy, personnel identification systems such as fingerprint, biometric, and card authenticators are necessary.

System units

These include the devices you use in the ordinary course of your business such as computers, printers, routers, and servers. The best way to secure them is through the use of strong passwords, monitored access to company computers, and adoption of strong internet firewalls. Additionally, you can synchronize important data to Cloud Solutions to add that extra layer of security in case of accidental data loss.

Financial tech

Any business has to be accountable for its finances in order to streamline its monetary tasks. Financial technologies assist you to manage payrolls, taxes, vendors, creditors and other stakeholders that your business works with. Some of the top apps that you can easily integrate in your system unit include:

QuickBooks

This accounting software assists businesses to monitor activities that relate to sales and expenditure. You can use it to view financial statements including profit & loss reports, invoices, tax deductions, creditors report, and debtors accounts. Another outstanding feature is its ability to link up with multiple sources of finances such as bank accounts, PayPal, and credit cards.

Did you also know that you can use QuickBooks on mobile devices? There’s the QuickBooks Online which synchronizes business data across various devices including mobile handsets.

You can also check out many other related financial tech software available for businesses today including Xero which is another top player and an industry leader alongside QuickBooks. See how Xero compares to QuickBooks here to help you decide which between them best suits your business model.

Communication tech

A business needs to communicate uninterruptedly with customers and other stakeholders that are critical to its operation. Communication apps give your business an edge by:

• Facilitating better management of your contacts
• Enhancing meetups with your peers and clients via teleconferencing
• Managing messages and ad campaigns
• Automating responses to customers when you’re offline or busy
• Coordinating team projects by centralizing objectives

Some of the communication technologies that you can quickly adopt include Skype, Outlook, Bots, and social media apps.

Marketing tech

Marketing technologies help you promote your ideas and solutions with the sole aim being to reach your target audience. They also sell your uniqueness in the face of competitors to help your brand stand out. Some of the marketing technologies to consider here include:

Social media

It’s estimated that over 3 billion people worldwide have access to social media platforms. These forums are not only easy to join but also designed to serve all classes of people including businesses. Social media promotes business marketing by:

• Allowing direct interaction of prospects with business owners
• Placing ads of products and services
• Facilitating brainstorming, idea exchanges, and networking

Email providers

Modern businesses have shifted their attention from land-based mailing services to online providers that are more affordable, quicker, and more convenient. Today, most small and medium-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets credit email marketing services for the majority of their profits and recurring income.

Time management tech

Time is the only asset that you cannot afford to lose once your business is on its feet. In the past, watches were the only appliances that people would use to manage time. But today, technology has revolutionized things allowing you to organize your schedule and remain focused on crucial tasks. Here are several handy technologies you can consider when running a business:

RescueTime

This tool tracks and reports the time you spend on your everyday apps. It also allows you to set alert alarms, reminders, and block distracting sites. It works across major operating systems including Linux, Android, Windows, and iOS.

Omnifocus

This task manager assists you in creating and organizing projects in your to-do lists. The app supports synchronization of data across various devices too.

Wrap-up

How are you leveraging technology to improve your business and make it more profitable? Many businesses are now turning to IT support companies to enhance their tech capabilities. We’d love to hear about the tools you’re using and any IT support companies you recommend to make your work easier.

Technology is constantly evolving and changing the way we do things. Back in the day, developers built websites by hard coding from scratch. As time went by, tech enthusiasts developed tools that could cut down on the development process. This led to the rise of content management systems like Drupal and WordPress which have made the process of building, publishing, updating and maintaining websites easier.

The following roundup is going to focus on some of the best web design tools that can bring more control, consistency, power, and efficiency to your workflow. We have also included several online competitive intelligence tools to help you streamline your website’s SEO and make it more productive.

Let’s dive straight in.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is an amazingly stable web design and prototyping tool that offers a feature-rich development environment. Its UI kits come in handy if you wish to build your app or website designs from scratch. Adobe XD also allows you to import designs from Illustrator and Photoshop and use them as prototypes.

Zoho Sites

Zoho Sites is a core-component of the popular Zoho productivity suite. It is a simplified website builder that allows developers to create professional websites in a few minutes. Individuals with minimal technical knowledge can also use the platform as it works with a simple drag-and-drop website builder. Zoho Sites provides the basic design functions and capabilities for free but also has a premium service where you can purchase professional add-ons at affordable prices.

Marvel

Marvel enjoys a reputation as one of the best design and prototyping platforms that can refine your web design. Novices, as well as professional developers, can use Marvel as a standalone product. The functions of this tool revolve around design, prototyping, wireframing, and app integration. Marvel offers some exclusive design features such as simple design mode, simple imports, teamwork integration, templates library, Dropbox syncing, and so much more.

Wix

Wix is a powerful coding tool that allows developers to create what we would call a masterpiece design. It allows designers to come up with professional-looking and visually appealing web pages. Through Wix, you can integrate email marketing tools, social-plugins, and community forums into your website in just a few clicks.

Wix also recently rolled out an AI-driven service that presents users with a complete website after answering a few questions. This tool remains one of the best solutions for professional web design in 2019 and beyond.

Webstarts

Webstarts is another fantastic website platform that allows you to create and host your site. Developers can choose to use Webstarts coding tools to build their website from scratch or customize the existing template designs. This tool also has a blogging channel that can help users improve their search engine ranking. The site’s resources are also great for starters who wish to create and promote their brand online.

SeMrush

SeMrush is not a stand-alone web design tool but a comprehensive SEO software that offers an extensive feature set. It helps business webmasters and e-commerce entrepreneurs improve their SEO, link-building, keyword strategy, SERP, PPC, and other marketing elements. With this tool, you can gather data and understand the analytics behind your website. SeMrush is a great resource for online businesses that are struggling to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

Similar Web

Similar Web is a phenomenal software for online competitive intelligence. It provides data analytics for desktop websites, mobile websites, and applications. This tool can complement your web design by offering you data-driven insights concerning your business and your competition activities.

Both Similar Web and Semrush share a lot in common especially in providing competitive intelligence for businesses. Indeed, the Similar Web Vs. Semrush debate keeps coming up on most digital marketers forums and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

To determine which between the two is more appropriate for your business, take advantage of the tools’ trial period (Semrush) or free version (Similar Web) to test out their features, customer support, and data accuracy and consistency among others.

Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster Tools provides a wide range of great features for site owners and web developers. It acts as Google’s way of giving webmasters information they need to run a website successfully. With this tool, you can set up and check your sitemap, run a security scan, and even find optimization opportunities with top ranking keywords. If you wish to refine your link building or page-level strategy, this is the tool to use.

Conclusion

Website developers, design agencies, and SEO professionals need to work smarter in 2019 and beyond. Going forward, you cannot afford to waste time on antiquated design software or technologies. And no, we’re not asking you to ditch or completely scrape off the tools you currently use; however, consider switching to better and more efficient web development tools that enhance your productivity and the overall workflow.

Nowadays, we turn to the web for almost everything, from buying to selling and to socialise.  So, it makes sense that when your online security matters. Therefore, being secured also applies to your website.

It is necessary, in order to protect yourself and your customers, that your website should be https secured.  Cyber-attacks are on the increase and more often than not small businesses are a target of this crime.

Why should you care

So, what is the difference between and why should you care?  Basically, it all boils down to an encrypted https secured website ensuring your website’s security in 2019.  Failing to ensure that your website is https can have a severe effect on your website’s ranking and damage your SEO and digital marketing campaigns. Further, there are several SEO Company Chester available in the market and you can seek their help for boosting the traffic of your website. Less traffic means less business.

Taking a digital marketing course is a good idea to secure your website and enhance your SEO and digital marketing campaigns.

Https vs http

Https protects your website’s users from cyber-attacks and their information being stolen, like credit card or log in details.  In its basic form https encrypts information sent between a browser to a web server.

Http (hypertext transfer protocol) is used to transfer information on the web.  This form of transferring information uses less data by disregarding previous web sessions.

Https requires security when exchanging information like credit card numbers log ins and was established to sanction secured transactions.

The key difference between https and http is security.  Https is sued to any site to secure information, especially ecommerce sites to protect transactions.

SEO advantages

Google’s reasons for recommending the switching to https site has many SEO benefits to consider such as:

• Security – Every business needs increased web security and https authenticates websites and server communication.  https also lessens potential third-party damage.
• Referral data – As part of your overall SEO and digital marketing strategy, referral data makes the decision to switch to https easier to make.
• Increased rankings – Switching to a https secured website will not dramatically increase your website’s ranking, but it will be effective over time.

How to switch to https

Online security has fast become a top priority for all online businesses, and we understand that it is important that our data is safe.  With website security top of mind, you really should switch to https.

To switch to https, you need to be familiar with the backend of a website and the basic steps are listed below:

• Purchase an SSL certificate – these small data files when installed on a web server activates the https protocol and allows secure connections from a server to a browser
• Install SSL certificate – once the SSL certificate has been installed configure the SSL certificate.
• Do a backup – perform a full backup of your site.
• Configure – all your hard internal links within your website must be configured from http to https.
• Redirect – any external links must be redirected to https, such as directory listings.
• Update links – update all links used in your digital marketing such as email links.
• Https in Google – set up an https site in Google Search Consoles and Google Analytics.

It should be noted that for small websites some of the above mentioned points will not apply.

Is it worth switching?

There has been quite a debate on whether it is worthwhile switching from a http to a https secured website.  Google’s announcement that https is a ranking signal has fuelled this debate even more. As with any big change in your SEO or digital marketing structure apprehension is reasonable.

With the increase in cyber-attacks, there has been a push towards making the switch and responsibility for the security of websites is being placed on the website holders.  

As with any technological change there are a few concerns outlined with migrating from a http to a https website.  A lot of these concerns are real such as, what if my website rankings decrease, or what if the redirects are messed up?

There may be a slight drop in the SERPS rankings related to the switch, but this is likely to rectify itself with time.  But on the flip side a secured website is a huge plus.

Think of the last time you had to format your system’s hard drive because viruses caused a hard drive destruction. Think about the price you’d pay to for data recovery. Now, think how you can secure your business’s data.

Viruses are harmful to the extent that they can shut down your business leave you to succumb for the rest of your life. 

Well, this is the harsh reality! The good news is, you can deal with it and don’t even need to trade your riches to some nasty scourge.

Don’t believe me? Read the article. 

1. Educate Your Employees About Phishing Attacks and Ransomware
Viruses such as Petya, CryptoLocker, CryptoWall are usually spread through email phishing attacks. A phishing attack occurs when a hacker tricks people to click an email having dangerous links or log on to a malicious web page. Such viruses lock up a user’s files, sometimes corrupt the hard disk and render it useless until the ransom is paid. 

Don’t get panic! If you have a strong antivirus and backup system, you’ll not be stripped off your assets. Besides, educate your employees, give the tutorials, tips, and hacks about protecting themselves in such alarming situations. Also, ask them to be vigilant and before any mishap occurs. 

2. Install Strong Antivirus Software

Education is the key to protect your business. But even the most cautious people get fooled at the hand of a malware. Therefore it is utmost important to have a strong antivirus and backup system. They act as a second line of defense. Make sure your firewall and antivirus software is updated and working properly.   

3. Incorporate AI in Your Network Security

By using artificial intelligence, you can automate the detection of threat and combat even without the involvement of humans. AI today is totally machine driven and assures complete error-free security. Many companies are employing AI as a powerful tool against the puissant Cyber attacks and trespasses. One more benefit of AI is the password protection and authenticity detection systems. 

4. Use Blockchain

The primary concern of businesses in terms of Cybersecurity is data tampering- the threat of data being altered either intentionally or accidentally. Blockchain technology facilitates a digital signature which helps to keep a check at the authorization of data. The digital signature is stored at a private or public blockchain ledger which keeps a tab on whether the data was modified at any given time. 

Blockchain can be used to protect transaction logs, proving the existence of legal documents and even confirming creative works originated on a certain date.

5. Review your password policy and update if required

If hackers can figure out your employee’s passwords, they can easily hack their systems and extract important information. Educate everyone in your firm to use strong passwords. Make a norm to use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters with numbers and special characters. Also, encourage your employees to use passwords of good length and strength and which are not too difficult to remember. 

6. Back Up Your Important Business Data

In the worst-case scenarios, if all the above-outlined measures fail, you can still remain assured that your data is protected if you have a strong backup system. Make sure your data is backed up both locally and on the cloud.

Summing Up

These days securing yourself and your devices from infectious elements are easier said than done. When there is a network of devices connected to each other, it becomes even more challenging. If you suspect an infected computer, make sure your security software is updated. If nothing works, turn to your favorite search engine and try typing different combinations of questions to uncover answers from forums and communities. Follow the mentioned tips to never lose even a penny of your most cherished treasure –your business  

Author Bio

This is Sharon Winget, Staff Writer with GoodFirms, a review and rating platform of top IT companies & software. A tech geek at heart, I firmly believe technology can transform societies. I enjoy blogging about web design, email marketing, and content marketing.

A rewarding and lucrative career can easily be forged in the field of email marketing. Email marketers must always remain up-to-date with any developments and innovations in the information technology sector. They must also be very orderly people who can manage data by classifying it. Of the intricate and indulging processes that these data analysts design and implement, updating social skills ranks among the top five key priorities. If you are planning on going into this volatile but long-lasting field of commerce, you should have a deep understanding of how email networks work and the constant updates needed to survive. However, if you’re already working at a custom software development company, many of these tips will be pretty familiar already.

Again, we understand that your email marketing is important, whether you are a product producer or a digital marketer. For this reason, we’ll try to explain a few things to help you keep up with the ever-changing world of digital marketing.

What is the difference between responsive and non-responsive emails?

Non-responsive emails are what we started out with when everybody could only access the internet via desktop computers. They feature rigid margins from desktop templates. They do not adapt to the devices used, which limits their compatibility. However, they still work, though not as seamlessly on laptops and computers. Responsive emails came about much later as an innovative way to boost email compatibility with the various devices that are now available to the masses. Responsive emails automatically adjust to fit the margins of whichever device is used to open and read them.

What is so great about responsive emails?

Did you know that responsive emails already overrun non-responsive emails in user preference and relevance? Well, numerous researches from various email networks suggest that about two-thirds of email users access their email from smartphones and tablets as opposed to desktops. Email users love the freedom and flexibility that springs from using mobile devices to access their social, shopping, and professional correspondence. To keep up with your market demands, you must, therefore, also customize your emails to go with the trend. The responsive email model features very smooth layouts. Additionally, responsive emails increase user-friendliness and generally make the user experience seamless, convenient, and pleasant. Furthermore, proper responsive designs also eliminate the probability of bad links and problematic design issues.

Why are non-responsive templates less preferable?

Simply put, non-responsive templates suffer the compatibility handicap. You are likely to struggle with viewing some parts of the emails you receive if you access non-responsive emails via smartphones and tablets. Other problems could result from colliding columns that ultimately crash the tab browser in use. The text could also diminish drastically and present visibility issues that could upset your targeted clients.
For more expert advice on the power of email lists and marketing, visit DatabaseUSA.com.