Home Blog Page 3

10 tech tools for small businesses in 2022

Small business owners sometimes feel they do not have enough daily hours. They use most of their time to market, draft proposals, meet clients and manage operations. As a result, they most often get overwhelmed and exhausted on such days. Fortunately, some technological advances in software and apps can help streamline your business operations.

These technological software and apps have several benefits associated with their usage. These tools can help you save time for other important things like improving your products and services, speaking with clients, and other strategic endeavors. They can also help save money, for instance, a backup solution can keep your data and make sure you never lose them.

With these benefits of using tech tools, it is important to thoughtfully and carefully select and use tech tools for your small or start-up business. Here are some options available to consider.

 

1.      Project management tools

Project management tools allow members involved to see and know the happenings in the business. It allows you to track your deadlines, activities, and appointments. It can create automatic reminders with details for upcoming events and tasks. They are mostly mobile-friendly and work on every platform.

Their messaging function keeps everyone updated. Managing multiple projects can get tricky, especially when many people are involved, and even harder when staff work remotely. Some examples of project management tools are; Monday, Trello, and Asana.

 

2.      Electronic signature/ E-signature tools

E-signature tools allow you to sign contracts and agreements online documents. The process is quite easy; you first upload the document, add the e-mail addresses of those who sign the document, and then send it to them. Furthermore, most e-signature tools allow you to assign due dates and send automatic reminders for the signatures.

This process is paperless, environmentally friendly, and supports a geographically remote and dispersed workplace environment. An example of an e-signature tool is DocuSign. It is one of the best and most popular e-signature tools.

 

3.      E-mail marketing

An e-mail marketing tool is essential for every small business owner. It is quick and easy and allows you to keep your e-mail subscribers up to date on promotions and special offers you run. In addition, it auto-generates newsletters to your social network channels, easing the load of making some on your own. One leading e-mail marketing tool is MailChimp.

 

4.      Customer relationship management(CRM) tools

A customer relationship management (CRM) tool is very important when managing a small business. Since customers are the main point in every business, CRM tools provide a central repository that helps you manage, track and measure all touchpoints in your relationship with your customers.

It gathers and analyses data to provide you with relationship checks, and sometimes recommends steps for engagement with current and potential customers. Using CRM tools can reduce marketing costs and improve usage growth. Zoho, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Hubspot are examples of CRM tools.

 

5.      HR management tools

HR management tools come in handy for small businesses which can not hire a dedicated human resource administrator. HR management tools handle things like payroll, distributing company announcements, benefits management, shift scheduling, and all associated data. Goco and Trinet are examples of HR management tools.

 

6.      Accounting software tools

Accounting software tool is considered a computer or online accountant or bookkeeper. It tracks and keeps your income, expenses, invoice, and other related documents. It also generates documents for your tax returns. QuickBook Online is a popular example of an accountant software tool. It is user-friendly and integrates easily with other apps.

 

7.      Website monitoring tools

As a small business owner, there is no doubt that a huge amount of resources were invested in creating a website since it is the main means of access to your business. But monitoring your website to know who and how it is used and which parts are getting the most or least traffic is essential to keeping your website active and efficient.

In addition, it helps give an insight into the areas which need improvements. Google Analytics is one of the small businesses’ most used website monitoring tools. It gives a detailed report on the source of traffic on your website.

Other tools, such as downtime monitors, can also come in handy. Downtimes are something we despise and never wish to experience. They do, though, happen sometimes. It hurts when a client or consumer contacts you to alert you that your website is down. This is when server monitoring comes into the picture.

You receive accurate downtime data through email or SMS, allowing you to react quickly. Time is of the essence, and our technologies are built to provide it to you. Faciotech’s server monitor is one of the best website downtime monitoring tools. It is reliable and user-friendly.

 

8.      Password management tools

A password management tool allows you to securely manage all your accounts by creating passwords to lock those accounts. It keeps your passwords and prevents you from using passwords that are easy to guess.

One popular choice of password management tool is Dashlane. It automatically syncs all your devices and has other free features but is costly compared to others.

 

9.      Data backup tools

Losing or accidentally deleting data once in a while remains a normal thing that occurs when managing a business, but how to restore that lost data is a very critical point. Small business owners, therefore, have to make sure they have a technological tool that can give them full access and control to their critical data whenever they accidentally delete or lose their data with just a few clicks. Rewind is a favored data backup tool.

 

10.  Communication tools

Using telephone calls to market and interact with customers is a thing of the past and not effective enough. Modern technology has introduced modern communication tools that small business owners can use to communicate with their customers. Social media handles like Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn can be very effective in communicating with customers and marketing.

 

These technological tools for small businesses are not the only tools available for use. Many more tools can be selected based on the industry, maturity, and size of the business.

 

What is web hosting and why do you need it?

Web hosting is the internet service that enables businesses and individuals make their online presence in the form of a website which is accessible to the public. It is a physical location of your website on the internet, an online storage centre that houses the information, videos, images and other content that comprises your website.

Web hosting is typically provided by a web host with businesses that maintain, secure, configure and run physical servers that can be readily accessed by a web browser like Google Chrome or Firefox. For any website to be available online, it has to be stored on some server or computer that is connected to the internet.

Web hosting allows individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible via the World Wide Web (WWW). It allows you to rent space on a server to store your website data such as HTML and CSS files, media content and other documents on your website that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

Web hosting services work by maintaining stable and secure storage spaces, while web hosts provide more than just simple data storage, it is a core part of their functionality to store data on hardware called web servers.

 

How does web hosting work?

To make a website accessible to everyone, it must be stored on a server that is connected to the internet. Once the web hosting company host website, users can access it by typing your URL into their browser and their computer then connects to your server. The server in turn serves the website to your web visitor, that is, the server will send them the files that make up your website.

     

Why is web hosting important?

Good website hosting is essential so your brand can offer to the public and can also be used for many applications, such as systems, virtual stores, blogs, and websites, with advantages ranging from better performance to greater security. A reliable and high-performing web host is a crucial part of any successful website; therefore, neglecting to choose the right host can have a disastrous effect on your website and business.

Web hosting provides you with a place to store your website files. When you create a website, you will need a place to store the individual file and images that make up your website. These files are stored on a web server which is provided by a web hosting company.

Web hosting services give you access to certain tools and services that can make creating and managing your website easier, for example, some web hosting companies offer website builder services without any programming design experience.

 

Types of web hosting services

There are three main types of web hosting services; shared, virtual private service (VPS) and dedicated hosting. Other types are cloud, collocated, managed, grid, clustered and reseller hosting. Each type offers different features and benefits that can be beneficial for your website.

Shared hosting

Shared hosting is where your website is stored on the same server with multiple other websites and domains share the same server resources such as processing power, storage and memory. The cost of shared hosting is relatively low and therefore making it best for personal and small businesses which have low to moderate traffic and CPU needs.

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting

With VPS hosting, virtualization technology is used to partition a computer into multiple servers. Each website is hosted within its own space on the server though it shares still shares a physical server with other users. It gives users the freedom to install whatever they want on the server.

Users are given more privacy and security than shared hosting. It is ideal for website owners that need more resources than what is offered with shared hosting. It is also more expensive than shared hosting but less expensive than dedicated hosting.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting gives you absolute power and control over a server that is dedicated to your website. With dedicated hosting, you can configure the server, choose your desired operating system and software, and customize the entire hosting environment to your specification.

You also do not share a server with other websites. It is the most expensive type of web hosting and is best for large businesses and organizations whose websites have heavy traffic and CPU needs.

Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting allows you to have your website hosted on multiple servers. Thus, if one server gets faulty, the other servers take over and maintain the website. This means that you can have your resources whenever you need them. It is best for websites that have varying or irregular resource needs.

Colocated hosting

Colocated hosting has similar features to dedicated hosting. It allows you to place your server at the service provider’s location. Thus, it is like placing your own server at a special place designed for servers.

Managed hosting

With a managed server, the website owner gets a server for himself to manage all his data but does not have full control over it. With that, service providers prevent users from potentially changing configuration or modifying the server.

Grid hosting

Grid hosting uses several servers that act like a grid and is made up of multiple nodes. In this way, different parts of the website can operate independently.

Clustered hosting

Clustered hosting uses several servers that host the same data of your website. With that, when one server goes down or needs to reboot, website visitors would still be able to access your site.

Reseller hosting

This type of web hosting allows you (client) to be a web host yourself. This means that you buy a provider’s service and sell it to a third party. This type of web hosting requires you to have IT skills since you will be a host and solve all hosting problems.

 

What is domain hosting?

Domain hosting is a service provided by domain hosts who provide and manage your domain name.  A domain name, also known as a website address, is the name people type in their browsers to open a certain site. That is to say, if your website was a house, your domain name would be its address. It can be a combination of words and numbers.

Domain hosts use Domain Name System (DNS) records to connect your domain name with emails, websites, IP addresses and other web services.

A domain’s IP address is a series of numbers that helps computers identify each other online but it is challenging for humans to remember, for example; 66.249.66.1. So, with DNS, people can access a site on their browser without knowing its associated IP address.

A domain can also be used as a tool to support a site’s branding other than being a website address. It is the first thing people see when visiting a site and therefore crucial to spend time picking a domain name that suits your business or project. Here are a few suggested tips for choosing the right domain name for your website:

  • Choose a short name that is easy to remember.
  • Pick a unique name that is not similar to other sites.
  • Make sure it is easy to type and pronounce.
  • Choose a popular top-level domain (TLD) like “.com”.
  • Avoid numbers and hyphens.
  • Love your domain name to make it your brand.
  • Use domain name generators to help get domain name ideas.

You can also purchase a domain name from your web hosting company; which allows you to manage both services under one account, thus, no need to worry about changing the webserver settings for your domain.

 

What to look for in a web hosting company

When upgrading your website, you need to find a web hosting service that can offer the tools, space and support you need. Here are some things to look out for when choosing a web hosting service.

Reliability and uptime

Uptime is the measurement of the time that tells how much a machine is available and working. It is usually expressed as a percentage. Reliability and uptime are considered the most important thing to look for in a web hosting service.

Your website has to be up and running at all times for your business to run smoothly, therefore, any web hosting service that offers an uptime below 99.9% should not be considered.

Loading speed

Speed is also important for a website. If your website takes too long to load, users will prefer to actively remain on other sites consuming their content than to be annoyed by delay and still stay on your site. Therefore, check to see if the web hosting service provides a fast loading speed.

Customer support

A web hosting service must also be available and efficient in assisting you. When something goes wrong with your website, you will need technical support to help solve your problem. Get a web hosting service that offers support 24/7.

Check how the support of the web hosting service you are choosing works and the channels the company offers for contact. Also check for the availability of the web hosting service by emailing them at midnight, weekends or on holidays.

Pricing

The price of a web hosting service should guide our choice when choosing an ideal service. An expensive service does not guarantee it is high-quality, just as a cheap service does not guarantee it being bad. Know your needs and look for a service plan that suits your needs and budget, and also offers a good value for the price.

Security

Trusting the host of your website is not a simple task. Make sure you choose a service that can protect its customers. The web hosting service should offer security features like DDoS protection and malware scanning and also provide constant backups.

This will help keep your website safe and active at all times. Always research and check for all these things and more when choosing a web hosting service to ensure a safe, active and successful website.

 

Free vs paid web hosting service

When it comes to hosting your website, there are a lot of choices to make. One important choice is choosing between free or paid web hosting services.

Free web hosting services offer website templates that are ready-made, all you need is just to add your content and visuals, and adjust the site’s menu. With free web hosting, you do not need IT or coding skills.

Its cost of entry is very low giving you the opportunity to try out a few designs to get familiar with the complexities of building a website. It gives you the opportunity to easily develop your website. It is best for people with little or no experience in web design and development.

Paid web hosting service has more features that require payment to unlock. It gives enough storage space to store your content and also gives easy access and use of your website which creates a favourable user experience.

There are some advantages and disadvantages with both free and paid web hosting services, making it important to weigh your options before making a decision. Here are some few things to consider when choosing either a free or paid web hosting service.

Cost

As the name implies, free web hosting is free and does not require any sort of payment. This makes it a better option if you are on a tight budget. But with paid web hosting, you are required to pay for some features to be unlocked. This makes it a bad option for people on a tight budget.

Features/ customization

Free web hosting usually limits its customization options and website templates. And with your domain name, the host’s name is usually included. It is ideal for beginners. Paid web hosting offers a lot more customization options and web templates. You get to try out numerous styles and designs on your site.

Your domain name is personalized and even allows you to modify your CSS or HTML codes. You also get to have enough storage space, maximum customer support, and other web services.

Security

An attack or hack on your website can cause a huge loss and setback to your business, which is why security should be the biggest factor when choosing a free web hosting. Although some free web hosting companies provide security, it is not as tight as it should be.

Paid web hosting companies provide maximum security for their members because it is paid for. This gives web owners the assurance of the safety of their websites.

Customer support

Free web hosting provides less to no customer support for website owners. So, website owners are left to their fate when they encounter a problem. With paid web hosting, however, customer support is provided 24/7. This means website owners can request help and be supported whenever they encounter a problem.

Branding

Free web hosting does not allow website owners to personalize and customize their sites. This is because they share the space and resources with others and also share their domain name.

Paid web hosting allows you to personalize and brand your website according to your likes and needs.

 

Why Start-ups should Leverage Websites for Marketing

Until the inception of the computer and later internet service, most businesses had to rely on the limited services of newspaper advertisements, magazines, and probably radio waves for marketing. This development was a setback to most businesses in that they were handicapped in the sphere of information they could make known about their businesses.

Given the available publicity mediums, enticing advertisements such as videos, direct feedback from prospective customers, and images were difficult to communicate through those mediums. Hence, start-up businesses suffered from this holdback.

The advent of revolutionizing technology has been a boom for most businesses, who take advantage of it for the advertisement of their products and services by leveraging the myriad benefits of settling for a website as a medium of advertisement.

Potential customers now heavily rely on the services of the internet to search for products or services they need, and start-ups who settle for a website stand the chance of losing credibility and popularity in the eyes of the public. There are some advantages that start-ups must reconsider before settling for a website.

Reasons why your company needs a website

To begin with, it is very essential that startups leverage a website because it saves you money in the sense that, as a beginner, especially one that is just starting out, you might have thoughts that you can’t afford a professional website and that it would not be economically wise to pay huge sums of money for a website. You got it all wrong.

Consider the stress and money you pay for airtime on radio stations or even buying space in either a graphic or magazine just for awareness creation. Did you know that when you own a professional website, you can easily add new products or ideas at your leisure?

Yes, it is possible that saves you huge sums of money compared with the cost of traditional means of advertising, such as newspaper ads, radio commercials, promotional materials, and even networking events that often include the cost of a meal or trade tables.

When you consider the potential market you can reach with a website, it is a very cost-effective way to promote your business in the long term. It is just not economically wise to run to the radio station or pay extra cash to the editors of your preferred magazine for your new products to be advertised.

This means that this same process would be repeated as your business continues to grow. I don’t see the sense in continually paying money when alterations and ads can easily be added at no cost. Hence, it is left up to you to judge the numerous opportunities a website provides to any other medium. Saving money is a great reason why your business needs a professional website, but there are many more reasons.

In addition, clients can be kept educated in its most fundamental shape. Think about a site just like an online pamphlet or inventory that can be refreshed whenever. It is much simpler and quicker to update information about your products and services on your website than it is in a printed pamphlet or index.

A website is an effective way to introduce new services to your customers, inform them about new products, and announce upcoming events and unique advancements. You can likewise give them an incentive by including tips, assets, and other data through a blog on your site.

Unlike print advertisements, daily newspaper articles, and flyers, which rapidly become noticeably obsolete, your site can give current data and news. Also, on the off chance that you find a slip-up after you distribute a page or post, it is a convenient solution.

A site can be far beyond just an online handout or list, however. Presently, we have YouTube recordings, Podcasts, online courses, eBooks, and other online media to feature our aptitudes, skills, and items, as well as live online classes, courses, and workshops.

Also, an online networking combination lets you share information on your website through many different channels and get in touch with a larger group of people.

Also, it is important to note that a site is constantly open, not at all like your block and-mortar area, which is just open a couple of hours daily. A site is open 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. You can give both consistent and imminent clients the accommodation of surveying your items and services when your store or office is shut.

Not just that, with such a large number of intuitive highlights and additional items accessible, guests to your site can get in touch with you, agree to accept your courses, plan arrangements and even buy straightforwardly through your site, notwithstanding when you’re far from your work area or in the wake of shutting. With the present occupied ways of life, this is an extraordinary offering moment that settles on a buy choice.

Also, note that a site empowers you to contact a more extensive gathering of people in the sense that sites are available from any place on the planet given there is a web association. Since an ever-increasing number of individuals access the web, even in remote areas, you can focus on a significantly more extensive crowd if your business has a site.

Regardless of whether you offer items or benefits, or if your business is customer-based, your site gives you an elective area to offer. As a retailer, an online business site is an incredible place to pitch your items to a more extensive market. Think about every one of the general population who can’t get to your brick-and-mortar store where you could pitch your items to.

Indeed, even administrative-based organizations can offer their services all-inclusive through a site. Since we have such a large number of moderate approaches to speaking with individuals, we can work with anybody, anyplace, at any time. A site makes it a great deal less demanding to pull in customers from a worldwide market.

Businesses can only grow if they are known or heard of in the public domain. Hence, considering the myriad opportunities a website has to offer in terms of putting your business in front of the public purse, it is wise for startups to seize this enviable opportunity, which in return would lead to a tremendous boom in your business.

Contact us should you need a website. We will be more than happy to assist.

Faciotech warn that members of the public can be targets of sophisticated spear phishing attacks

Recently, researchers at a cybersecurity company observed a sophisticated phishing email sent to a foreign diplomat. In the email, cybercriminals disguised themselves by using the first and last name of an employee in the diplomat’s IT department.
In this case, the diplomat believed that the email was suspicious and forwarded it to the actual employee in the IT department for investigation. This case is a perfect example of a popular attack called spear phishing.
Spear phishing attacks are targeted at a single person or department that has information that cybercriminals want. In these attacks, cybercriminals conduct research on the specific person or department and figure out who they talk to frequently.
Then, the cybercriminals send a message to the person or department, pretending to be someone they know and trust. It’s important to watch out for these attacks because they can happen to anyone, not just diplomats or executives.
Follow these tips to stay safe from spear-phishing attacks:
  1. Don’t open attachments or click on links in emails that you were not expecting.
  2. Check email headers to make sure you recognize the sender and any other recipients.
  3. Reach out to the person who allegedly sent the email by phone or in person. By reaching out to the alleged sender directly, you could save yourself and/or your organization from a potential spear-phishing attack!

Stop, look, and think. Don’t be fooled by the scammers. Safe yourself from Phishing Scams

Faciotech warn social media users to watch out for social media attacks and phishy Facebook messages

In a new scam, cybercriminals have been using compromised Facebook accounts to send links to fake login pages. Social media attacks/scam, is gaining popularity, with over eight million people viewing just one of the phishing pages so far this year.
In this scam, cybercriminals hack users’ Facebook accounts and then use these accounts to send messages to the users’ Facebook friends. When a user clicks on a link from one of these messages, they are directed to a fake Facebook login page. On this page, the user is asked to enter their email and password to verify their credentials.
If you fall for this scam, any credentials that you share will be delivered directly to the cybercriminals. The cybercriminals could then log in to your Facebook account and send similar links to your Facebook friends. It’s important to remember that cybercriminals can also use ad tracking tools to receive money from visits to these pages. They profit from every click!
Follow these tips to stay safe from phishy messages:
  1. Hover your mouse over links before you click. Watch out for links that are suspiciously long or show a domain for a different website than the website you want to visit.
  2. If you receive a suspicious Facebook message, reach out to your Facebook friend by email, text message, phone call, or another app. If they didn’t send you the message, let them know that their account has been hacked and they should change their password immediately. Do not reply to the suspicious message.
  3. Stay informed about the latest scams and how you can stay safe. Information is one of our most powerful tools against cybercriminals.
Stop, look, and think. Don’t be fooled by the scammers.

Checklist for websites: 14 guidelines for creating effective website content

Client website content checklist

After several years of working on web projects, we have found that the process does not always go as smoothly as it should. As a result, we decided to create this checklist for websites. This checklist is not exhaustive and will likely have some omissions, but it should cover most basics.

  1. General & Global
  • Logo
  • Footer widget options
    • Social feed
    • Page list / mini menu
    • Legal links
    • Logo
    • Contact info
    • Recent posts
    • Certifications & Memberships
    • Call to Action
    • Brief about
    • Opt-in
  • Sidebar widget options
    • Opt-in
    • Recent posts
    • Contact block
    • Categories
    • Author
  • Social media profile links
  • Favicon (or create one from their logo)
  1. Home Page
  • Header/Hero Image
  • Main headline
  • Tagline
  • Headline for SEO
  • Site description
  • Header button text
  • Images
  • Call to action
  • Home slider
  • About us section
  • Service boxes
  • Contact section
  • Blog section
  • Products
  • Offers/packages
  • Partners/Clients
  • Others
  1. About
  • Main content
  • Core values
  • Mission
  • Vision
  • History
  • Executive Directors Message
  • Video introduction to the Company
  • CSR information
  • Time series of business
  • Images
  • Team photos
  • Team bios
  • Team social media
  • Certifications & Memberships & Partners & Accreditations
  • Call to action
  • others
  1. Products/Services
  • Headings
  • Summary
  • Images
  1. Blog
  • Author Bio
  • Author Image (gravatar)
  • Several initial posts with featured image
  1. Contact
  • Phone number (s)
  • Email address (es)
  • Contact form fields
  • Map address (es)
  • Mail address (es)
  • Supporting text
  • Areas serviced
  • Business numbers or license numbers, if required
  • Premises photos
  • Country or department offices
  • Knowledge base page links
  • FAQs
  1. Supporting Content
  • Testimonials including images
  • Client images/logos
  • FAQs
  • 404-page content & links
  • Downloads & Resources
  • Video embed code (Client to upload)
  1. SEO
  • Target keywords
  1. Email Marketing
  • CRM/autoresponder credentials
  • Lists to add subscribers to
  • Tags to add
  • Opt-in
    • Location(s)
    • The headline and/or subscribe text
    • Button text
    • Fields (optional/required)
  1. Tracking & Scripts
  • Analytics
  • Facebook pixel code
  • Live chat script
  • Reviews embed code
  1. eCommerce
  • Products
    • Title
    • SKU
    • Category
    • Description
    • Image
    • Price
    • Dimensions & Weight (if calculating shipping)
  • Shipping method (s) & costs
  • Payment method (s) and credentials
  • Coupons
  1. Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions or other legal info
  • Custom copyright
  1. Gallery
  • Images
  • Videos
  • Documents
  • Others
  1. Events
  • Incoming events
  • Past events

 

Page Descriptions

Home Page: Every site begins with a primary introduction page. This page should focus on the overall site and link all major areas and functions. Links back to the Home Page will be accessible on every page.

Appropriate design choices for the Home Page will be an essential part of the development process. The Home Page will anchor the site and pull its elements together rather than be a promotional introduction.

Support: Technical information, FAQs, and manuals for performing specific functions on the website. A support form could be included to report problems and request assistance.

Gallery: This section could display pages of images. The Gallery could also be used for documents, sound files, Acrobat PDF files, or other “library” functions. A pre-built template would display pictures on “section” pages as thumbnail images. Hundreds of images could be supported. The Gallery is a great way to showcase your images and videos online.

Events: This page would list current events that the Company is involved in. The Events Calendar is carefully crafted, and that lets you easily share your events. Events created on the calendar are beautiful, solid, awesome, easy to create, and easy to manage your calendar of events. The Events Calendar will help take your site to the next level.

About Us: This section would summarise what the Company is about, your vision, missions, core values, history, Executive Directors, welcome messages etc. Maps and driving directions would be included. Company history, biographies, pictures, and links to other pages and/or sites could also be added.

Site Map: The Site Map is a page that contains text-based links to each primary area of the site. It is a convenient way to navigate around a website and see a complete overview of the topics it presents.

Search Results: A “Search” field and button will be available on each page. When pressed, the entire website will be searched for a matching text string, and the results will be displayed on this page as content with a link. For example, search ranges could be limited to a specific topic or site area and search the entire site.

Administrator Section Panel (Important): Our websites have an administration panel for adding articles, managing images, and managing the site. This makes it easier for the site to be edited and managed from any web browser software.

In addition, the administrator panel has a login security check that only allows vulnerable people having login passwords to gain access. All login credentials are given to the Client after the full payment has been made.

Team pages: A page is devoted to promoting your Company’s most valuable asset: your employees. Meet the Team, which is often seen as an extension of the About Page, introduces your visitors to your staff, offering openness and a human touch. It is a fantastic method to attach names and titles to faces.

Customers nowadays demand a lot more customized, intimate experience with the firms they buy from, thus making this critical. The days of casual, impersonal sales are long gone.

Project pages: A project page is a place for NGOs to display the numerous initiatives they have participated in. This allows prospective donors and contributors to track the effects your organization has.

For private businesses, a portfolio page is a unique way to display your work and introduce yourself to others. It is similar to having an evergreen platform for your projects, case studies, and biographical information. It is also a great chance to show off your personality, skills, and expertise.

Services: Creating a services page for your Company’s website is about more than simply stating what you can do for a client; it also defines how your Company or brand differs from the competition. Remember, on this page, you are marketing yourself and your firm. Writing the services page should be simple if you know what your consumers want and have a thorough grasp of your sector.

This page contains a comprehensive summary of your services and the advantages customers get by utilizing or employing you. In addition, this page provides a list of your organization’s initiatives or issues and the demographic segment with whom you deal.

Including a “Why Use Us” section on your website is a simple approach to advertising the advantages of your Company’s services. Include what makes your firm unique and the benefits your Company or brand provides.

Blog/News: A blog (a shortened variant of “weblog”) is a conversation or informative website that is published on the World Wide Web and is made up of discrete, typically informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are usually shown in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry at the top of the page. Posting quality material to your blog regularly is a popular type of content marketing.

Instead of going to your audience with typical outbound marketing methods like advertising and cold calling, the purpose of inbound marketing, or content marketing, is to have your audience come to you. If you dislike selling yourself and self-promotion, this should be a kind of marketing that appeals to you. Note: The Client must provide us with the list of categories and at least one article for each section.

Contact page: A contact page is a standard web page on a website that allows users to contact the organization or person that operates the website. One or more of the following things may be found on this page: an email address, a phone number, and a postal address, often with a map displaying the location and connections to social media, a text message or enquiry contact form etc.

In the case of prominent corporations, the contact page may have information for many offices (headquarters, field offices, and so on) and departments (customer support, sales, investor relations, press relations, etc.).

Faciotech warn of scammers using Search Engine Optimization to target your online search results

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique that helps websites appear more often in search engine results, and rank higher than other websites. Legitimate websites use SEO such as easy-to-remember URLs and relevant keywords. Unfortunately, cybercriminals can also use SEO for their malicious websites.
Some of the ways cybercriminals use SEO is by adding tons of popular keywords to their website and creating multiple links that redirect you to their website. Cybercriminals can also pay third parties to visit their website, which makes the website appear more reputable and popular to search engines.
If you visit one of these malicious websites, you may be tricked into downloading a malicious file or providing your personal information.
Follow these tips to keep yourself safe from malicious search results:
  • Always hover your cursor over a link before you click, even when using a search engine. Look for spelling mistakes and overly long URLs that can hide a website’s true domain.
  • Avoid search results that include a long list of random or repeated words and phrases. That website could be using excessive keywords to draw in traffic.
  • Visit trusted websites directly by entering the URL in your browser’s address bar, instead of using a search engine to find the website.
Stop, look, and think. Don’t be fooled by the scammers.

How to choose a top-ranking and memorable domain names

Where do you start? What are in domain names? Once you have decided on your domain name, what should its extension be? Where do you register it, and how do you ensure it is easily remembered? This article will help you choose the best domain name options so your website stands out.

Choosing a domain name can be a trying experience. There are so many things to consider, and it is not uncommon for you to lose countless hours in a futile attempt to find the perfect domain. It is all too easy to purchase a domain name that you later regret. What was beneficial and stylish a few years ago is now ungainly and difficult to express. If your preferred domain has already being taken, you may accept whatever you can obtain to have it expire later and be left with one you do not like.

Worse, you might wind up paying a lot more for it later, or even spending a lot of money rebranding and redirecting it years after you have established yourself, simply because the domain you have always wanted becomes available.

It may be tempting to buy quickly to prevent others from having the one you want, but it will not hurt to spend a few minutes making sure you are acquiring what you want, what works, and what will serve you well in the long run.

When you are ready to start a website, you will want to choose a domain name that’s memorable, easily remembered, and accurately describes your business. Here are some tips on how to do it:

1. Make sure the domain name is available.

It is crucial to make sure the domain name you want is available before getting too attached to it. You can do this by running a WHOIS search on the domain name (e.g., [http://www.whois.com/]). This search will tell you who owns the domain name when it expires and what type of registration is required (e.g.,.com). If the registration information is not shown on WHOIS, try searching for an email address associated with that URL using sites like [http://www.email-address-checker.org/].

2. Keep it brief and to the point.

You want a domain name that is easy to read, pronounce, and remember. It also helps if the text is simple to type. The shorter your domain name , the easier it will be for people to remember and type it into their browser bar when they want to revisit your site—which means more traffic! Also, keep in mind that URLs that contain hyphens (-)can be confusing when reading them aloud or typing them quickly into web browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

One of the most critical aspects of marketing is being remembered, and simplicity is usually the best option. If you can make it no longer than two or three words long, with no phonetic bits to confuse people’s ears (razinghomes.com and raisinghomes.com may sound identical but mean the exact opposite – confusing, right? ), and with no unusual spelling, you are well on your way to creating a domain name that works for you.

It is best to avoid using slangs and business jargons unless you are super-niche and expect a super-niche audience. Vernacular varies from country to country, which can be helpful in some situations (for example, see skintdad.co.uk), but “skint” and other slang terms may not be used much outside of the UK and Australia.

3. Make it unique

There is no getting around the requirement to be unique regarding company names. You do not want to get yourself into legal problems, but you also do not want to be remembered as the only one. Googling will reveal company names and URLs(similar or identical to yours) which have previously been registered.

In addition, you may look up who is writing under what name in business directories, phone books, and blog curation services and then make your selection based on what you discover.

4. Getting it right in the eyes of the law.

If you are sued for infringement because you began business as a firm with the same name as, or can easily be mistaken for, another company, it will cost you a lot of time, money, and suffering. In addition, you could irritate another business that has worked hard to establish itself and is now losing traffic to you by a lesser amount.

On the internet, copyright is difficult to regulate, but there are steps individuals may take if their intellectual property, such as blog names and URLs, has been stolen. I cannot emphasize how important it is to double-check other blogs, websites, and business names before purchasing a URL.

There may be other individuals with the same blog name as you, but they have not purchased the official domain, or their blogs have been static (like happened to me!).

5. “Branding matters.” Getting it right.

You will always want people to understand what you are about in as little time as possible. You do not want a URL that does not honestly say what you do or is not understandable in a few seconds. It is essential to research and brainstorm to determine what is popular, what works, what best describes your company, and what makes the most significant first impression.

You may want to name your blog or website something lengthy, but that does not imply that your URL must be the same. Like your business card, the URL should be brief, sweet, and to the point, offering the recipient just enough information to get started. If necessary, you may expand on your site, but long URLs are not generally suitable for giving potential readers an idea of what to anticipate from your blog.

6. Select the right extension.

There were just a few options back then-. com,. net,. org, and so on, and many of them had additional extensions depending on whatever nation you were in. While it is undoubtedly prudent to stick with what works, additional possibilities are to be considered, particularly if they complement your company’s name or genre.

Newer ones include Biz, Info, Me, Shop, and many other options (a complete list may be seen here). However, bear in mind that most people’s brains default to “. com” when attempting to remember URLs, so a unique one may result in a loss of visitors. Check here for a full list of domain name extensions.

7. SEO is important. Getting it right!

Search engine optimization is an integral consideration when choosing a domain name. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is making sure that Google can find your site and rank it highly when people search for things related to your business or industry. SEO is important for driving quality leads to your website.

It involves a variety of tactics, such as keyword selection, content writing, backlinks, and user reviews. Google’s algorithm is constantly being improved to deliver the best results for users, not just domain names with the most backlinks. When it comes to choosing domain names, consider the following:

7.1 Relevance

Everyone wants to be ranked high in Google to assist all those individuals seeking precisely what your site has to offer. If you have a brilliant and hilarious blog name but little to do with your real content, your URL will not be among the first few alternatives a searcher sees when seeking what you have. You do not have to make it dull to rank high; all you have to do is strike the right mix between adorable and helpful.

Many people’s URLs are determined by their blog or company name, and if the name does not immediately identify your blog content, it will be far more difficult for your blog to appear in search results. With constant posting and hard effort to get yourself out there and linked to, you can begin to establish a reputation, but it will be a little more difficult without the natural traffic you might be receiving.

7.2 Keywords

You should read Moz’s SEO Best Practices for URLs to look at creating a fantastic URL that ranks well on Google. It will explain what a URL is, how to create a fantastic one, and which methods search engines like. The more keywords related to the content you have in your URL, the better your SEO results will be.

Remember that the information you provide will fill the lengthier URLs that lead to each blog post, giving your keywords additional opportunities to appear organically. You are halfway there if you can build an original URL for your site that includes the keywords for your content. What method do you use to locate your keywords? Make a list of everything your website is about. Is it a cookbook? Fashion? Travel?

Make a list of all the terms that you can think of that people will be looking for and the important words in your article. You may also look for popular search terms for your genre on sites like Google Keyword Tool, Buzzsumo, and Keyword Tool.

 

 

 

Helpful security hints and tips: “Google yourself”

With the rise of the digital age, it is difficult (if not impossible) to remain totally anonymous on the internet. Having an online presence and maintaining your social networks can be a wonderful and valuable tool, but sometimes we are unaware of how much personal information can be obtained about us over time.
When was the last time you typed your name or your email address in a web search like Google or Bing? You may be shocked at the results. You may find that old photos of yourself pop up, or an old user account from a forgotten social network or blog that is still associated with your name.
You may even want to search for your work email, to make sure it has not been compromised and made available on the internet for the cybercriminals and scammers to find.
By searching and analyzing your online presence often, you can take steps to remove those things you may not want strangers to see. Like that embarrassing photo from college/university. You know the one we’re talking about.

Gmail SMTP fraud on the rise

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard method that mail servers use to send emails. Organizations typically use an SMTP relay service to send mass emails, such as marketing materials. Some organizations use Gmail as an SMTP relay service, but unfortunately, cybercriminals have found a vulnerability in the Gmail service.

Using this vulnerability, cybercriminals can spoof any organization that also uses Gmail as a relay service. For example, let’s say that a legitimate organization owns the domain sign-doc[dot]com and uses Gmail to relay its marketing emails. Cybercriminals could send phishing emails from a malicious domain, such as wishyoudidntclickthis[dot]com, and disguise the emails by spoofing the legitimate domain, sign-doc[dot]com. Since the spoofed domain is being relayed through Gmail, most email clients will consider the malicious email safe and allow it to pass through security filters.

Follow the tips below to stay safe from similar scams:

  1. This type of attack isn’t limited to Gmail. Other SMTP relay services could have similar vulnerabilities. Even if an email seems to come from a legitimate sender, remain cautious.
  2. Never click on a link or download an attachment in an email that you were not expecting.
  3. If you need to verify that an email is legitimate, try reaching out to the sender directly through phone call or text message.

Stop, look, and think. Don’t be fooled by the scammers.

You cannot copy content of this page