Local SEO Archives - Page 88 of 90

Bringing Universities and HubSpot Clients Together: An Experiment in Applied Learning

August 20, 2020 by Maggi Pier

This post is a part of Made @ HubSpot, an internal thought leadership series through which we extract lessons from experiments conducted by our very own HubSpotters.

At the end of 2019, the Education Partner Program team at HubSpot had the challenging opportunity of deciding our priorities for the coming year.

The HubSpot Education Partner Program — or EPP — is a community of educators who teach at colleges and universities worldwide that receive free software and support from HubSpot to train the next generation of marketing, sales, and service professionals.

hubspot experiment in applied learning hubspot academy tools knowledge Supporting and empowering these students and professors is crucial in maintaining a healthy HubSpot ecosystem of future clients and users.

Like most teams at HubSpot, we focus maniacally on how to create a positive experience for those who rely on our program – in this case, university professors. To ensure that we were creating such experiences, we first had to identify what novel problems and pain points this audience faces.

Click here to learn more about the Education Partner Program and how you can join.

Identifying Our Audience’s Pain Points

The EPP’s focus is on college students who need to enter the working world with the tools and methodologies they need to help a business grow. We care deeply, and invest heavily in, business education.

g2 grid online course providers hubspot

Although HubSpot Academy serves thousands of learners across the world, the EPP focuses on education within college and universities. Our team would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge and adapt to the educational inequity that pervades higher education in the US.

Specifically, we wanted to address the problems below that these issues bring to light:

1. Students need to have experience applying the skills they learn in class to find employment after graduation.

Often, this means they pursue (sometimes unpaid) internships in expensive cities, which can add financial strain to an already expensive college experience.

If HubSpot could find a way that would allow students to contribute virtually to helping solve a real business challenge in their course – all with the added safety net of their instructor being there to answer questions – we prime them for success. Subsequently, if they put this work on their resume, these students demonstrate a work experience that they might have otherwise been unable to find.

2. Educators have a mandate to prepare their students for real business challenges, but this can introduce so many unwelcome variables in the classroom.

Educations only have so many businesses in their rolodex that are open to working with students in their personal or professional network. On top of that, awkward conversations about expectations and due dates on deliverables can turn professors off from the experience completely.

At HubSpot, we have over 78,000 customers, all of whom are hoping to grow their business using our software and many of which could use some help and fresh eyes when approaching new projects. However, we recognized that it wasn’t enough to simply offer our customers; we needed a way for both our customers and our professors to hold themselves accountable to creating fruitful relationships and learning experiences for the students they work with.

3. HubSpot customers don’t always have the bandwidth to complete their many projects.

Although the visible impact of the Education Partner Program is the support we lend professors, we also intend to embedding ourselves deeper into the company and work across the many teams at HubSpot that want their best for our users. As a small team of three, it’s important for us to make a large splash where we can. Working with other teams – and specifically, our Customer Success Team – to help HubSpot customers is mutually beneficial. We wanted to find a solution for our educators while also finding one for our customers. We needed to create safeguards that made sure that business didn’t exploit students’ free labor while making it easy (and pleasant) for a Customer to work with an Educator, and vice versa.

And so, in 2020, we decided to focus on …. applied learning.

Providing a Solution Through Applied Learning

Applied learning is the practice of alternating classroom learning with pre-approved practical, meaningful, and creative contributions of labor in a community or external organization, in a field related to a student’s academic and career goals. Has a HubSpot Customer not updated their lead-generation workflow since the early 2010s? Perhaps some students could come in and provide some suggestions. Does a HubSpot Customer not have the bandwidth to create engaging blog articles to promote their product or service? Have students in a Digital Marketing class provide some articles as their capstone assignment!

As higher education shifted to virtual or hybrid models in 2020, we had a unique value proposition to provide our educators with the opportunity to enhance their students’ employable skills while also providing free work for our customers — many of whom were adapting to the challenges of conducting business almost entirely online and could use the help.

Here’s how we did it.

1. We partnered with the best-in-class software for creating new applied opportunities in the classroom, Riipen.

We first explored what providers already had a foothold in this space. Riipen, a technology platform that facilitates micro-experiential learning opportunities by connecting students with industry partners through in-course assignments or competitions designed by instructors, came far ahead of any other options.

2. We tested, and then tested some more.

Shortly after we decided to work with Riipen, we enlisted some of our most engaged Education Partners and customers to test out the marketplace to see if this was something we could expand to the hundreds more professors in our network.

After a bit of research and conversation, we partnered with (and are eternally grateful for) Tim Marshall at Baldwin Wallace College and Elaine Young and Champlain College. These two educators’ students worked with six diverse HubSpot customers (three each), with much success.

CAPA The Global Education Network (Boston, MA, USA): Students worked to develop lead-nurturing workflows to promote and encourage study abroad to freshmen college students.
The Woods (Norway, ME, USA): Students worked to boost online ads and an ecommerce platform for a luxury treehouse in Maine.
Run Away Travel (Miami, FL, USA): Students created marketing collateral and content for an all-inclusive travel agency.
Cosmic Booth (Orlando, FL, USA): Students created marketing collateral and content for a commercial photo booth rental business.
ETTCH (Dublin, Ireland): Students created marketing collateral and content for an educational company that design tools for children coping with anxiety and low self-confidence.
AirWorks (Boston, MA, USA): Students doubled the amount of pillar pages for an AI start-up.

My colleagues and I attended final presentations that students made to their employers and were impressed with the level of preparation and professionalism from everyone involved.

The Woods saw tremendous growth (500%) in their apparel sales. Run Away Travel and ETTCH in particular had some great feedback on the maturity of the students and the innovative content they provided their businesses.

Given the success of the pilot program, we decided to continue our partnership with Riipen and create even more connections between our customers and educators.

3. We promoted our program internally and collaborated with other teams.

There were several considerations we took into account as we planned to launch our partnership with Riipen at scale.

We needed to make sure that our educators weren’t left without a HubSpot customer to pair with — and vice versa. This meant that our biggest obstacle was going both too fast or too slow in rolling this out. We needed to make sure we were recruiting at an even pace on both sides of the marketplace. For example, if we pressed the gas on recruiting educators to join, we could end up with more educators than we have customers. The opposite also applied. Since we could control the stream of educators who knew about and could sign up for this program, we also had to do the same for our customers.

Enter the Customer Success team at HubSpot. We relied on the Customer Success Managers, or CSMs, to hand-pick “good fit” businesses for this opportunity. We shared the “what” and “why” of our applied learning program through an internal “Applied Learning Resource Center” with small, actionable steps for CSMs that wanted their customers to participate in the program. CSMs then introduced me personally to businesses they considered a good match. We also built out public-facing pages for educators and customers that outlined the goals and responsibilities of each should they participate in the program.

Applied Learning in Times of Uncertainty

While we at HubSpot have always been excited about the prospect of matching customers with educators so that students can gain job-ready skills, these times of economic uncertainty have brought a new sense of urgency. When we experience fundamental changes to how we work and learn, we have to question how we can better prepare ourselves and others to respond to new challenges. The practice of remote-friendly learning has become the new normal for most colleges and universities worldwide, opening the horizons of what virtual leadership and project management looks like when it happens from your kitchen or bedroom desk.

The project-based learnings students undertake with Riipen are always completely virtual experiences. Thus, they’re more flexible and obtainable to a new group of students who could never commit to the tradition 9-5, in-office internship experience.

We have a long way to go to scale this from the highly-personalized, one-on-one outreach we have now to a more automated, self-identifying, opt-in process for customers and educators. Fall 2020 will present some interesting challenges as we prepare to launch this to our Education Partner Community during a time when many are questioning the ability to offer virtual learning — much less virtual applied learning opportunities.

We seek to create 15 more matches between Educators and our Customers (and even more in the Spring) and are confident that we can hit this number. Ultimately, we want to create opportunities for students to graduate with the skills and experiences they need to feel confident in interviews and at their workplaces.

Our partnership with Riipen is a major step in empowering these students and in building a customer base that appreciates the perspectives that these students bring.

Click here to learn more about the Education Partner Program and how you can join.

The post Bringing Universities and HubSpot Clients Together: An Experiment in Applied Learning appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

What is PPC Management and Do I Need to Run Paid Ads?

August 16, 2020 by Maggi Pier

Your online presence is vital to your business success. Search engine optimization is one way to get traffic to your website. Users go to a search engine and look for certain products and services. If your website matches their query, they have the option of clicking on the link. This is called organic, or unpaid, traffic. Another way to drive traffic to your site is through advertising. Let’s take a look at pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and how it goes hand-in-hand with your SEO strategy. Then, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of hiring an agency or someone in-house to take care of your PPC campaigns.

Ppc Graphic

What is PPC?

PPC is a way of placing ads on a platform, usually a search engine, such as Google or Bing. You only pay when a customer clicks on the ad to go to your site. The goal is to get traffic to your site so that you convert the user to a sale or other valuable action, like joining your newsletter or downloading a white paper. These campaigns are very popular when you have sale items or want to drive traffic for a particular reason. SEO often takes a few weeks to get results, but Pay Per Click has a quicker turnaround time.

Payment Online
The foundation of Pay Per Click is keywords. You select the keywords that you want to target in search. When a user types in that selection of words, your ad comes up. The nice part is that you only pay for your ad if the customer actually clicks on the link. Unfortunately, some keyword selections may cost more than others. The ad platform sets pricing based on relevance and competition. You can set your budget and bids to your needs so that you don’t spend more than you planned on advertising.

A campaign doesn’t operate in a vacuum. You can’t just select the keywords you want to target and drive customers to your site. Your ad must have the information a user is looking for, such as a headline and description. Once the user clicks on the link, your website needs to provide the information they’re looking for. These campaigns have to be well-thought-out to drive the right users to your site and into your pipeline.

What is PPC Management?

PPC is a powerful advertising tool when used correctly. You can’t just give Google or Bing your list of keywords and hope that the platform gets you the best leads. management is the oversight of your budget, strategy, and campaigns. Many businesses outsource this management to an external agency with a team of marketing and media experts, but management can also be handled in-house.

PPC management consists of:

Keyword research: targeting the keywords that customers are looking for
Channel research: determining which platforms to run your campaign on, social media, Google Ads, Bing Ads, or other networks
Monitoring: using data to analyze each campaign for ROI and effectiveness
Analyzing competition: using data from competitors to find ways to reach out to customers
Testing: examining landing pages and new ads to see which ones are the most effective
Optimization: putting your marketing budget behind the keywords that bring in the most business

Billboard Pay Per Click

Elements of an Effective Pay Per Click Campaign

Pay Per Click management involves many factors. For that reason, many businesses hire a management agency that knows the ins and outs of delivering the highest ROI. Whether you hire an agency or plan to do Pay Per Click in house, you should understand what goes into creating a strategy.

Know your goals before you get started.
Before you invest in Pay Per Click, you should have goals and metrics in place. Your goals give you something to achieve, while your metrics tell you if you’re reaching your goals. When you get started, you’ll want to be realistic with your goals. Don’t expect a huge return in the first month. Although a campaign drives traffic quicker than SEO, you may need to tweak your approach to find the best methods for your goals.
Don’t follow Google (or another computer-based program) Blindly
There are programs that will manage your campaign, but you need to control your campaigns. Google will make some good suggestions, but you need to choose which keywords fit your goals and business needs.
Create Landing Pages for Each PPC Campaign
The landing page bridges the gap between the searcher and your business. If a user is searching for something specific, you want to make sure your landing page is relevant. Otherwise, you pay for a click that doesn’t reap any benefits. You can’t just hope the searcher digs through your website to find what he or she is looking for.
Cast a Wide Net Early – Learn From Your Data
You may need to put more money into your early ads to find out what works and what doesn’t. By monitoring the results closely, you can then funnel your marketing dollars into what is working most effectively. Look for the top-performing keywords that generate sales. Watch for negative words that you might want to exclude from search. For example, if you sell used vacuums, but don’t make repairs, you may want to exclude the word “repair” from search queries.
Analyze Your Data Regularly
Test new keywords to see how they perform. Test different ad copy to see what performs best. Watch the analytics to make sure your campaigns are generating the ROI you expect. Don’t just put your campaigns on autopilot and hope for the best.

Why Not Let Google Manage Your PPC Campaign?

Google Adwords Express is a computerized service that delivers some Pay Per Click management, but can’t always make adjustments like a real team of people would. Many businesses don’t see a high ROI using Adwords Express because it can’t always assess your goals and the customer’s goals together. Google can provide a lot of insight for your strategy, but shouldn’t be what manages your campaign.

Do I Need PPC Management?

Pay Per Click management isn’t cheap, whether you hire an agency or hire someone in-house. The question is which is more effective. Here are a few things to consider:

Hiring a PPC Agency

Working with an agency can seem expensive on paper but remember that you’re not going to be responsible for the salary of an in-house person, along with benefits, training, and overhead. Agencies have experts whose sole focus is PPC – learning what works and doesn’t, not only on your account but on other accounts. Although the agency team may need to learn the specifics about your business, they don’t need to learn the ins and outs of advertising platforms and software. When you work with an agency you start out with knowledge and experience.

Hiring an In-House Person for Pay Per Click

One big advantage of hiring someone in-house is communication. Your campaign manager is always there to reach out to when you have questions or want an update. One disadvantage of having an in-house person is that their time may be spread across different items. Your Pay Per Click person may also be responsible for website management and SEO. If you decide to halt your campaign, you’re still responsible for their salary while the campaign is on hold. An in-house person may not have the same resources as an agency, but you will have more access to them to check up on your campaign.

Which One Works Better?

A well-thought-out campaign can really boost your business, but one with a poor strategy will only cost money. You have to look at your own business and find the right approach. Generally, a business can manage their own campaigns, but they may not have the same success when working with an agency. If you are a small business owner trying to focus on your business and marketing approach, you may be trying to spread yourself too thin, which is when an agency would make even more sense. If you do go with an agency, you still must be involved to make some decisions and to understand what your business needs to do to support the campaigns.

When choosing an agency, look for results-driven services with a dedicated project manager for your organization. You want professionals who not only understand the marketing industry, but who are dedicated to presenting your brand with ethics and best practices. Work with an agency that offers flexibility in finding solutions for your business. You should also choose an agency that communicates well with your team.

Billboard Contact Us

Get Your PPC Campaign Started on the Right Foot

If you’re spending marketing dollars, get the most for your money by working with experienced professionals. BizIQ offers multiple Pay Per Click packages designed for small to medium businesses who want effective PPC management from a company with excellent customer service and ratings in the industry. Contact us today to see how you can get started with solutions that work for you.

The post What is PPC Management and Do I Need to Run Paid Ads? appeared first on BizIQ.

The post What is PPC Management and Do I Need to Run Paid Ads? appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

The Basics of Backlinks: How to Get Started

August 15, 2020 by Maggi Pier

Listen to this episode on your favorite listening app:

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Stitcher Listen on Buzzsprout Listen on Listen Notes

Some marketers focus the majority of their efforts on keyword research and content creation. And while those are certainly important pieces to the content marketing puzzle, they’re not the entire puzzle.

You can write post after post of perfectly optimized content, but unless other sources are leading people to that content, your site won’t succeed the way you want it to. That’s why a backlink strategy is so important. Backlinks get eyes on your content and improve your website’s performance in Google search results.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re not alone! That’s why in this episode I’ve put together a simple explanation of what backlinks are, why they’re important, and how you can start to build yours. You’re going to love it.

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Ubersuggests: https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/

HARO: https://www.helpareporter.com/

Google Alerts: https://www.google.com/alerts

General Info:

Would you like to listen via YouTube? Go here and subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97CxzX4YnOazsF39DOe34A

If you want to get a hold of us, or you would like to be a guest on our show simply click here: https://www.lbmsllc.com/contact-us/

Is there a topic you would like us to cover? Send an email to [email protected] or simply call 888-416-7752

Want a free evaluation of your digital marketing presence? Simply click here: https://www.lbmsllc.com/marketing-consultation/
and we’ll connect with you as soon as possible.

For a free copy of my book, 7 Steps to Recession-Proofing Your Business, click this link: https://www.lbmsllc.com/book

Want to start your own podcast?

Buzzsprout – Let’s get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

The post The Basics of Backlinks: How to Get Started appeared first on Local Business Marketing Solutions.

The post The Basics of Backlinks: How to Get Started appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

What is a Shared Hosting Account? Entry Level Website Hosting 101

August 14, 2020 by Maggi Pier

So, you really are just starting to think of creating a website and want to know; “What is a Shared Hosting Account“? To answer such a question and be sure you will be able to understand our answer we decided to write this article as tuition in entry-level website hosting. Such training is often called a “101” according to US college tradition in numbering their first courses for new students – hence our title!

What You Need to Get a Website Online
Getting Started With Your First Web Hosting Account is a Milestone
Best Blog & WordPress Hosting
What is Shared Hosting?
How Shared Hosting Works
What Shared Hosting Is Used For
What To Look for in Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Hosting
Shared Hosting vs. Cloud Hosting
How Do Our Shared Web Hosting Plans Stack Up? †
Free With Each Hosting Plan
Sign up for web hosting today!

What You Need to Get a Website Online

Before we discuss the main subject of this article, we provide a basic introduction to what anyone needs to have their own website under their own full control online. There are other methods, but few if any give you complete freedom to alter, develop and move your site as much as this.

At the most basic level, whenever a browser needs a file that is hosted on a web server, the browser requests the file via HTTP. When the request reaches the correct (hardware) web server, the (software) HTTP server accepts the request, finds the requested document, and sends it back to the browser, also through HTTP.

To publish a website, you need either a static or a dynamic web server.

In short, web hosting is a service that makes it possible to publish your site live on the Internet. A web host, also called a hosting provider, is a company that provides the tools you need to accomplish this.

Most notably, that includes a server. Servers store website files, and Internet browsers can communicate with them to deliver your site’s pages to visitors. This is what makes hosting such a key element of setting up a website – without it, you have no way to make your site public.

Web hosting is the most fundamental requirement to run a website. Shared hosting has long been the most popular form of web hosting, considering it is so cost-effective. With shared hosting, your website is on a server that is being used by a number of other websites.

This is perfectly fine, as long as you are not expecting a lot of traffic or performing high bandwidth tasks on your website. It’s the place where you centralize all of your business information and marketing messages. It is where potential customers can go to learn about your business. And, it’s where all of your other marketing efforts should drive interested customers.

To get maximum SEO benefit, your blog should be listed under your domain (something like www.yourcompany/blog) instead of off-site through a service like Blogger.com. A blog can help your business in so many ways that you may be crazy if you’re not considering a blog for your business.

Getting Started With Your First Web Hosting Account

What is a Shared Hosting Account is shown here as concept by showing a server with multiple site pages. Although it’s possible for you to operate your own server and host your own website, doing so requires a ton of expertise and patience as you work through the numerous headaches that are bound to pop up. For example, why spend years learning how to make the perfect tortilla from scratch when you could simply go to your favourite Mexican restaurant on a whim? The vast majority of website owners will purchase hosting services from a reputable company, much like opting for a nice dinner out with friends.

Although it’s possible for you to operate your own server and host your own website, doing so requires a ton of expertise and patience as you work through the numerous headaches that are bound to pop up. If you want more information, now that you know a little about what is a shared hosting account, do continue reading.

Web hosting accounts are made available by hosts, companies specialized in providing individually assigned access to server resources. These companies ensure server environment access by offering variously sized hosting packages that match their particular customers’ online demands.

Once you find the right host, you will need to select a hosting package that matches your particular online demands. Since each host has its own specific hosting plan configurations, to get started with your first web hosting account to get in touch with your chosen host’s sales department and ask for advice as to which of their package would serve your particular web presence in the best way. Once you have their recommendation, go ahead, get started, sign up and pay for the first period of your site’s subscription, select and buy your domain from your hosting company follow the instructions and get your first website up and running.

Best Blog & WordPress Hosting

Running a self-hosted WordPress blog is fun, as we need to take care of everything. The moment you start a self-hosted blog, you are almost running a business. That means you need to take care of everything around your blog. One of the major concern with self-hosted blogger is web-hosting. Till the time your current hosting is not giving any issues, you don’t need to worry about anything, but the moment your WordPress blog gets old, or some buggy plugin or codes starts playing hide and seek, the web hosting company can give you a hard time. They have to in order to protect the other shared users from making their sites load slowly if your site is using old versions of the software. Worse still would be if by using your old outdated software version hackers go into the server.

Hosting companies usually offer both Windows and Linux hosting services. Which one you need will depend on what you want to do with your site, the format and type of website you are building, like whether you want to create a shopping cart, host a podcast, or add a blog. If you’re not sure if you need Windows or Linux, you can always call the host’s website support center. Another way to find out is to ask your webmaster or web designer the type of web hosting he/she will need for your website. If you know that you’re building your website using WordPress or PHP, then you’ll need Linux. If you’re building your website using active server pages (asp), then you’ll need Windows.

Shared hosts are so popular not only because they are the best cheap web hosting option but also because such a solution easily powers a massive variety of sites. It is easily the best web hosting for blogs as it handles WordPress with ease and holds its ground even when the monthly visitors reach triple digits. Many shared hosts put special effort to provide the best web hosting for eCommerce by delivering free SSLS, advanced support, and many 1-click installers of the most popular eCommerce solutions. Now you will know a little about what is a shared hosting account.

What is Shared Hosting in More Detail?

This graphic compares What is a Shared Hosting Account with VPS and Dedicated Hosting. The “shared” in shared hosting is an industry-standard term referring to common server infrastructure being shared by multiple users. It’s a bit like having an apartment. The main infrastructure is used by multiple people and maintained for you, but every tenant still gets a private and secure place to call their own.

Shared hosting is a website hosting product that shares server resources across several hosting accounts. Shared hosting is used as an affordable, straightforward hosting solution for the majority of websites. Shared hosting allows multiple websites to utilize a single server. Depending on the hardware used by the server, a shared hosting service can host thousands of websites. Shared hosting is usually the cheapest option and prices and packages vary greatly, however, the cheap price comes with some disadvantages. Not to worry though as you can always upgrade your account when your website grows and fund the upgrade with earnings from your website.

What if I decide to cancel a shared hosting plan and don’t still want my site online, after creating a website? Most shared hosts provide a simple process in the panel to entirely close an account when a shared hosting plan is active. Other steps can be applied if your website account has VPS services and/or dedicated services.

How Shared Hosting Works

Shared hosting, sometimes called shared services or virtual hosting is simply when multiple web sites share the same server, thus reducing the cost for everyone. With a shared hosting account, your site will usually be on a server with hundreds of other web sites. That may sound like a lot, but it usually works out extremely well because most sites don’t generate enough traffic or use enough resources for it to become a problem. Shared hosting is suitable for personal sites, small businesses, and even medium-sized businesses if their hosting needs fit within the parameters of a small business.

What Shared Hosting Is Used For

Whether you’re a blogger, a small business owner or a CEO in need of web hosting, you might be wondering whether you should choose VPS hosting or shared hosting. There are several advantages to each that we’ll walk you through.

Shared web hosting is simply when one server hosts multiple customers. This is the most common and cost-effective option for web hosting when you are just starting out. Shared web hosting servers are configured for maximum security and performance relative to the number of customers, and types of websites that are hosted. In other words, there’s no need to give any thought to the other websites on the same server as you the hosting service will get all that handled. Build your shared hosting platform on a state-of-the-art cloud platform at EZi-Gold Hosting. Get the ultimate reliability only the cloud can offer.

What To Look for in Shared Hosting

Email is the hub of almost every business, and your own email addresses for your own domain come free with shared hosting. Email is the easiest way to communicate, both internally and externally. It’s where you get your most important notifications. And it gives you storage space for archiving critical information and shared files. While it might be tempting to pick your email provider based on brand familiarity, it’s important to review your options before committing to a service that will become your team’s most-used service. Buying a domain name for your business or personal site and getting it set up on a shared hosting server will not only let you reliably send and receive an email for your own domain, but it will often also offer additional tools, such as shared contacts and calendars for your company.

Malware infections have grown over the past few years. There are steps that can be taken to clean a site and protect it from malware. Generally speaking within a shared hosting environment the most common cause of malware is out of date software within the hosting account. For example, the most common is a theme or plugin within a third party PHP script like WordPress which has security issues. The best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to use plugins that are from the WordPress admin section, so auto-updates are available and keeping them up to date. By default WordPress, the core will update automatically unless disabled, and it is a bad idea to turn off updates for WordPress. For themes, use a theme that will also auto-update, otherwise, you are left to manually update the theme for security issues and it is a boring task to have to attend to every few weeks.

Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Hosting

We are confident you will be happy if you buy hosting with good support. Look for 24/7 phone, live chat and helpdesk support by friendly support agents as a minimum. If you are not completely satisfied with our services within the first 45 days of your service, apply for a full refund of the contract amount. This may only be available for shared, reseller, cloud, business email and vps hosting packages. It does not necessarily apply to dedicated servers, WordPress hosting, Codeguard, Sitelock, Digital Certificates, administrative fees, install fees for custom software, nor does this apply to domain name purchases.

If your website ever outgrows shared hosting, you’ll have the option of not having to jump to a different boat, as Siteground also offers VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Their cloud hosting plans feature scalable server resources and the flexibility doesn’t even come at the cost of having to reboot the server instance every time you decide to upgrade or downgrade cpu, ram, or storage. These are fully managed, as well, so you won’t need to be a web developer (or hire one) to make sure everything runs smoothly. They also come with their premium 24×7 support that guarantees always-available phone and live chat support alongside less than 10 minutes ticket responses.

VPS hosting starting at $5/mo. Dedicated servers starting at $169/mo. If you’ve ever been worried about the tremendous amount of power large data centres consume, you might want to sign up with green geeks. The “green” in the company’s name reflects the green geeks’ commitment to the environment. It purchases three times the energy it actually uses in wind energy credits, essentially putting energy back into the economy. The company does this through a form of renewable energy certificates, which, while a bit complicated, means that it’s not just energy neutral, i’s actually helping fuel the green energy economy.

Shared Hosting vs. Cloud Hosting

Basic packages, these are the smallest and cheapest shared hosting packages you can buy. These can indeed be good packages which are feature-rich and some may cost only $2. 95/month for 3 years package with this special sign-up link. This package allows you to host one website, and this is one reason we often recommend our readers opt for plus package, as they allow you to host multiple websites. Basic EZi-Gold Hosting package offers 2 Gigs SSD Disk Space and Unlimited Bandwidth where competitors such as Bluehost only offer 50gb bandwidth/month in their basic offer. Even 50gb that is more than enough for you to run your website on shared hosting, but EZi-Gold Hosting is so much better because they allow a second add-on domain as well! Starter packages on both hosts come with the Cloudflare CDN offered, but if not offered on any hosting you can always directly signup for Cloudflare and integrate their free CDN.

Cloud hosting describes a method of configuring servers in a flexible way to allow for the most affordable, scalable, and reliable web infrastructure. Cloud servers scale with incredible speed. You can expand or reduce servers in seconds to ensure that the server keeps up with demand without wasting money on unnecessary resources. Shared hosting may rely on a single server, but cloud hosting utilizes a “cloud” of servers that seamlessly work together to securely store your site’s data and files. Cloud hosting is more secure and efficient than other more traditional hosting methods. Since it pools together the resources of several servers from various locations into a single virtual network, cloud hosting is better able to protect your website from cyber-attacks.

With shared hosting, your resources are limited and shared. If you need to scale your web application, you’re going to have a tough time. This problem isn’t a thing with VPS hosting but even knowing a little about what is a shared hosting account this fact should be kept in mind. If you want more resources, you can request them in your web hosting administration portal. Since you’re on a virtual machine, your hosting provider only needs to change some numbers to increase your resources. If you’re on a cloud VPS, you don’t even need to wait for your provider. Make sure you read more about how you can use a VPS to scale your application.

How Do Our Shared Web Hosting Plans Stack Up? †

Well, while shared hosting of the “dorm room” variety is fine for a single business, shared website hosting plans can be quite risky for a web design business. It takes less than 3 minutes for a hacker to hack or delete the contents of every website sharing the same shared hosting account files space. If this is not a risk you wish to take with your business then a reseller type hosting plan is your more secure option. A reseller hosting plan is one in which you may set up separate FTP username and passwords for each client, such that no accounts share the same files space. Cpanel WHM (web hosting manager) is currently the best and easiest to use reseller control panel. To locate a secure Cpanel WHM web host type this into Google,. We are not covering that any further because this article is limited to letting you know a little about what is a shared hosting account.

With the basic personal shared web hosting plans, you can usually only host only 1 website/domain. However, on the business and pro plans you can host multiple websites/domains according to the plan you choose.

Free With Each Hosting Plan

Let’s face it — we all love free stuff. Free tacos, free beer, or even a free t-shirt we know we’ll never wear. When people hear the word “free,” we just can’t help ourselves. So why should free web hosting be any different? While there are certainly times you should use paid hosting plans, sometimes you just want to throw your latest project up quickly and be done with it — at no cost to you. If that sounds like your situation, you’re in luck go for any one of the top free (and nearly free) web hosts on the market.

Bluehost hosting plans provide free SSL certificates one way or the other (e. g. via Let’s Encrypt). But if you are still looking for one, Bluehost proposes several alternatives to SSL your domain name. These are really pricey. Again, you can find cheaper alternatives at providers like Namecheap. A piece of advice though Bluehost is one of the pushiest (not to say money-grabbing) providers I’ve ever tried. So if you open an account with them, be ready to receive endless upgrades and upsells pitches. You have been warned!

Free domain registration is for qualified plans only, is often only free for one year and renews at the regular rate at the end of your term. With most hosting providers if you register a free domain through and wish to cancel your account, there is a nonrefundable $15. 00 domain fee if you would like to keep your domain. This not only covers their costs but ensures that you won’t lose your domain name. Regardless of the status of your hosting service, you’ll be free to manage it, transfer it after any required lock periods, or simply point it elsewhere at your convenience. You retain ownership of your domain until the end of its registration period unless you elect to extend it.

Sign up for web hosting today!

Today’s internet-connected world faces an increasing number of security threats. Our priority is to keep your hosting account secure at all times. To make this possible at EZi.gold, we are performing constant security auditing in our systems. We only gather the minimum amount of data regarding our customers and we store it encrypted. You are always connected through secure 256-bit SSL when accessing billing information, the file manager or webmail.

Make sure before you buy that your shared hosting servers are protected with advanced DDOS protection system and spam filtering software.

Now you know a little bit more about what is a shared hosting account, and how shared hosting servers work. Even though you share a server’s resources with other users, you can still tap into many of its resources. Established web hosting companies maintain policies that divvy up the resources so all users have a fair amount of access to the server’s tools and resources. Shared hosting makes it easy and affordable to obtain the tools businesses need. It’s great for smaller businesses such as startups, personal websites, blogs, or local business websites that aren’t that large in scale.

The post What is a Shared Hosting Account? Entry Level Website Hosting 101 appeared first on GQ Central.

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

August 14, 2020 by Maggi Pier

The business plan is an undeniably critical component to getting any company off the ground. It’s key to securing financing, documenting your business model, outlining your financial projections, and turning that nugget of a business idea into a reality.

In an era where more than 50% of small enterprises fail in their first year, having a clear, defined, and well thought-out business plan is a crucial first step for setting up a business for long-term success.

Business plans are a required tool for all entrepreneurs, business owners, business acquirers, and even business school students. But … what exactly is a business plan?

In this post, we’ll explain what a business plan is, list the reasons why you’d need one, and identify different types of business plans.

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a documented strategy for a business that highlights its goals and its plans for achieving them.

Business plans outline a company’s go-to-market strategy, financial projections, market research, business purpose, and mission. The business plan is also a prominent tool used to secure investors and financing for a business.

Business Plan Template

bpt-cover-gif-1 Working on your business plan? Try using our Business Plan Template. Pre-filled with the sections a great business plan needs, the template will give aspiring entrepreneurs a feel for what a business plan is, what should be in it, and how it can be used to establish and grow a business from the ground up.

Purposes of a Business Plan

Chances are, someone drafting a business plan will be doing so for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Securing financing from investors.

Since its contents revolve around how businesses succeed, break even, and turn a profit, a business plan is primarily used as a tool for sourcing capital. This document is an entrepreneur’s way of showing potential investors and/or loaners how their capital will be put to work and how it will help a business thrive.

All banks, investors, and venture capital firms will want to see a business plan before handing over their money, and investors typically want a 20-25% ROI from the capital they invest in a business.

Therefore, these investors need to know if – and when – they’ll be making their money back (and then some). Additionally, they’ll want to read about the process and strategy for how the business will reach those financial goals, which is where the context provided by sales, marketing, and operations plans come into play.

2. Documenting a company’s strategy and goals.

A business plan should leave no stone unturned.

Business plans can span dozens or even hundreds of pages, affording their drafters the opportunity to explain what a business’s goals are and how the business will achieve them.

To show potential investors that they’ve addressed every question and thought through every possible scenario, entrepreneurs should thoroughly explain their marketing, sales, and operations strategies – from acquiring a physical location for the business to explaining a tactical approach for marketing penetration.

These explanations should ultimately lead to a business’s break even point supported by a sales forecast and financial projections, with the business plan writer being able to speak to the why behind anything outlined in the plan.

3. Legitimizing a business idea.

Everyone’s got a great idea for a company – until they put pen to paper and realize that it’s not exactly feasible.

The business plan is an aspiring entrepreneur’s way to prove that a business idea is actually worth pursuing.

As entrepreneurs document their go-to-market process, capital needs, and expected return on investment, entrepreneurs likely come across a few hiccups that will make them second guess their strategies and metrics – and that’s exactly what the business plan is for.

It ensures an entrepreneur’s ducks are in a row before bring their business idea to the world and reassures the plan’s readers that whoever wrote the plan is serious about the idea, having put hours into thinking of the business idea, fleshing out growth tactics, and calculating financial projections.

4. Getting an A in your Business class.

Speaking from personal experience, there’s a chance you’re here to get business plan ideas for your Business 101 class project.

If that’s the case, might we suggest checking out this post on How to Write a Business Plan – providing a section-by-section guide on creating your plan?

Types of Business Plans

1. Startup Business Plan

Arguably the most common type of business plan, a startup business plan is used for brand new business ideas. This plan is used to take a business concept and lay the foundation for its eventual success.

The biggest challenge with the startup business plan is that it requires its writer to completely start from scratch. Startup business plans start with a blank word document, and before they are finished, need to reference existing industry data and explain unique business strategies and go-to-market plans.

2. Business Acquisition Plan

Investors will still want to see a business plan to acquire funding to purchase an existing business in order to see how its new owner will run the business.

What will change and what will stay the same under new ownership, and why? Additionally, the business plan should speak to what the current state of the to-be-acquired business is, and why it’s up for sale.

For example, if someone is purchasing a failing business, the business plan should explain why the business is being purchased and what the new owner will do to turn the business around, referencing previous business metrics, sales projections after the acquisition, and a justification for those projections.

3. Business Repositioning Plan

When a business wants to save itself, reposition its brand, or try something new, some CEOs or owners will want to develop a business repositioning plan.

This plan should:

Acknowledge the current state of the company.
State a vision for the future of the company.
Explain why the business should (or must) be repositioned.
Outline a process for how the company will adjust.

Companies planning for a business reposition do so – proactively or retroactively – due to a shift in market trends and customer needs. For example, Pizza Hut announced a plan to drastically overhaul its brand last year, as it sees the need to shift from dine-in to delivery – a decision resulting from observing years of industry and company trends and acknowledging the need to reposition itself for the future of its sector.

4. Expansion Business Plan

Building onto a successful business venture with another location typically requires its own business plan, as the project may require a new location, focus on a new target market, and demand more capital.

Fortunately, an expansion business plan allows its writers to reference sales, revenue, and successes from any previous location(s). However, as great as a reference as these points can be, it’s important to not be too reliant on them, since it’s still a new business that could succeed or fail for a myriad of reasons.

Getting Started With Your Business Plan

At the end of the day, a business plan is simply an explanation of a business idea and why it will be successful. The more detail and thought you put into it, the more successful your plan – and the business it outlines – will be.

If you need help starting your business plan, download Download HubSpot’s Free Business Plan Template and fill out the sections to meet your business idea’s concept.

The post What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

How Will Internet Reputation Management Services Help My Business?

August 12, 2020 by Maggi Pier

The enormous reach of the Internet and social media has made it possible for the reputation of any company or individual to be spread extremely rapidly, in a number of different ways. Nowadays, it might only take a few bad reviews about a company in order for it to acquire a reputation as an uncaring organization with inferior products or services.

More so than at any time in the past, it has become necessary to be constantly monitoring any commentary about your business, so that you can stay abreast of what customers are saying about you. When that commentary turns negative, it can have some far-reaching effects which can damage your business significantly. Many companies have therefore retained the services of reputation management agencies in an effort to maintain a positive reputation, and in some cases to undo the damage which has already been done.

What is Internet Reputation Management?

Reputation management consists of whatever activities are necessary to control or influence the reputation of a company or an individual. With the tremendous growth of the Internet and social media, it has become extremely important that the reputation of companies or individuals remains positive because negative commentary can spread like wildfire.

When that happens, it’s entirely possible that the subject company or individual can suffer serious damage in terms of business and popularity. Companies have sprung up as a result of the need to manage reputation, and these companies specialize in working on behalf of their clients to manage and influence reputation in a positive way.

It has been said that many years are necessary to establish a solid reputation, but only a few minutes are required to destroy that reputation. This has never been more true than in the present environment, where the Internet and social media provide a vehicle for extremely rapid spread of information, and that includes opinions about companies and individuals.

One major area where a company’s reputation might be damaged is in online reviews of their products and services. Since these reviews are typically consulted by other users before making purchasing decisions, they can be extremely influential in assigning a positive or negative reputation to the company. Unfortunately, criticisms written up in these reviews may or may not even be justified, but such is the power of the Internet that it can still be spread rapidly and be believed by millions of others.

It is known that upwards of 92% of all consumers will consult online reviews prior to making a purchase, and that makes reviews ultra-critical in terms of reputation management. There are steps that any company can take to help keep online reviews positive, but when things get a little out of control, it then becomes necessary to engage the services of a reputation management agency.

Build Your Reputation Online With Customer Reviews

How Can Reputation Management Help My Business?

Ever since the arrival of the Internet, online reputation has been a major concern for businesses, and that fact has been emphasized to a much greater extent in recent years as the growing power of online reviews has been felt. A 2018 study which consulted businesses around the world about industry trends, brought this point home in stark terms.

Participants in the survey were almost universal in their assessment of the importance of maintaining a positive reputation online, with 97% stating it was critical to their business. The same respondents were 98% sure that online reviews had a powerful impact on their business, and that these had to be taken seriously. The underlying reason that online reviews have such great power is that virtually all consumers will consult online sources before making any purchasing decisions about a product or service, and one of the sources they would check first is reviews.

One of the ways that online reputation management services can help your company is by conducting a thorough audit of your online reputation. When consumers conduct searches about your company, the ideal scenario would be that they are presented with a current list of positive articles, profiles, and a sparkling website that present your company in an appealing way.

If negative articles appear on that first page of search results, chances are you have already lost a sale. It is known that when just one negative article appears on the first page of search results, there’s a 22% chance that a sale will be lost, and if three negative articles appear on that page, the likelihood soars to 60%. There are other factors that influence your online reputation as well, apart from what customers or users may be saying about you.

When your online presence consists of websites and articles that don’t present a consistent picture of your company, it will quickly confuse users and they will likely abandon you in favor of your competitors. Reputation management services can also review all published content associated with your company to ensure that you’re actually providing value to your customers and potential customers. Content that doesn’t deliver useful information or satisfy the wants or needs of a customer will probably have little or no value.

While that may not damage your reputation, it certainly does no good in terms of enhancing it and increasing your appeal to potential customers. Another way that reputation management services can be helpful to your company is by advising you on how to make positive use of social media. This is one opportunity available to you which can have a tremendous impact on your perception in the user community, and you should take every opportunity to engage with potential customers to present your company in the best light possible.

How Does it Work?

One of the fundamentals of online reputation management in the modern era is being transparent with the user community. This means facing criticism and feedback openly and maintaining a solid line of communication with customers and potential customers. Inviting feedback and criticism is a core practice that will allow you to be proactive in managing any concerns or problems which customers have before they mushroom into something larger.

It’s no longer acceptable to hide criticism and negative commentary because this is exactly the kind of scenario that can get blown out of proportion and damage your reputation significantly. It might be a little risky being this kind of transparent with users, but it’s even more dangerous to not be transparent. However, before embarking on a program of transparency with your customers and potential customers, it will be critical that you have a reputation management plan in place so that you can deal with the likely fallout.

For example, it’s possible that your competitors may take advantage of negative commentary about your company, and attempt to exploit it to their own advantage. It’s also possible that your products and services may come under heavy fire from consumers about some particular aspect, and you’ll need to be ready to handle this scenario. By anticipating all the worst-case possibilities, you can be prepared for what might happen during the era of transparency, so you can meet it head-on, and deflect any damaging issues.

Another important aspect of online reputation management is knowing when and how to react to user comments. In some cases, no reaction at all is the best response, and in other cases, it’s extremely important that you respond immediately before any kind of negative groundswell has a chance to build. This makes it very important that you’re constantly monitoring your online reputation, so you’re aware of both negative and positive comments about your company.

There are plenty of tools that allow you to monitor commentary about your company, and reputation management will always make use of these kinds of tools. Some steps you can take to manage your online reputation apart from those mentioned above, include more aggressive handling of negative commentary.

First of all, by maybe making aggressive use of search engine optimization, you can ensure that your company’s website will appear at the top of search engine results, rather than any negative commentary about your company. In cases where false claims are made about your company, or where the intent is clearly to damage your reputation, you are within your legal rights to have that content removed.

If this is done quickly, it can ward off any of the damaging effects intended by the user. It’s also possible for a reputation management agency to conduct online investigations when there are any serious attacks made on your brand. Cyber investigations are the best approach to get to the bottom of really difficult cases involving reputation management.

Closing

If you’re feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the effort to manage your online reputation, you might want to consider leaving it in the hands of experienced professionals like those at BizIQ. With years of prior experience in handling the reputation of individuals and companies, we can effectively monitor online commentary, so you’ll always be aware of what’s being said. When negative commentary appears, we can help you manage that, so that it can be converted into a positive situation, and minimize any damage which might occur. Contact us today so we can immediately go to work on your behalf, and maintain your solid reputation online.

The post How Will Internet Reputation Management Services Help My Business? appeared first on BizIQ.

The post How Will Internet Reputation Management Services Help My Business? appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

AWS vs Shared Hosting – Using the Amazon Cloud Compared with a Static Server

August 10, 2020 by Maggi Pier

In this article, we discuss “AWS vs Shared Hosting“, which is shorthand for comparing the use of the Amazon Cloud to host your website (by using Amazon Web Service server space), compared with the much better-known method of using a “Static Server” such as provided by any bog-standard shared hosting service.

1. Why use AWS for web hosting?
2. Shared Web Hosting
3. Simple Static Website Hosting
4. Best Shared and Cloud Hosting Services
5. What is Cloud Hosting vs. Shared Hosting?
6. Which Service is Right for You?
7. “Shared Hosting” Providers
8. “Shared Hosting” Providers with SSDs
9. Free vs. Paid Hosting Services: Which is Best?

Why use AWS for web hosting?

Let’s get this first thing straight before we go on! Why would anyone use AWS for web hosting? The answer is because Amazon Web Services is often rated the highest in comparisons of web hosts. You will need to take some AWS training to use these tools properly. It’s not for newbies. If this is your first website and you’ve been doing websites for more than say 3 years we doubt that anyone other than the most “geek inclined” will want to use AWS for website building. If you are new to website creation you will do best to stay with a static server. As long as you read some reviews, talk to a few hosting companies, and read the small print, you should be able to find an excellent hosting platform.

You might even do well to consider our web hosting service EZi-Gold Hosting here!

Still here. Still, reading? Then you’ve almost definitely heard about Amazon Web Services. And, given that you’re on this site, I’m going to make the obvious assumption that you’ve heard about WordPress, too. But what you might not have heard about is combining WordPress with amazon web services (AWS) for web hosting! (More later on.)

Why choose AWS? Choose it for speed and reliability of delivery globally, but it is also cheap and for most users it’s free. Free, until we reach the free storage limit which Amazon allows before imposing a monthly charge. It’s fast and they must make it so as the same system powers their Amazon eCommerce business. For the same reason, it has to be reliable. Reliability is one of the most important features that cloud hosting offers. Rather than hosting your website on a shared server, it can be better to host your website on an Amazon dedicated virtual cloud server which draws its resource, such as disk space, from an extensive network of underlying physical servers.

Shared Web Hosting

Shared web hosting might not have the global presence of Amazon, but it does have its merits, other than of course being simple to use. Shared hosting on a reliable server architecture that is configured and designed specifically for the type of software you are using to power your application or website is fine to use. It results in perfectly adequate performance and excellent up-time for normal web pages, including eCommerce. The best online shared hosting provides page load speeds which are every bit as good as Google expects. Added speed is often available from server-level caching applications baked right into the hosting environment. Users just have to turn these additional services on, and doing so is much simpler than installing the website in the first place on AWS servers. Users of our own EZi-Gold hosting even get the best of both worlds. By using EZi-Gold Hosting you get a simple way to place your website on the cloud using a service called Cloudfront and like Amazon, use of the cloud app is free up to a limit and then the charge is very inexpensive.

Single page web apps are defined as web apps that are static and require only one single load in a browser. These need adding to AWS and this is a disadvantage of AWS vs Shared Hosting which has a CMS (i.e. WordPress free and ready to install). The following user interactions are made available through:. Html. Css. They are already preloaded in the browser.

Simple Static Website Hosting

Web hosting review AWS vs Shared Hosting Is AWS Cloudfront is still the best place to host my static website? What about Google Cloud Storage, Netlify or GitHub pages? These shared hosting services all stack up, for some people and website applications, but on this page, we have no more space than to discuss AWS vs Shared Hosting. Running a simple static website sometimes makes it necessary to scale due to high traffic. In addition, shared hosting is not suitable for serving videos, whereas AWS is.

When comparing amazon web services (AWS) hosting and a typical large shared hosting provider such as Bluehost, Siteground (recommended), or Godaddy it’s like comparing apples to oranges for the most part. Bluehost is aimed at first-time bloggers and entrepreneurs looking to set up a website in a simple way.

However, AWS has so many hosting options, before even considering 3rd party options which make it easy to use AWS server space, that it’s impossible to discuss their products in this review. We’ll be focusing on AWS in general, but you’ll need to read through their provisions Amazon s3, plus their ec2 hosting offerings, as well as their Amazon AWS Lightsail cloud hosting product which is focused on the small business/non-technical market.

AWS vs Shared Hosting – Best Shared and Cloud Hosting Services

The best shared-host may be one which offers “Managed (WordPress) Hosting”. This is often a tier that offers some WordPress specific features that “shared hosting” doesn’t, as well as often being more performant for heavy WordPress sites than WordPress is. You may also see offers of a “Managed Cloud Hosting Platform”. If so take care to read the service details very carefully as “cloud” is the most overused term in hosting.

Connecting up to a system like Cloudflare can make this much easier. Hosting is a little more complicated than your domain purchase. Most first-time web designers won’t be building something which will have to deal with thousands of visitors every day, and this means that shared hosting or VPS servers will be ideal in a lot of cases.

In addition to the more popular web hosting options, we suggest you consider players like Heroku, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Amazon web services and Digital Ocean when purchasing a node.

What is Cloud Hosting vs. Shared Hosting?

Infographic shows the concept of shared vs cloud hosting. When encountering the inexhaustible range of shared hosting plans for the first time, the cloud hosting vs. shared hosting debate can easily overwhelm site owners with the various options, configurations, and acronyms. Matching the right server portions and hosting flavours to your appetite can be daunting, but we’re happy to serve as your waiter and present this week’s specials: cloud hosting and shared hosting.

Cloud hosting vs shared hosting? You are here because you are planning on hosting your website. Want to know the difference between cloud hosting or shared hosting like GoDaddy and a cloud-based hosting such as amazon web services? OK, follow this article to have a clear picture.

How is Cloud Hosting different vs Shared Hosting? In Cloud Hosting Services the accounts get separated by entire virtual machines, and you have the complete access to a working computer. In Shared Hosting all the accounts are on one computer and must share the total resources among hundreds or even thousands of accounts.

Which Service is Right for You?

Siteground Hosting is illustrated here with the SiteGround hosting logo. Before we detail the nitty-gritty differences and similarities between shared hosting and cloud hosting services, it’s time to find the meal that best suits your taste and budget — you might be craving a burger, but do you prefer it come from a greasy fast-food joint or an acclaimed chef at a sit-down restaurant?.

The shared vs managed WordPress hosting debate comes down to the added WordPress-specific services and performance shared hosting tweaks you get with managed WordPress hosting. Managed WordPress hosting is like a concierge service for your WordPress site, whereas regular shared hosting leaves much of the work to you when it comes to backups, WordPress optimization, and more.

When comparing the cost of cloud hosting vs shared hosting. Godaddy starts as low as a fixed monthly price of $1 per month, whereas done for you AWS packages begin at a minimum of $50 and above a month. But the price offers an additional 1 terabyte of disk space, which when compared to the 100 GB GoDaddy makes the GoDaddy offer really quite small. Our experience of GoDaddy is that the headline price is always low, but you will soon become frustrated when they constantly try to squeeze more money out of you through charging for 1,001 “extras”. Extras, which elsewhere are part of the main package and are free to use. However, the headline price is always more to start with, if later you won’t get pestered to buy extras each month.

“Shared Hosting” Providers

Its drawbacks are that it can be relatively slow, especially if neighbouring sites on the same server experience traffic spikes, and tends to make relatively few server resources available to any-one Hostinger Logo illustrates the paragraph on Hostinger Shared Hosting. customer. Our top recommendation for a large (rather anonymous) shared WordPress hosting is Siteground.

If you are on a server with many active high-activity accounts, performance may be more limited as you must wait for your share of time for resources. Typically, shared hosting providers manage this by placing restrictions on resource usage on shared servers.

Think of a virtual private server as a blend of the shared hosting environment with the cloud-minded features of control and dedicated resources. The difference between virtual and cloud servers is fairly small and can be difficult to understand, but many providers opt to blend the two server architectures to take advantage of the high-availability strengths found in the cloud.

“Shared Hosting” Providers with SSDs vs AWS

If you are looking for Shared SSD hosting, you probably want fast and stable hosting overall. So it’s good to combine SSDs with VPS and dedicated servers. Also good to have are features like high-performance databases, caching, and access to a quality CDN. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are generally faster and more dependable than mechanical drives. They are important for getting the fastest hosting speeds, especially on dynamic websites such as WordPress sites. But not all hosts offer SSD storage, so you need to be careful to check the hosting plan for SSDs before you buy.

SSDs can allow greater flexibility to scale your website. A natural rule of thumb is that access to a greater number of resources will result in better performance. While shared hosting providers use the latest hardware and software techniques such as SSDs and CDNs to guarantee performance, generally speaking, you’ll get even better results with a VPS server account.

AWS vs Shared Hosting – Free vs. Paid Hosting Services: Which is Best?

Many internet service providers (ISPS) offer a basic website service free to subscribers. Individuals and organizations may also obtain web page hosting from alternative service providers. Free web hosting services are offered by different companies in the hope that once committed to using their server you won’t want the hassle of moving your account and will upgrade. The free offerings come with limited services, sometimes supported by advertisements, and are always very limited when compared to paid hosting.

When considering AWS vs Shared Hosting, AWS can be seen as free, but only if you have the skills to create websites on their server space unassisted by expensive add-on 3rd party services. AWS themselves only charges you for the resources you use, with no up-front costs or long-term contracts. AWS web hosting options offer pay-as-you-go pricing or fixed monthly pricing. The basic nature of their server configurations means they are best for static web apps that require only a single load in a web browser are referred to as “single-page” web apps. If you need add-on apps though, that’s when AWS costs can get out of control very quickly.

Free web hosting may sound like a good idea but usually, as a beginner, you won’t get the support you need. Free web hosting is not always the best choice unless you know what you are doing, and if you do know your way around setting up websites you will want the extra features of paid hosting to help you make money. So, that’s our opinion when starting you may want to play around with free web hosting, but if you are going to make a going of website creation and monetizing your efforts, paid-hosting is the way to go, even if only using a low-cost and basic account.

If you do want to try it for free, we’ve been told that 000webhost is a version of Hostinger free of charge, and they’ve been around since 2007. They don’t force any ads on their users like some other services, and they also offer paid plans. They provide up to two websites, 1,000 MB of storage, an impressive 10gb of bandwidth, with a free control panel. Nevertheless, you get what you pay for in the end. If you are serious about applying your time why not try out our EZi-Gold Hosting?

The post AWS vs Shared Hosting – Using the Amazon Cloud Compared with a Static Server appeared first on GQ Central.

How to Craft Your Own Business Logo

August 8, 2020 by Maggi Pier

A business logo also allows you to succinctly communicate information about your business and differentiate you from the competition. Creating a professional logo representing your core values and mission will go a long way in selling your brand to potential customers. Here’s what you should know about making a good logo:

What are the Important Characteristics of a Logo?

When designing a logo, it is important to ensure that it will help you boost your reputation, connect with customers, and strengthen brand loyalty. While everyone is unique, here are some of the characteristics that all great logos share.

#1 Keep it Simple

One that is easy to read and understand is more likely to be recognizable and memorable. Since customers focus on the symbol for a short time, you will want to communicate your message effectively and concisely. Simplicity involves making sure that your image draws attention to the most important aspects of your brand’s personality. It would be necessary to focus on just a few elements so that more people understand it.

#2 Make Sure it is Scalable

A great symbol should feature a simple design that can be scaled up or down without losing its visual appeal or core message. Over time, your business needs and goals may change, making it necessary to redesign it to keep it relevant and effective. While redesigning, it has to be unique, keep colors simple, and focus on your brand’s core values. With a scalable image, you will be able to keep it current while maintaining your identity.

#3 Consider the Impact

The best logos are impactful, communicating something at a glance and leaving a positive impression. Creating a positive impression will involve communicating your personality through the right balance of visual and textual content. A memorable symbol will help you connect with customers, ensuring that they easily pick you when they have to choose between you and the competition.

#4 Maintain Versatility

For it to grab attention, it should be attractive. However, since it will be used in various situations, shapes, and ways, it should maintain the visual appeal on different media and in different variations. It should also remain legible and recognizable, regardless of where it is displayed. A versatile image in terms of size, color, and media will do a better job of exposing your company to the world.

#5 Be Sure it is Relevant

A great symbol should be relevant both to your practice and the market your company targets. To communicate your brand’s identity and personality effectively, you will have to choose the right colors, font, and symbol. When designing or redesigning, keep your target audience in mind to ensure you gain recognition, and better connect with them.

Logopg Clarks

What Makes a Good Logo?

Your image will be the first point of contact that most people have with your company. As the face of your company, you will want to create one that you feel good about and will help you achieve your goals. Whether you plan to design it yourself or hire a professional, a good symbol will boil down to great concept and great execution. Here’s what makes a good one:

Brand Identity

The visual elements of your company should help you stand out from the crowd. These distinguishing features will enable you to strengthen your brand by telling customers what you do and your brand story. As such, a good one should feature colors, font, and typeface that reflect your brand. Having a unique image will go a long way in helping you build and protect a brand identity that customers can relate to.

Brand Personality

Creating a brand personality means assigning your brand human characteristics and emotions. These include personal values such as integrity, honesty, confidence, and friendliness. It also entails a unique brand voice that helps you connect with your customers. Just like brand identity, your brand personality should be unique and consistent. A good example combines both brand identity and personality in a limited space to help you keep as few elements as possible in the design.

Professional Authority

A professional image will help you build trust and attract more customers. Professionalism will also portray you as a company that delivers values to customers through the products or services you sell. As the face of your brand identity, it should be well-designed, ensuring that you establish professional authority every time people see it. This will increase the chances of customers choosing to work with you.

Visual Consistency

Humans learn from visual cues, a factor that makes it critical to maintain visual consistency in branding. Since you will be using it across different communication platforms, you will want it to help you communicate effectively. Effective communication ensures that customers recognize your brand at a glance, helping to strengthen the connection they have with your company. A good one will promote visual consistency despite being redesigned.

Brand Loyalty

When designing, you will want to make sure that it will be widely accepted among your target audience. A good one will become more popular as your company grows, creating familiarity among customers. This will help you build brand loyalty and improve customer retention levels. However, the image should be simple, impactful, and relevant to do this.

Can I Make a Logo From Scratch?

Although symbol creation may seem like a simple task, a lot of thought and creativity goes into the process. If you plan to develop your own, you should ensure that it will have the desired characteristics and meet your needs. Below are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Define Your Brand Identity

The first step should be to understand why you need one and why the brand symbol has to be great. You will also need to have an in-depth understanding of the industry in which you operate. Also, be sure to check out the competition so that you are in a great position to develop an image that will be much better.

Step 2: Conducting Research

The next step is to research the current trends in terms of design. Next, choose your ideal design style and find the right type of image. Your design style can be classic, vintage, modern, fun, handcrafted, or a combination of the options. Finally, your design should appeal to your target audience.

Step 3: Sketching and Conceptualization

With the information you have collected, you can develop the design concept. Exercise creativity and draw inspiration from different sources as you bring your imagination to life. When doing this, you should pay attention to color and pick the right photography. These visual elements will be important in communicating your brand identity and personality. You may also want to take breaks that will allow you to reflect and solicit feedback.

Step 4: Revisions and Positioning

Once you have the first version of your design, you should seek the opinion of your colleagues, friends, and family members. You can also get feedback from a professional designer to give you a fresh perspective so you can revise and improve the design. At the end of the day, you want a unique, memorable, versatile, timeless image that appeals to your target audience and reflects your brand identity.

Step 5: Integrate the Logo Design Into Your Brand

Once you have your finished product and are happy with the design, it will be time to make it part of your brand. It will serve as the basis for branding materials such as your web design, packaging design, and business cards. You can now use your symbol to introduce your brand to the world.

Work With a Professional

With the important role that an image plays and considering today’s competitive world, there will be no room for mistakes when it comes to designing one. The first impression that customers have of your brand will affect their decision to buy from you. Also, a poorly designed one or skipping it entirely can see you missing out on numerous opportunities. Although it is possible to develop your own, not everyone is an artist or has the time to create a high-quality product that their company deserves. As such, it’s important to hire a professional to do the job for you.

A professional designer has the skills and experience required to deliver a quality version that tells the story of your company. The designer understands that the symbol is at the heart of your branding, and will look at both its immediate and future usage. Working with a professional will not only bring the wow factor to your brand but also save you time.

Every great company deserves a great symbol. If you want to ensure the success of your company in a competitive marketplace, you cannot afford to ignore the importance of a good symbol. At BizIQ, we offer quality logo design services to help small businesses stand apart from the competition and connect with customers. Contact us today and let’s discuss an ideal design.

The post How to Craft Your Own Business Logo appeared first on BizIQ.

The post How to Craft Your Own Business Logo appeared first on Local SEO Resources.

The Shared Hosting Email Sending Limits Service Providers Won’t Tell You

August 7, 2020 by Maggi Pier

Believe it or not, there are hidden shared hosting email sending limits you probably aren’t aware of as a shared hosting account holder similar to those imposed by Microsoft and Gmail. We explain how no longer does the average person have the freedom to be able to send as many emails as they wish because very soon service providers step in to stop you sending too many emails.

Office365 email sending limit

Office 365 has some unusual limits on the number and size of messages you can send or receive. Office 365 has some restrictions on emails and how many you can send, but some are not calculated the usual way. Study your Office 365 email send limit and you’ll see what your limit is.

Here is a scenario which all email service providers are desperate to prevent. The account of a user gets hacked. The account starts sending 100,000s of emails. The email server operators reason that if they restrict that user to 100 emails per hour (or any arbitrary limit), they can control spam bursts like this to a great extent.

Outlook.com limit

If you’ve been offline and busy working your outbox might have over 30 messages. When outlook reconnects to office 365 servers it’ll try to send those messages as soon as it can so it’s possible that the ’30 per minute’ limit will be breached (depending on the size of the emails and speed of connection).

The same sort of restrictions apply when sending emails from a web site/domain hosted on shared hosting. Email send limits for web hosting are normal, and the rules may say things like; “o more than 10 messages per second”. All mass emails must be compliant with their mass mailing policy.

Head over to Google Apps support pages for more information on sending and receiving limits. Having trouble managing a large number of emails? For example, Hiver’s shared mailbox will make have email management rules.

GoDaddy (Workspace email accounts) daily emailing limit

Cheapest shared plan highlights: Sending limit: 500 per hour. Limit type: per hosting account. Email accounts allowed: 10 on the cheapest plan, 1,000 on the largest plan. Because GoDaddy’s limit is calculated on a per-Cpanel-account basis, the number of email accounts you create won’t have any bearing on the number of emails you can send – you are still limited to 500 per hour or 12,000 per day.

Web-based GoDaddy email accounts holders can type the prefix “email. ” along with a domain name into a web browser address bar to access a GoDaddy webmail or workspace email account. Limitations for such web-enabled email accounts apply to incoming and outgoing mail size, an email’s total number of recipients and the account’s storage size.

Rackspace email send limits and More!

Know Your Mailing Cap! image is about Shared Hosting Email Sending Limits However, to prevent spam, many web host providers enforce email send rate limits to their customers. The goal of this article is to show you the email send rate limit and options for most popular web host providers, such as GoDaddy, Fast Servers, Hostway, Rackspace, iPowerweb and more.

Gmail has certain email sending limits in place and you are only allowed to send a limited number of email messages per day. If you exceed the daily quota, google may temporarily disable your Gmail account without any warnings and you may have to wait for up to 24 hours before you can regain access to your Gmail mailbox.

Msn Hotmail email send rate limit & restrictions. The following restrictions apply when sending emails from a Hotmail account. Hotmail email send limit – no more than 100 recipients per day. Hotmail other SMTP limits – outgoing messages sent via Hotmail can not exceed 10mb per email (including attachments).

BlueHost Email is Not Unlimited

Bluehost email send rate limit – the default limit is set to 50 emails per hour. The limit may be raised by contacting the Bluehost support team and explaining why you need the send email limit to be lifted.

However, when sending mail from a different address, the original account’s message limits are applied. Rule 5: if you are sending emails through Google script, like in the case of Gmail mail merge, the daily sending limit is 100 recipients per day for free Gmail accounts.

Google Gmail email send rate limit & restrictions. The following restrictions apply when sending emails from a Google Gmail account: Gmail email send limit – no more than 500 recipients per message for the Gmail web interface, or max 100 recipients if you are using an email client software.

DreamHost Email Limit

You have to know this. Especially if you do email outreach. Each email service provider has its own email sending limits. The limits may be daily, hourly, and sometimes also per minute. If you’re sending cold email campaigns without being aware of your email provider’s limits, your email account may get blocked before you know it.

All of this may actually lead to a poor experience for your users, and an increase in support requests for you. I Shared Hosting Email Sending Limits featured image. suspect the new 150mb limit is not due to Microsoft endorsing the use of email for sending big files.

If you’re sending your cold emails using tools like Woodpecker, which sends emails from your own mailbox (your own SMTP), the limits of your email service provider are the ones to keep an eye on when setting up your cold email campaigns.

Yahoo! Mail Plus email sent limit

Yahoo mail other SMTP limits – max 10mb per message for the free yahoo mail service, or 20mb per message for Yahoo! mail plus. Yahoo mail SMTP restriction expiry method – n/a. Lycos mail – email send limits & restrictions.

This can be caused by several things such as. Maximum email numbers per hour: by default, Bluehost limits each customer to send a maximum 150 email per hour. In a day-by-day situation, when sending out business emails, this number won’t be a problem.

Woodpecker does not internally limit the number of emails you send a day, but your provider does. Sending too many emails a day (or sometimes even too many an hour, or a minute) may cause your email account to be blocked, i.

Yandex.mail email sending

Yandex.mail email sending limits also exist like Gmail.com which is limited to a set number of emails/day. However, we also know that the sending limit from a G-Suite account is 2,000 emails/day. So the question becomes: if you’re sending from your g suite account via the g suite SMTP relay, are your limits 2,000 emails/day or 10,000 emails/day? What’s the answer? I don’t know, but we’ll be testing this in our labs and publishing our findings in a future blog post.

Also a maximum of 200 test emails per account in any 24 hours. For most people, the test sending limits are more than adequate however if you reach your sending limits, you now know why .

Host Gator email sending limit

Per day: I couldn’t find direct info about Bluehost’s daily sending limit. Per hour: Bluehost allows for sending max 150 emails per hour with a frequency of 70 emails per 30 minutes. Additional good-to-know: Bluehost hosting says you can increase the hourly limit once you have a valid reason for doing that.

To see how this works, please see this VBulletin plugin. Email rate throttle in Vbulletin. Additional information:. It should be noted and often is not, that when you see email “limits” (if your host even advertises them) that your regular sending patterns, like replying to your buddy George about tonight’s dinner reservation counts as one email.

A mailing list larger than 5,000 requires a dedicated server or VPS hosting solution from host gator. Dividing the list into smaller ones is not permitted. Such limits shouldn’t worry you, though, as sending such quantity of emails is against the very idea of cold emailing.

What are the email sending limits?

How service providers step in to stop you sending too many emails. You won’t be able to send any kind of email from this account for 24 hours or more. If you know the limits, and set up your delivery time and the number of emails sent daily per campaign according to those limits, your campaigns will be smoothly sent as planned and your emails won’t be considered spam– provided that you’re not sending poor quality content without any personalization whatsoever.

There are several limits to consider when sending an email. These limits include those affecting the number of emails that can be sent as well as the size of the emails (including attachments) that are sent over our network.

Com based on factors, such as. Your email account’s age (if it’s less than 30 days old, your email sending limits are lower). How often you use your outlook. Com account (the more often, the better your reputation gets).

The post The Shared Hosting Email Sending Limits Service Providers Won’t Tell You appeared first on GQ Central.

Identifying Our Audience’s Pain Points

1. Students need to have experience applying the skills they learn in class to find employment after graduation.

2. Educators have a mandate to prepare their students for real business challenges, but this can introduce so many unwelcome variables in the classroom.

3. HubSpot customers don’t always have the bandwidth to complete their many projects.

Providing a Solution Through Applied Learning

1. We partnered with the best-in-class software for creating new applied opportunities in the classroom, Riipen.

2. We tested, and then tested some more.

3. We promoted our program internally and collaborated with other teams.

Applied Learning in Times of Uncertainty

What is PPC?

What is PPC Management?

Elements of an Effective Pay Per Click Campaign

Why Not Let Google Manage Your PPC Campaign?

Do I Need PPC Management?

Hiring a PPC Agency

Hiring an In-House Person for Pay Per Click

Which One Works Better?

Get Your PPC Campaign Started on the Right Foot

On This Page

What You Need to Get a Website Online

Getting Started With Your First Web Hosting Account

Best Blog & WordPress Hosting

What is Shared Hosting in More Detail?

How Shared Hosting Works

What Shared Hosting Is Used For

What To Look for in Shared Hosting

Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Hosting

Shared Hosting vs. Cloud Hosting

How Do Our Shared Web Hosting Plans Stack Up? †

Free With Each Hosting Plan

Sign up for web hosting today!

What is a Business Plan?

Business Plan Template

Purposes of a Business Plan

1. Securing financing from investors.

2. Documenting a company’s strategy and goals.

3. Legitimizing a business idea.

4. Getting an A in your Business class.

Types of Business Plans

1. Startup Business Plan

2. Business Acquisition Plan

3. Business Repositioning Plan

4. Expansion Business Plan

Getting Started With Your Business Plan

What is Internet Reputation Management?

How Can Reputation Management Help My Business?

How Does it Work?

Closing

On This Page

Why use AWS for web hosting?

Shared Web Hosting

Simple Static Website Hosting

AWS vs Shared Hosting – Best Shared and Cloud Hosting Services

What is Cloud Hosting vs. Shared Hosting?

Which Service is Right for You?

“Shared Hosting” Providers

“Shared Hosting” Providers with SSDs vs AWS

AWS vs Shared Hosting – Free vs. Paid Hosting Services: Which is Best?

What are the Important Characteristics of a Logo?

#1 Keep it Simple

#2 Make Sure it is Scalable

#3 Consider the Impact

#4 Maintain Versatility

#5 Be Sure it is Relevant

What Makes a Good Logo?

Brand Identity

Brand Personality

Professional Authority

Visual Consistency

Brand Loyalty

Can I Make a Logo From Scratch?

Step 1: Define Your Brand Identity

Step 2: Conducting Research

Step 3: Sketching and Conceptualization

Step 4: Revisions and Positioning

Step 5: Integrate the Logo Design Into Your Brand

Work With a Professional

On This Page

Office365 email sending limit

Outlook.com limit