Stuart Crawford – Page 82 – Ulistic Projects Blog

November 23, 2018November 22, 2018

4 Tips: Effectively Communicate With Remote Workers [Infographic]

An unprecedented number of businesses now employ a remote workforce. In fact, according to a 2018 study, 63 percent of companies have remote workers. Unfortunately, of these companies, approximately 70 percent do not have a remote worker policy. Without a policy in place, many businesses are faced with communication challenges. In fact, for any sized business who relies on remote workers, it is now more critical than ever that the most effective communication channels are leveraged to increase efficiencies, improve operating capacities, and inevitably enhance the bottom line.

Understanding The Increasing Number Of Individuals Working Remotely

Communicating clearly is often the lynchpin to business success. However, for many businesses, communicating with remote workers can be a challenge. In fact, according to a recent study, companies often overlook the humble phone call in favor of verbose written communications. Of the 41 million Americans who work independently, an estimated 29 percent want to be communicated with via the phone. Another 13 percent prefer text messages as the first line of communication, while 7 percent want to have video conferences when speaking with on-site employers and team members. These statistics showcase the importance of establishing clear communications channels that can be used to effectively build businesses, increase productivity levels, and offer valuable insights to both on-site teams and remote workers.

How To Effectively Communicate With Remote Workers

While many employers feel that it is harder to communicate effectively with remote workers, the truth of the matter is that with the right approach the latter challenge can easily be overcome. The following four tips can help you to concisely and clearly communicate with your team of remote workers.

Define The Goals Of Your Remote Employees. — The first step towards clear written, visual, or oral communications is to define goals for individuals as well as the entire team. The specific goals for your remote employees will depend on the nature of your team’s project. However, it is important to note that the process for determining said goals should be the same as the steps that you take when establishing the goals, tasks, and expectations for your internal team members. For example, if you are part of an IT sales team, then your goals might be to increase sales by 20 percent in Q4. The steps needed to achieve this goal should be clearly laid out, every team member should know the role that he or she plays, and you should create direct feedback loops to encourage collaboration.
Collaborate Effectively. — You can only communicate effectively with your team of remote workers when you are all using the same platforms and communication channels. In this vein, you need to ensure that both your internal and remote teams are using the same emailing, video conferencing, and instant messaging platforms. Additionally, you will want to ensure that everyone is using the same calendar app or platform. Far too often calendar invites to remote-access meetings are lost or ignored when a central scheduling tool isn’t used. Finally, by just using the same communication and scheduling platforms, you can streamline collaboration efforts to further increase productivity levels and create an environment for clear communications.
Minimize The Risk Of Interruptions. — Becoming distracted is the easiest way to disrupt communication efforts. Just as you can close your office door when you are on an important phone or video call, so too should you encourage your remote workers to create distraction-free work zones. You should also learn the work patterns of your remote employees, so that you can plan on calling, messaging, or hosting video conferences at a time when they are free to chat and not busy working on a deadline or otherwise avoiding distractions.
Communicate Using The Right Methods. — Before you pick up the phone, send an IM, schedule a video conference call, or write an email, you should first ask yourself, “is this the most effective communication method?” Keep in mind, that when misused, even the best communication tool can have adverse effects. As a general guideline, emails should typically be used for single messages, scheduling video meetings, or sharing files with your remote team. IM can be an excellent tool for discussing specific aspects of a project, while a phone call is essential for an in-depth discussion. Finally, a video conference is the ideal choice when you want to share computer screens, review presentation notes, or have a large amount of information to review in-depth.

The Bottom Line: Adopt The Communication Style That’s Optimal For Your Remote Workforce

No matter the industry, the success of every business hinges on clear, effective, and open communications with both their internal and remote teams. The more time that you can spend getting to know the work habits and communication preferences of your remote employees, the easier it will be for you to not only communicate effectively, but to also increase productivity levels, establish an environment of streamlined collaborations, and achieve vital business goals.

November 23, 2018November 12, 2018

What Is Small Business Saturday? (November 24th, 2018)

How do you usually shop when you need something like a gift for a friend, a new pair of shoes, or a bike for your son or daughter? Today more than ever before, Americans make a beeline for the computer or a big box store when it comes to getting through their shopping list.

And it’s not just clothes, toys, and gifts we buy at these places. Paper towel, cell phones, greeting cards, and all your groceries can be purchased at the same time — with just one trip to a large chain store or one click of a button.

So where does this leave the little guy — small businesses?

Small businesses are closing up shop, and fewer new businesses are opening than ever before. Unfortunately for everyone, this means less support to locally-run firms, more unemployment, cheaper goods, terrible customer services, and small towns that suffer.

But you can help!

Small Business Saturday is a way to pump life into the small businesses here in the U.S. — and around the world. Here’s a bit more about this special annual event and how you can participate this year!

What Is Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a day that celebrates small businesses of all kinds around the country. This includes all types of independent retailers from locally-owned gyms, grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants to artists and craftsmen who sell their goods online, local farmers, and more.

When Is Small Business Saturday?

Every year in the United States, Small Business Saturday is celebrated on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, 2018, Small Business Saturday will take place on Saturday, November 24^th.

How Did Small Business Saturday Start?

Especially since the 1960s, when the modern American shopping mall came into existence, big box stores and chains have taken over what was once a country dominated by small local businesses. Small and even medium-sized towns have seen their small businesses obliterated when bigger chain stores come into town. Usually, the smaller retailers can hold out for at least a year, but inevitably, it’s the big guys who win out.

Small Business Saturday started as a way to pump some life back into the small businesses around our nation — to honor and recognize them. The first celebration of this holiday was only celebrated in Massachusetts in 2010. It was created as a way to work against Black Friday, which inevitably favors large chain stores and retailers.

But since that time, the holiday has spread throughout the nation. From the start, Small Business Saturday was sponsored by both the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation and by American Express. There are now Small Business Saturday celebrations in the UK and elsewhere around the world as well.

Why Participate in Small Business Saturday?

If you’re a small business owner, it, of course, makes sense to raise awareness of your business and other small businesses around the nation and the world on this day!

If you’re not a business owner, it also makes sense. That’s because consumers like you profoundly impact whether or not small businesses are able to get off the ground or maintain their business. By patronizing small businesses on this day — and raising awareness for others — you’re putting your money where your mouth is and let the world know that you appreciate small businesses and want them to stick around.

How Can Small Businesses Participate in Small Business Saturday?

Small businesses should prepare for Small Business Saturday by promoting the day online and in-store. You might consider holding a special event, an open house, or the release of a new product or service on this day. For more inspiration, head here to Shop Small®’s Get Inspired page.

How Can Others Participate?

If you’re a consumer, the best way to participate in Small Business Saturday is to buy from and patronize small businesses!

This might mean shopping at your local grocery store instead of the big chain supermarket in your town. It might mean grabbing a coffee at a local café instead of a chain coffee shop. Or it could mean ordering a piece of art, a tool you need, or something else from an independent retailer online.

Don’t Forget to Spread the Word!

Lastly, whether you’re a shopper or you own or work at a small business yourself, one of the biggest things you can do to support Small Business Saturday is spread the word.

Tell your friends and family about Small Business Saturday, use the hashtag #ShopSmall on social media, and of course, don’t forget to get out there and spend your money at small businesses in your area this Saturday, November 24^th, 2018!

November 22, 2018November 21, 2018

Encryption – What You Really Need To Know

In today’s digitally driven world, far too many personal and business devices are left unsecured. These devices don’t leverage strong passwords and fail to have the encryption needed to protect vital data. Whether companies choose to store data in public, private, or hybrid clouds, they should always ensure that the data is encrypted before it leaves their devices or networks. Additionally, when employees think that “this data isn’t important,” they are creating the weak links that hackers need to successfully infiltrate a device (or network) and subsequently steal unencrypted data, upload malware attacks, and otherwise wreak havoc on unsuspecting businesses. Unfortunately, far too many companies fail to understand the importance of encrypting both their devices and their data.

Why Should Businesses Encrypt Devices?

The primary reason that businesses need to encrypt all devices is due to the sensitive data that they hold. Take, for example, Amarillo, Texas which said that one of the companies in charge of a security payroll audit for the city lost a flash drive containing city employees’ names, bank deposit information, birthdays, social security numbers, and addresses. Fortunately, the flash drive was encrypted. However, if the device had been unencrypted, then the story could have been significantly more disastrous, especially when you consider the fact that each of the employees’ files could quickly be sold on the dark web or black market.

Secure Device Configuration

When devices are not correctly configured, then it doesn’t matter if your company has robust security protocols. With this in mind, securing devices is made easier when your business follows these vital steps:

Lockdown any services, including remote management systems, that you are not using.
Disable and/or change the default settings on ports.
Prohibit the use of outdated web technologies. In this vein, Java, NPAI, and Plugins need to be kept up to date to avoid any potential security vulnerabilities.
Create strong passwords.
Leverage encryption for any and all business communications, data, and devices.

It is important to note that you must complete all of the above steps. For example, if you use a strong password, but fail to properly encrypt your device, then it could still be subject to theft or hacking attempts. Fortunately, there are three additional steps that you can take to further protect your vital business data and devices.

3 Steps To A Strong Configuration

Securing your essential business data is made easier when you complete the following three steps.

Strong Passwords And Encryption. — Did you now that in 2017 81 percent of hacking-related breaches were due to stolen (or weak) passwords? In this vein, you must ensure that your employees are following password best practices. For example, the default password should never be used, the password should include both uppercase and lowercase characters, one number and one special character should be used, and the password should be between 8 to 16 characters. In addition to strong device and application passwords, you should always use encryption. It is especially crucial that sensitive data sent via email or stored on the cloud is appropriately encrypted.
Endpoint Protection. — Endpoint protection will require you to complete plug-in and browser updates, use an up to date anti-virus software, and implement a proven use Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and use Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (ETDR) that has been customized for your business needs.
Restrict The Number Of Login Attempts. — When an employee has an infinite number of login attempts, then their “strong password,” is made null-and-void. Instead, you should limit the number of login attempts to business devices or networks. As an added level of protection, you should ensure that employees can only access portions of your system from approved devices. After all, if an employee is using a compromised device to access your business network or data, then you are automatically opening the barn door for hackers to come in and wreak havoc as they decide what information they want to steal and inevitably sell.

The Bottom Line: Take The Steps Needed To Encrypt Data And Devices

If you want to ensure that your business data, devices, and networks remain secure, then you need to use the proper encryption methods. In addition to data and device encryption, you should also ensure that all devices have been appropriately configured. In conclusion, through endpoint protection, a restricted number of login attempts, secure passwords, and encryption best tactics, you can keep your vital business data safe from hacking attempts.

November 21, 2018

What Will it Take to Fully Deliver Australia’s Cybersecurity Strategy for Businesses?

Australia’s cybersecurity strategy, launched in 2016 by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, is in need of a stronger public-private partnership to deliver on its action plan items to improve security for business. This is evidenced by the lack of full implantation of the strategy’s five core action items, lack of meaningful investment, and allocation of needed human resources necessary for the strategy’s success.

These lessons of past failure are a stepping stone for what needs to be done going forward for Australian businesses, of which small and medium-size companies comprise nearly 95 percent of the country’s business landscape according to the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Association of Australia (SMEA). These businesses are particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks and unwanted intrusions by outside individuals and groups deploying spyware, ransomware, and any other forms of malware designed to disrupt commerce.

It is therefore incumbent for the government, in partnership with the private business sector, and public citizens to look at ways to fully implement the recommendations of Australia’s 2016 cybersecurity strategy. Attacks that have taken place across the globe, including against the most recent U.S. Presidential election and a breach of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service’s data bring to the forefront the importance of acting with due speed to put in place a framework to prevent Australia from falling victim to the effects of an impending cyber attack.

The Action Plan Items

The five action items included in the report are:

Make the national cyber partnership strong
Create cyber defences
Increase global responsibility and influence
Promote growth and innovation, and
Create a cyber smart nation

Each of these action items was set forth as broad goal statements but without specifics or identifiable targets for implementation. For the cybersecurity strategy to result in meaningful outcomes for the country, and, in particular, for business in Australia, the group devising the policy must come together to better define the action plan items outlined in the strategy and put in place measurable goals and targets.

Accomplishing the spirit of the plan also requires a serious investment in technology by the Australian government. A technology assessment performed by management consulting group Deloitte entitled “What’s over the horizon?: Recognising opportunity in uncertainty,” in its Building the Lucky Country series (#6) outlines the steps that businesses need to take to cross the digital divide. This includes becoming less risk-averse and investing in increased cyber capability, through education, better security measures, and resiliency in the face of attacks when they occur.

Issues with Implementation

Various problems have occurred on the way to implementation of the country’s cybersecurity strategy. One of the most significant failings pointed out by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), an independent think tank providing expertise and advice on issues regarding defence, Australian national security, and cyber, is the lack of any plan for delivering on the actions items coupled with the nonexistence of a methodology for moving the strategy forward.

Funding is an issue that is easy to fix, provided that the government understands the importance of adequately supporting their desire to protect businesses and the public (as well as government institutions and other related organisations) from potential cybercrimes. Education and public awareness are also equally important and vital to the full implementation of Australia’s cybersecurity strategy.

A Commitment to Deliver

As former Prime Minister Turnbull stated as a prelude to setting forth the cybersecurity strategy, “A secure cyberspace provides trust and confidence for individuals, business and the public sector to share ideas and information and to innovate online.” The strategy is a recognition of the increasing attacks on the country’s cyber framework and the risks these attacks pose to the economy. The financial impact of open threats to Australia’s digital network also takes an emotional toll on consumers, who lose trust and confidence in the ability of institutions, both public and private, to protect their privacy and process their business in an orderly and efficient manner.

The evaluations of the country’s implementation of its cybersecurity strategy by organisations such as ASPI paint a bleak outlook as to actions taken to date to fully realise the goals of the plan. These evaluations also serve to remind business and government officials that the commitment to deliver on the promise of securing the country’s digital network begins with measurable actions that must include risk-taking, evaluation, adjustment, and forward-thinking progress.

November 21, 2018November 19, 2018

The Best Online Grammar and Plagiarism Tools for Checking Your Writing

Anyone who has passed a high school English class can tell you two things—writing is tough and plagiarism is wrong. Hiring an outside writer from a website such as Fiverr is a great way to create great content without exerting an overabundance of effort, but not every freelancer is honest.

That’s why it is incredibly important to take a little extra time to investigate the text to ensure it free from error and completely unique. Here is a list of the best online grammar and plagiarism tools for checking your writing.

What’s the Best Tool for Checking Spelling, Grammar, and Plagiarism?

While it is one of the most expensive tools on this list, Grammarly is hands down the best option for those who want to check everything including spelling, grammar, and plagiarism. This gives you the best of both worlds—a place to test your outsourced content for errors and the ability to quickly edit your own writing before sending out a social media post or important email.

Grammarly even offers plugins for Microsoft Office, Outlook, and various web browsers to give you easy access when you need to scan a document quickly. A limited version is available for free, but to enjoy all of the robust benefits including plagiarism detection it is recommended that you subscribe to the app.

What is the Best Tool for Checking Just Plagiarism?

If your only need is to check against duplicate content, then Plagiarism Checker X is an excellent choice. Compare multiple documents to search for repeated phrasing or deeply scan the web to find sources of plagiarism. You may also input a specific web address to find other sites matching particular phrasing, which is especially helpful to determine if your website’s unique content is being ripped off by other bloggers.

The program offers a limited option with a free trial or a more substantial one-time subscription fee for additional features. As a bonus, Plagiarism Checker X also comes with a keyword analysis tool that provides the number of times a particular word is used in a piece and the density of keywords.

Which Online Plagiarism Tools Allows Me to Scan the Web Automatically for Plagiarism?

In most academic circles, Copyscape is the gold standard for duplicate content and plagiarism checking. Why? This easy-to-use tool features the option to insert a URL and find instances of the same copy elsewhere on the web without having to set up an account. However, if you want the option to copy text into the checker, you’ll need to sign up and pay for credits.

This app does include a unique feature very applicable to bloggers and digital marketers alike: a monthly subscription service called Copysentry that sends you alerts anytime it finds content from your website elsewhere on the internet.

For developers, Copyscape also provides an API integration for quick scanning. This is especially helpful for those creating software aimed at the education sector where instructors need the ability to quickly and efficiently spot instances of plagiarism.

Which Plagiarism Checker Tool Offers Support for Multiple Languages?

While most plagiarism checker apps feature support for a variety of major languages, Plagiarisma is your best bet. This expansive program offers duplication checking for up to 190 global languages. It also allows you to paste text into an in-browser box or upload a document. Accepted file extensions include DOX, DOCX, TXT, XML, PDF, RTF, HTML, and a whole host of others to help meet your needs.

Not sure you want to use an online interface? Plagiarisma has several different plugins including those for Blackberry and multiple popular software programs. As with the other tools mentioned above, both a limited free version and paid versions are available.

What’s the Best Tool for Checking Readability?

If you’re just concerned about checking readability, then the Hemingway App is an excellent option. This free web-based service and allows you to paste in any text of your choice. It then information about sentence structure, passive voice use, and approximate reading level. This is an excellent tool for use on emails, white papers, memos, and other important documents where sounding authoritative and professional is important.

Outsourcing content is a great way to maximize efficiency. Using these plagiarism and grammar tools help ensure your text is original and free from errors.

November 21, 2018November 20, 2018

Canadian CIOs Disappointed With IT Outsourcing

A recent survey of Canadian chief information officers expressed disappointment in IT outsourcing. The feedback the CIOs provided present an exceptional opportunity for IT companies to respond and hone their services and customer service to better serve corporate clients.

The annual CanadianCIO Census, sponsored by IT World Canada, shows that CIOs are dissatisfied with the investments they’ve made in outsourcing. Among the findings:

Twenty-five percent of CIOs surveyed note that the outsourcing relationships had fallen short of expectations. That’s similar to the 2017 results, where 28 percent reported the same sentiment.
“As a service” computing is taking the place of many traditional outsourcing products.
Data indicate that more companies are investing in in-house staff, despite continued projected growth in outsourcing services. Gartner expects the outsourced IT market to reach $363 million by 2020 with 6.3 percent annual growth.
There is a gap in expectations versus reality when it comes to what an IT provider does.

It’s evident that the opportunity to deliver better services is high.

What Are the Gaps in Expectations Between IT Providers and Clients?

Too often, businesses that outsource believe that once the contract is signed, the provider is going to take care of everything. Executives may not understand the need to establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue and relationship with the IT provider.

This disconnect raises an important consideration for IT company leaders. It’s imperative that you’re transparent with clients about how to make the relationship work. Many IT providers position themselves as virtual CIOs and tout their ongoing advisory services. IT companies should establish their executives as thought leaders who will be available for ongoing consulting and brainstorming. Reinforce that your commitment to the client includes recommending new technologies and solutions as they emerge and analyzing performance data to support improvements that will advance business goals.

What Is Needed for Transition Planning?

When you present a plan to refine, add or replace technologies and processes, there’s a critical need to be sure that project management is clearly outlined. The client and provider need to be on the same page about what the transition to new solutions will mean, scoping out the sequencing, significant milestones, timelines and impact on operations. Transition and project planning are essential to managing expectations from leadership, employees and customers.

The project management plan also needs to focus on information sharing and knowledge transfer. IT companies can position themselves as comprehensive service providers by focusing not only on what happens on Day but what will be done to ensure the client’s organization will be ready and prepared.

When Is Customization a Problem?

Many IT providers tout their ability to customize solutions for each client, taking into account the unique needs, challenges and opportunities. This is an important marketing point and should continue to be front and center. However, customization can often cause frustration.

For example, when a new solution needs to fit the way the client does work, there needs to be a lot of dialogue about processes. Sometimes, the client has not documented those processes, the processes are inconsistently applied within the organization, or existing documentation is inaccurate. At that point, the outsourced service provider often has to build new documentation, a time-consuming process that can add additional hours and cost to a client’s bill. Clients that are not expecting that expense can become unhappy quickly.

IT providers can avoid these issues by being clear at the front end about time estimates and identifying typical unforeseen problems that might add to the final project costs.

How Can IT Providers Help Clients?

One approach to improving the experience for clients … and their satisfaction levels … is to suggest a three-pronged approach to management and governance:

Encourage clients to train their staffs on how to work best with your company. Offer to help develop that training and help staffs prepare for change.
Suggest the client’s company build a governance structure. A management committee, for example, could draft a charter defining the key metrics that determine the outsourcing efficacy and how problems will be addressed.
Recommend the client appoint relationship managers that have the authority to work closely with the service provider and report back regularly to company leadership.

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018

Google Medic Update Aftermath: 6 Clear Steps to Recover Ranking

Experts estimate that as many as 42% of websites may have been impacted by Google’s Medic update that dropped mid-summer. And, as with so many Google algorithm changes, it came out of nowhere, leaving a wake of destruction.

Did you see your own company website’s ranking plummet as a result of the Medic Update? Here’s what you need to know to determine if you were affected and how to fix damage from the medic update.

Were You Impacted By Medic Update?

Do you want to know the truth? You very likely were impacted in some way even if you didn’t feel the brunt of it. It’s known as the “Medic Update” because it disproportionately affected health-related websites early on. But as the waves continued to roll, other industries and sites felt the aftermath:

Fashion
e-Commerce
Local businesses
Affiliate marketing websites
Among others

Chances are that you fall into one of these categories. If you saw your search engine rankings dip — even slightly — in August 2018 with little to no recovery, you’ve very likely felt the wrath of Medic. Like many updates, it’s rolling out in sections so the decline may not be over.

While it never feels good to see your website lose ground in Google searches, know that Medic continues Google’s goal of elevating the highest authority websites which can best answer a searcher’s query. These are the ones that deserve those coveted top spots on page one.

If you take steps to adapt to the Medic Update, you have the potential to outrank the many websites that don’t. You could actually come out better than you were before when you learn how to fix damage from the medic update.

Step 1: Align Content with Searcher Intent

Before websites were impacted by the medic update, searching for a product or service may have sent you straight to a sales page. But this doesn’t reflect the modern buyer’s journey. Google knows that. This appears to be at least one thing that this algorithm change attempted to rectify.

70% of the buying decision is made before a person reaches a sales page. The Medic updates reflect this by pulling up more informational pages that help a potential customer make that decision.

If your website strategy largely revolved around the end of the buyer’s journey (sales), it’s time to put more focus on helpful content like blog posts, videos and interactive tools on your website.

Step 2: Utilize Google Shopping Ads

Ad clicks don’t directly impact your search engine ranking. But they do help you stay top of mind and build brand awareness over time when combined with a comprehensive brand awareness strategy. Google shopping ads have enjoyed a 47% increase in visibility year over year.

Don’t blame Google. It’s one of the main ways they make money. Increasing you pay per click (PPC) marketing budget will help you take advantage of this increased visibility and restore organic ranking indirectly.

Step 3: Check Your Link Profile

The number and quality of inbound links is still a known ranking factor. Relevant links from high authority websites help establish with Google that your company has an authoritative website. But Google search is getting smarter every year. It can more easily spot unnatural links that were likely purchased or otherwise unscrupulously acquired to manipulate your ranking. The aftermath for sites using questionable link-building strategies was swift and brutal.

It’s time to revisit your links using Google Search Console and more advanced link analysis tools like AHrefs, SEMrush or Moz.

Look for links coming from low authority and spammy websites. Disavow them using Google Disavow Tool.

Step 4: Be Clear About Ownership

Do you have a sneaky agenda for your website? You probably don’t. But some websites do. They leave it unclear who owns the website. For example, a business could create what appears to be a 3rd party review website and then review their own products. That’s not full disclosure.

Learn how to fix damage from the medic update on sites where ownership is unclear. Add your contact information to every header or footer. Or create a detailed “About Us” and “Contact” page. Make sure every page on any owned site has a link to these pages.

Step 5: Build Credibility

Some of those most impacted by medic update was giving health advice when it was unclear what credentials they had to do so. But this applies to any industry.

Consider adding a full, short bio on each blog post or informational page. Clearly, state the education and/or experience that qualifies the person to write and publish this content.

Remember E-A-T with every piece of content you produce. That’s…

Expertise – Your content demonstrates that you’re an expert in your field and you have the credentials to prove it.
Authoritative – Being authoritative is more about outside recognition. Do others in your industry recognize you as an authority? This may come in the form of reviews, links to your website, awards or ratings from organizations like BBB, Pulitzer or JD Power. Showcase this social proof of your authoritativeness on your website and work to get more recognition off-site.
Trustworthiness – Trustworthiness comes in many forms. For one, you should be careful with the facts you communicate on your site. Stretching the truth or failing to cite sources doesn’t evoke trust. Second, trustworthiness comes in the form of your physical site. Your site is secure (HTTPS), easy to navigate and looks professional.

Step 6: Do Historical Optimization

Have you learned a lot about how to build a better website over the years? Most businesses have. There was a time when you could fairly easily rank low-quality content that wasn’t mobile-friendly or on a fast-loading page. But those days have passed.

You may have content on your website that is so far below your current standards, that it should be removed from the site. But you’re also likely to find pieces of content that would be excellent if you:

Make them a little longer – the average blog post on page one is now over 1000 words. In some industries its over 2000.
Beef up the content – Thin content that doesn’t really add value doesn’t rank well. Add real value, not fluff.
Get rid of ungrammatical keyword usage – Google hasn’t used “exact match” keywords for some time. Google disregards unnecessary words and even many prefixes and suffixes when ranking websites. Keywords like “Luxury furniture Houston” that can’t grammatically fit in a sentence should be changed to “luxury furniture in Houston.” If the content used keywords unnaturally or every 100 words, find a synonym.
Interlink – Content should link out to some reliable websites and interlink with one or more other relevant pages on your website.
Connect with the target audience – Did your hook fall flat? Did people bounce off your website? Then you may need to evaluate how you’re connecting with that audience.
Visuals – Pages that have more relevant images rank better.

If you’re not doing these things in current content, then it’s time to update your website.

How to Fix Damage from the Medic Update

The Medic Update hit a lot of websites hard. But the good news is that when you adapt by applying these 6 steps, you can come out on top. To learn more about marketing, follow our blog.

November 21, 2018November 12, 2018

Don’t Let a Disaster Destroy Your Holidays

The festive season is fast approaching, and it is a well-deserved opportunity to celebrate with friends and family. However, the joy of the holidays can quickly turn tragic if you are not careful. Emergency rooms visits and the number of calls to first responders see a sharp increase during the final few weeks of the year. It is possible to avoid a holiday disaster by following a few simple guidelines to help safeguard you and your family.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ways to Stay Safer During This Year’s Holidays

Avoiding Decorating Disasters

Inspect your holiday decorations before putting them out. Even if you took the time to double check your decorations before storing them, look again. Check for frayed wires, loose connections, broken bulbs, and other fire hazards.
Ensure outside decorations are weather-resistant. Never assume that all decorations are suitable for hanging both indoors and outdoors. Look at the tag and make sure that the item has an outdoor rating from Underwriters Laboratory (UL) before using it anywhere it may get wet.
Don’t put yourself at risk for injuries. While decorating your entire home in lights and figures may look amazing, don’t try to do more than you can do safely. Make sure you know what you are doing before you try to climb a ladder or secure a holiday scene to the top of your roof.
Stay away from candles. While no one can deny that real flames add a magical warmth to your home, burning candles can significantly increase the chance of a house fire. You are more at risk if you have young children or pets at home. There are many LED candle lights which offer a similar, but much safer, candlelight effect.
Don’t leave your decorations on the entire night Besides saving energy and money, using a timer switch to turn your decorations off at a reasonable time each evening can prevent a fire from breaking out while you sleep. Homeowners who have plans to go away for the holidays should completely unplug decorations until they return home.

Don’t Cook Up a Disaster

Keep kids out of harm’s way. Cooking with your kids during the holidays can be a great experience. Prevent little ones from being injured by ensuring they stay away from the stove and never allowing them to use sharp knives. Instead, give them simple, safe tasks like kneading dough or decorating cookies.
Watch your food temperatures. Many cooks only cook large roasts or whole turkeys during the holidays. For cooks with less experience, it is easy to undercook the meat resulting in serious illnesses. Always follow a recipe and use a meat thermometer to ensure the food thoroughly cooked.
Make sure your stove and oven are off. It is easy to become distracted and forget to turn appliances off. Do yourself a favor and double check before going to bed for the night.

Keeping Healthy and Secure During Holiday Travels

Give yourself plenty of travel time. Driving during the holidays often means huge delays, so leave early enough so you won’t need to rush to get to where you are going on time. Take the time to plan out food and bathroom breaks before hitting the road. This step is particularly helpful if you are traveling with children or other passengers who may need special considerations.
Always use seat belts and properly installed car seats. Seat belts and car seats save lives, so there is no excuse not to use them correctly. Buckle up even if you are only heading down the street to pick up a last-minute gift.
Never use a cell phone while driving. Increasingly people are depending on driving apps to find the best way of getting to their destinations. Although these apps work well, they can become a distraction if you need to interact with your phone physically. Set your destination before leaving or have a passenger handle the navigation and concentrate on the road.
Be extra careful when driving in neighborhoods. During vacations from school, expect to see more children outside at all hours of the day and night. Reduce your driving speed and stay alert for people who may dart out in front of your vehicle.
Even one drink may be too much. If you are planning to attend holiday parties where they serve alcohol, imbibe responsibly and never drive unless you are completely sober. It is always a better idea to have a designated driver or use an alternative means of getting home to avoid a life-changing accident.

Keep these tips in mind this holiday season, and we wish you a joyful time full of beautiful memories.

November 20, 2018

Is Google Maps The Next Great Social Network For Australian Businesses?

Google launched its Google Maps web mapping service in February 2005. The service stood out as innovative for the times, providing users with detailed satellite overviews of countries, cities, and streets. It provides a “bird’s eye” or “top-down” view of an area using satellite imagery as well as aerial photography taken from between 240 and 460 meters. Images used in Google Maps are no more than three years old, with frequent updates performed.

The core functions of the program includes an API (application program interface, a set of building blocks used by programmers to create a program such as Google Maps) that allows maps to be placed on external websites (such as those of an Australian business) and a locator service for companies to provide information, including URL (uniform resource locator – web address).

Interestingly the initial program for Google Maps was developed by a pair of Danish brothers, Lars and Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen and their company Where 2 Technologies. Where 2 Technologies was a start-up mapping related business that is based in Sydney. The company’s mapping technology, which became the engine for maps, was acquired by Google in October 2004.

Google Maps as a Social Network

Social networks, such as the popular ones like Facebook and Twitter, and business-oriented networks like LinkedIn, provide a perfect avenue for facilitating communication locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. The ability to cross borders in a seamless matter allows businesses a way to broaden their appeal, gain additional market share, and extend boundaries for their products and services.

The thought of a mapping service as a social network entity is not as far off an idea as you may think as your business’s IT thought leader. More than half of smartphone users (either iOS or Android) have used Google Maps and its companion service Google Earth. This makes the service one of the most widely used apps by mobile users and a further indication that its use as a social networking medium should be strongly considered by businesses.

Add also Google’s Local Guides service and businesses can use the functionality of maps to post information about just about anything and everything that there is to know about the company. The service provides a real-time (or near real-time) way to interact with maps users, post searchable links, and provide users with valuable information about your business, products and services.

Social Network Usage in Australia

Consider these metrics when deciding if the use of Google Maps is an appropriate consideration for you doing business in Australia. Facebook is the most extensive social network used by Australians. It is reported that more than 60 percent of the population are active Facebook users and that more than half of the country’s population logs into the platform at least once in a day. Based on information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this number of active users represents a population of about 25 million.

Other platforms popular in the country (based on monthly active or unique users) include YouTube, the video sharing platform, with an estimated 15 million monthly active users and Instagram, the photo-sharing platform, with also an estimated 15 million unique users. These numbers are good signs for those businesses engaged primarily in delivering their goods on a business-to-consumer (B2C) basis. For business-to-business (B2B) providers, there are approximately 4.5 million monthly active Australian users.

How Australian Businesses Utilize Google Maps as a Social Network Tool

Using Google Maps as a social network tool should receive strong consideration by businesses across Australia. The tool’s design as a locator service provides businesses with a way to direct potential customers to their doorstep and provide imagery and other enticing data points to bring in more business. Maps are designed to create a greater interactive experience with a higher-level prospect as the user who accesses this service primarily for information or directions.

Whether B2B or B2C or both, tapping into the potential Google Maps offers as a social network platform unleashes unlimited potential. Linking maps with your other social media outlets, such as the popular Facebook and Instagram apps for B2C contacts or LinkedIn for your B2B connections, provides business with a dual messaging threat. Information supplied via casual social network contact on one of the country’s popular platforms can direct users to maps for specific company information, driving instructions, and real-time location-to-location mapping. In these terms, Google Maps indeed represents the potential to become the next great social network for Australian business.

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018

The CRA scam that is making Canadians lose thousands of dollars.

Tax compliance is a matter that many people try to adhere to in Canada. That means that when one receives a call asking them to immediately clear apparent tax deficits or face arrests, they merely comply. It is often impossible to tell apart the scammers from real CRA employees as they use masking technologies that make it seem like you really are getting a call from the CRA. This problem is so rampant that millions of dollars have been transferred to these scammers leaving many unaware Canadians cheated.

Over the years, many individuals have come forward to make complaints on their losses. This has however posed a rather unique problem to the Canadian police force. This owes to the fact that these scammers are international and not being Canadian citizen’s makes the law unable to cater to these woes. These scammers have gotten away with it for so long that at this point there are several call centers established in many towns in India.

These scammers have been getting away with this matter for many years even with a government that is aware of what is happening. With corruption a big problem in the Indian police force, there is no doubt that some of these scammers have merely paid off the police officials to keep away and let them proceed. The result is a scam that forces many unsuspecting Canadian citizens to lose their hard earned money thinking they had tax deficits.

How they scam Canadian citizens

This is a very large operation in India. As there are so many scam call centers in India, you find that they have narrowed down their targets to either the elderly or immigrants who are yet to get acquainted with how tax collection works in Canada. This unfortunate matter is conducted in a manner that has kept the operation alive for several years and expanded the operations.

The scammers generally call using a robot. Most of them mask their numbers that they appear as a CRA number. After the person on the other end picks up the call, they identify themselves CRA employees. These then progress and they firmly inform you that you owe a certain amount of money. They then begin pushing and prodding asking that you send the money.

They don’t always ask for money, sometimes they ask for apple gift cards as well as an incentive. People get threatened that they will face jail time or lose property by auction to cover their costs. They will target anyone that they think might not be aware that it may be a scam. One businessman admitted to having been scammed over a hundred thousand dollars from his business.

How they collect and hide the money

The scammers hide the money in different ways. Most of them are known to use financial cartels from overseas who are usually given around 40% of the cuts. They also tend to use different cartels to keep their operations as untraceable as possible. The operation is an extensive network that originates in the streets of Mumbai and other Indian towns. The popularity that the call centers get by the locals has made many more young people venture into scamming as a primary source of income.

The biggest motivators and continuers of this are young people in their twenties usually. They are people hoping to make a lot of quick money for they quickly try to make pacts with local cops who are generally happy to receive a bribe to ignore the illegal activity. Since the call centers are the only place to trace where this scam originates, it is difficult for a Canadian citizen to know who scammed them or for these scammers to be linked to specific cases.

Efforts to stop the phone scammers

In the past, there has been little to no effort to prevent this kind of scam. Canadian citizens have learned to ignore or easily recognize a fraud. The people who are most likely to be victims of this are people who are not well versed with how the CRA works as they actually communicate by use of mail. This makes elderly people who may be unaware of changes to be victims as well as newcomers.

There has however been a recent progression in solving this. The local Indian police in cohorts with the RFPD have begun to search for these call centers. They have been identified and raided on national TV to show these people that the time to end these operations has come. This raid has led to many operations being revealed and there is hope for this massive operation to be brought down once and for all. Many Canadians have fallen victim to these scammers and more will continue if the word is not given to them.