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5 Tips for Running a Business from Your Smartphone

The smartphone in your pocket makes it possible to run your business from pretty much anywhere. Modern phone technology puts a world of technology in your hands, and it gives you access to software programs, information, and workers to quickly accomplish anything.

Add to the lightning-fast ability of your mobile technology with a connection through a carrier with a reputation for delivering fast service. For example, T-Mobile was recently listed by OpenSignal as being the fastest network available, beating out both AT&T and Verizon.

1. Choose from the four main business models

When you’re getting started, choosing the right business model is right at the top of your to-do list. You want to choose a model you can successfully manage from a smartphone like your iPhone 7 on a 4G LTE network like T-Mobile.

There are four main models to choose from as noted by Duct Tape Marketing. The types are aggregation, brokering, manufacturing, and reselling. Each mode of business has the potential to be successfully run from a mobile device, though one that requires a lot of detailed documentation may lend itself more effectively to legacy programs in a traditional PC.

2. Ease of managing company communications

Image via Flickr by Sole Treadmill

It’s hard to top a smartphone when it comes to managing the lines of communication within a business. The device lets you instantly reach your contact list, plus provides access to traditional calling, text messaging, email, and even your social media accounts.

This lets you communicate with people within your company, existing customers, and potential customers from anywhere. The flexibility enhances your ability to lead workers, manage issues your customers may have, and introduce potential clients to your product or service.

3. Using your smartphone to market your business

Aspects of marketing that are especially suited to mobile technology include social media marketing, videography, and photographing your products. This takes away the challenges associated with some classic time-intensive marketing strategies.

Using your smartphone to handle these tasks means they are done instantly with the tap of your finger on the screen. This saves you the cost of hiring a large staff to handle these chores.

Cutting costs lets you manage a lean business that’s easy to adapt to a changing market, and saving time on marketing tasks frees you up to handle other issues.

4. Take advantage of apps on your device

There are apps available to help you perform almost any task you need to accomplish while running your business. Apps are available for daily management tasks like tracking your income and expenses or even writing up a business plan when you’re first getting started.

Project management apps can help you carry a new aspect of your business through each stage, from idea to completion. You can even build an app that’s specifically created for your business needs or one that addresses a common issue within your company to add value for your customers and employees.

5. Make use of the calendar on your smartphone

The integrated calendar or a downloaded calendar app is an extremely useful and important function when using your phone for business. It’s also an easy thing to overlook if you aren’t in the habit of using one.

You may want to consider using it more — since being on time and meeting deadlines are two of the keys to being successful. Plus, it’s easy to set notifications on your phone to remind you of times to make important calls or head out to important meetings.

Think of your mobile device as an equalizer. This technology levels the playing field, giving you an opportunity to manage your business on a level that’s comparable to that of a larger company.

It opens the door for you to enter the business world even if you don’t have access to a traditional computer or a large staff. It’s also a great way to get started with the same level of technology a lot of large businesses use without the huge capital investment associated with buying computers, renting or buying buildings, and making other costly investments.

May 30, 2018
e-Commerce Smarts: Driving Long-Tail SEO
In the competitive world of e-commerce and online marketing, every brand wants to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible. But what about getting in front of the right eyeballs? You know, the ones that will actually convert.

While any e-commerce SEO strategy should include plenty of keywords with large search volumes, it’s often the more specific, less-searched-for keywords that end up driving conversions. I’m talking about long-tail keywords.

Let’s learn more about what long-tail keywords are and why they’re a big part of any e-commerce company’s organic marketing campaign.

Long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords generally contain at least three or four terms and thus are more specific in nature than their high-volume counterparts.

It might take years of dedicated effort to rank well for high-volume keywords, but you can grab search real estate for strategic long-tail keywords in just a few months or even less depending on the lack of competition.

And here’s the interesting thing. Even though long-tail keywords carry much lower search volumes, they actually make up around 70 percent of all search queries.

You probably already know the vast majority of long-tail queries that relate to your offering, but maybe you haven’t spent time targeting them because the larger keywords seemed like dollar signs. Make a list of all of the relevant long-tail keywords you can think of.

Be as specific as possible. Then plug them into a free long-tail keyword tool like Keyword.io for further suggestions. Additionally, free e-commerce websites like Shopify offer long-tail keyword plugins to help you track your efforts.

User intent

So now that we know that there’s value in targeting long-tail keywords and ranking for them will be much easier than ranking for highly searched keywords, let’s address why long-tail keywords usually have much better conversion rates.

Basically, it all boils down to something called user intent. Ranking well for widely searched keywords will increase site traffic and brand awareness, but broader queries also mean broader user intent.

This brings a lot of top-of-the-funnel or unqualified traffic since it’s impossible to know what the searcher is really looking for.

A long-tail keyword, on the other hand, has already reached a certain level of specificity in a searcher’s mind; they have a pretty good idea of what they’re looking for.

Here’s an example:
- User A is looking for a new pair of pants, so they search for “men’s pants.”
- User B is also looking for a new pair of pants, but they have a better idea of what they want, so they search for “olive green chinos.”
According to Keyword Planner, “Men’s pants” is searched around 3,600 times a month while the grammatically aesthetic “mens pants” is searched 22,000 times each month.

Even if you’ve managed to rank for this ultra-competitive keyword (which would be an impressive feat on its own), there’s a good chance that when user A visits your site, you won’t carry a style of men’s pants that they want.

And that’s OK, we can’t be everything to everyone. However, you’ve just whiffed on the sale.

Conversely, we can tell User B has a more concrete idea of what they want by the specificity of their search terms. This means that if user B lands on your site, you sell olive green chinos and have a decent chance to earn the conversion.

Of course, this assumes you’re doing everything else right, such as displaying detailed product info, high-resolution photos of models wearing the chinos from different angles, and you’re offering a simple interface.

“Olive green chinos” is only searched 380 times a month, but is undoubtedly much easier to rank for than “men’s pants.” So you make the call. Would you rather spend years trying to rank for “men’s pants” or a few strategic months earning a top five spot for “olive green chinos”?

Getting ahead of your competition with voice search optimization

Long-tail has been a vital organic SEO strategy for years, but it’s becoming even more crucial with the widespread adoption of voice search through mobile and smart home assistants.

People are increasingly turning to Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Home to answer both pressing and spontaneous curiosities. According to ComScore, by 2022, half of all searches will be voice searches.

Since it’s atypical for humans to ask a question or describe something through minimal speech, it’s safe to say most voice searches will be long-tail keywords. For e-commerce companies, this presents an exciting opportunity to get ahead of the competition by optimizing for voice search.

But it won’t be easy. Ranking for long-tail keywords requires a lot of content creation and proper optimization. Long-tail terms are unique, so it’s hard to have one page rank for multiple long-tail queries.

So grab your thinking cap, create a list of long-tail queries and analyze the user intent behind each query. What is the motive of the searcher? Informational, transactional?

When you’ve assembled a list and have a good idea of each term’s user intent, start outlining a plan to create the various content that’ll have you ranking well, and hopefully, driving more conversions.
April 25, 2018
OneLogin
There’s a serious problem that’s growing with the shifting trends of business today, and it’s an elephant in every room that every bottom-rung entrepreneur and CEO alike wants to ignore.

The problem is that businesses are becoming increasingly reliant upon third-party services to carry out their work and secure quality assurance metrics.

These metrics must be met for a host of revenue- and legal-driven reasons that can lead to insurance cuts, lost business and other serious problems down the road, so of course it’s important for every manufacturer to enlist vendors for every task that the manufacturer itself isn’t equipped to handle on its own.

This is why people hear about the network of seemingly invisible companies that are woven into a single operation.

In fact, the increasing complexity and pace of society today has burgeoned to such a degree that nearly half of the manufacturers out there have left their databases severely exposed to the laptops, tablets or smartphones that their third-party representatives are using to capture and report information with.

The ubiquity of smartphones has made it ever more possible for black-hat code manipulators to shoehorn themselves through the many uneven edges in the out-facing facade of a manufacturer’s metaphorical cyber-garrison.

Sobering dtatistics

There are several ways that an unwanted presence can find its way into a manufacturer’s database. Consider the fact that most field vendors create the following environment for the back-end IT managers to contend with:
- Different operating systems.
- Different versions of the same operating systems.
- Different applications installed on each of those operating systems that potentially have their own backdoors, permissions and loopholes.
- Different browsers to interact with the web.
- Different connection types, protocols and providers.
- Different hardware with potentially unique exploits in each combination.
This conglomeration creates a nearly infinite number of variables that a hacker can leverage to gain entry to personal information; it’s just a matter of finding the most convenient one and kicking down whichever doors aren’t secured properly with multi-factor authentication.

Some exploits are discovered early by the wrong people and are never revealed until an opportune moment arises. This leads the discussion to some scary numbers:
1. Ten percent of the manufacturers on the market are exchanging data with 200 or more vendors.
2. Another 33 percent use between 25 and 200 vendors.
3. Of all the manufacturers that are impacted by security breaches, 90 percent are left with at least $190,000 in damages.
4. The other 10 percent of that figure experience losses at a minimum of $750,000 per breach.
The problem this creates

No, this isn’t an attempt at calling out how people handle their businesses; in fact, that has very little to do with this.

The reality is, a new age of computing technology, networking and security concerns means new MFA measures must be adapted to circumvent the ever-growing threat of privacy breaches that could expose not only client data but also result in massive damages to company operations on top.

Many of these attacks occur from individuals who operate on the dark web to exchange the fruits of identity theft for sums of bitcoin to those who can impersonate clients, and the last charge that any entrepreneur wants to be saddled with in a courtroom is facilitating the ruination of people who trusted their services.

How to handle it

Companies are handling this in a number of roundabout ways with, well, more third-party companies: deep web scanners, security checkpoints, misplaced multi-factor authentication protocols, over-tightened restrictions and a number of other underwhelming measures that don’t actually prevent malicious code from making it in the front gate and to the hard drives themselves.

No, this is where the manufacturer needs to trust in OneLogin, a service that provides a complete barrier to set the business servers apart from the vendors who report their work and log into the system.

OneLogin works by channeling all incoming connections through their own services before allowing them to pass to the manufacturer’s servers, acting as a mediator.

This funnels every connection from every app, operating system and hardware configuration into a single connection that’s secured by MFA protects vendors, businesses and clients alike.

As the world moves forward, services provided by companies like OneLogin are becoming more important, especially for larger businesses.
April 23, 2018
How to Choose the Perfect VR Headset

It is a well-known fact that not everyone has the same requirements and desires when it comes to gaming gear. Some people focus more on speed and graphics power, some are more focused on the exterior design, while others simply want portability.

Now, the same goes when a gamer is on the verge of choosing a VR headset, but because there are huge gaps in between devices, it may be a bit more difficult to find the right one. Among the comfort features, you also have to factor in the type of games you want to play, compatibility issues and price.

Now, to make your life a bit easier, we put together a quick guide that will help you get the perfect VR headset for your needs.

Consider your current gear

As we already mentioned, differences between devices are quite big so it’s very important to consider the current type of gaming gear or the one you want to invest in the future. For instance:

You own a gaming PC

If you have a computer, you could get an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, or a Sony PlayStation VR. These devices can be easily hooked up to a PC and they come with a plethora of cool features and a rich game database.

You do your gaming on the phone

While most serious gamers would cringe at the idea, these days, smartphones are more powerful than some computers and they have the advantage of being portable.

The cool thing is that there are VR headsets especially designed to be used with a phone, and the best example that comes to mind is Samsung Gear VR and Galaxy S8. Of course, there is also the combination of Google Daydream View and the Google Pixel phone, Moto Z, ZTE Axon 7 or Huawei Mate 9 Pro.

The other advantage that comes with VR on phones is represented by the plethora of games out there. After all it’s easier to make a simple but entertaining game like the Get on Top game work with a VR headset than create a whole new world from scratch.

You’re a console kind of gamer

In this situation, you must first check the product’s specifications and make sure the device is compatible, but most big consoles have their own VR headsets. For instance, PS has PlayStation VR (works with PS4 and above).

Consider your budget

According to the type of gaming you want to do, your budget may vary between $100 and $400+ so make sure you are prepared for this. But it’s not just about the cost of the headset that you need to worry!

You should also think about other accessories you’ll need to create the VR experience you want. This means headphones, joysticks and controls, cables, software (games and others), and more. So make sure you calculate your budget well before taking the plunge.

However, if you’re low on budget or you’re just dipping your toe into the VR world, we recommend trying Google Cardboard and a phone that fits. It may not have as many cool features, but it is a way to see if you truly like it.

Consider the available content

Another important aspect is the type of content available. Since the industry is not yet sure if VR headsets are here to stay there aren’t as many developers involved in creating games and other types of content. This is why, you may end up with a cool headset, but you’ll only be able to play a few boring games with it.

Of course, the content base is growing, and each year, there are more games to consider, but make sure your device is compatible. Devices like Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR have access to a plethora of games and content, but so do devices that use mobile phones. However, the content for smartphones is less complex.

Mobile or fixed

One final decision you need to make before deciding on the headset you want focuses on mobility and space. It’s also strongly connected with the type of gamer you are or want to be. If you enjoy highly technical worlds, with lots of focus on movement that require hours of your time, we recommend a fixed gear like the PlayStation VR or HTC Vive.

However, if you’re only using the gear to escape in a virtual world from time to time, a headset that uses a smartphone would do.

April 6, 2018
How To Access Blocked Websites: All You Need To Know

It can be seriously annoying not being able to access a website because it’s blocked, particularly if you need to get something done urgently.

Yet it can happen so often, public spaces will often deny access to certain websites on their WiFi, including sites such as Facebook, betting sites and other aspects of social media.

However, there are ways around this and if you’re clever enough you can open up the web to whatever you need.

Use a VPN

If you’re looking how to accessed block websites, one of the best places to start is using a VPN.

A Virtual Private Network essentially gives you a secure connection to a different network in the internet, enabling you to access websites that would be otherwise blocked.

What that does is place your IP address somewhere completely different, bypassing the network you’re actually connected to.

This is also great for streaming the likes of Netflix and BBC iPlayer even if you’re not on the correct country. Website namely Top50VPN listed best VPN for streaming that can be used and well-recommended.

Proxy websites are another way around accessing blocked websites and are incredibly easy to use.

There are hundreds of proxy websites out there which will give you unrestricted access to the internet. How this works is the proxy basically camouflages the blocked site allowing you to use them.

Switch your Nnetwork proxy

In many cases, such as in schools or offices, your network may have multiple proxies.

This could mean that while a website might be blocked on one proxy, it may not be on another. Switch them around and you could be given open access to the internet.

It’s relatively easy to switch, all you need to do is head to the connection settings and select the other proxy. It really is that simple.

Use an IP anonymizer

An IP anonymizer will keep you anonymous online and is worth using simply for that. However, if you use one then you can also access blocked websites.

It’s a double win in this case too as you’ll also avoid any tracking on the network as you’re accessing the blocked websites via a piece of kit that will keep you in the shadows.

Use IP over URL

It’s usually the URL which gets blocked on networks so by using the IP instead you may be able to access these blocked sites.

To get the IP of a website, you can use “nslookup” followed by the domain name which will reveal this.

From there just paste the IP address into the browser and it could open up otherwise blocked sites.

April 5, 2018
The Three Best Ways To Organize Your Laptop

We spend so much time on our laptops these days. Our personal lives, business lives and social lives are all generally ran by these and our cell phones, which means they can get a little cluttered.

This can be a nightmare as you’ll end up having files you never use and no longer need clogging up much valued space. However, there are ways to organize your laptop both swiftly and effectively.

If you’re looking to create space on your laptop, or maybe even just get a little more “with it” when it comes to your online and desktop accounts, then read our top tips below and kick start your organizing adventure…

1. Get rid of duplicates

We’ve all downloaded attachment files multiple times before, and most of us will have allowed those to just fester there in your Downloads folder.

Removing duplicates will unlock some valuable space on your laptop and can be got rid of so simply. Downloading applications such as Duplicate Detective will do all the hard work for you, discovering all your duplicates meaning all you have to do is click the delete button.

2. Get a password manager

A password manager will not only keep your passwords a little more organized, they’ll also keep your accounts more secure.

There are dozens out there, all with relatively low costs, and work in a way to encrypt all your accounts with unique passwords that are almost impossible to hack. They’ll also often keep your network private, allowing you to bypass any website blocks.

As mentioned, there are a lot out there so it’s worth checking out reviews on sites such as bestonlinereviews.com to find the one that’s most suitable for the purposes you’ll use it for. One thing is for sure though, you’ll never forget a password again and it’ll make your accounts much more organized.

3. Folder files wisely

There’s nothing more annoying than a cluttered desktop. That’s why using folders effectively is a must. Start with more generic main folders that suit what you actually store on your device.

An obvious one and a perfect example is images. You may have a lot of photographs you’ve uploaded onto your laptop, so a main folder for those is ideal.

You can then create sub-folders which can then categorize those images. Firstly, you may have a professional and personal collection. You can then create further sub-folders such as family, friends, years, specific holidays etc.

This can work with almost anything stored on your laptop. Resumes for example can have a main folder which then can be split into years or different positions depending on the jobs you are looking at.

April 4, 2018
WordPress Paid vs. Free Themes: Which Are The Right Ones For You?

WordPress is undoubtedly one of the most powerful website engines out there. Because of its easy to use features, it takes no time for an unprofessional to build an out-of-the-box site. With this platform and a quality WordPress hosting provider, having a site up and running is not a big deal.

With elegant and simple layout, WordPress has so much to offer to developers in order to meet both business and personal needs.

If you are a WordPress beginner, you will be impressed with its customizable features, free themes, and so many easy DIY features. While one of the most challenging tasks is to choose a theme, however, you can check 000webhost.com if you are looking for a list of free WP themes for all kinds of different websites.

For some, free themes are enough to develop a website, but for others, premium (paid) themes are a better choice.

So, how do you decide which theme is right for you?

Let’s have a look.

Pros of free WordPress themes

Absolutely free. Free WordPress themes are completely free. You can download them, use them on your website and make money. No hassle and no hidden charges.

Strict review process. These free themes tend to be bug-free and secure, all thanks to a strict review by some experts who scan and test the themes before they are added into the theme directory.

Loads faster. Free themes come with limited features. But, it loads faster and you will get sufficient time to develop your site.

More plugins. Because developers have to follow strict guidelines of theme review, they tend to support more plugins compared to premium themes.

Easy to download. These themes are easy to download. You don’t have to struggle a bit to get these themes because they are available from the WordPress dashboard.

WordPress free themes come with ample benefits. It helps developers to learn various theme development skills because, after the theme review process, the experts suggest the changes and audits the theme’s code.

Also, it helps the developer to build their reputation, and understanding of the basics of a WordPress theme.

Cons of free WordPress themes

Just like many things in life, free WordPress themes come with a few disadvantages as well. These are:

Limited functionality and features. Most of the free WordPress themes do not provide additional features like landing buttons, using shortcodes, creating buttons etc.

Lack of professional design. Some of the free WordPress themes look unprofessional and may implement poor navigational controls. Background colors may also not be attractive.

Limited support options. WordPress free themes come with limited options like you can’t respond to support queries.

Zero obligation. If you are looking for a warranty, then free themes are not for you. Right or wrong, only you are responsible for it. There could be updates to the them, though, which could fix issues.

Not a unique design. When you check the internet, you’ll find many blogs and sites that have used the same free WordPress theme. Moreover, with free themes, you’ll get restricted options to customize the look of the theme.

Compatibility issue. Most of the free themes have compatibility problems with plugins. Many of these problems could be related to updates to the WordPress core, that causes a conflict with the free theme that may not be updated to the changes to the WordPress core.

To make the right choice, the first thing you should know is the difference between free and paid themes and how they differentiate from each other.

Let’s now know more about premium or paid themes now.

WordPress paid themes come with lots of advantages like consistent updates, theme support and much more. Here are a few pros of premium/paid WordPress theme.

Pros of premium WordPress themes

All kinds of support like phone, email, forum etc. Whether you are a WordPress beginner or a pro, with WordPress paid themes you will get all kinds of support that suits your needs. You can contact them via phone, email or participate in the forums, the choice is yours.

High quality. Compared to free themes, WordPress themes are higher in terms of generating value, for creating positive feedback loop, etc.

Advanced functionality. When you opt for a paid version of a WordPress theme, you will get access to a number of advanced functionality like Elegant themes, WooDojo plugins or even advanced admin panels. This makes site configuration and customizations much easier.

High-quality design. A good design goes a long way and it doesn’t need any proof. From backend admin menus/pages to page templates, a high-quality design can help you to improve the productivity of your site.

Guaranteed security. Where free WordPress themes come with a ‘at your own risk’ label, premium/paid site comes with guaranteed security to their customers.

Cons of premium WordPress themes

Higher price. Let’s face it, premium WordPress themes are expensive. There are chances the theme you choose can be a bit high in price, and after you bought it, you need some sort of licensing fees as well. That may become a little expensive than what you could afford.

Don’t have any official review process. Another disadvantage of premium themes is they don’t have any official review process so they can ignore WordPress development best practices in a few areas.

Crossing over into plugin domain. It is quite common that WordPress themes can cross over a few plugins domain and offer some features that may disappear when you change themes.

Slow loading speed. The main aim of developers is to create more themes with irrelevant features. You may not use many of those features, but the features that you don’t use can actually slow down your website.

To sum up

When looking for a WordPress theme, make sure you build a website that can cater to your every need. Other than browser support, responsive design, load time, it is important for you to build a website that helps your business to stand apart.

It’s completely fine to start with a free version of a WordPress theme and then upgrade when you think it’s the right time.

When buying a WordPress theme, it is important to understand the pros and cons of both premium and free WordPress themes. Your selection is based on your website needs, budget as well as on the aesthetic preferences.

March 29, 2018
Can Machine Learning Help Bridge the Skills Gap in Tech?

Have you been paying any attention to business news over the past year? Then you’ve almost certainly heard of machine learning. You might, however, still not quite understand what it is and how it works.

Essentially, machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that utilizes layered digital neurons to learn from data.

This isn’t exactly one of those things that sound more complicated than it is in reality. Most people would be completely lost in a discussion about the intricacies of the subject. This doesn’t mean that employees should give up on trying to understand its potential applications.

There are a few ways machine learning will help bridge the skills gap in tech.

Logistics

Logistics is mind-bogglingly complicated. This science has evolved greatly since its early days, thanks in large part to computers. Now, machine learning is going to take it to a whole new level.

This is one of the biggest areas where this technology will pay massive dividends in the long run. An artificial intelligence will be able to completely redefine logistics patterns. This is because humans have an incredibly limited understanding of ideal logistical efficiency. We can create models to help us; but those still fall short.

Machine learning can process all available data in order to continually improve processes to their full potential.

Cybersecurity

Digital security is going to be a major issue for the foreseeable future. It’s highly unlikely that we’re going to be regressing toward analog communications or payments anytime soon.

Due to this, cybersecurity needs to stay ahead of nefarious trends. Machine learning will be able to help develop novel forms of online security.

It may even lead to breakthroughs in new forms of computing altogether. Either way, machine learning will be essential to the future of data security.

Data analysis

A top data architect understands that machine learning will be critical to their future. Data is the lifeblood of growth in today’s business world.

Companies that want to compete increasingly need to leverage data to some degree. Right now, this typically means paying a teams of data scientists to parse through masses of information.

Soon, much of the process will be turned over to machine learning. This will be much faster, and provide deeper insights, than human-completed analysis.

Optimization

Optimization has already been discussed a little bit in regards to logistics. There are, however, many ways in which machine learning will help optimize other things as well. Consider a manufacturing plant.

There are so many elements that go into it: design, layout, machinery, size, spacing, build rate, down time, and many more variables. It would be impossible for the human mind to come up with a perfectly optimized assembly process.

We might do a decent job at it; but machine learning beats us by far. It will be able to tell assembly line designers exactly how to optimize for specific product production.

Predictive modeling

Of course, we can’t stop thinking about the future just because we have fancy new tools now. Machine learning will also be able to help us with that. These systems will be able to help companies model the future based on massive data pools.

Of course, the outcome won’t 100 percent match the prediction. On the other hand, it will be much more accurate than anything that could be imagined by a human.

Machine learning will also be able to identify patterns that might otherwise be completely overlooked by humans.

Overall, machine learning is set to have a massive impact on the future of humanity. It truly has the potential to completely alter the way businesses and governments make decisions.

March 21, 2018