“Hype is all about helping emerging YouTube channels grow by connecting them with new audiences,” said Jessica Locke, Product Manager at YouTube. The idea behind Hype was born from feedback gathered from both creators and viewers, revealing a strong desire for fans to play a more significant role in their favorite creators’ journeys. “We heard from fans that they wanted to do more than just watch and like videos—they wanted to actively contribute to the success of creators they believe in,” Locke explained.

Listen to our conversation on YouTube’s new Hype feature. Great for emerging creators!

How Hype Works

At its core, Hype is a system that lets fans elevate the visibility of videos from creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. Videos that have been out for less than seven days are eligible for “hyping,” allowing users to go beyond the typical like and share functions. Each fan can hype up to three videos per week, with the option to purchase additional hypes in the future, unlocking a potential new revenue stream for creators.

The more hypes a video receives, the higher it climbs on a new leaderboard, which ranks the top 100 hyped videos of the week in each country. “It’s not just about getting views—it’s about showcasing which creators have the most passionate and engaged fanbases,” Locke emphasized. A key aspect of Hype is its inclusivity, with a built-in “small creator bonus” that multiplies the points earned for creators with fewer subscribers, ensuring that smaller channels can compete with more established ones.

Hype doesn’t influence YouTube’s recommendation algorithms or search results, keeping it as a separate feature that solely reflects fan engagement. This fan-first approach, Locke said, is “about giving fans a way to express their excitement and help their favorite creators gain exposure.”

Building Hype: From Concept to Launch

The development of Hype began with a simple insight: fans of emerging creators wanted to feel more involved in their success. “When we surveyed over 2,500 viewers across the US, Japan, and Germany, more than 75% of respondents said they wanted to help small creators grow their channels,” Locke explained. The team quickly realized that fans weren’t just looking for a passive viewing experience—they wanted to be part of the journey, actively helping creators achieve success.

Initially, the team experimented with more interactive concepts, such as letting viewers directly contribute to a video’s hype within the first 24 hours or sponsor specific segments of a video. “We even considered allowing viewers to ‘cheer’ their own comments with animations and effects,” Locke revealed. But after rounds of testing and user feedback, it became clear that simplicity was key. “The seven-day window and the Hype leaderboard struck the perfect balance between urgency and flexibility,” she added.

The beta testing phase, which took place in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, saw over 5 million hypes across more than 50,000 unique channels in just four weeks. “The largest age group participating in the beta was 18- to 24-year-olds, making up more than 30% of all users,” Locke shared, highlighting the enthusiasm of younger viewers to support their favorite emerging creators.

Leveling the Playing Field

One of the challenges YouTube sought to address with Hype was the difficulty small creators face in gaining visibility. Larger channels with more subscribers naturally get more views, which can create a feedback loop that makes it harder for smaller channels to break through. “We wanted to make sure that Hype wasn’t just dominated by the biggest creators,” Locke said. To that end, the “small creator bonus” was introduced, giving creators with fewer subscribers a point multiplier to help them climb the leaderboard and be discovered by new audiences.

Creators who make it onto the leaderboard will also receive a special badge on their videos, signaling to viewers that their content is a fan favorite. “It’s a way for the community to rally around new and exciting creators, helping them get the exposure they deserve,” Locke explained.

Hype’s Impact on the Creator-Fan Relationship

For fans, Hype offers a more meaningful way to engage with creators. “I love that I can directly support the creators I care about,” said one early tester from the beta phase. “It feels like I’m part of their journey.” This sentiment was echoed by many users, who appreciated the opportunity to have a tangible impact on the growth of their favorite channels.

On the creator side, Hype is expected to be a game-changer. Smaller creators, who often struggle to get their videos noticed, now have a tool that allows their most devoted fans to help them grow. “Hype gives the community a way to express the love and excitement they have for up-and-coming creators,” said Bangaly Kaba, Director of Product Management at YouTube. “It’s about rallying around those new voices and giving them a platform to shine.”

The Future of Hype

As Hype rolls out to more markets, YouTube is committed to refining the feature based on user feedback. “We’re just getting started,” Locke said. The team plans to introduce new features, such as the ability to see which users hyped a video and the option for fans to purchase additional hypes, further expanding the ways in which fans can support creators. There are also discussions around personalizing the Hype experience for each user, with topic-specific leaderboards and more tailored recommendations.

“At its heart, Hype is about giving fans a stake in the success of their favorite creators,” Locke concluded. “It’s a win-win for everyone: fans get to discover and promote great content, and creators get the exposure they need to grow their channels.”

As YouTube continues to evolve, features like Hype represent a shift toward more interactive and community-driven experiences, ensuring that both creators and their fans can thrive in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

One such success story is Isabella, a business owner who built two six-figure online businesses using free tools. “When I started, I had no money to spare,” she recalls. “As a beginner, I wasn’t even sure if the business would make any money, so I needed to find a way to start with zero dollars.” Her journey offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs looking to enter the e-commerce space without breaking the bank.

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Free Online Store

When starting with no budget, selecting the right platform is the first and most crucial decision. Popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify or Wix often require monthly subscription fees, which can be a barrier for entrepreneurs just starting out. However, as Isabella discovered, there are powerful alternatives that offer robust features without the financial burden.

“I found a platform that not only allows you to start for free but also gives you all the tools necessary to run a successful store,” Isabella explained. This platform, unlike others that push paid plans, allows entrepreneurs to set up their stores with no cost upfront. “It’s 100% free, and it’s flexible enough to support a range of businesses—from dropshipping to selling handmade products.”

For entrepreneurs, this approach eliminates the risk of investing in a platform before the business has proven itself. As Isabella notes, “Even though my businesses are now six-figure earners, I would still use this free platform if I started another business tomorrow.”

Structuring Your Online Store: Step-by-Step

Building a professional and functional online store doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, it can be done in a matter of minutes with the right guidance. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to structure your store without spending a dime:

1. Setting Up Your Store and Adding Products

For entrepreneurs starting with dropshipping or selling their own products, adding products is a straightforward process. If you’re dropshipping, sourcing images and descriptions from suppliers like AliExpress can help you quickly populate your store. “Suppliers don’t mind if you use their images for your online store,” Isabella says. This allows entrepreneurs to focus on building their business without worrying about product photography.

For those selling handmade or unique items, high-quality images and detailed descriptions are essential. “The key to building trust with your customers is clear, professional product listings,” Isabella emphasizes. “Even if you’re working with a free platform, your store should look polished and well-organized.”

2. Designing Your Website on a Budget

One of the biggest concerns for new entrepreneurs is how to create a visually appealing store without hiring a designer. Fortunately, many free platforms come with pre-designed templates that are easy to customize. “You don’t need to spend money on a designer,” says Isabella. “The templates available are more than enough to create a professional-looking store.”

Entrepreneurs can select from various themes based on their industry, whether it’s home décor, fashion, or tech gadgets. “It’s actually fun to design your store,” Isabella adds. “With a bit of creativity, you can make it stand out without paying for fancy designs.”

In addition to choosing a theme, ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly is crucial. Mobile commerce continues to grow, and customers increasingly shop on their smartphones. Isabella advises, “Make sure your site is optimized for mobile—it’s a must in 2024.”

Leveraging Data and Customer Tracking

One of the key challenges entrepreneurs face in e-commerce is making data-driven decisions, particularly when running ads. With the rise of privacy changes, tracking conversions from Facebook ads can be tricky. This is where tools like Triple Whale come in handy. “Triple Whale helps me overcome the limitations of iOS privacy changes by sending accurate data back to Facebook,” Isabella explains.

For entrepreneurs looking to scale their business, being able to track and analyze customer data is critical. “Without good data, you’re flying blind,” says Isabella. “You need to know where your customers are coming from and how they’re interacting with your site.” Using tools like Triple Whale ensures that you have a clearer picture of your business performance.

Managing Payments and Shipping: The Essentials

For any online business, managing payments securely and efficiently is a top priority. Stripe and PayPal are the go-to solutions for many entrepreneurs, and both integrate easily with free platforms. “I recommend using both Stripe and PayPal,” Isabella advises. “They give your store a professional appearance, and customers trust them.” Secure payment gateways not only build trust but also make transactions smoother for your customers.

Shipping, another critical element, can either make or break your online business. Isabella recommends offering free shipping to attract more customers, although she personally charges a flat rate. “Even though I charge for shipping, many dropshipping stores offer free shipping and see higher conversion rates,” she explains. It’s important to consider how shipping costs factor into your overall pricing strategy.

Marketing Your Online Store for Free

With your store set up and products listed, the next challenge is driving traffic without a marketing budget. “The biggest question I get from new entrepreneurs is, ‘How do I get people to find my store?’” says Isabella. The answer lies in creative, low-cost marketing strategies.

1. Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are powerful tools for driving traffic. “Instagram is great for showcasing your products,” Isabella shares. “Post behind-the-scenes content, product demos, and customer reviews. It’s a great way to build trust and create buzz around your brand.”

Facebook groups are another valuable resource for new entrepreneurs. “Join groups related to your niche and engage with the community,” Isabella advises. “Don’t just spam your products—offer valuable insights, and people will naturally be curious about your store.”

2. User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is an effective, low-cost marketing strategy that builds credibility. “Getting customers to create testimonial videos or product reviews is invaluable,” says Isabella. “You can even reach out to freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork to create videos that resonate with your target audience.”

3. Ad Inspiration from Facebook Ad Library

For those who want to experiment with Facebook Ads but lack the resources for high-end creatives, the Facebook Ad Library can be a game-changer. “Look at what your competitors or big brands are doing,” suggests Isabella. “You don’t need to reinvent the wheel—just see what’s working for them and adapt it to your own style.”

Testing and Scaling Your Store

Once your store is live and gaining traction, continuous testing becomes essential for growth. “The beauty of e-commerce is that it’s always evolving,” Isabella explains. “You need to test different ad creatives, pricing strategies, and product listings to see what works best.”

Entrepreneurs should also invest time in analyzing which marketing strategies bring the highest return on investment (ROI). “Always keep an eye on your metrics—whether it’s conversion rates or customer acquisition costs,” she advises. “Knowing what’s driving success will help you make smarter decisions as you scale.”

Starting for $0, Growing to Success

Building an online store in 2024 with zero upfront investment may seem too good to be true, but it’s entirely possible. With the right platform, a smart marketing strategy, and a willingness to test and iterate, any entrepreneur can launch and grow a successful e-commerce business.

“The key is to take action and start now,” Isabella concludes. “Don’t let the fear of spending money hold you back. You can build a store, market it, and grow it—all for free. And once you gain momentum, the possibilities are endless.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs, this guide provides a clear path to start their e-commerce journey without the financial barriers. By leveraging the tools and strategies outlined, you can take the first step toward building a thriving online business—without spending a single dollar.

Knowing your business’s needs can help narrow down your web hosting options. Activities like 24/7 live-streaming or video blogging will require more resources. On the other hand, your hosting needs will be minimal if you intend to use your website as a blogging platform only. 

Websites with high regular traffic are unlikely to function well on shared hosting, which is designed for smaller websites with lower hosting requirements. 

Calculate the bandwidth you’ll need

Your bandwidth is the volume of data transferred between your website and its guests. It is measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or Gbps (gigabytes per second). The number of visitors to your site and the size of your media files and web pages will determine your bandwidth needs. 

Leaving room for growth is critical. Make sure there is no risk of your web hosting provider locking you into a specific bandwidth amount or internet speed because they will charge you extra if you decide to change your hosting plan with business growth. 

The following are benchmark values of the bandwidth in megabits per second:

• Basic email – 1 Mbps.
• Cloud-based services – 5 Mbps.
• Cloud backup – 2 Mbps.
• Cloud computing – 2 Mbps.
• Email with attachments – 15 Mbps.
• Data transfer – 2 Mbps.
• File sharing – 5 Mbps.
• General web browsing – 0.33 Mbps.

Make sure your web host can handle growth

New web hosting businesses sometimes try to win a market share with low prices, hoping that a large number of clients will make up for it. When they do obtain a lot of clients, they find out they’re unable to manage so many at once. If your business is growing, choose a more established web hosting company that can handle growth without compromising customer experience with issues like downtime, adverse effects on search rankings, and slow load speeds.

The price isn’t the only factor

Shared hosting can be between $2 and $5 a month, but this price often comes with poor customer service, slow servers, or excessive downtime. More and more business owners are choosing VPS hosting because it gives them power and control, like having a private server, but at a lower price. Experts predict that almost 85% of all companies will use cloud hosting by 2025. Cloud hosting is popular because it is reliable and can adjust to growing businesses’ needs.   

Check the quality of customer support

Before you commit to a hosting plan, check how to contact customer support. Is it easy and quick to contact a representative by chat, email, or phone? Check how they respond to your queries. As of 2024, 93% of support teams agree that customer expectations are higher than ever, and 80% of people report having negative experiences with customer service on a regular basis. 

Ask about the hosting provider’s security 

Almost every organization across the globe hosts some of its IT infrastructure in the cloud. Unfortunately, 43% of IT decision-makers labor under the misconception that cloud providers have to protect and recover public cloud data. That is not the provider’s responsibility. Less than a quarter of organizations have a tested, documented, and updated disaster recovery plan. 

A security flaw can be devastating to a business. Your hosting provider should have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to protect your customers’ data. SSL is critical to ensure secure and safe online transactions, and all reputable web hosts have this feature.  

Web hosting providers may provide manual backups, manual restoration, host-assisted restoration, or automated backups. Being able to perform manual backup and restoration is preferable because the host might take more time to do it than you expect. 

Uptime 

Finally, anything lower than 99.5% makes it difficult for businesses to deliver on a promise of reliability. If your website is offline, search engines can’t index it, which is detrimental to ranking, sales, and customer engagement.

Recap

• Know your required bandwidth in advance  
• Paying more for hosting is worth it
• Check the quality of customer support
• Ask about the hosting provider’s security features
• Uptime should be at least 99.5%

For many content creators, the allure of YouTube has long been tempered by the relentless demands of the platform. What was once seen as a novel and lucrative career path has morphed into a grueling treadmill of constant content creation, algorithmic uncertainties, and fluctuating ad revenues. As one creator aptly put it, “YouTube can be a frustrating platform.”

Creators like MatPat, who recently announced his departure from his renowned YouTube channel Game Theory, express sentiments that underscore the challenges facing content creators in the current ecosystem. Despite their large followings and years of dedication, many feel that their efforts are no longer yielding the same returns, leading some to pivot or leave the platform altogether.

While creator burnout and algorithmic frustrations are nothing new, the rise of AI-generated content presents a new and potentially more significant threat to the traditional creator ecosystem. As automation streamlines the editing process and AI-generated channels proliferate across social media platforms, creators compete against a tide of algorithmically curated content.

Indeed, the shift towards AI-generated content is already underway. Some channels are utilizing AI technology to produce videos targeting specific demographics, including children. This trend has raised concerns about the proliferation of misinformation and the erosion of traditional creator values on the platform.

In response to these challenges, YouTube has introduced new policies to curb the spread of AI-generated content and ensure transparency among creators. However, the efficacy of these measures remains to be seen as AI technology continues to advance rapidly.

Despite the uncertainties and challenges facing YouTube creators, some remain optimistic about the platform’s future. While the landscape may be evolving, creators can still thrive, particularly in niche communities like gaming, podcasts, and commentary.

As the platform undergoes yet another transformation, creators must choose to adapt to the changing landscape or risk being left behind. While the road ahead may be uncertain, one thing is clear: the era of traditional YouTube content creation is drawing to a close, making way for a new generation of creators and content formats.

As a guest on Small Business Quick Wins, presented by Thrive, Hayden shared her expertise and insights into the pitfalls to avoid and the tips that small business owners need to know for effective accounting and bookkeeping practices.

Hayden’s journey to becoming an accounting expert started nine years ago when she founded Kickstart Accounting. Drawing from her experience as a CPA and CFO, Hayden recognized the need to provide tailored accounting solutions to small businesses. Her company has since become a leading firm in the field, specializing in helping small businesses make informed financial decisions.

One of the key points Hayden emphasized is the importance of separating personal and business finances—a common mistake she encounters among small business owners. By maintaining separate accounts for business transactions, owners can ensure clarity and compliance, reducing the risk of legal and financial complications.

Moreover, Hayden highlighted the misconception that business owners need to be proficient in accounting before hiring professional help. She debunked this myth, emphasizing the value of outsourcing specialized tasks to qualified experts. Whether it’s bookkeeping, tax preparation, or payroll management, Hayden stressed the importance of entrusting these responsibilities to professionals, allowing business owners to focus on what they do best.

Throughout the discussion, Hayden underscored the role of accountability in financial management. As an accountability partner to her clients, she ensures that they stay organized and compliant with financial regulations. By providing regular reports and guidance, Kickstart Accounting helps small business owners confidently navigate the complexities of financial management.

In addition to her practical advice, Hayden addressed the common misconceptions surrounding bookkeeping and accounting. She emphasized the need for clarity and transparency in financial reporting, urging business owners to prioritize accuracy and consistency.

Wrapping up the conversation, Hayden shared her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and helping them thrive in their business endeavors. Through her podcast, “Business by the Book,” and personalized services, she remains committed to supporting small businesses on their journey to success.

As the podcast concluded, Hayden’s insights resonated with listeners. She offered practical solutions and dispelled myths surrounding accounting and bookkeeping. With her guidance, small business owners can approach financial management with clarity and confidence, knowing that they have a trusted partner in Kickstart Accounting.

Harley Finkelstein, COO of Shopify, discusses how COVID has dramatically sped up the timeline for commerce moving online and has also moved Shopify closer to its goal of becoming the world’s first retail operating system:

Shopify Evolving Into World’s First Retail Operating System

Most people assume that Shopify is an ecommerce provider. We have more than a million stores on Shopify. If you were to aggregate our stores in the US we’d be the second-largest online retailer in America. Of course, we’re not a retailer but we’re a platform. But we now have these great economies of scale that we’re using to level the playing field for entrepreneurs and small businesses. That being said, what really Shopify is evolving into is the world’s first retail operating system. 

What we’re trying to figure out is what do brands and entrepreneurs and retailers need, not just now but in the future? We think the future of retail is retail everywhere. A brand that’s going to be successful in 5, 10 or 15 years from now needs to sell across any platform and across any channel where they have customers. This idea of enabling Shopify merchants to very easily push their products to the Amazon Marketplace or the eBay marketplace or now the Walmart marketplace, that gives them access to a new set of consumers. The idea is that it all feeds back in one centralized back-office, the retail operating system, which is Shopify. 

Then we’ve gone ahead and asked what else can we do for these merchants? Can we do capital? We’ve now given out about a billion dollars worth of cash advances and loans to small businesses. We’re doing fulfillment and we’re doing shipping. We’re increasing the scope and the relationship that we have with the million stores on Shopify. This is allowing them to become category leaders.

COVID Speeds Up The Ecommerce Revolution

From our view, it seems like the commerce world that would have existed in the year 2030 has really been pulled into the year 2020 (as a result of the COVID crisis). We’ve seen ecommerce as a percent of total retail go from 15 percent to 25 percent in the last three months. That’s the same growth rate that we’ve seen over the last 10 years. What really has emerged here is sort of this tale of two retail worlds. On one side you have these resilient retailers that are doing great, they’re pivoting, and they’re expanding their businesses. On the other side, you have these resistant retailers who have not made it. In many ways, it’s probably the most exciting time for retail in a very long time. 

We talk a lot about these direct to consumer brands that are becoming category leaders. The Allbirds and the Gymsharks who started on Shopify when they were very small and have grown to become the incumbents in their industry. Every 25 seconds a brand new entrepreneur makes his or her (products) for sale on Shopify. We talk a lot about those new startups, those new DTC brands. But actually, what we’re also seeing on Shopify are companies like Lindt Chocolate or Heinz ketchup or Chipotle. They are signing up for Shopify and basically from like five days from contract to launch they are completely changing their businesses. 

This resiliency isn’t simply in the hands of just the smallest of brands. Big companies are also beginning to think a lot more about how to stay resilient in this time. They’re moving well beyond ecommerce or thinking about offline commerce now. They’re thinking about how do they sell across social media? How do they sell across different marketplaces? So no, I don’t think it’s too late (to enter ecommerce) but I do think they have to rethink their strategies.

Scott Heimes, Chief Marketing Officer at Zipwhip, discusses how two-way text messaging can be an extremely effective way to communicate with your customers in an interview on the B2B Growth Podcast:

76% of Consumers Have Received Text From Businesses

Over 76 percent of consumers have received some kind of text from a business. The most common are appointment reminders or bank alerts. This really just scratches the surface. Texting has so many applications beyond just alerts and reminders. There are sales and marketing, discount coupons and giveaways, customer support and service, recruiting and staffing, and internal communications at places like educational institutions. It’s so new and businesses are continuing to innovate in this medium. There are a lot of powerful use cases for businesses.

We have over 30,000 businesses using our software today. They range from very small businesses like yoga studios or lawn care services all the way up to multi-billion dollar insurance companies that are using our solution in their claim call centers. Industries include financial services, staffing and recruiting, healthcare, legal, and more. We have 156 professional sports teams that use our solution. They use it for ticket sales and customer service. There are lots of fitness gyms, radio and TV stations that use our text solution as well. It really does run the gamut of anybody that wants to communicate with their customers via this preferred medium.

Report Shows Increasing Use of Texting by Businesses

I just talked to the Director of Communications for the Sound Transit Authority, the public transit authority in Seattle, who uses our solution. They publish an 800 number to text or call when people see problems on the trains. Rather than get on the phone and calling, more and more people are texting those alerts. It’s really an interesting use case. Another one is during a recent hurricane down in Houston we had an insurance agent that was using our software to communicate with all of his customers in the area because the phone lines were largely down. Texting was working well to create engagement and communication during those tough times.

We recently created a report called the State of Texting which is a deep research study that highlights the adoption curve of text messaging as a business communication tool. It identifies how many consumers are already being texted by businesses as well as many other key insights and trends. One of the things we saw was that there are a lot of one-way texting tools where you get an alert from your doctor’s office, for instance, but you can’t respond to it. It was actually fired off by a CRM using an API that was just one way.

Text is a Great Way to Increase Engagement

Increasingly, consumers would prefer to be able to respond to those texts and have an actual interaction with a human on the other side to either reschedual that appointment or alert them that they are going to be five minutes late or something like that. We are seeing a trend where people want to be able to respond to texts and have an interaction as opposed to continuing to be one way.

For businesses, the communication channels of email and phone are just becoming less and less effective. Text is a great way to increase your engagement and responsiveness with consumers. They’ll actually respond to a text. One of the things we are doing as a company is everything we can to maintain the purity of the texting medium to make sure that spam doesn’t leak its way into this channel.

>> Listen to the complete interview with Zipwhip CMO Scott Heimes on the B2B Growth podcast.

Professionals often choose hosting services based on reliability, uptime guarantees, and the ability to handle traffic surges. Scalability is a key factor, allowing for growth and expansion as user demand increases. Security is paramount, with professionals seeking hosting providers that offer robust protection against cyber threats, including firewalls, SSL certificates, and regular backups.

Web hosting also offers tech professionals a range of tools and services to streamline development and deployment. These include one-click installs of popular CMS platforms, automated deployment pipelines, and support for various programming languages and databases.

Choosing the right web hosting service is a crucial decision for tech professionals, as it impacts website performance, security, and scalability. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make an informed choice:

1. Understand Your Hosting Needs

   – Website Type and Traffic: Consider the type of site you’re running. E-commerce, blogs, and portfolios have different requirements.

   – Traffic Volume: Estimate your site’s traffic. Higher traffic demands more resources and bandwidth.

2. Types of Web Hosting

   – Shared Hosting: Ideal for small websites with low traffic. Cost-effective but limited resources.

   – VPS Hosting: Offers more power and flexibility. Suitable for medium-sized businesses.

   – Dedicated Hosting: Provides an entire server for your website. Best for high-traffic sites requiring full control.

   – Cloud Hosting: Scalable and reliable, suitable for websites with fluctuating traffic.

   – Managed Hosting: Hosting services manage technical aspects, such as security and updates. Useful for those lacking technical expertise.

3. Performance and Uptime

   – Seek providers guaranteeing high uptime (99.9% is standard).

   – Consider server locations. Closer servers to your audience ensure faster load times.

4. Security Features

   – Essential features include SSL certificates, firewalls, and regular backups.

   – Look for hosting services offering advanced security measures like DDoS protection.

5. Scalability and Flexibility

   – Your hosting service should grow with your site. Look for easy scalability options.

   – Check if the host supports different types of databases and programming languages.

6. Customer Support

   – 24/7 support is crucial. Check for support channels like phone, chat, and email.

   – Read reviews to gauge the quality of customer service.

7. Pricing and Contracts

   – Compare pricing plans. Beware of hidden costs and renewal prices.

   – Understand contract terms and conditions. Look for money-back guarantees.

8. Additional Features

   – Some hosts offer extra features like free domain registration, email hosting, and website builders.

   – Check for integrations and compatibility with tools you plan to use.

9. Reputation and Reviews

   – Research the reputation of the hosting provider. Look for user reviews and testimonials.

   – Investigate their history regarding uptime and customer support.

10. Environmental Impact

– Consider hosts that use renewable energy or participate in carbon offsetting programs.

Case Study: HostingJump:

As a key player in the market, HostingJump exemplifies many of these qualities. They offer a range of hosting types, prioritize high uptime, and provide robust security features. Additionally, their customer support is well-regarded, and they offer competitive pricing with transparent terms.

11. Trial Periods and Money-Back Guarantees

– Take advantage of trial periods to test the hosting service.

– A money-back guarantee offers a risk-free way to evaluate services.

12. Ease of Migration

– If you’re switching hosts, check for easy migration services.

– Some hosts offer free migration with minimal downtime.

13. Backup and Data Recovery

– Regular backups are essential. Check how often backups are taken and how easy it is to restore data.

– Data recovery procedures should be clear and straightforward.

14. Check for Over-Selling

– Some shared hosts over-sell their server space, leading to slow performance.

– Research how the host manages shared resources to avoid over-selling issues.

15. Consider Specialized Hosting

– If you have specific needs (like WordPress hosting), look for specialized services.

16. Read the Fine Print

– Pay attention to the Terms of Service. Look for clauses about resource usage and server limitations.

17. Community and Support Forums

– A strong community or active support forum can be invaluable for troubleshooting and advice.

18. Control Panel and User Interface

– A user-friendly control panel, like cPanel, can significantly ease website management.

19. Email Hosting

– Check if the hosting service includes email hosting. Consider the number of email accounts and storage provided.

20. E-Commerce Features

– For e-commerce sites, look for features like SSL certification, shopping cart software, and payment gateway integrations.

By carefully considering these factors, tech professionals can choose a web hosting service that best suits their needs, ensuring a robust, secure, and scalable online presence.

Conclusion

Making an informed decision when choosing a web hosting service is critical for tech professionals. The ideal service should satisfy various needs including high uptime, strong security, scalability, exceptional customer support, and affordable pricing. Added features such as free domain registration, email hosting, and ease of migration are valuable additions. By considering companies like HostingJump and understanding your specific hosting needs, you can ensure your website maintains an impactful online presence. Ultimately, your choice in hosting service can significantly influence your website’s performance, security, and scalability. Therefore, tread carefully and make a well-informed decision.

Scott Tousley, Senior Team Lead of User Acquisition for all products at HubSpot, was recently interviewed on the B2B Growth Podcast by David Kelly, General Manager at Sumo Dojo. Tousley discusses how HubSpot is using Surround Sound Marketing Strategy to drive leads and sales:

Surround Sound Marketing Strategy Starting to Take Off

There is a very smart individual at HubSpot named Alex Birkett based out of Austin, Texas. He is working on this concept that is really starting to take off called Surround Sound Strategy. Essentially what that means is that it runs with the notion that marketers are selfish. All we care about is how do we drive more traffic to our website. I don’t care where it comes from. Whether it comes from search or social or referral traffic or email, it doesn’t matter. You’re always looking at how do I get more traffic to my website? The reality is that when we are trying to buy something you don’t go to one website. You go to multiple different websites when you are trying to make a purchasing decision.

For example, I’m in South Lake Tahoe right now. One search I just did recently was “best bars in South Lake Tahoe.” I wanted to see a list and I wanted to see some reviews from a couple of different websites. I also like to surf, so let’s say I’m in the market for a new shortboard. So I search for “best shortboards 2019.” First, I’ll read a listicle, then I will go back to Google and I will click on the next list. Then I will go back again and click on the next list. Then I will start to narrow my decision based on seeing the same thing over and over. Once I narrow it down I will do a versus search such as “lost puddle jumper” vs. “channel islands average joe.” I’ve narrowed my decision at that point.

We Want To Be At All Stages of the Purchasing Decision

What we are trying to do at HubSpot right now is figure out how to be everywhere. We want to be at all stages of that purchasing decision when people are searching for “what is the best blank that exists today.” Well, there are a ton of lists that are out there and a ton of review sites and HubSpot’s B2B software (has to be there). There are a lot of review sites just dominating search engines right now like Capterra, G2 Crowd, and Software Advice. A lot of those are pay to play. You have got to pay to get listed on what appears when you land via search. Most of them are.

But listicles are free. Not only are they free to get added to, but they are free to create. That’s one of the biggest things we are working on right now. How do we change our mindset from being so obsessed at driving traffic to our website? How do we make sure that HubSpot’s brand is everywhere when you are doing your product research and you are on many different websites? We actually sometimes prefer that we drive traffic to multiple different websites where we are listed versus just to our own. It’s good for social grouping.

Listen to the full interview with HubSpot’s Scott Tousley.

These agents ensure that any legal documents and notices are properly reviewed and handled, thereby contributing to smoother communication. Selecting the right registered agent is an important decision that should be made with extreme care. 

Below in this article, we are going to mention the top 5 tips that can help you choose a qualified registered agent for your business. 

1. Understand the Role of a Registered Agent 

Before you begin the selection process, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what is registered agent and what they do. As mentioned above, a registered agent is responsible for receiving legal documents, such as tax notices, government correspondence, and lawsuits on behalf of your business. 

This is the reason they are a crucial entity of your business and must be available during regular business hours and have a physical address within the state of registration. Understanding their roles and all this will help you make a more informed choice when selecting a registered agent for your business. 

2. Consider Professionalism and Reliability 

Registered agents are professional people who contribute towards the betterment and legal compliance of your business. That’s why the registered agent you choose should be reliable, reputable, trustworthy, experienced, and show professionalism in their work. 

Also, they should be experienced in handling sensitive legal documents and have a proven track record of working with a business like yours. You will also need to consider how quick they are in forwarding important notices to your business. You can check for their previous work record and ask about any previous businesses they have worked with. 

3. Ensure Compliance with State Requirements 

Legal requirements and regulations regarding registered agents vary from state to state, so it is important to ensure that the agent you choose to work with meets all the legal criteria of the state where your business is registered. 

This includes having a physical street address, being available during regular business hours, and maintaining a presence within the state to receive services of process whenever they arrive. Failing to comply with these requirements can lead to serious legal consequences and missing out on important legal proceedings. 

4. Consider Additional Services and Fees 

Some registered agent service providers offer additional services beyond basic document forwarding. These services may include compliance monitoring, annual report filing, and other administrative support in business dealings. 

These services can be important for your business but you will also need to ask the service provider if they will charge additional fees for these services. After evaluating the effectiveness of any additional services offered by the registered agent, you can ensure they are aligning with your business needs and budget. 

Email newsletters can lend a great deal of help in client retention, communication, and revenue-building. Many newsletters provide readers with coupons, exclusive offers and products, as well as membership perks and discounts. As a result, experts have found shoppers to spend nearly 137% more with a business after receiving email offers. To the benefit of the brand, a $45 return is seen for every $1 spent on email marketing.

In other words, the key to successful email marketing is getting your content seen and engaged with without getting flagged as spam. Luckily, this is achievable in various ways.

One of the easiest things you can do to raise your email open rates is to replace any irrelevant text or uninteresting subject lines. When crafting an email, be personal. Feel free to use the recipient’s name or location as a conversation-builder. Continuing on, be brief. As a general rule of thumb, keep email subject lines under 10 words – and/or 60 characters. However, remember to keep your subject line friendly, as this personable method also increases email open rates. With this, be sure to use no more than 3 punctuation marks and 1 emoji.

Of course, there are many methods to messaging targeted recipients. A/B comparison methods can assist as they allow for testing across various subject lines. With its results, you can learn which outreach variant your customers prefer.

You can also categorize your contacts into interest groups and geolocation to ensure content is relevant to all receivers. Geolocations can be as specific as time zones or regions.

On the other hand, you can increase your click-through rates using hacks just as easy. For example, change your hyperlink’s text, and avoid using “click here.” Remember: not many email recipients click for more. Instead, take the opportunity to embed multiple links to the same content, and create descriptive and concise link text when doing so. You can also use A/B style testing here to test out content blocks.

When conducting outreach, one of the most important keys to remember is not getting marked as spam. Recipients rarely flag marketing emails as spam; but when they do, it’s because they’ve grown stale of the marketer’s content, their contact information has been purchased, they have been contacted without permission, or something else along these lines.

As a human courtesy, ask customers to opt-in to receiving your emails before auto-blasting them with content. In fact, take the time to explain the benefits such as coupons or other exclusive offers when asking them to op-tin. Regardless of what you, never purchase email addresses. Similarly, never hide the unsubscribe link from your emails. It’s always important to keep emails and campaigns professional – so stick to any email frequency expectations you have set for your team.

Overall, all marketers want consumers to engage with their content. The best way in doing so may be through email marketing. Do you know the best tactics for engaging with the public?

Cloud computing allows businesses to access their data from anywhere and at any time, while VPS allows them to scale up or down depending on their needs. Both of these solutions are cost-effective, secure and reliable – perfect for small businesses that may not have the budget or resources for more traditional hosting solutions. Additionally, these modern solutions offer features like automatic backups, enhanced security measures, and flexible storage options that make it easier than ever before for businesses to manage their information. By leveraging these types of services, small business owners are able to increase efficiency and profitability without sacrificing quality or customer service.

How does small business hosting enable businesses to become more efficient and cost-effective?

Small business hosting services, given by companies specializing in the service, enable businesses to become more efficient and cost-effective by providing them with a reliable, secure and affordable web hosting solution. With small business hosting, businesses can easily manage their websites without having to worry about the technical aspects of running a website. This allows them to focus on other aspects of their business such as marketing and customer service. 

Moreover, small business hosting provides businesses with access to advanced features such as email accounts, databases and eCommerce solutions that are not available with traditional web hosting services. Such features enable the businesses to better serve their customers while also reducing costs associated with running a website. Furthermore, small business hosting offers scalability options that enable businesses to quickly adjust their resources according to the changing needs or demands. This helps ensure that businesses remain competitive in the market while also keeping costs as low as possible.

What specific features do small business hosting solutions offer that make them beneficial to businesses?

Some of the small business hosting solutions offer features including scalability, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Scalability allows businesses to easily upgrade their hosting plan as their needs change, without having to switch providers or purchase additional hardware. Reliability ensures that websites are always up and running with minimal downtime. Cost-effectiveness is also an important factor for small businesses as they can often get more bang for their buck with shared hosting plans than with dedicated servers. Moreover, many small business hosting solutions offer specialized features such as eCommerce support, website builders and security tools that help protect against cyber threats.

What types of business process are most commonly hosted by small businesses?

Small businesses typically host a variety of business processes, including customer relationship management (CRM), accounting and finance, human resources, inventory management, marketing automation and eCommerce. CRM is one of the most popular business processes hosted by small businesses as it helps them to better manage their customer relationships.Human resources processes such as payroll and employee onboarding are also commonly hosted by small businesses. 

Inventory management is another important process that helps small businesses keep track of their stock levels and ensure they have enough products on hand to meet customer demand. Marketing automation tools can help small businesses automate tasks, such as email campaigns or social media posts, to reach more customers with less effort. Finally, eCommerce solutions allow small businesses to easily set up an online store where customers can purchase products directly from the website. 

Harley Finkelstein, COO of Shopify, discusses how COVID has dramatically sped up the timeline for commerce moving online and has also moved Shopify closer to its goal of becoming the world’s first retail operating system:

Shopify Evolving Into World’s First Retail Operating System

Most people assume that Shopify is an ecommerce provider. We have more than a million stores on Shopify. If you were to aggregate our stores in the US we’d be the second-largest online retailer in America. Of course, we’re not a retailer but we’re a platform. But we now have these great economies of scale that we’re using to level the playing field for entrepreneurs and small businesses. That being said, what really Shopify is evolving into is the world’s first retail operating system. 

What we’re trying to figure out is what do brands and entrepreneurs and retailers need, not just now but in the future? We think the future of retail is retail everywhere. A brand that’s going to be successful in 5, 10 or 15 years from now needs to sell across any platform and across any channel where they have customers. This idea of enabling Shopify merchants to very easily push their products to the Amazon Marketplace or the eBay marketplace or now the Walmart marketplace, that gives them access to a new set of consumers. The idea is that it all feeds back in one centralized back-office, the retail operating system, which is Shopify. 

Then we’ve gone ahead and asked what else can we do for these merchants? Can we do capital? We’ve now given out about a billion dollars worth of cash advances and loans to small businesses. We’re doing fulfillment and we’re doing shipping. We’re increasing the scope and the relationship that we have with the million stores on Shopify. This is allowing them to become category leaders.

COVID Speeds Up The Ecommerce Revolution

From our view, it seems like the commerce world that would have existed in the year 2030 has really been pulled into the year 2020 (as a result of the COVID crisis). We’ve seen ecommerce as a percent of total retail go from 15 percent to 25 percent in the last three months. That’s the same growth rate that we’ve seen over the last 10 years. What really has emerged here is sort of this tale of two retail worlds. On one side you have these resilient retailers that are doing great, they’re pivoting, and they’re expanding their businesses. On the other side, you have these resistant retailers who have not made it. In many ways, it’s probably the most exciting time for retail in a very long time. 

We talk a lot about these direct to consumer brands that are becoming category leaders. The Allbirds and the Gymsharks who started on Shopify when they were very small and have grown to become the incumbents in their industry. Every 25 seconds a brand new entrepreneur makes his or her (products) for sale on Shopify. We talk a lot about those new startups, those new DTC brands. But actually, what we’re also seeing on Shopify are companies like Lindt Chocolate or Heinz ketchup or Chipotle. They are signing up for Shopify and basically from like five days from contract to launch they are completely changing their businesses. 

This resiliency isn’t simply in the hands of just the smallest of brands. Big companies are also beginning to think a lot more about how to stay resilient in this time. They’re moving well beyond ecommerce or thinking about offline commerce now. They’re thinking about how do they sell across social media? How do they sell across different marketplaces? So no, I don’t think it’s too late (to enter ecommerce) but I do think they have to rethink their strategies.

Scott Tousley, Senior Team Lead of User Acquisition for all products at HubSpot, was recently interviewed on the B2B Growth Podcast by David Kelly, General Manager at Sumo Dojo. Tousley discusses how HubSpot is using Surround Sound Marketing Strategy to drive leads and sales:

Surround Sound Marketing Strategy Starting to Take Off

There is a very smart individual at HubSpot named Alex Birkett based out of Austin, Texas. He is working on this concept that is really starting to take off called Surround Sound Strategy. Essentially what that means is that it runs with the notion that marketers are selfish. All we care about is how do we drive more traffic to our website. I don’t care where it comes from. Whether it comes from search or social or referral traffic or email, it doesn’t matter. You’re always looking at how do I get more traffic to my website? The reality is that when we are trying to buy something you don’t go to one website. You go to multiple different websites when you are trying to make a purchasing decision.

For example, I’m in South Lake Tahoe right now. One search I just did recently was “best bars in South Lake Tahoe.” I wanted to see a list and I wanted to see some reviews from a couple of different websites. I also like to surf, so let’s say I’m in the market for a new shortboard. So I search for “best shortboards 2019.” First, I’ll read a listicle, then I will go back to Google and I will click on the next list. Then I will go back again and click on the next list. Then I will start to narrow my decision based on seeing the same thing over and over. Once I narrow it down I will do a versus search such as “lost puddle jumper” vs. “channel islands average joe.” I’ve narrowed my decision at that point.

We Want To Be At All Stages of the Purchasing Decision

What we are trying to do at HubSpot right now is figure out how to be everywhere. We want to be at all stages of that purchasing decision when people are searching for “what is the best blank that exists today.” Well, there are a ton of lists that are out there and a ton of review sites and HubSpot’s B2B software (has to be there). There are a lot of review sites just dominating search engines right now like Capterra, G2 Crowd, and Software Advice. A lot of those are pay to play. You have got to pay to get listed on what appears when you land via search. Most of them are.

But listicles are free. Not only are they free to get added to, but they are free to create. That’s one of the biggest things we are working on right now. How do we change our mindset from being so obsessed at driving traffic to our website? How do we make sure that HubSpot’s brand is everywhere when you are doing your product research and you are on many different websites? We actually sometimes prefer that we drive traffic to multiple different websites where we are listed versus just to our own. It’s good for social grouping.

Listen to the full interview with HubSpot’s Scott Tousley.

Microsoft has announced its Advertising platform can now import Facebook Ads.

Many companies live or die by their online advertising. Especially in the wake of the pandemic, many small businesses have increasingly shifted to online sales, making their advertising more important than ever.

For companies looking to expand their advertising reach, recreating a successful campaign on another platform can be a time-consuming proposition. Microsoft is hoping to make it easier, releasing Facebook Import to help companies import their Facebook ad campaigns into the Microsoft Audience Network.

Are you new to audience campaigns, or looking to expand your existing presence on the Microsoft Audience Network? Using Facebook Import, it’s now easier than ever to get audience campaigns up and running by importing from Facebook Ads. Now rolling out to all advertisers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany, this new feature is designed to save you time and maximize ROI by seamlessly bringing over your campaigns from the Facebook Audience Network into the Microsoft Audience Network. Facebook Import can be used as a standalone tool, as well as a powerful complement to any existing Google Import strategy.

The new feature can be accessed via the Import menu in the Microsoft Advertising dashboard.

Goals

Business websites are digital shop windows. If you’re not sure what the purpose of your website should be, then you can be certain your audience won’t either. You must show them who you are, what you do and what you offer. Seems an obvious thing to say, but millions of sites out there never get this right at the outset. It’s not enough just to have a site – it needs to say something! Once you know what you want, then you’re off to a solid start and you can build from there.

Know Your Audience

So, you’ve established what you want. But what does what your audience want? If your site doesn’t match their needs, then you’ve a recipe for poor sales. Creating a good site takes time, money and energy – so you must ensure you’re hitting and attracting the right people. If your site is already up and running, then you’ll already have some key data sitting in Google Analytics, waiting to be tapped. If you’re not using this, then do not delay – it’s packed with priceless data on who is looking at your site and their behavior while they’re with you. It’s a brilliant place to get customer insights, and it’s free. Away from Google Analytics, you should look at your competitors. Who are they attracting? What are they doing? Once you understand your audience, you can design your content to suit.

Easy Navigation

Now your audience is identified, the next step is to ensure your site is structured in a way that makes navigating around it easy. It’s not a time for puzzles – people are time-poor and information-hungry. Satisfy both demands with a logically constructed site, with clear page categories and sections. It is very easy to get this design element wrong – you can have the best content and the best deals, but if they aren’t easy to find, they’re useless. It’s no surprise that millions of businesses make sure they get this right by using custom web development services for their sites.

Content

With your design confirmed, it’s now time to populate your site with the engaging, compelling content you need to reel customers in and keep them coming back for more. Original content is a must too – it is this which will help you stand out from the crowd and build your brand. Having a blog section is a great way to deliver informative content and establish your expertise. Blogs can cover all sorts of relevant subjects. It can be a bit of news about your company, an industry development, a new product, an event or even a “guest” blog from one of your suppliers or partners!

Use sensible fonts that are easy to read and aren’t jarring to look at. Always use the right words. Make everything clear and to the point and use a range of word lengths for your blogs and articles. Some topics need more detail than others! 

Eye-catching imagery is a must – it has been long established that humans respond more strongly to visuals than text. Bland or poorly chosen images can make your website look amateurish. Always use visuals that reflect the brand images you want to promote. First impressions matter and your audience will see the pictures before they decide to read the text. Getting your words and images right on your site will not only satisfy your audience but will give your SEO (search engine optimisation) a boost. Vital to get your site shooting up the Google rankings!

Speed

We’ve all clicked through to a website that takes too long to load. And we all do the same thing – click straight back out, often never to return. Slow loading pages are a disaster for websites, and you’ve about 2-3 seconds grace before user frustration sets in. It strikes a hammer blow to your SEO efforts too. There are plenty of free online speed loading analysis tools so make sure you check regularly. Make sure you keep file sizes down (particularly images) and if you’re still encountering issues, you should think about speaking to a web development team.

Think Mobile!

Smartphones are used for everything now – gaming, streaming and browsing the web. While your site might look resplendent on your desktop and be packed with sticky content and great offers, it does not mean it will do so on smartphones (or tablets!). These days, more people access the internet on their phones than on desktops, so you ignore this at your peril. Make sure your site is optimized to look fantastic across mobile, desktop and tablet. You’ll simply bleed traffic otherwise.   

But like any technology, Wi-Fi remains in a state of evolution. New standards and infrastructure capabilities keep pushing the limits of what tech can do. Businesses that don’t keep up with the latest developments put themselves at risk.

Slow and outdated Wi-Fi networks prompt more than short-term delays and frustrations. They can cause your business to get left behind as customers flock to competitors that offer the latest amenities. Outdated internet technology can also leave your company vulnerable to cybercriminal activity. Before you decide to put off adopting next-gen Wi-Fi, consider these four benefits.

1. Adaptable Signal Strength

If you have a larger or multi-story home, you’ve probably experienced poor Wi-Fi signal strength in more than one room. Perhaps you’ve tried a booster or extender, hoping to put a stop to the random disconnects and buffering. But these solutions didn’t do the trick, and you’ve still got a few slow spots where it’s difficult to connect.  

The same scenarios happen in businesses due to sluggish Wi-Fi, resulting in lost productivity and patience. A small business Wi-Fi solution with the latest AI-driven technology can help prevent those slow and dead spots. Instead of just sending out signals, the network learns how and where you need connectivity the most. Over time, the technology adapts to your location’s usage behaviors and needs.

Your back office might be hustling and bustling at 9 a.m., requiring the most capacity your Wi-Fi can muster. By noon, the front reception area needs all the signal strength it can get. And at the end of the workday, the staff cubicles are placing the highest demands on the network. Adaptive Wi-Fi can handle all of it by sending more signal strength where and when it’s necessary.

2. Support for IoT and Additional Devices

Although recent supply chain problems and shortages have lowered projections for Internet of Things (IoT) device adoption, market analysts still predict growth. The number of connected IoT gadgets is expected to reach 27.1 billion worldwide by 2025. The Internet of Things includes smart devices, wearables, and sensors. Some of these sensors help businesses manage inventory, fleet vehicles, and other assets. Farmers also use them to automate precision agriculture techniques.

The next generation of Wi-Fi comes with increased capacity to accommodate the bandwidth IoT devices require. When there are more gadgets online, they start competing for available space on the network. It’s not just your POS systems, office computers, and employees’ smartphones that are vying for throughput. The smart locks on the doors and the sensors that monitor movements and appliances can’t function without enough bandwidth.

Built into the latest Wi-Fi standards is the ability to divide a single channel into a larger number of subchannels. More devices can sustain a connection on a single access point without experiencing latency, freezing, or spotty service. Two-way or synchronous communication is also possible between access points and devices. This means more seamless and steady connections for all the machines businesses rely on.  

3. Improved Power Management

One of the benefits of a Wi-Fi connection is the freedom to move around with mobile devices. You’re not limited to using the internet and your web-based applications at your desk. That said, mobile gadgets rely on battery power to run. And although manufacturers have made strides in improving battery life over the years, batteries still require monitoring and recharging.

Next-gen Wi-Fi reduces the strain on batteries through a capability called Target Wake Time. This feature puts the wireless signal on a device or access point to sleep until it’s needed. When it’s time to send or receive data on the network, the internal hardware responsible for communicating wakes back up.

When wireless cards are constantly in “on” mode, they can drain battery life. During sleep mode, mobile devices save battery power. You can set your tablet down and keep it connected to the network. You won’t have to plug in a few hours later when you’re ready to start using the tablet again.

4. Faster Speeds    

According to industry reports, the latest Wi-Fi technology is three times faster than previous standards. Increased speed capacity allows for better video conferencing and streaming in 4K. If your business uses smart TVs to display entertainment, upgraded Wi-Fi can contribute to enhanced customer experiences.

You’ll also notice quicker download and upload times when sending files or retrieving information online. Your team’s efficiency will get a boost since they won’t spend as much time waiting in front of their screens. Although a few seconds or minutes might not seem like a lot, those wasted moments add up. With faster response times, staff will feel more capable and productive, which can motivate them to keep moving forward.

Similar to some previous wireless standards, the latest generation accommodates more than one frequency. Because next-gen Wi-Fi is backward-compatible, devices that run on 2.4GHz frequencies can take advantage of increased speeds. While those speeds may not reach the full potential of the newest wireless technology, improvement will still be noticeable. So if your business has devices that don’t operate on higher frequencies, you won’t have to ditch them.

Conclusion

Wi-Fi connections are sometimes taken for granted. You think about keeping your laptops and other devices up to date because your business stops working when they do. But outdated network solutions can slow you down and end up hurting productivity, customer service, and brand appeal.

The benefits of next-generation Wi-Fi are plenty, including adaptive signal strengths and faster speeds. These advantages keep your business in the game and allow you to offer the resources employees and clients expect. Investing in current network technology is a move you can’t afford to overlook.                                       

Despite the sheer number of tasks on your plate, all humans have limits. There will never be enough hours in a single day to accomplish everything. That’s why embracing the principle behind the phrase “work smarter, not harder” can help you be more productive. By approaching responsibilities and operations from a strategic mindset, you and your company can realize more efficient outcomes. Here’s how to make working smarter a reality.

1. Rely on Automation

Technology and artificial intelligence don’t have to replace everything employees do. However, tools that automate repetitive assignments and provide insights can enhance workers’ jobs. Automation and analytics save time and redirect employees’ focus to critical, complex tasks. From contact center software to apps that automate routine emails, there are plenty of AI-driven tools to streamline daily work.

When deciding what to automate, look for assignments and activities that don’t require complex thinking. Responsibilities that happen frequently or according to a predictable schedule are also good candidates for automation. 

For instance, contact center agents might type similar case notes for every call. Built-in templates and transcriptions can pre-populate most of the words, letting agents concentrate on serving clients. Meanwhile, interaction analytics help reps quickly assess clients’ sentiments about their experiences with the company. Agents can instantly shift their approaches and tactics to lower the temperature or enhance lukewarm engagement.  

2. Delegate What You Can

Business owners and leaders can fall into the trap of thinking that they have to do everything themselves. Or that if they’re not doing it themselves, they need to keep a close eye on someone else’s every move. However, maintaining a tight grip on every assignment, emergency, or business function will actually lower your effectiveness. Micromanagement also reduces your staff’s output, as they become fearful of making decisions or acting without your authority.

Research shows that delegation skills can actually help leaders generate more revenue. CEOs who have higher delegation skills produce 33% more revenue than their peers who don’t delegate well. An owner’s delegation abilities thus play an important role in ensuring company success.    

While it might be challenging to let go, look for matches between responsibilities and employees’ interests and skills. Trusting staff with higher-level and stretch assignments builds confidence, redundancy, and a leadership pipeline. Others can step in and keep the business running, allowing you to focus on the most important decisions.  

3. Hold Purposeful Meetings

Meetings are necessary to coordinate initiatives involving several departments, generate collaborative ideas, and determine action steps. At the same time, too many meetings or those without clear agendas will sidetrack anyone’s day. Productivity is lost due to conversations that lack direction or are simple announcements better handled by other means.

Sometimes bringing groups together to go over information or reiterate previous discussions is overkill. Before you schedule a meeting, use a set of criteria to determine whether it’s essential. Once you figure out the main purpose of the get-together, you may realize it’s better to share the information another way. If the objective is to communicate procedural updates, it might be more efficient to point employees to a shared document. Managers can then handle any questions that might arise.

Other things to take into account are the urgency of an issue and the scope of information. Matters that require quick decisions probably aren’t discussions to have through email. However, consider who needs to be involved and whether it’s the right time for them to make meaningful contributions. 

For instance, network engineers might be considering a planned outage that will impact a group of customers. But if they don’t have a schedule in place yet, it’s not the right time to include the folks in marketing.

4. Define Objectives and Focus on Results

Spending time trying to solve poorly defined problems or chasing multiple solutions without clear objectives will rarely produce effective results. If you haven’t found the root cause of a problem or specified your goals, any efforts may be little more than busywork.

In some cases, the actual problem might get worse or amplified. If the team isn’t sure why customers are losing internet service, for example, applying a solution may only replicate the issue. The time that could be spent isolating the real culprit will be wasted on implementing a non-fix.

In the long run, it’s more efficient to document troubleshooting steps and permanent solutions. The next time the team runs into the problem or something similar, they can refer back to those steps and solutions. They’ll save themselves the trouble of reinventing the wheel by getting to work applying known fixes. 

Likewise, formulating precise goals helps define what to work on and what to ignore. A business can’t be everything to everybody, an approach that is likely to cause burnout.   

Conclusion

Working smarter instead of harder is a technique business owners can use to boost efficiency and productivity. The philosophy and its methods often involve stepping back and critically examining what you’re doing and why. By automating, delegating, and defining problems and purposes, you can significantly improve your company’s operations.   

Neil Patel, digital marketing expert and founder of Neil Patel Digital, discusses the seven online marketing mistakes in his latest video release:

Stop Making These 7 Online Marketing Mistakes

I’m going to break down seven online marketing mistakes that you need to stop. You’re probably wondering you’re doing all these things but why aren’t you seeing results? Even if you’re doing the right things, if you’re also doing the wrong things at the same time it’s going to hurt you and it’s going avoid you from getting the results that you deserve.

Mistake 1: Not Collecting Emails

The first mistake you are making is not collecting emails. It doesn’t matter how good you are with SEO or marketing only a very small percentage of your visitors are ever going to convert into customers. By collecting emails not only can you get people to come back to your site but you can convince them to convert over emails.

The moment someone gives you their email address think of that as a micro-commitment. They’re much more likely to convert into a customer because they committed, they already gave you something. That’s why you want to collect emails. You can do this through sliders or exit pop-ups. You can do this for free using tools like Hello Bar.

Mistake 2: Not Collecting Subscribers Through Push Notifications

The second mistake you’re making is you’re not collecting subscribers through push notifications. There are free tools like Subscribers.com that’ll make it easy. Just add in a JavaScript or a WordPress plug-in and then when people come to your website they will automatically subscribe through the browser. Then anytime you have new content or products or services that you want to sell then you can notify them through Subscribers.

Mistake 3: Not Building a Brand

The reason tip number one on collecting emails and tip number two on getting more push notifications subscribers are really important is because you need to build a brand. This gets you into the third mistake. Google doesn’t want to rank sites that aren’t brands. Why is this? There’s an issue out there called fake news and that’s why they’re pushing brands over anything else. It’s not just going to be Facebook and in Google. Eventually, it’s going to be Twitter and LinkedIn and all the sites out there.

When you get people back to your site seven times you’re much more likely to build a brand. It’s called the Rule of Seven in marketing. So with your site, you want to provide an amazing user experience. When you provide an amazing user experience, create a great product, create a great service, it’ll help you build a great brand over time.

Mistake 4: Not Interlinking

The fourth mistake you’re making is not interlinking. You may notice on Google I’m ranking for terms like online marketing on page one. You’re probably wondering how do I do this? A lot of it comes out to interlinking. In my sidebar, I link to my most popular pages of content. When I write blog posts related to online marketing I link back to the online marketing guide that talks about what online marketing is. By having all these links it helps me rank higher.

Mistake 5: Just Focusing On Text-Based Content

The fifth mistake I have for you is just focusing on text-based content. The future of digital marketing is moving to video. It doesn’t mean you should stop doing text but it means you should also be doing video. When you do video you’re going to get more traffic because everyone’s lacking it. LinkedIn wants it right now. YouTube wants more of it. Facebook wants it. Instagram even wants it.

Why is this? They want to crush the television networks. You look at things like the Oscars or traditional movie theaters and they’re not doing as well. You look at traditional TV and they’re going to get crushed. Why? It’s because of Facebook. It’s because of Google. It’s because of Netflix. If you’re there creating that video content you can be part of it and you’re going to get extra traffic. They want as much help as possible to crush these big old-school companies.

Mistake 6: Sticking To Just a Few Marketing Channels

The sixth mistake that you’re making is you’re really sticking to just a few marketing channels. Marketing is competitive. People raise venture capital hundreds of millions of dollars just so they can compete in marketing and sales. You need to do more than one or two or three marketing channels. The more you do the better off you’re going to be.

Mistake 7: Not Asking For the Sale

The seventh mistake I have for you is not asking for the sale. Whether it’s a lead or whether it’s getting people to buy your product, there’s nothing wrong with asking people to buy from you. If you don’t you’re not going to generate any sales. Everyone’s like I get all this traffic through my online marketing but no one’s converting. Why? Because you’re not asking for a sale.

Neil Patel, digital marketing expert and founder of Neil Patel Digital, discusses the five beginner SEO mistakes in his latest video release:

Mistake 1: Putting Dates in URLs

The first mistake is putting dates in your URL. I used to do this with NeilPatel.com. What a huge mistake. My URL structure used to be NeilPatel.com/year/month/TitleofmyBlogPost. The moment I took out the dates from my URL guess what happened to my search traffic? Within 30 days it went up by 58 percent. I’m not talking about taking my search traffic from a 1,000 visitors to you 1,580 visitors. I had hundreds and thousands of visitors from Google already each month with dates in my URL. The moment I removed them I saw an additional 58 percent increase in my search traffic.

So whatever URL structure you have just make sure it does not have dates. Reason being is when you have a date in your URL, Google thinks of your site as being relevant to that date. You write a blog post and they’re like oh, this blog post must be related to January 12, 2025, or whatever the date is today. If you want your content to continually rank as evergreen content you can’t put dates in your URL.

Mistake 2: Thinking of Your Site as a Silo

The second mistake that you’re making is you’re thinking of your site as a silo. It doesn’t matter how many different sections you have or categories, it’s still one site. It’s on one domain name. For example, my blog is about marketing, so when I create content I link to all the other marketing posts (on my site) that are relevant to the posts that I just released.

You should consider thinking of your website as one big site versus different silos so when you write content you should link to other pieces of content that are relevant. That way all of your pages are going to be interconnected and they’re going to rank higher.

Mistake 3: Thinking of SEO as Just SEO

The third mistake that you’re making is you’re thinking of SEO as just SEO. It’s not just about on page code. It’s not just about building links. It’s not even just about getting social shares. It’s about building a brand. Eric Schmidt, the ex-CEO of Google, once said that brands are the solution. What he’s talking about is that when Google was trying to figure out what sites to rank higher than others he decided as well as ton of other people in Google that if you have a brand you should rank higher.

Why is that? You’ve heard of this thing called fake news. It’s a great way to combat that. It’s not just Facebook who’s concerned about fake news. It’s also Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, and all of the major platforms out there. Building a brand does wonders for you especially when it comes to SEO. You can do things like collecting emails to get people to keep coming back to your site. You can use tools like HelloBar to do that for free. You can use tools like Subscribers to do push notifications so that when people come to your website within one click they can subscribe. Getting all of those people to keep coming back will help reinforce your brand to them. That’ll help you climb in the rankings in the long run.

Mistake 4: Just Writing Content

The fourth mistake is just writing content. I know you’re that content is king, how is that a mistake? Writing content isn’t a mistake. It’s writing content and then not updating it, and that’s what most people do. They just write content and they write more new content then after that they write more content and guess what they do after that they write more new content. If you update your content Google’s going to see it as fresh, hip, new, and still relevant, and rank it higher.

With over a billion blogs out there Google likes picking brand new updated content versus old outdated content. This doesn’t mean you have to rewrite the whole article. It could just be paragraph or two or a few lines. It could just be reviewing an article and making sure it’s still up to date where you make no modifications because it’s still good to go.

Mistake 5: Not Thinking About the User

The last mistake you’re making is not thinking about the user. Google looks at something called user metrics. Whether it’s the browser or the toolbar Google wants to make sure people have an amazing experience. They’re using all those platforms to track how and when people come to your website and how they perceive it.

They can’t talk to them by serving them or anything like that. What they can see is when someone performs a Google search, clicks on the listing landing on your site and within a second they are they clicking the back button. If they are it tells Google your website or that web page isn’t relevant. By putting the user first instead of putting SEO first it’ll help you climb to the top.