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August 13, 2018
DAVSY- A Content Marketing Platform by Corporate Infocom Pvt Ltd

DAVSY- A Content Marketing Platform by Corporate Infocom Pvt Ltd

| Technology | No Comments

As you can see, no one gets by the name DAVSY that what is this, but this concept of Corporate Infocom Pvt Ltd is as different as its name. DAVSY is the great achievement of the team of Corporate Infocom Pvt Ltd. It is one of the best platforms to get traffic on your website/blog.

The basic concept to DAVSY is to increase traffic on your website/blog, which will eventually lead to an increase in one’s income. DAVSY pulls in the most recent posts from websites, a variety of social networks, blogs, and many more on a diversity of topics. What’s straight about DAVSY is that you can hunt for particular topics and then view an aggregated content from some of the premium blogs for that particular topic. Here, bloggers are required to submit their own blog to be considered for inclusion in the news desk. There are lots of websites which are registered on DAVSY and more are getting registered daily and the number is increasing day by day. So Corporate Infocom Pvt Ltd has made a single platform for all the websites so that all the traffic is redirected to different registered websites/blogs. This concept can be explained with the help of an example- Let us assume a situation that, your website is registered on CIPL’s DAVSY and some person, let’s say X is surfing on the internet and comes to a random website which is also registered in DAVSY, then he will be getting the link of your website in the suggestions and might click on your website’s link and will get redirected to your website. Many people question the CIPL review, but when it comes to DAVSY, people outside the organization give many positive CIPL review about this product. So, those narrating the slogans about CIPL review, like CIPL Fraud to the outside world, they should know that CIPL has taught many of us how to multiply our efforts, talents, and skills by helping other people to be successful.

It is providing financial independence and a bunch of knowledge to youth which is just noteworthy. I hope you got what is CIPL’s DAVSY all about with the help of this example.

Different features provided by DAVSY are as follows:

Stronger Social Media Following

DAVSY plays a very important role in increasing your social media following whether it be Facebook, twitter or any other. It helps to promote your website in such a way that it makes a stronger social media following. DAVSY is the master of content delivery and knows very well that how to maximize the reach of content to client’s potential audience.

Increased Audience Engagement

As the concept of DAVSY says that it is used to increase the traffic on your website/blog, because of this technique of DAVSY, as soon as you register your website/blog on DAVSY that audience engagement starts increasing to a good extent. DAVSY is a platform that offers writers an opportunity to get more readers and exposure and also experience the view of engaging users in the network. And for readers, it helps them finding new and interesting content.

Increased Website Traffic

DAVSY is a content aggregator that provides various website/blog owners with a wonderful platform with the help of which they can increase their online existence and produce more traffic on their blog. The main concept of DAVSY is to increase the traffic on your

December 30, 2013

Migrating To A New Cloud: Tips For Minimizing Your Downtime

| Business | No Comments

At some point in the current era of technology, it will become inevitable for your company to migrate its cloud system from one server to another, or to adopt a cloud strategy for the first time. That may entail moving completely to an external cloud, migrating from old to new hardware, or anywhere in between. Cloud migration is an essential part of keeping a business or company competitive, since migrating to better and more efficient systems can lead to faster and more convenient processes, among many other benefits. However, migrating a cloud system may still prove problematic, as an incorrect installation could lead to lengthy downtime and less reliability.

Knowing when a Migration is Needed

It’s important to recognize when it’s time to migrate to a new server, as migrating too early will not yield enough benefits to make the move worthwhile. One of the biggest reasons for migration is to replace legacy or otherwise old hardware with a state-of-the-art infrastructure. You’ll know it’s time for you to migrate to newer software if one of these situations occurs:

  • Your cloud has progressively gotten slower as a result of increased load due to newer, more resource-intensive software
  • Your cloud is struggling to keep up to date as a result of a lack of new features
  • It’s become too expensive to maintain legacy hardware
  • Security has improved and your business needs to ensure that only authorized agents can access the cloud

Migrating To A New Cloud: Tips For Minimizing Your Downtime

Being Aware of the Tasks Ahead and Possible Pitfalls

With the knowledge of why you would migrate a server, it’s important to balance the potential gains with the amount of work that will be required. As mentioned earlier, a server migration will usually involve a move to better-equipped or more suitable hardware, which would cut costs, help with scalability or both. Additionally, newer servers usually have stronger security features that are important for keeping your company’s information secure and private.

However, migrating your cloud involves a possibly long period of downtime while data and services are transferred to new hardware or a new location. During this time, your company won’t be able to access information, which would critically hamper company activity. In the current IT era, it’s critical for your company to be working at maximum efficiency for as long as possible, and a migration, despite the benefits, may ultimately be too detrimental for your business.

Beginning the Migration Process

To start a cloud migration, the first thing to take do is to keep backups and double-check processes. Nothing is more frustrating than realizing data was lost or deleted in a transfer. Taking some time to make backups and prepare the system thoroughly will save much more time and money in the long run as you maintain the new system, such as a hosted Windows cloud service. After the files are migrated to the new server, don’t immediately cancel or shut down the previous server until the new server is up and running. This will ensure that if problems occur, you’ll still be able to revert back to the working model.

Keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be well equipped to migrate your server to new and better hardware. In this day and age, it’s more important than ever to stay current on technology, and migrating your cloud will likely help your company maintain standards of efficiency.

December 19, 2013

Debunking Cloud Concerns

| News | No Comments

Cloud computing models offer businesses a cost-effective way to outsource IT applications and infrastructure services to a third-party service provider. It allows them to use applications and store data hosted on servers and databases that are owned, managed and supported by the service provider. A company simply pays for the cost of using the on-demand service and leaves the management, upgrades, maintenance and support tasks to the cloud vendor.

Over the past few years, a growing number of large, medium and small companies have moved to the cloud to reduce the complexity and costs of their on-site IT infrastructure. Technology consulting firm Gartner Inc. expects that a majority of firms will have their IT applications delivered as a cloud service over the next few years. According to the International Data Corporation, spending on cloud computing in 2014 will be over $100 billion.

Popular Misconceptions

Despite the tangible benefits of the cloud, several misconceptions have persisted in the industry over the viability of cloud computing. One of the biggest concerns involves data security and data availability. Cloud vendors typically use a shared infrastructure to host and deliver their services. Applications and data from multiple companies are often hosted on the same server, prompting some to raise questions about data leakage, improper access, data theft and loss of confidentiality. Many also worry about catastrophic service disruptions as the result of cloud hardware and network failures.

Debunking Cloud Concerns

Another popular misconception involves data residency. Many organizations in regulated industries such as financial services and healthcare have strict requirements about how their data is handled and where it’s stored. Large cloud vendors typically have highly distributed architectures and many of them use servers located around the world to host customer applications and data. As a result, companies that have data residency requirements have been reluctant to use cloud services for fear of transgressing regulations.

Perhaps the biggest misconception involves a loss of control. Many believe that outsourcing to the cloud results in an automatic loss of control over IT functions. Since enterprise data is hosted on servers owned and managed by a third party, companies often fear they have less control, or even no control over their critical data assets.

Vendor Investments

Although such concerns may have been valid a few years ago, they certainly are not true these days. Cloud vendors are acutely aware of how such issues can affect adoption decisions. Most cloud providers offer secure access control, user authentication, intrusion detection and encryption tools for protecting information in hosted cloud databases. Many have highly redundant architectures for handling server and network failures. Though vendors may use a shared infrastructure to host data, most have technologies and procedures in place to ensure proper data segregation and access control. Many vendors also offer contractual guarantees and service level agreements to ensure that data residency requirements are met. Plus, a plethora of hosting options is available for companies concerned about a loss of control.

Planning for the Cloud

As a small business owner, you should certainly be aware of all these issues, but you shouldn’t let them deter you from taking advantage of the cloud. The best way to move to the cloud is to do it in small steps. Cloud vendors allow you to outsource as little or as much of your IT operations as you want. Many companies start by migrating common applications such as e-mail and office productivity to the cloud.

Most large cloud vendors also offer a choice between a hosted and a fully managed model. With a hosted model, the vendor will let you use its infrastructure to run your applications, but you’re ultimately responsible for managing the application. With a cloud-managed IT service, the vendor assumes full responsibility for hosting and managing your IT applications and services. If security is a primary concern, vendors offer a dedicated hosting model under which your applications and data will be hosted on a server reserved exclusively for your use.

The key to a successful cloud deployment lies in knowing what questions to ask. Before you embark on a journey to the cloud, ask why you are doing it. Is it for the cost savings, for the flexibility or the reduction in complexity? Make sure you have a realistic idea of the return on investment. If you already have a large IT infrastructure in place, your real ROI may lie in the reduced complexity and not necessarily in reduced costs. Make sure you understand the operational and technical issues you’ll need to overcome for cloud computing to work in your environment. Most importantly, vet your vendor thoroughly. Before you hand over your corporate jewels to a cloud vendor, make sure the company has the technical and professional resources to handle your data in a safe and responsible manner.

Cloud computing is here to stay. The benefits are real and tangible for companies that take the time to understand cloud computing and how to take advantage of its innovations.

December 19, 2013

CMS Options: How To Choose The Right One For Your Business

| Business | No Comments

Selecting the right content management system (CMS) for your business requires a little introspection. You’ll need to consider how your business will be using this CMS, how visitors to your website will interact with your content and what you future growth plans include. Take a close look at your business to find the answers to these questions. Once you know what you need, you can begin looking for the right CMS to meet those needs. Here’s a guide to help you find the right CMS to match your business needs.

Content Management System

A content management system is the software that helps you organize and present information on the web. This can be a blog, ecommerce site, traditional website or something else. A good CMS helps you create a cohesive front-end to present your content to the world.

WordPress

The most popular CMS on the web, WordPress is used by more than 19 percent of all websites. Using plugins and themes, it’s possible to modify WordPress to do almost anything you can imagine. It can be a regular website or blog, but it can also become a social network, video blog, photography portfolio, ecommerce site, classified ad site, blog network and much more.

Drupal

Another community-supported open-source project, Drupal offers a very robust CMS. These sites are commonly operated by organizations and groups that want a front-end to share with the world and a back-end that will help with group organization. It’s great for complex sites with lots of users.

CMS Options: How To Choose The Right One For Your Business

Magento

One of the best ecommerce content management systems is Magento. It’s very easy to set up a site, add products and start selling online. While other systems can do ecommerce, they don’t do it as well as Magento.

Business needs

Begin by looking at your own business needs. Start with your current needs and think about how the company will grow in the next few years. Do you need a blog? Social network? Ecommerce solution? After carefully considering your current and future needs, you can take a look at the features of any CMS under consideration to see if it meets your requirements. Keep in mind that WordPress, Drupal, and Magento are only three of the more popular CMS options available. There are lots of other CMSs to choose from when finding the right one for your business needs. Determine how you’ll host the site. Running your own server and maintaining a CMS can take a lot of time and effort that could be spent elsewhere. You might benefit from a hosted Magento, WordPress or Drupal solution, allowing you to focus on your content and user experience rather than the underlying technology.

CMS Checklist

Here’s a list of common features people look for when selecting a CMS. Tick off the features you want and count how many times WordPress, Drupal or Magento shows up on your list. The one that shows up the most is probably the right choice for your needs.

· Photography portfolio – WordPress

· Video blog – WordPress

· Classified ads – Other

· Social network – Other

· Customer Relationship Management (CRM) integration – Drupal & Magento

Some common features of WordPress, Drupal, and Magento include:

· Blogging

· Easy to edit (WYSIWYG)

· Asset management

· Search engine optimization (SEO)

· Customization

· Budget-friendly open-source option

· Open-source community support

· Premium hosting and support options

· Multilingual design and support

· Roles and permissions

· Support for multiple websites

The right content management system for your business is the one matches your business needs. Three of the most popular options are WordPress, Drupal and Magento. However, these are only a small fraction of the options available to you. The process of finding the right CMS begins with careful consideration of your own business needs and ends with a comparison of the features included with a wide range of solutions.

December 10, 2013

Tips For Site Migration

| Web Design | No Comments

Site migration can be a difficult process on both a technical and marketing level, but it can sometimes be necessary to further grow your company and your brand. Site migration that isn’t handled in the right way can have devastating effects on a company’s online marketing and lasting effects on a company’s growth.

What is Site Migration?

Site migration occurs any time a website is moved from one URL to another or from one host to another. It’s important to understand that site migration could occur on either a user level or a server level. A URL can change from one URL or another without any physical change to the location of the website’s files. At the same time, the physical location of the website’s files could also change without a change to the URL. Before committing to a site migration, you should properly understand the type of migration you require.

Tips For Site Migration

Why would you need to Migrate your Site?

Site migration can become necessary for a few reasons. You may be changing your company’s branding or you could be merging with another company. Both could necessitate the adoption of different domain names and a change in the structure of your website.

If you’re not changing the URL of your website, you may simply be changing hosts. Changing hosts can become necessary if your prior host no longer suits your needs. When changing hosts, many will offer seamless transitions that occur during your website’s slowest hours and do not affect your users at all.

How does Site Migration Affect your Company?

If you are abandoning your old domain, you may find that much of your search engine optimization will be lost. This can be extraordinarily detrimental to your online marketing strategy. To minimize this loss, ensure that all of your URLs from your old website redirect appropriately and make sure that everything on your website is functioning as it should.

When keeping your domain and simply migrating your files, your task is much easier. You simply need to ensure that you transfer your files correctly. If you don’t test your new website thoroughly, you could find unexpected issues that could cost you customers. You might even lose some data permanently if you didn’t backup your data from your old host properly.

The DNS transition from your old server to your new server may take as much as 72 hours, so you shouldn’t take down your old site immediately. Instead, you should transfer your old site to your new server and then thoroughly test the site on the new server. Once you are certain that all of the data transferred correctly, you can start the process that will send users to your new site.

How can you make your Site Migration Easier?

External hosting services can make the entire process of site migration much easier. External hosting services often offer features that will automatically transfer your website from host to host. This takes the burden off of you and your IT department and ensures that everything will transfer correctly, no data will be lost and your users may never even realize that there was a change. An external hosting service will be able to mirror your website from server to server, eliminating the potential for costly mistakes.

If you’re transitioning to a cloud server, make life easier for you and your IT team by switching to the same or similar operating system. For instance, if your servers all run Windows right now, find a Windows cloud host that has baked-in support for your platform so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues.

Site migration is best done early on in a company’s online development. Once you begin to feel that you are outgrowing your current host or that you will eventually need more than your host can give, you should begin your migration. A preemptive migration will save you from larger costs down the line.

December 5, 2013

The Hosting Question: Cloud Server or Dedicated Server?

| Web Design | No Comments

Cloud servers are great, but dedicated servers are still hanging on. If you’re considering which would be the best choice for your company’s needs, it’s tough to find information on cloud servers that isn’t glowing, but that’s for good reason. Virtual storage and virtual computing power are a huge step forward. In the last few years, companies of all sizes have been able to realize new efficiencies while saving money, and team members can now collaborate and share data on projects, regardless of where individuals are located.

If you do a comparison of cloud services versus dedicated servers, you could reach the conclusion that taking the cloud route can offer many more options, such as more choices for operating systems and faster provisioning speeds. So is the dedicated server on the way out? Is our future going only “to the cloud!” as the Microsoft commercials shout at us? Not necessarily, or at least not necessarily right now.

Dedicated servers definitely have appropriate uses, especially for newer, smaller companies that may not want everything that public or private clouds have to offer. Also, clouds aren’t perfect, and concerns still exist when it comes to access, security, and the challenges of downtime. Here we’ll examine a couple of snapshots of each option and discuss what works and what concerns exist.

The Hosting Question: Cloud Server or Dedicated Server?

Dedicated Server Breakdown

If you love control and don’t have traffic concerns, then a managed dedicated server will be best for you. All the hardware is right where you need it to be. You don’t have to worry about your system resources slowing because of other people’s traffic. You’re also the only one to access your server, a big plus for security fans. Plus, it’s also easy to upgrade physical hardware, such as memory and disk space, and to customize software to work exactly for your company’s needs, rather than a uniform upgrade through the cloud that needs to be tinkered with later.

Cloud Server Breakdown

Security is definitely a big reason why we can’t conclude that the cloud is the end-all, be-all. No matter how much encryption exists for your data, it may still have some vulnerabilities when it leaves your possession. Hackers also could try to access your system, actively steal or alter your customer’s data as well or just monitor your process.

On the other hand, companies going the cloud route can find it to be a definite cost-effective IT solution. You have a lot of redundancy, and you don’t have to pay for a lot of hardware and maintenance, although you will have to pay for extra bandwidth and hosting costs. For special projects, you may even find ways to access a virtual system and pay by the month.

Overall, do the advantages of the cloud outweigh the concerns, especially if you have active security protocols in place? As long as they match up with your business requirements. Clouds of any kind can connect with physical servers, and there isn’t a single point of failure as there might be with a dedicated server. Yet if your business wants to avoid any security uncertainties and ensure that your server is being monitored around the clock, a dedicated server may be the best choice to make.

November 6, 2013

What’s The Difference Between VPS and The Cloud?

| Web Design | No Comments

Private clouds, virtual private servers and other forms of hosting have become very important in the business world today. Those who are not in the know may think virtual private servers and private clouds are the same thing. While they are similar services, there are differences and the terms are not interchangeable. Understanding what each of these products actually is and the differences between them can help a company decide what would be the best hosting solution for them.

What's The Difference Between VPS and The Cloud?

Private Clouds

Private clouds are a scalable and secure type of server ideal for larger firms. Unlike a VPS, there is some set-up and maintenance required — since the server is generally located in a firm’s data center or other private location. As such, a private cloud is within a company’s personal firewall which makes it extremely secure. Choosing a private cloud is a big decision. However, since it does have future scalability options, it can serve a firm well for the long term.

There are cloud hosts that provide private cloud hosting. In that case, the company using the servers doesn’t physically maintain anything, the host does. The client’s servers are kept separate from other clients’ servers, often requiring different security credentials to access physically. This type of private cloud hosting is nearly as secure as in-house private cloud hosting, but it requires no direct investment in server hardware.

Virtual Private Servers

This type of server offers much flexibility in terms of hosting at a lower price point than a private cloud. One physical server is divided among several users. This gives virtual private server hosting the benefits of a private server, but does cuts down on maintenance, tech-support and up-front costs. While security is a concern, there is no overlap of data from one firm to another — even if the data is stored on the same server. The Green House Data website notes that a VPS operates very similar to a virtual server environment at a price that is much less expensive than other private options.

The Differences

An interesting article by Club Cloud Computing names four distinct differences between private clouds and virtual private servers. These differences include:

· Setup:

In general, clouds use many servers to divide storage and computing tasks. A VPS is one physical server that’s split among several virtual servers, but all of one client’s information is kept together — giving the user more flexibility with how the space is used.

· Location:

A VPS is hosted off-site at a third party provider. A private cloud is situated either in a data center that you own or in a host’s data enter; either way, the physical machines are separate from other companies’.

· Scalability:

Both solutions are scalable; however, there is a bit more effort involved with scaling a VPS. In this respect a private cloud may be easier, but as infrequently as upgrades may occur it shouldn’t be a major factor.

· Cost:

An in-house private cloud does have a higher upfront cost as a firm shoulders the cost of installation, set-up and maintenance. A VPS generally has a monthly or yearly fee. If cost is the main issue, VPS normally wins every time.

As you can see, there are distinct, if small, differences between a private cloud and a virtual private server. Both types of servers are useful and can help with the growth of a firm. A company should evaluate its needs to determine which of these will work best for both current needs and those that may occur in the future.

November 6, 2013

What Plugins Are Helpful For Business?

| Business | No Comments

WordPress is a valuable tool that businesses can use to create a blog or even a website. However, the most basic version of WordPress doesn’t provide all of the features a business needs to create a fully functional website. In order to create a more advanced website, businesses can install some of the many plugins WordPress offers to increase functionality.

What Plugins Are Helpful For Business?

Beneficial WordPress Plugins

Some of the WordPress plugins that are most helpful for businesses include:

· Broken Link Checker: Checks the website for broken links and images.

· WordPress Live Chat: Adds a live chat box to the site that the business can use to communicate with users.

· WPtouch: Transforms a desktop website into a mobile version in a matter of minutes.

· 404 Redirected: Eliminates 404 pages from the website by redirecting users elsewhere when a page isn’t functioning properly or doesn’t exist.

· ShareBar: Incorporates a toolbar on the page that allows users to share content via social media websites.

· Contact Form 7: Allows users to contact the business using a simple online form.

· Ninja Pop-Ups: Allows a business to create its own pop-ups that will appear to users at times the business designates.

· Google Analytics: Keeps track of search traffic, page views and other valuable information the business can use to gauge the effectiveness of its website.

· Related Posts by Zementa: Places a footer on the webpage that directs users to related articles or pages on the site.

Are these Plugins Necessary?

The plugins listed above may not be appropriate for every business website. However, by incorporating a selection of these plugins, a business can transform a basic WordPress blog into a full-service website with a professional appeal. For example, the incorporation of WordPress Live Chat and Contact Form 7 make the site more engaging to users by encouraging them to connect directly with the company. Likewise, social plugins like ShareBar encourage users to share website content with friends, which increases their level of involvement and invites other users to visit the site. Furthermore, adding other plugins like Google Analytics allows the business to evaluate and increase its website traffic, while plugins like 404 Redirect and the Broken Link Checker can be used to prevent malfunctions and keep the site running smoothly.

The importance of a Good Foundation

Although adding these plugins to a website can increase its appeal to users, the site won’t be a success unless it’s built on a solid foundation. Websites that malfunction frequently become inaccessible on a regular basis or load slowly will drive users away before they have a chance to enjoy the benefits of any installed plugins. For this reason, it’s essential for businesses to choose a reputable Web hosting company capable of managing all of the site’s traffic with minimal downtime.

To thrive in today’s world, businesses need a high quality, professional website capable of answering users’ questions and encouraging them to connect with the company. By building a WordPress site on a solid foundation and adding the right plugins, businesses can enjoy all of the advantages of a full-service website.

October 16, 2013

Website Maintenance 101: How To Keep Your Website In Good Shape

| Web Hosting | No Comments

In today’s online world, simply having a static webpage is no longer enough. Every 2-3 years, trends in online websites change. This means that to keep up with the competition, you will have to change your website every few years to keep up with the times and to keep your website in good shape and profitable. Websites require care and attention to maintain their customer base and bring you the biggest profits and income. Take a look at some of the best ways to keep your website in good shape over the next few years:

 Website Maintenance 101: How To Keep Your Website In Good Shape

Blogging with Purpose

If you want to make money with your website, you will have to have a blog. Even if you sell car parts, a blog will help you connect with readers and bring new customers to your brand. You can easily update the content of your website with a blog. Talk about your industry with topics like how to complete a related task or how to solve problems in your industry. Freelance writers are the perfect contact for keeping your blog updated for an affordable price.

Try Video

Today’s websites have more photos and videos than ever. Video is the format of the modern website. Add video to add an additional level of connection with your users. You can post videos from YouTube, or make your own videos to share with your readers. A video can tell the story of who you are and what your brand has to offer to customers. You can also simply share funny videos to connect with readers and customers on a personal level. You can also post videos related to your brand. Video blogs are extremely popular right now, as are how-to videos.

Try Free Things

You can actually build your paid customer base by adding free materials. You can actually give out a lot of free information without harming your business. A web designer can offer free tips for building a website. A clothing shop can offer tips on “shopping your closet” to keep your style updated. Software engineers could offer info on how to hire a developer for a web application. Free resources, like printables and graphics make readers happy and more likely to purchase from you.

Upgrade Coding

Every few years, the coding trends change. You can keep your website modern by keeping up-to-date on all the coding changes. If you don’t want to keep up with it yourself, hire someone else to take care of the details for you.

Hosting Upgrades

As your website fan base grows, so do your hosting needs. Keep an eye on your website stats to make sure you aren’t outgrowing your current hosting plan. After a while, you might need something like an unmetered dedicated server to keep up with the growing demands of your customer base.

New Layout

A new layout will keep your website looking fresh and new. If you use a theme-based website layout, it is much easier to change than if you use a design that is completely customized and invented for you. For rapid changes in the world of website design, a theme-based approach is a smart move.

All of these tips will help you stay on top of changes and trends in the world of website maintenance. With a little bit of effort, you can remain at the top of your game now and into the future.

October 9, 2013

How To Build A Successful E-Commerce Site?

| eCommerce | No Comments

The internet has radically changed the world of retail, making eCommerce websites a lucrative business for those who are clued in. The ability to minimise overhead costs while reaching a seemingly endless customer base or audience means that eCommerce websites work on any scale, whether you plan on selling a couple of items a year or hundreds of items a day. But how do you go from having an idea to running a successful eCommerce website? Here is a basic guide to setting up an eCommerce website, which will hopefully help you get on the eCommerce ladder and get you well on your way to building a successful business.

How To Build A Successful E-Commerce Site?

Man Sitting With Laptop And Credit Card Shopping – Shutterstock

Find your Niche and know your Niche

Know what you’re selling and have faith in your product. For example, if you want to sell shaving supplies, then do some competition research on other shaving supplies websites on the internet. Get to know everything there is to know about shaving supplies and the people who buy them. Information is power, so the more you know about alum balm and shaving kits (or whatever is analogous for your niche), the better.

Build an Attractive Website

No matter how great your product is, people will still make judgements about your product based on the window dressing—which in the case of an eCommerce website is the web design. Web design is important because it should perform two functions: firstly being aesthetically pleasing, and secondly helping a user navigate your website from the home page to the product they want to purchase. If your website does not impress a visitor or makes it hard for them to find what they want, they will leave. It’s that simple.

With that in mind, ensure that you put time and effort into creating a website that is worthy of the product you want to sell. If you don’t invest in great web design, then your sales will suffer.

Settle on an E-Commerce Solution

Choosing a great eCommerce solution is important for your business on two levels. Firstly, you want to think about how easy you are making it for people to buy things from your website. If it does not allow customers to use the most common methods of payment (credit/debit card or PayPal), then they will likely not make the purchase. Secondly, using third-party websites like PayPal can lead to large transaction fees, which can hurt your bottom line. Whether you go with a big player like WooCommerce or another option, think about how the solution will work for both you and your customers.

Build your Marketing Strategy

Nobody can buy your products if they do not know your website exists, so ensure that you start thinking early about your marketing strategy. Priming your website for search and building a social media presence all matter for generating leads and creating conversions, so invest your time and effort wisely. An efficient internet marketing strategy should pay dividends.

Work on your Customer Service

Customer service can be hard to define on the web because you are unlikely to actually have very many personal interactions with your customers. That means that when you do have said personal interactions, like someone emailing you about a lost order, you need to be as professional as possible. Maximise on every opportunity to prove your customer service skills, because that good karma will translate into good social word-of-mouth. Great customer service is the surest way to transform a customer into a returning customer, which is the key to prolonged success.

October 2, 2013

Why Investing In A Dedicated Server Makes Sense

| Web Design | No Comments

When it comes to web hosting, enterprises must make two major choices from the get-go. The first is the choice between a dedicated or shared server, and the second is whether to opt for a managed server or one handled by a firm’s own IT team. While selecting a shared server managed by an in-house IT team may appear to be the less costly choice at the onset, it can end up costing an enterprise far more in the end.

Why Investing In A Dedicated Server Makes Sense

Managed Dedicated Server Explained

Managed dedicated servers are servers devoted specifically to an individual firm. The company does not have to share its server with the any other companies, which automatically makes the server more secure, more effective and better able to handle large volumes of content. Adding a management team to the equation means someone else handles all the daily maintenance, operations and troubleshooting for the server, leaving the in-house IT team to attend to other tasks.

Top Strengths of Outsourcing Server Infrastructure

Business Intelligence

Outsourcing server infrastructure creates opportunities for business intelligence for any size firm. It gives smaller firms the same high-level data collection and analysis capabilities only enjoyed by firms with vaster resources, namely the IT labor to perform the collection and analysis.

Outsourcing ensures the team is in place without sacrificing any in-house staff and it ensures the team is always at the ready. Larger enterprises benefit by not having to wait until their own IT team is freed up from other duties to tackle business intelligence needs, providing rapid implementation to keep up with the smaller firms’ newfound capabilities.

Support

Outsourcing server infrastructure provides continuous IT attention and support for any infrastructure needs, Business2Community reports. A managed server offers technical support for any number of issues that can crop up any given time. It also means the troubleshooting headaches no longer fall on the shoulders of in-house IT staff. Ongoing support results in high network availability and less risk of downtime that can cripple a business.

Flexibility

Server management agreements come in a variety of flavors, so to speak, with various options available for companies of various sizes and requirements. This allows enterprises to handpick a plan that fits their needs as well as their budget without paying too much for excessive services they may neither need nor use.

What a Managed Dedicated Server Does for IT Efficiency

One of the greatest benefits of opting for a managed server is the boost it can give to IT efficiency. Instead of focusing on the daily duties of infrastructure management and maintenance, the IT team can instead focus its efforts on improving the overall efficiency and power of the enterprise.

The IT team can do this by using its freed-up time for the maintenance and updating of company software pieces. Software is what allows a company to stand out and thrive, and putting the IT team on software maintenance puts company resources where they matter most. With mundane infrastructure maintenance, troubleshooting and support no longer on the IT team’s agenda, the team can play a more vital role in growing the business rather spending all its energies maintaining it.

July 31, 2013

Why You Should Develop With Joomla

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Why You Should Develop With JoomlaJoomla! is an award-winning content management system (CMS) with more than 35 million downloads, thousands of extensions and designs built on an open source platform. With advantages like that, it’s easy to see why the software is so popular.

A major advantage to using a CMS is the ease-of-use. There’s almost no technical skill required to build Web sites and powerful online applications. The software is incredibly user-friendly and mobile ready, and since it’s open source, makes a great solution for almost any business, from the largest corporate enterprise to the smallest personal web page.

Joomla can be used for almost any type of web site: corporate Web sites or portals, corporate intranets and extranets, online magazines, newspapers, and publications, e-commerce and online reservation systems, government applications, small business web sites, non-profit and organizational web sites, community-based portals, school and church web sites or personal or family homepages.

As Rackspace’s Joshua Hatfield says, “You can customize Joomla into anything that you need it to be. There are thousands of templates, components, plugins and modules that help you make your site unique. Whatever you need to do, you have the ability to do it.”

Who uses Joomla in the real world? Joomla is behind businesses of every size, shape and kind, from MTV Networks to IKEA, eBay, General Electric and Citibank to McDonald’s restaurants to Outdoor Photographer magazine.

Joomla is designed to be easy to install and configure, even for novice users. Many Web hosting and cloud services providers offer a single-click Joomla installation option, which can help get your site up and running in no time.

“Whether you run a Windows or Linux environment, you are able to deploy Joomla. Within a matter of minutes you can get your Joomla site up and running, ready to serve up your content to your users,” Hatfield said.

And since Joomla is so easy to use, it can significantly shorten the sales and delivery cycle for Web designers or developers whose clients need a site fast.

Joomla also offers a wide variety of specialized functionality, most of which are free under the GPL License. You can check out the list of available extensions here, in the Joomla Extensions Directory.

Since Joomla is based on PHP and MySQL, you can use it to build almost any kind of applications, from inventory control systems, data reporting tools, application bridges, e-commerce systems, reservations systems, powerful communication tools and more. And since the framework is open, anyone can use, share, and support the software. To find out more information on leveraging the Joomla framework, visit the Joomla Developer Network.

Joomla also has a proven history. It branched off from the Mambo project in 2007 and has been steadily growing and attracting its own devoted following ever since. “In that time it has evolved into a very advanced and stable CMS that is used in schools, corporate intranets and small businesses, among others,” Hatfield said. “If you need a website, Joomla will be there for you.

And if you’re worried about support, consider this: Joomla has a dedicated, passionate community of users and developers who are constantly working to improve the software, offer support, and add new and improved functionality. Should the free support not meet your business’s needs, there are paid support services available from third-party consultants, developers, and designers.

Joomla is the most popular open source CMS currently available as evidenced by a vibrant and growing community of friendly users and talented developers. Joomla’s roots go back years and, with over 200,000 community users and contributors, the future looks bright.

Sharon Florentine is a freelance writer who covers everything from holistic veterinary care to data center technology and occasionally blogs for cloud provider Rackspace Hosting.

July 24, 2013

How To Succeed In Local SEO

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If you’re a small business who hasn’t considered optimizing your site for local SEO, you’re missing out on the potential to reach an audience that’s practically at your doorstep. Starting a local SEO overhaul for your site and keywords might sound daunting, but it’s worth it when you see your rankings and sales increase. Here’s a quick guide on how to master local SEO.

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Start with your Website

Before you start focusing on keywords and citations, you need to make sure your website is one that is easily navigable for both people and search engine crawlers. If your website was designed in 2001, it probably needs a massive facelift. Search engines recognize when users don’t spend a lot of time on your site, which affects your rankings negatively. After you’ve done this, update the site regularly by posting valuable content so people will want to come back.

Customize your Keywords

Since your business is likely competing with larger businesses that have dominated general keywords, this is your chance to optimize your site for locally targeted keywords. For instance, if your business specializes in computer repair, instead of trying to compete with the keyword “computer repair,” change your optimization to “computer repair dallas.” This will narrow the focus to a smaller audience and your rankings won’t be buried by larger businesses.

Social Media is your Best Friend

Sites like Facebook and Twitter can seem foreign to those who don’t frequent social media, but they offer small businesses the chance to communicate their brand message on a more personal level. Don’t mistake social media for a channel to run promotions all day – communicating with customers and clients is the key to helping your rankings increase. Use these sites as an opportunity for sharing useful content or brand news with customers. The more valuable your information is, the more your followers will comment and share, which makes your relevance to search engines increase.

Utilize SEO Tools and Resources

Don’t feel like you’re expected to figure out how to climb the SERPs alone. There are plenty of local SEO resources out there to help you along the way. Google AdWords can help you research what keywords people in your area are searching for, which can help you better target your keywords to match. Google Alerts is a useful reputation management tool that can alert you when your brand is being talked about online. This can help with responding immediately to customer feedback, whether positive or negative.

Don’t underestimate the value of local SEO tactics for your business. By optimizing your website and making use of social media and local keywords, your rankings should see a dramatic and dynamic rise through the SERPs.

July 18, 2013

Cloud Database Options

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Cloud databases offer flexible storage and application deployment, which allows businesses to customize the cloud to meet their needs. Whether you’re a mid-sized business or large firm, cloud databases offer data storage, data management and application development. Get inspired by some of these common ways to use the cloud, then customize these strategy to meet your own business needs.

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General Efficiency

When data is stored in the cloud, employees can work more efficiently, quickly navigating from one item to the next. Additional efficiency benefits include:

  • More staff time for pet projects: With troubleshooting, maintenance and upgrades in the cloud provider’s hands, all employees have more free time to work on important projects.
  • Easier collaboration: Employees can share, review and revise materials easily in the cloud, using change tracking, chat and messaging functions to discuss projects in the cloud space.
  • Group applications: With applications like email, calendaring, to-do lists, reporting and document creating grouped together in the cloud, employees can multitask more efficiently. Likewise, a cloud database hosting platform will have more compute power than in-house servers, leading to faster application launch and less time wasted.
  • Speedier search and response: Customer service employees can browse client requests, orders and history from the centralized cloud, leading to faster and more personalized customer care.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage offers database management, data sharing and remote backup to keep enterprise data safe and secure. Business options include the following:

  • Upgrade storage for less cost: Many companies’ local data centers are maxed out; switching to the cloud consolidates resources and saves money.
  • Movable data backup: Cloud storage allows business to store any type of data, regardless of format. You can move data from one private server to another or expand your storage space when needs change, maximizing enterprise flexibility and scalability.
  • Scale as you need to: Scalable cloud storage increases when business needs increase and decreases when circumstances change. Purchasing more space in the cloud comes at a lower price point than purchasing more in-house server space.

Cloud Applications

The cloud isn’t just a place for data storage; applications receive several boosts from migrating to the cloud. Choose from a suite of applications to build your cloud.

  • Automate processes: Clouds excel at automation, which frees up staff time to focus on projects that are more important. Automate reminders, mailings, scheduling and calendaring, reporting and much more. Additionally, employees use technology to manage needs, leading to a self-service way of getting work done. This leads to less drain on managers and other high-level employees, while maintaining workflow.
  • Deploy faster– Faster processing speeds help launch and run applications faster. Additionally, cloud servers may offer less downtime and higher rates of bandwidth to increase workflow.

Studies have indicated that applications and processes can receive a cost decrease of as much as 50 to 70 percent when migrated to the cloud. Such benefits allow businesses to more effectively budget resources, grow the business and perform at a higher level for reduced technology costs.

July 10, 2013

Cloud Block Storage: How Can It Benefit Your Business?

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As a business’s data requirements become more extensive, its storage demands increase as well. Cloud block storage maximizes the efficiency of a server for maximum data storage and scalability. Although the concept may seem abstract, it has concrete implications for data management and file storage.

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An Overview of Cloud Block Storage

Blocks are the lowest level of data storage, residing on a server beneath the level of file storage. Because they’re relatively simple, blocks offer an independent storage method that can be scaled as needed in a number of ways to keep costs low. Blocks accommodate a wide range of data types, including databases, files and virtual machine file system volumes. Compare this to a file-level storage system, which only accommodates files. Although you might be able to store spreadsheets, marketing PDFs and images on a file-based storage system, you can’t store other types of data.

As you fill the block with data, you can expand to an additional block without disturbing other data on the server. The data is stored independently from the hardware, so you can move the block storage from one server to another without disturbing the hardware. Think of it like a separate hard drive on a server: You can remove the hard drive from one server and take it to another without disturbing the files.

Block storage is more challenging to administer than file-level storage, since administrators need to manage storage per server, track device performance and set security and protection levels. With cloud block storage, the cloud vendor takes on all the maintenance and administration of the storage server, so you don’t have to worry. You can connect to the cloud storage through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. Many common applications use block-level storage, including Microsoft Exchange and VMware, so you may already be taking advantage of block storage in your business life without even realizing it.

Block Storage’s Benefits

If all you need is a place to put files, TechRepublic recommends file-level storage, but if you’re looking for extensible storage options, cloud block storage can’t be beat. It offers faster speeds, greater reliability and faster performance than a file-based storage system. Block storage can also be formatted differently to accommodate a range of file systems that might be required by an application.

Consider these applications of block-level storage:

  • Move stored data to your block storage and then delete the contents of your server. Since everything is on the block storage, costs are kept down by paying only for the capacity you’re using.
  • Lend more storage to applications and databases that demand a high level of space, freeing up room on your solid state drive (SSD) for other applications.
  • Enhance the storage space of a cloud server without paying additional costs for cloud space.
  • Use the extra space to increase system speed and performance.
  • Keep computing costs low by paying only for the resources you need at any given time.
  • Use block storage for databases, applications, files or a combination.

A reputable cloud company can help you get started with block storage, monitor your block storage and perform all the necessary system maintenance and upgrades. See for yourself why businesses have taken to block storage to increase capacity and lower costs.

June 26, 2013

Making Your Logo An Effective Part of Your Marketing Mix

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Branding is an important part of any business, especially for small businesses needing to stand out in the crowd. Choosing relevant clip art and simply adding the business name is an ineffective method for creating a logo. Your business won’t be seen. Using clip art in this manner can look sloppy and careless. Instead, choose a quality logo design firm to help create the right logo to best reflect your business.

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Set your Budget

One of the most important steps throughout the design process is to set an initial budget. Before meeting with any potential companies, think about the value of the logo and what it can mean for your business’ growth. Consider how much money you have set aside for your marketing budget. The logo will be a one-time cost so it often pays to spend a little more.

Check their Work

You wouldn’t want to hire a design company that doesn’t know what they are doing. It is important to check their work before scheduling a consultation. First, go straight to the source. Check out the company’s website you’re considering for the design intitiative. A good design company will have a quality logo of their own and proudly showcase it on their site. If they don’t have a website, consider another company. Next, ask for a list of companies utilizing the company’s designs and verify the quality of work before you sign a final contract of intent. A skilled company will be more than willing to provide strong examples.

Know your Business

Think about what your business has to offer and what you envision for your company’s overall design. When you meet with a design firm, they will ask a variety of questions about your company in order to guide them toward the perfect end result. Therefore, be ready to talk about your business’ tone, personality and goals, as well as what needs to be avoided. Being prepared will help the process move smoothly.

Communication is Key

Throughout the design evolution, communication is a key factor. The right logo design firm will keep the lines of communication open from the first meeting to the delivery of your fresh, new logo. The company you choose should be willing to listen to your questions and concerns, as well as ask for your feedback on their ideas. If a company ignores your requests or is difficult to reach, move on to another company that will effectively communicate. A company that isn’t willing to communicate is more likely to provide you with a poor-quality logo or one that uses the same clip art you are trying to avoid.

An effective logo is important to your branding power. As a small business, it is even more critical to ensure you have a strong logo design on your side. While it is tempting to save the money and use clip art to create your logo, it is worth the money to hire a professional firm, as long as you take the steps to choose the right one.