Tag Archives: comedy

Small Business Week: Search Engine Optimization Webinar

The post Small Business Week: Search Engine Optimization Webinar appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . In the first webinar for Small Business Week, Brian Rakowski will discuss some SEO tips to help you navigate the new mobile update among other things. You can catch the stream here:   web hosting Continue reading

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The 2015 Tour Du Rouge

The post The 2015 Tour Du Rouge appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Spring is in the air, and around the HostGator offices that means the Tour du Rouge is fast-approaching! This will be the 7th year that the charity ride has taken place, and our 6th year as a sponsor. To revisit our history of sponsoring this event, please see our related blog archive . For those who aren’t familiar, the Tour du Rouge is a 533 mile bicycle ride, from Houston to New Orleans, benefiting The American Red Cross, which provides valuable services to our friends and neighbors in the Gulf Coast region and beyond. In celebration of the event, we are also offering 55% off all new hosting plans – now through 11:59pm CST on Wednesday, May 6th. Simply click the button below, and be sure to use coupon code REDCROSS15, in order to get started hosting with HostGator!   Get Started Now! web hosting Continue reading

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Will Google’s Mobilegeddon Hurt My Small Business? What Should I Do NOW?

The post Will Google’s Mobilegeddon Hurt My Small Business? What Should I Do NOW? appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Are you ready, friends? Mobilegeddon is upon us. Don’t worry, your new smartphone hasn’t finally become sentient (that we know of), but there are big changes ahead. Before you reach for your tinfoil hat, there are a few things you should know. Google tweaked its search algorithm on Tuesday. From now on, sites that aren’t mobile-friendly — meaning ones that have text that’s too small, take a long time to load, or are generally hard to navigate — will see their search rankings plummet. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re about to experience a huge drop in search traffic. Not great, obviously, but here’s why it’s a very big deal: Approximately 86% of all U.S. smartphone users search via Google. There are 177 million websites covered by Google search. If you’re not optimized for those mobile users, you’re going to get lost in a very large crowd. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.   Step 1 Find out if your site is mobile-friendly. Check this free, instant mobile-friendly test ASAP.   Step 2 If your site isn’t ready to go, don’t panic. We can help. Consider us your guide through this post-apocalyptic mobile wasteland. We’ll make your site mobile-friendly within a few days , helping you avoid any major losses in traffic or revenue (Google will notice the change and you’ll quickly regain your search ranking). But you’ve got to move quickly. Call our expert design team for a FREE consultation at 844-271-2301 or click the button below to join us in LiveChat for more information. Rescue Me From Mobilegeddon! web hosting Continue reading

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Are Distributors Employees Or Customers?

The post Are Distributors Employees Or Customers? appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Distributors are the companies or individuals that you use in order to get your inventory to your clients. They are designed specifically around the logistics of getting your materials to the people who have ordered your products or services. Your suppliers may even be distributors for other companies. These people and companies have a responsibility to you to make sure that your customers get what they have ordered within the agreed upon time frame. The question becomes how exactly should you treat these companies and individuals.   Employees Or Customers Distributors may seem like they are your employees, in a sense, as you are paying them to provide a service for your company. On the other hand, your distributors, like your customers, have their own lists of demands. These demands must be met in order for these distributors to do anything for you. If you are a small business, your distributor may simply be the post office, yet even the post office has its own set of demands regarding what and how you must ship certain objects. If you’re shipping lotions, for example, you must declare the lotions and follow specific protocols in order to ensure that they are shipped properly. Any liquid must be declared, as must anything flammable. The list goes on and on. Are they working for you? Yes, they are delivering your goods to your clients. Are they your customers? Yes, they have demands that you must meet. Are you their customer? Yes again, without their services, you would have a difficult time getting your product distributed, and as such you have certain demands that they must meet as well.   If The Answer Is Yes To All, How Do I Act? The answer is of course quite simple. Treat them as you would like to be treated. Explain your situation, explain what you are looking for, and determine if your distributor can meet your expectations. If not, thank them and move on to a different distributor. The important thing is working to ensure that all needs are met, and the only way to do so is to act like a thinking, rational, and respectful adult. If all the relationships do not work smoothly, they will not work. You wouldn’t yell at your customer for asking something to be shipped next day when you offer next day shipping, nor should you yell at the person or company you are attempting to use to get that done. Treat all distributors like both customers and employees. If you need something done within X amount of time, state this, like an employer would, but do so respectfully, in the same manner that you would use when you would talk to a customer. In return you will be treated like you want to be treated in a customer capacity. Supplier chains work the best when all aspects of the relationship are addressed and all are taken into account.   Image Source: Powered Play. (2014). Distributors. Retrieved from http://poweredplay.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/distributors.jpg web hosting Continue reading

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Does Your Business Really Need A Social Media Presence?

The post Does Your Business Really Need A Social Media Presence? appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Social media is one of the most talked about topics in the online world today. Soon we may even have children with social media accounts before they even begin to walk. With all the hoopla around social media and all the social media “experts” telling you which strategy you should employ it can be difficult to make a decision. After all, social media is a huge investment of time and spending too much time going in the wrong direction can be deadly for your business. In this post we’re going to explore the benefits of social media to see if you even need to be active on social media for your business to succeed.   Understanding The Current Social Media Landscape Social media seems to have transcended the trend status and all signs are suggesting it’s going to be around for good. The real reason social media gets confusing is because there are so many different channels to be on and be effective on. The ways of communication across each channel differs greatly, and your core group of customers may not even be using the network that you’re trying to build an audience on. The landscape is very diverse and requires that you pay attention to the networks you’re using and the reasons you’re using them. If you’re not aware of the time you’re spending chances are you’re going to be wasting it. However, just because a lot of brands are using social media doesn’t mean it’s right for your business. For starters, if you’re just going to mimic the same strategy that everyone else is, then you’re better off not going on social media in the first place. Fortune favors the bold and your social media strategy is no different.   Some Businesses Don’t Need To Use Social Media Before we continue it’s important to dive into the reason your business might not need a social media strategy. Think of social media as a means to deliver your message. If it doesn’t align with your customer base, then don’t use it. For instance, if you run a personal sailing school and most of your students tend to live in the local community you might be better off leaving flyers around town, or hanging out at the local docks. Sometimes offline marketing can be better for your specific business. Social media is a means of marketing for your business, but if the people you’re marketing to don’t hang out there, then it doesn’t make sense being on social media. However, for the vast majority of businesses who should be considering moving forward with a strategy there are a few things you should take into account.   Constructing An Effective Social Media Strategy At the heart of any good social media strategy is a good business. If your business doesn’t inspire your customers, or communicate your business in a clear manner, then your social media strategy isn’t going to make your business an overnight success. Think of social media as an amplifier of your business. So, if you have a captivating business, then executing your social media strategy will be much easier. 1. Maintain Consistency Think of your business as a friend that you trust. This person is always honest and tries to be as clear as possible, and they do their best to not send you mixed messages. You want your business to be the same way. When you’re communicating across social media platforms make sure your message and tone stays the same, and make sure you’re always honest and open. That way people are more likely to trust you and be open with you. 2. Speak To Your Market We alluded to this earlier, but you need to be on the social media platforms where your audience hangs out; that’s the only way to reach them. On some social media platforms you can be more friendly and down-to-earth, while others are more geared towards business-speak. Make sure you’re in line with the communication standards of the platform, while still being honest with yourself. 3. Be Unique Face it, no one wants to read a boring post on social media. There’s enough garbage to scroll through most of the time anyways, and you don’t want to continue adding to the noise. You don’t have to be sensational, but you can be honest and show what makes your business unique from your competitors.   Make sure you emphasize these traits and at the end of the day remember, you’re speaking to humans, so act like it. web hosting Continue reading

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