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Google Changes That Business Owners Need To Prepare For

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Hosting

The post Google Changes That Business Owners Need To Prepare For appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . If Google were a superhero, it would be the Avengers. If Google had a superpower, it would be the ability to purchase other superpowers. If Google ran the world, well, they pretty much already have an iron grip on the World Wide Web… Google currently possesses 75.2% of the U.S. search market, as of this January, and 81.7% of the U.S. mobile search market, as of March 2014. When Google adjusts an algorithm, like their 4/21/15 mobile update, it has the potential to impact businesses, big and small. Even with its current dominance of the world’s Internet usage, Google still maintains an air of secrecy with regards to any upcoming updates. It’s not that the Google team wants to keep businesses, marketers and users out of the loop, but that innovation takes time, and nobody stays in power if they reveal their algorithmic tricks. Ignoring the secrecy and lack of upcoming announcements, a trend has started to emerge. Although the following are merely predictions, based on competitors and recent changes, it is clear that Google is moving towards a more user-friendly experience.   Google’s Last big Update: Mobile Friendly Let’s quickly analyze the 4/21/15 mobile update before looking forward. In order to cater to the increasing number of mobile Internet users Google adapted how it ranks websites on mobile searches. Websites that are not responsive, or do not have a mobile version, were bumped downwards on Google’s search rankings while websites that were mobile-friendly saw their rankings rise. Why? With users in mind, Google has forced websites that are easier to use higher up in their lists. Mobile searches are on the rise. 94% of USA smartphone users search for local info on their phones. In order to be relevant, websites have to ‘get with the times, man’. Google doesn’t want outdated, difficult to use, sites bogging down the top of their searches. They want us to have the easiest experience possible. While the current system incentivizes keywords and backlinks, it is not hard to imagine Google moving somewhat away from these metrics and instead continuing their user experience trend. Questions like the following will hold a greater weight on how a website ranks: Does the website adapt to what screen/device it is being viewed on? What is the site’s bounce rate? How long do users spend on the page? How often is the site updated? Currently, 55% of website visitors spend 15 seconds on a website. In order to ensure people are finding what they are searching for Google will prioritize websites in which people spend more time viewing. Google wants us to find what we’re looking for, not to click a site and disappointingly exit out after two seconds. Constantly updating, whether content on existing pages or adding new pages to a site, will add more leverage to a site in than it currently does. Instead of focusing on adding a smorgasbord of specifically targeted words, adding content will prove that the site is keeping its information fresh. Sites that do not update will, hopefully, fall down in rankings. Google will doubtless develop algorithms to estimate how often a website should be updated based on it’s niche – for example, a news website should likely be updated more often than a plumber’s website.   The Knowledge Graph Google currently tries to know and understand what you’re searching for, and most of the time its algorithm is right! Displayed on the right of many Google searches is the knowledge graph. It is comprised of data such as pictures, contact information, statistics, and reviews (depending on the search). This presumed information would become more prevalent on all searches, and possibly be the default click on devices with smaller screens. Google will use the knowledge graph to quicken searches and time spent clicking. If you were using Google on a smart-watch, for example, and looked up a local bike shop, wouldn’t it be nice if it automatically brought you to closest shop’s website? Google does know your location, after all, which brings us to…   Geotracking Your location, or your store(s) location for that matter, will continue to become more and more relevant. Depending on what you and/or others are searching and based on where they are, the results will differ greatly. This will have a much larger impact on smaller, one-shop, businesses. As we continue to add the Internet to more and more items that we wear daily, our location is going to matter more and more. What’s nice about these predictions is that it has consumer’s best interests in mind. Businesses and advertisers will have to adjust their marketing plans, but being that these are predictions, we recommend waiting. Still, it’s always fun to imagine what the next Avenger’s movie will be about, and what our next Google update just might be…   ***** Josh Gershonowicz is the founder and CEO of Rebuild Nation , a marketing firm which focuses on the dental and health industry. web hosting Continue reading →

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Are You Creating Deep Connections With Your Customers?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Hosting

The post Are You Creating Deep Connections With Your Customers? appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Are there any brands you love so deeply you wouldn’t know what to do if they suddenly vanished? This could be your favorite brand of coffee, the type of computer your use, or even something as simple as the style of pen you love to write with. The examples are endless and I bet there are lot of companies you maintain a nonsensical love for. The reason this connection exists is because you feel supported and loved, you feel like this company speaks for you and gets you in some deeper way. A humans we crave this connection and need to be seen. If you can create this level of bond with your customers and clients you’ll find yourself with an army that’s willing to stand behind everything you do. The good news is it all starts with developing and nurturing a deep connection with your audience — all of us are capable of doing this.   Know Yourself First Without knowing your company on a deep level you won’t have a backbone on which to base this relationship. You may know exactly what you’re selling, or the service you’re offering, but you still need to uncover your deeper operating principles. Once you know the deeper values you stand for you can bring these to light for your customer to see. For example, you may simply sell exercise equipment for women. But, really you’re selling the feeling of having the beautiful body that you adore. Connecting with this desire will give you a lot of momentum moving forward. Find your deep why and don’t be afraid to communicate it.   Understand To Whom You’re Speaking Every company has an ideal customer they’re going to be speaking to. It’s your job to know this person inside and out. What are their core desires? How do they want to feel when they’re done interacting with you? Does your company give them any social boost? You’ll need to go beyond demographics and truly get into their head and emotional states.   Create Memorable Experiences When you think back to an astonishing experience you had with a company, I bet it stands out because it’s extremely memorable. They did something that was above and beyond the norm. You’ll want to create these experiences for you customers. Especially early on in your relationship. A good rule of thumb is delight early and often.   Take A Stand For Your Loyal Customers Do you have any customers that have been with you a long time? A great way to deepen this relationship is by rewarding them for standing by your side so long. This can be something as simple as a customer loyalty program. Or, you can go above and beyond the norm and create a totally unique reward. It’s entirely up to you.   Don’t Be Afraid To Fail Sometimes you’ll make mistakes. This can be a marketing campaign gone awry, a product that you don’t feel good about, or a simple email exchange that was misinterpreted. Recognizing that you’ve failed and moving forward in a powerful manner is how you’ll strengthen these bonds with your customers. Admit where you were wrong, learn from your mistakes and start to move in a powerful direction. The bond you form with your customers is one of the most important parts of your business. Take the time to nourish this relationship and your business will thank you. web hosting Continue reading →

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Rebootless Venom Vulnerability Patch

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Hosting

The post Rebootless Venom Vulnerability Patch appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Unfortunately, it seems like new exploits are appearing more and more often these days. The most recent exploit to make headlines is known as CVE-2015-3456, aka “Venom.” Ultimately this exploit, much like many before it, can allow a malicious individual to gain root privileges on a server. However, we are not posting this blog to expound on this latest exploit, rather our security experts have developed a procedure to effectively patch this vulnerability without necessitating a reboot. We felt it would be in the best interest of the community at large to release this information as quickly as possible, therefore we have launched VenomFix.com in order to provide this resource and information to the public at large. We are providing this resource simply as a counter-measure against this exploit; this patch carries no guarantee, implied or otherwise. For full information, please visit VenomFix.com . web hosting Continue reading →

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Time Management For Entrepreneurs

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Hosting

The post Time Management For Entrepreneurs appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . As an entrepreneur your time is sacred. You may marvel at those who seem to accomplish marvelous feats in the same 24 hours each day with which you both have to work. You might even start to believe that by some miracle they’ve been given an extra hour or two a day. There is no secret, it just requires taking an active approach to managing your time and seeing what needs to be changed. In this post we’re going to explore a simple process that will help you get more from your time, so you can do more every single day.   1. Understand How You Spend Your Time One of the most important elements of managing your time is understanding how your spend your time. Your time seems to either expand or contact based upon how you spend it, and chances are you waste a lot of your time with aimless activities you aren’t aware that you’re doing. For a week bring around a notebook, or piece of paper and record how you spent the last hour of your time. Over a week this will help to give you a realistic picture of how your time is spent.   2. Know The Most Important Activities For Your Business Once you have an understanding of how you’ve been spending or wasting your time you need to be equipped with an understanding of what activities are important for your business. There’s an old adage that essentially states 20 percent of your activities will be responsible for 80 percent of your results. It’s your job to uncover what these 20 percent activities are. Here’s a hint, usually they’re the ones you avoid the most. They’re the ones you could put off all day if you had to. Look where you have the most resistance and you’ll very often find the important activities.   3. Let Your Schedule Be Your Friend Your schedule and your to-do lists will now become your best friend. Your schedule will be your holy grail of how you’re spending your time. If you’re not used to using a schedule, then your time estimates for certain activities might be off. But, never let anything cross your mind without scheduling it, or adding it to your to-do list. To-do lists are effective in that they help clear your mind of precious mental space. This helps you to focus when you’re actually immersed in an activity, instead of trying to remember that thing you forgot to do. Another way to schedule is to schedule based on certain activities and actions, instead of hours on a clock. This can be helpful if your work is more creatively based, or artistic and less dependent on the clock.   4. Focus Will Extend The Time You Have To Work With As I’m sure you’re aware time seems to pass at different speeds depending on where we’re at and what we’re doing. If we’re waiting in line time seems to drag on forever, but if we’re focused and immersed in what we’re doing then time seems to stretch out a little. The key to having this occur more often than not is mastering your ability to focus. This means you’ll need to take extra care in cutting out any distractions, and making sure you have everything you need for the task at hand. This means no more multitasking. When you distract yourself from the task at hand you actually end up losing time, as it takes longer for your mind to get back to the task you were just doing.   5. Take Care Of Yourself Lastly, you need to make sure you’re in peak condition. If your mind and body are healthy it’s going to be much easier to focus. You know what works for you, but make sure you’re exercising regularly and giving yourself time to unwind. When you’re healthy and stress-free your mind works more efficiently, so you’ll be using less time for the same tasks. As the master of your time you’re going to be much more efficient getting things done if you actually feel good. Managing your time properly doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, once you stick with it for a little bit, it’ll become second nature. What are your best tips for maximizing your time? Let us know in the comments! web hosting Continue reading →

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Infographic: Small Business Attitudes On Taxes

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Hosting

The post Infographic: Small Business Attitudes On Taxes appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . HostGator’s parent company, The Endurance International Group , recently surveyed over 800 small businesses and found that a vast majority are in favor of tax reform. The infographic below contains the results of this survey, some of which are quite interesting. To read the entire related press release, please click here : web hosting Continue reading →

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