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HostGator honors the hustle and grind with Side Hustle Stars Award winners

The post HostGator honors the hustle and grind with Side Hustle Stars Award winners appeared first on HostGator Blog . While “side hustle” may seem like a trendy term, it’s actually part of the true entrepreneurial spirit found in many HostGator customers. Are all entrepreneurs side hustlers? Maybe, to some extent. But, a “side hustle” is a venture someone creates in addition to their primary income source, with the intent to gain money, credibility, community, or even a career.  We know that many HostGator customers started a website with the side hustle spirit in mind… They needed an outlet for “something else” in their life. They saw a need and wanted to help. They had creative juices that weren’t flowing at their “day job.” They wanted a little extra money on the side.  Whatever the reason for creating a side hustle, we know the hustle and grind can be tough. After all, HostGator was started as a side hustle by a college student with big dreams. For that reason, HostGator applauds the customers who work long hours outside of their day job with a side hustle dream.  So HostGator created the Side Hustle Stars Awards to rally the troops, share stories like the old days around a campfire, and encourage the stars to keep hustling.  For added encouragement and high fives, the first 100 verified entries receive a Side Hustle Fuel Kit that includes a Starbucks* gift card, Yeti* tumbler travel mug, and a mascot Snappy stress ball.  And the Side Hustlers showed up to impress. From, CBD products to skateboard photographers, there were more than 300 verified entries, with the most popular side hustle category being products and physical goods. We evaluated the entries by their side hustle stories and their websites against factors such as navigation, design, and web standards like SSL certificates and mobile responsiveness. In the end, one theme emerged. Despite spending extra hours working on their side hustles beyond the traditional 9-to-5, more than half (56%) of the applicants shared words of encouragement like “never give up” or “keep going” to other side hustlers.  The Side Hustle Stars Winners HostGator is pleased to announce the following winners of the 2019 Side Hustle Stars competition: 1st place – SACFruits , a premium dried fruit snack sold in the US and Africa that supports fruit farmers in Nigeria. 2nd place – Xcelencia , an independent, Latin urban recording artist and music producer innovating outside the traditional music industry.  3rd place – Souly Rested , is a blog based on life on a 219-year-old farm in rural New England including tutorials on tapping maple trees and cooking with maple.   More about the winners 1st Place – SACFruits, Afie Braimoh SACFruits is a 100% natural, premium dried fruit snack sold in the US and Africa that supports fruit farmers in Nigeria. Afie Braimoh created SACfruits because she saw a need. She noticed that many of the farmers in Nigeria were living in poverty. Despite having an abundance of fruit, the poor road conditions limited access to cities and distribution centers. As a result, their fruit would rot along with their profits.  Afie’s solution started simply, with a dehydrator in her kitchen. SACfruits has come a long way since Afie started her side hustle and founded the company in 2012. Now SACfruits has FDA approval and is sold in Nigeria and the US, including online with Amazon.  Afie knows the true, and often solitary, work involved with a side hustle. She is still the sole employee of the company and works with one distributor who believes in her product. Yet still, Afie shares encouraging advice for other side hustlers.  “Stick with your side hustle. It is hard work,” says Afie. “But if you are passionate about your product or service, you believe in yourself, and run your race (and nobody else’s), success is only a matter of time.” 2nd Place – Xcelencia, Calixto Gabriel Bravo Xcelencia is an independent, Latin urban recording artist and music producer. Born Calixto Gabriel Bravo in 1991, Xcelencia works hard to push the boundaries beyond any single genre. As an independent artist, lack of funding is a challenge, but personal motivation and a passion for music is what propels Xcelencia to accomplish his dreams.  As the music industry continues to evolve, Xcelencia sees the value in collaboration to accelerate growth, which demonstrates his hustle spirit.  “It’s important to remain within the box to conform to the average consumer. However, playing outside of the box allows you to innovate and find new gaps and strategies to overcome your obstacles,” says Xcelencia. “Practice patience along with self-awareness, and you will begin to understand where to continuously improve and develop.” 3rd Place – Souly Rested, Michelle Visser Michelle Visser and her family moved to a 219-year-old farm in rural New England and discovered the farm was home to sugar maples trees waiting to be tapped. Michelle started the Souly Rested blog to catalog her journey learning how to make and bake with maple syrup. As her blog posts gained popularity, Michelle decided to use her platform to self-publish a book for extra income.  But, as the hustle spirit sometimes catches a “big break,” Michelle’s book was bought by a publisher instead and is set to be in bookstores Fall 2019.  From not knowing how to tap a tree, to selling maple syrup and publishing books, Michelle’s hustle has established her as a maple expert and a published author with more all-natural sugar products and a new book on the way. Way to go, Michelle!  Coming Soon  Stay tuned for more from these winners, as we plan to do a detailed feature on each. Also, coming soon, we’ll share stories and entrepreneurial tips from many of our entrants.  We’re so proud of the spirit of all the Side Hustlers who entered and what they have  accomplished with their HostGator websites. There are so many stories we can’t wait to share. * Note: The contest is not affiliated with Starbucks or Yeti.  Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading

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Looking for a reliable hosting & support for dedicated windows server

Hi, Currently hosting at hostgator which is horrible both from performance, service and support standpoints. Looking for windows & ms sql … | Read the rest of http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1769193&goto=newpost Continue reading

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Looking for new host for open source project

Hey everyone. New forum user here. 🙂 I’ve had enough with HostGator’s tech “support”. They’ve decided we have a “cpu problem” because … | Read the rest of http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1768893&goto=newpost Continue reading

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7 Tips to Choose a Website Design That Converts Customers

The post 7 Tips to Choose a Website Design That Converts Customers appeared first on HostGator Blog . Your website design has a lot of work to do. It should look professional, make it easy for visitors to find what they need, and show visitors why you’re the person to do business with. But the most important thing a good design does is help to close the deal. How can your website’s design help convert visitors into customers? Here are 7 must-know tips to get you started. 1. Start with SSL SSL certificates aren’t part of your website’s design, but I’m including them here because your site’s SSL status is often the first thing visitors notice. It can be the element that determines whether they stay or flee. When you have an SSL certificate for your site, your domain name starts with https instead of http. And the green padlock symbol will show up next to your URL in visitor’s browser bars. People trust the padlock. SSL is important for three reasons: Most browsers flag sites without SSL as “not secure”. Sometimes that warning scares visitors off. SSL matters for SEO. Google has used SSL status as a ranking signal since 2014, and in a search-result ranking tie between one site with https and one with http, https wins. SSL encrypts the data your customers enter on your website. That stops hackers and data thieves from stealing personal and payment information. This protects your customers and your business reputation. Did you know? All HostGator plans come with a free SSL certificate . 2. Mobile Formatting Matters Your website must display beautifully on a mobile screen. Mobile-first design is the cornerstone of modern websites because so many of us spend so much time browsing on our phones. You can find mobile friendly templates for WordPress websites or you can hire a designer with a strong portfolio of mobile-first designs. 3. Make a Great First Impression With Your Product Pages This doesn’t mean you have to throw all your company information on every product page, but it’s important to remember that any of your product pages maybe the first impression a visitor has of your website. Let’s say you sell gear and supplies for exotic birds. You may have a fantastic home page, but maybe visitors are arriving at your site through searches for cuttlebones or parakeet playgrounds or parrot perches—and they go right to those product pages from their search results. Each of those pages needs to include your company name, a brief summary of your shipping and returns policies, pricing, and a navigation menu that lets them quickly explore the rest of your website without having to hunt around. 4. Invite Visitors to Linger with Category Landing Pages We’ve blogged before about the importance of structuring your product categories so they’re easy for search engines and human beings to navigate. And each category page is prime real estate for product photos, keywords, and informative content that can help your customers decide what to buy. Back to our exotic bird website example. Let’s say your product categories are food, treats, grooming, health, habitats, and toys. Your habitat category page should include photos of your most popular cages, perches, and playscapes, along with descriptive text that includes the keywords people use to find your products. This is the ideal place for a guide explaining how to choose the right enclosure or a checklist of must-have elements in a bird enclosure. All this content, if it’s tagged and written properly, can help boost your SEO and show customers that you’re a resource for information as well as products. 5. Make Your Calls-to-Action Count Every page on your site should include a call to action (CTA). A CTA is a short statement telling your visitors what you’d like them to do next. For example, on your exotic bird habitat category landing page, your CTA is “find your bird’s new roost now.” On product pages, the CTA is “add to cart.” You can also have a secondary CTA for people who aren’t quite ready to take the plunge—”add to wish list” or “save for later.” On the cart page, the CTA is “checkout.” At every step of the way, your CTA gives customers a little nudge to take the next step toward conversion. That’s sales psychology 101. It’s also super important in an age where most of us have a bunch of browser tabs and apps open at once and our attention is highly fragmented. 6. Create a Low-Friction Checkout Experience So, you have a parrot parent visiting your site, reading your content, choosing a new enclosure, adding it to their cart, and hitting the checkout button. This next part of the website must be designed properly to keep that customer from abandoning their cart. Between 70 and 85% of all e-commerce carts get ditched before customers complete their purchases. Part of the reason is bad checkout design that makes customers work too hard to give stores their money. Design your checkout so it requires as little effort from your customers as possible, while remaining secure and protecting you from potential fraud. Let your customers auto-fill their name and address information. Don’t make them create an account to check out. Let them use an online payment service like Square or PayPal so they don’t have to fish around for a credit card. Design it right, and your customers are more likely to convert.   7. Consider Outsourcing Your Website Design to Experts There are plenty of resources for designing your own website, especially if you’re using WordPress, because there are so many templates you can buy or use for free. If you’re not confident in your design skills or would rather focus on other aspects of your business, you can hire a design service with experience building mobile-friendly websites. Ready to get started? Sign up for professional website design services from HostGator and outsource that process today. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading

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5 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website from Social Media

The post 5 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website from Social Media appeared first on HostGator Blog . Everyone is spending time on social media. It’s the hangout spot for people to chat with their friends and get the latest updates on their favorite TV shows. It’s also a place for you to attract new customers to your brand. It’s important for people to engage with your website. However, social networks are doing their absolute best to keep people in-platform. But you can change all that! Here are five social media tips for your brand to get people to actually visit your website. 1. Optimize Your Profile It’s very likely for potential customers to learn about your brand on social media before they even land on your website. So, you’ll want to make a good first impression. You’ll need two key people from your team: a graphic designer and a copywriter. The designer will ensure your logo and profile images represent your brand well. You may need to adjust the color schemes or image sizes to maximize your brand’s visibility. Then, work with your copywriter to draft a creative message about your business. You can use your tagline or meaningful saying that will strike an emotional chord with your followers. Here’s an example from Califia Farms . Their Instagram profile shows a clear image of their logo. Plus, the copy sparks curiosity and spotlights their plant-based mission. Lastly, you want to lead people to your site with a link. Experiment with your homepage or a specific landing page. Your goal is to increase traffic and keep your new visitors’ attention. 2. Tease Exclusive Content Consumers love the velvet rope treatment. That’s when a few people receive access to a special offering. It gives people a sense of belonging and labels them as part of the “cool kids” group. Exclusivity can encourage more people to visit your site. Julie Neidlinger , writer, artist, and pilot from North Dakota, provides her perspective: “Exclusivity works because, frankly, people like to be in on the secret. Exclusivity makes people want something. If they can’t have it, they want it all the more. Some of us take a bit of pleasure when others are excluded (though we’d rather not admit that).” Use this strategy to your advantage by only posting links to specific content on your social media channels. For instance, let’s say you did an interview with a well-known expert. You can post the link to the video only on your Facebook account for 48 hours. That exclusivity will motivate your followers to click the link to your site. Another idea is to announce product releases on social media. It’ll prompt your audience to follow you on social media and visit the official announcement page. It’s a win-win for everyone: your fans get the exclusive perk and your brand gets traffic. 3. Engage Followers Directly Social media has earned a bad reputation because businesses like to rely on too many automated processes. This dependence on automation hinders brand engagement. Your customers want personal attention, not a bot sending them a canned response every single time they reply to your social account. To truly get people to your site from social media, you must engage them directly. So, invest in hiring (or outsourcing) a part-time social media manager to craft direct responses to your followers. Whether it’s a potential customer looking for a quick answer or a long-time customer needing assistance, you want someone to provide a unique reply in a timely manner. Footwear and apparel brand Vans offers a good lesson on how to connect with your social media audience. Below the company provides a friendly reply along with a recommended site for the customer to visit. When directing followers to your site, make sure it fits their needs. Matching the right page with their current issue ensures a positive outcome. 4. Connect with Influencers When building your marketing plan, don’t forget the power of relationships. Your team shouldn’t be tackling every task in a silo. Instead, recruit influencers to help you spread your message and get people to your site. Choose influencers within your industry that align with your brand’s values and goals. David Zheng, former contributor to The Daily Egg, offers his insight: “It can be excruciatingly overwhelming to track down influencers…The key to finding the right influencers is to remember that the more you know about your target, the better you can create a pitch that will engage and sell them on your idea.” You’ll want to draw up an agreement highlighting the expectations for the influencer partnership . Will the individual retweet specific posts? Or will the person post about your business three times a week on his account? Moreover, give influencers creative control to develop new social media ideas for your brand. Maybe they can post a series of funny videos or do a takeover on your Twitter account. These innovative approaches will earn your business more traffic. 5. Promote Special Deals A good deal is hard to find. That’s why customers are happy when they find a coupon for their favorite brand. Customers will even go the extra mile to locate a promotional code before purchasing products in their online shopping carts. You brand can leverage people’s need to save money. Start by offering special discounts on your social media accounts. It can be a one-time holiday offer or monthly deals just for your followers. These incentives will get people to your site, and it gives visitors a reason to buy from you now, rather than later. Check out this example below from Letterfolk . On Facebook, the brand is showcasing a special 20% discount on all their inventory for their Mother’s Day Sale. Like any good marketing strategy, don’t overload your customers. You shouldn’t post discounts every day. Also, state any restrictions about the coupon upfront. The last thing you want is followers upset because their coupon doesn’t apply to the items in their cart. Driving Traffic From Social Media to Your Website Social media is all the craze, but you need visitors to come to your site. From profile optimization to direct engagement, there’s an opportunity for your brand to get more traffic. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading

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