Author: Hitsteps

E-commerce stores are everywhere, but the electronics industry is a fairly narrow niche. If you’re selling electronic parts and components online, you may be enjoying less competition than others, but search engine optimization is still more important than ever in ensuring that you’re driving organic traffic to your site and setting your brand apart. In addition, good SEO will help you build trust with your target audience and help to improve your reputation. Here are some SEO tips for electronics websites that you may find useful.

#1. Descriptive Product Pages:

Making all product pages as descriptive as possible is important for any e-commerce website, but even more so if you’re selling products such as electronic parts and components, where buyers may need even more specific specifications and information compared to others. Few businesses today think about unique content on product pages, but this is a mistake, as simply pulling the product information from a database can lead to duplicate content issues and harm your search engine ranking. It’s also a good idea to add user generated content, such as allowing customers to write their own reviews and share photos on each product page.

#2. List in Relevant Search Engines:

Another way to strengthen your electronics website’s SEO and gain a bigger online presence is to list your products in relevant search engines, such as how Multicomp Components products can be found at Octopart.com. This gives your brand a bigger chance of being found by users who are looking for the specific products that you are selling, along with giving you the additional trust and reputation boost that comes from working alongside a trusted brand in the industry. And, since your products will come up when searched for, you’re also improving chances of driving organic traffic to your site.

#3. Incorporate SEO into Web Design:

Bear in mind that, today, SEO isn’t all about keywords and quality content. While these are still highly important and shouldn’t be overlooked, you’ll also need to make sure that you are incorporating SEO into the design of your website, too. The sad truth is that no matter how much great content you have or how strong your link building game is, a badly designed website is never going to reach the top rankings. Think about mobile users when putting together your web design. A responsive, modern site is always going to gain more favor from Google. And, you should focus on the user experience by offering a clean, easy to use navigation system.

#4. Optimize Product Photos and Videos:

Selling electronic parts and components can be tricky because, it’s often difficult to get great product photographs of them. So, it’s important to spend some time optimizing product photographs and using product videos to help customers get a better idea of how a certain product can be used. Try to get interesting photos wherever you can; doing something unusual may be better thank sticking to generic, boring photographs, as photos that stand out have a higher chance of being shared to social platforms.

Did you find these tips useful? Leave a comment down below.

The tech-savvy and gadget-obsessed will undoubtedly be on the look-out for most notable tech and gadget releases of 2019. Below are a few examples of the most impressive tech to make its way onto the market this year, all of which have got people talking and hurrying to invest. Will you follow suit?

Lenovo Smart Clock

Just when you thought that your smartphone had completely replaced any need for an alarm clock, the Lenovo Smart Clock hit the shelves in June 2019 – and has been flying off them ever since! This clever clock is equipped to operate Google Assistant, is capable of charging your phone, wakes you up with a gradually brightening clock face before setting off your alarm and, of course, tells time. Believe it or not, while the Lenovo Smart Clock’s specs are endlessly impressive, its real appeal lies in its minimalistic design which is reminiscent of an old-school alarm clock and is guaranteed to add a nostalgic charm to your bedside table.

New iPhone Cases

The new iPhone cases by Bodyguardz do so much more than simply protect your favorite device from damage. Many of these innovative smartphone accessories come with advanced technology for improved functionality and convenience. For example, some come with a wrist strap that can be easily removed or attached as needed. This wrist strap aids in reducing the risk of accidentally dropping your phone, whether you’re using your phone at home or out and about, therefore making it a top choice for runners and people who work on their devices while on the go. 

Waverly Ambassador Translator

Say good-bye to language barriers for good with the new Waverly Ambassador Translator. It’s an amazing little gadget that has the ability to translate speech on the spot. It has a hygienic over-the-ear design to allow for seamless sharing and has been programmed to translate dozens of languages and dialects, thus allowing you to communicate effectively with practically anyone and everyone at any time. While it is still in its very early stages of development, the reviews on the product are promising overall. So, if you’re someone who travels frequently or who deals with people from different countries for business purposes on a regular basis, it’s definitely worthwhile to give it a go and see if it works for you.

Ember 14 oz. Temperature Control Mug

Moms around the globe who are used to drinking their coffee cold after attending to the needs and demands of their children all morning long will certainly appreciate the masterpiece that is the Ember 14 oz. Temperature Control Mug. In essence, this mug utilizes internal heating technology to keep your beverage a specific temperature for up to an hour after making it. It allows you to adjust your ‘perfect’ temperature as you prefer it, from between 120°F – 145°F. The battery life lasts 60 minutes, or you can keep the mug on its charging coaster for all-day use. Furthermore, it’s safe to hand wash and you can control it with your smartphone!

Talk about awe-inspiring technology! Don’t forget to update your wish list.

Knowing your customers is one of the fundamental principles of marketing. For your efforts to be effective you need to know about your customers behaviour. If you are selling online then you will also need to know about how they react and engage with your online advertising and website. 

One of the ways you can gather this information is by using an analytics tool. A good analytics tool will allow you to see your website in a way you’ve never seen it before. You will be able to understand how customers got to your site, what they did when they got there and what factors influenced them in making a purchase. 

Top Website Analytics Insights

For websites in particular, it’s very important to be able to understand how your customers are behaving online. Where in a physical retail location you can see issues like when queues build up and when customers can’t find products. This kind of insight isn’t available online without the use of an analytics tool. Some of the most useful website metrics are covered off below.

Where Your Users Came From

People will find you website in a mixture of different ways. They may come through a search engine or they may come to your website directly. Knowing this is crucial because it will help you to identify which marketing channels are most effective and which are the best at converting. A tool like digivante.com will even be able to tell you which type of website browser is giving you a better conversion rate. 

Time Spent on a Page

As well as driving users to your website you want to know that when they get there you are providing them with the information they want. Looking at a metric like time spent on a page can be beneficial because it can help you to identify weak or irrelevant content on your website. It can also be a sign that you are attracting the wrong website visitors. 

New Website Visitors

Being able to see the percentage of new visitors to your website is hugely beneficial because without new users, you will have issues with making sales. If you keep getting the same repeat visitors to you site then you may have a problem with your marketing in that you are not attracting new customers to your site. A returning user metric on your dashboard will help you to identify where marketing budget needs to be spent to be the most effective. 

Data Driven Insights

In any retail environment be it online or in store, the customer is king. You therefore must be able to collect and utilize customer insights effectively so that you can grow your businesses successfully. Using an analytics tool in your business is one way to ensure that you are keeping the customer at the forefront of decision making. Providing them with a great customer experience will keep them coming back and will help you to win new business.

In the world of business, you always need to make sure that you are keeping both your employees and your customers happy. Many businesses forget that there are two main groups of people that need to be happy if the company is to succeed and will place to much focus on just one group. This means that it is worth knowing a few different ways in which you can improve the customer and employee experience, and there are many ways of doing this which could deliver powerful long term results for the business and ensure that everyone is happy and content at all times.

1. Seek Feedback

One of the most obvious ways to improve the experience of both the consumer and the employee is to ask for feedback. This can be daunting, but it is important for identifying areas in which you could make improvements.

2. Improve The Office

Making improvements to the office is smart because it will improve both the customer and employee experience. Employees spend the majority of their week in the office, so it will be much better for them if this is somewhere comfortable, welcoming, and well-equipped. From the customer’s point of view, this can help to make a good first impression, and it will ensure that they are dealing with staff who are happy and content. A few ideas for improving the office include:

• Maximizing natural light
• Upgrading the furniture
• Potted plants
• Personal decoration
• Using an open plan office

3. Improve Communication

Communication is key to success in the business world and a great way to improve both customer and employee experience. Increasing face-to-face communication is a smart idea for forging important relationships, but you should also think about ways in which you can improve digital comms. One highly effective strategy for this is to use a service like boomerangmessaging.com which can automate communication flows between business systems and customers with text, email and voice messaging. This can reduce operating costs, improve the customer experience, optimize process efficiency and much more.

4. Host Events

Hosting events is an intelligent idea which can bring a host of benefits to the company. First, it is a good idea in terms of improving morale and team-building, but it is also highly effective for advertising the company. It will also paint your company as a brand that cares about its target customer. This will allow customers and employees to relax and socialise, which can break down barriers and create a powerful relationship between business and customer. There are all kinds of events to consider, including:

• BBQs
• Launch parties
• Workshops
• Fun days
• Festivals

Taking steps to improve the employee and customer experience is important and a great way to improve your company. In order for any business to grow and succeed, both of these groups will have to be happy and content, but this requires constant work. The above are a few ideas which should help with both the employee and customer experience so you should soon start to see results after trying these ideas.

All workplaces generate waste, and while manufacturing industries tend to produce the most, it is surprising how much material can be recycled through general office work. If you are looking for effective and efficient ways to manage your office waste, this guide is for you.

What waste is produced through office work?

• Paper – Paper is often the most abundant recyclable material in any office. While many processes within offices are computer based, office work still generates a lot of paper waste. The good news is that paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle. While it is good to have paper recycling bins in every office, a better way to store paper before it is sent for recycling is to shred and/or compress it. Look at recyclingbalers.com as this is one company where waste machinery can be bought to suit any office space.

Shredding and compressing paper means that more of it can be stored in one place, and because it is shaped into bales, it makes it easier to transport.

• Plastics / Glass – if your staff eat lunch and other snacks onsite, then there is likely to be plastic waste that can be recycled. Single use plastics such as drink bottles and coffee cups are becoming a big problem for the environment, and most people are happy to recycle if appropriate bins are provided.

Waste machinery can compact and bale a variety of materials, including plastics, and may be something to consider investing in if you have a large, office-based workforce.

• Electronics – old electronic equipment that is no longer working or in use can be recycled. Often they can be refurbished, or the working components re-used. There are companies that will collect old electrical equipment from your office, and a simple internet search will bring up some results in your area.

• Food Waste – using bins to collect food waste, such as fruit and vegetable, or sandwich leftovers from staff lunches, is another way that an office can put waste to good use. Food scraps can be collected by a local service, and made into compost.

How to Encourage Recycling in an Office

Having a recycling policy in an office not only helps the environment, but puts the feel-good factor in your team.

One way to help staff recycle is to provide a central point where there are bins that are clearly labeled for different materials. Removing personal trash bins from desk areas will mean that staff have to visit the designated recycling bins to dispose of personal and office waste.

You can also remind staff of the importance of recycling through wall posters, and include a message on staff intranet and email footers. Another fun way to encourage more recycling in the office is to create challenges and give prizes for those who recycle the most, or help others to recycle more.

Recycling is a habit that any office can adopt. With the right equipment, like appropriate bins, shredding and baling machinery, recycling can become an efficient part of a well-run office.

As the owner of a business in the legal sector, you’re rushed off your feet from the moment you enter your office in the morning to the moment you leave it during the evening. Throw in the fact that you’re at the mercy of the courts and you have to abide by their timeframe, everything about your schedule just gets that much more frantic.

This is why you must resolve to streamline your workflow as best you can. The more productive and efficient you become, the better control you’ll have over your schedule. Ultimately, this will result in you performing more work of an optimized nature.

To find three solutions that will be sure to help you streamline your legal business, be sure to read on.

Embrace technology

There are a host of different pieces of technology out there that you should be embracing in your bid to streamline your business. By failing to embrace them, you will only make running your legal business ten times harder than it needs to be.

One piece of tech that you should definitely be embracing is case management software. This type of software, which is offered expertly by Redbrick Solutions, brings with it a host of features that will be sure to benefit your legal business. These benefits include:

• Smart search technology
• Customizable workflows
• Intuitive to-do lists
• The ability to import personal letter templates
• Comprehensive document management
• Apportionment calculation
• Easy billing platforms
• Two-way email integration
• Shared diary across all of your departments
• The ability to e-submit SDLT

By making use of such technology, you will be sure to save yourself time and money. What you should do with the time and money that you save is invest it in streamlining your law firm further.

Send out newsletters regularly

Having to constantly inform your clients about the latest services that you offer will distract you from your daily tasks. You can, however, streamline this specific area of your workflow by resolving to send out newsletters regularly. This will help to keep your clients up-to-date with all the happenings within your law firm, meaning you won’t have to interrupt your workflow in order to provide this information on a daily basis.

Automate your booking system

Similarly, having to constantly take phone calls throughout the duration of each working day will also be sure to interrupt your workflow. For this reason, you should seek to automate your booking system.

One way to do this is to invest in an online booking portal. This will see your clients book an appointment with you via an e-calendar that is permanently posted on your website. If you wish to do so, you can then follow up on these bookings by sending out confirmation emails at a time that suits you.

If you wish to take your legal business to the pinnacle of its market, you must resolve to streamline your workflow as best you can. Take the above advice, and you’ll be sure to do just that.

Finding your target audience on online platforms in one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website and increase your online sales. However, reaching and communicating with your target audience can be difficult if you do not take the right steps. This article will guide you through some of the best measures that you should take to find your target audience and encourage them to invest in your business. 

• Establish Your Target Audience

The first thing that you need to do is to find your target audience and to do this, you need to establish a niche. You can find your target audience by establishing what age group, economic background, and locational area you are aiming to attract to your website, as this will then help you to aim your marketing campaigns towards this target audience. 

One of the best ways to find out who your target audience are is to conduct market research, such as surveys and video research, that will help you to communicate directly with your target audience and find out what types of products and services they are likely to be interested in investing into. 

You can also find your target audience by looking at your competitors and the target audiences that they provide products for, and by studying your own knowledge of the products that you are creating.

• Improve Digital Marketing Techniques 

The most important way that you can improve your digital marketing techniques, however, is through your digital marketing methods. Digital marketing is important in order to increase your online exposure and drive traffic to your website, and there are many different ways that you can cater this towards your target audience.

For instance, you need to ensure that your content marketing, such as blogs and videos, create the right kind of content for your audience, and that the social media platforms that you are using are the platforms where your target audience is. If you are struggling to achieve a clear digital marketing strategy, you need to contact digital marketing agencies such as Caffeine Marketing, who can help you to develop your social media marketing, content, SEO and PPC advertising.  

• Establish your Brand Identity 

However, in order to connect with your audience, it is vital that you establish a solid brand identity. For instance, if you are intending to market towards business people, you should ensure that your tone is professional and your website is sleek and formal, whereas students are more likely to appreciate friendly and informal images and colorful websites. 

• Start Networking 

You should also do all that you can to network both in person and online, as this will help you to spread the word about your brand and enable you to gain referrals through communicating with other businesses.

This can also allow you to gain reviews that can encourage your target audience to buy from you, and allow you to find other similar businesses which are looking for a collaboration, enabling you to connect with their customer base as well as your own. Not only this, but networking events usually give you the opportunity to promote and speak about your brand to other businesses who may be interested.

If you’re thinking of starting your own online business, it can be tricky to know where to start. With new businesses launching online every day, finding a niche in the market and standing out from competitors can be tough, but it will help turn your business idea into a successful venture. With that in mind, here is a short guide that will help you start your own online business, as well as list several skills that you should have to help you rise above the rest.

Define Your Business

First and foremost, before your business can get off the ground, you should take time defining what sort of products and services you plan to offer. Without having a business plan in place, it can be hard to know where to begin. You will want as many people as possible to access your business, therefore, outlining your objectives and goals, as well as researching competitors in your field can be a great way to get your online business up and running. Seeing how others are doing in the market can give you new ideas on how to stand out, helping to build up a loyal following.

Register Your Business

Your online business will need to be registered in accordance with your state’s laws. To make sure everything is above board, make sure to pick a business name that hasn’t been trademarked, and you will need to fill out the appropriate paperwork to ensure your business is official and ready to go. Also, take the time to develop a good understanding of the business regulations and rules in your state.

Pick a Domain Name

When picking your domain name, you should stick to something short and catchy so that people can remember it easily. Additionally, make sure it is easy to type, use keywords, and avoid any hyphens and numbers. The more memorable you can make it, the better!

Get a Web Hosting Service

While there are plenty of free web hosting services available, it’s advised to pay for one that provides all the services you need. If you’re serious about making your online business a success, it’s only natural that you will want to have all the resources and tools you need, so to avoid running into any problems (especially in the beginning stages), make sure to choose a web hosting service that allows for growth. There are several hosting services which are highly structured, enabling you to pick from a variety of website templates, as well as allowing you to do your own programming, which can give you the flexibility you need.

Make Sure Your Website is Easy to Use

No matter what type of online business you’re planning to run, your website should be functional and stylish. As you won’t be meeting customers face to face, they will have to trust what’s on your website, so ensure your page is engaging and easy to use, otherwise users may go elsewhere for their custom. There are various things that should be included on your website, such as an ‘about us’ page which can allow the customer to know more about what your business is all about, as well as contact links should they want to get in touch. If you’re not tech savvy, you may want to consider hiring a professional designer who can do all the hard work for you.

Use the Right eCommerce Software

It’s important that you have eCommerce software, otherwise your customers won’t be able to view your products or make purchases. The software can be easily installed and will ensure that your customers’ information and financial details are kept safe and secure. You will want your customers to trust your brand, so picking the right eCommerce software can make a huge difference.

Add Catchy Content

If you haven’t got catchy content on your website, you can’t expect customers to stick around. Instead of using large blocks of text to advertise a product or service, make sure to incorporate visuals and videos to keep viewers hooked. Try and see yourself as the customer so you can figure out what sort of things would interest you and make you more likely to make a purchase.

Use Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool. With millions upon millions of users logging into websites like Facebook each day, setting up your own business page can be a great way to spread the message of your brand. Directly engaging with your customers can help them feel more valued and appreciated too.

Use SEO

When searching for a certain product, many customers will click on the first link they see. Therefore, make sure to use SEO (search engine optimization) to ensure your website stays at the top of search results. Also, you can use relevant keywords that are related to your business to help attract more customers to your page.

Key Skills

There are all sorts of key skills that you can learn which will help your online business grow. While being driven and motivated can help you succeed, you can gain various qualifications which can set you on the right path. For example, completing an online MBA in operations management can help you develop strong leadership skills, and give you more knowledge on the key aspects of a business, such as financial management.

To get your business off the ground and running, you should have an idea that you believe in. Being passionate about what you have to offer can only be a good thing, helping to secure more customers and clients to your brand. Make sure that your business website is informative, eye-catching, and relevant to your target demographic. You should also have key skills that can help keep your business successful, such as knowing how to lead a team, as well as having the right education and qualifications behind you. Starting a new online business can be daunting for even the most experienced entrepreneur, however, staying consistent and driven are key traits that will help keep your business on track.

Despite the new technologies behind mobile websites, native mobiles apps are still very popular among users. The fluid user experience that mobile apps can deliver is still unrivalled. On top of that, mobile apps can utilize hardware and OS-specific functions without annoying users too much (i.e. by asking for too many permissions) along the way.

However, developing a mobile app for your brand or the service you want to deliver is not without its challenges. One of those challenges is making sure that your mobile app is secure enough for your users. Fortunately, there are some simple tips and tricks that you can follow if you want to get started with securing your mobile app.

Know Your Risk

The first thing you want to do is a comprehensive risk assessment. You can’t really understand the security risks that threaten your mobile app and its users without completing this step. A risk assessment is the process of identifying potential risks, spotting parts of the app that needs extra security measures, and identifying other challenges beyond the app itself.

The security assessment will also help you understand the kind of information you gather from the app and its users. When storing personal details of your users, for instance, you know that you have more risks of information theft to deal with. This way, you can take a more proactive approach and add security measures for maximum protection.

Secure Your Source Code

Security threats and potential risks may materialise even before you release the apps to their respective app stores. You may have bugs and security holes that aren’t caught by conventional testing methods. The entire source code may be compromised too; this is a real possibility if you don’t have sufficient security policies in place.

Securing your source code is a crucial part of securing your mobile app. Aside from limiting access to certain parts of the source code, you also want the development project to be as compartmentalised as possible. To further secure your app, make sure source codes are reviewed and monitored for changes. This makes tracing the source of a vulnerability easier to do.

Use Encryption

Encryption must always be a part of your mobile app, especially if it is designed to capture and store user information. You want all sensitive data to be encrypted using a valid encryption key. You also want to make sure that only nodes with the correct encryption key can access data stored within the app. You even have the option to utilize the mobile operating system’s encryption features.

Aside from encryption, you also want to have a comprehensive identity and access management policies. Rather than letting admins and support officers access everything, you can define and limit access to certain parts of the app’s ecosystem based on user roles and other parameters. This increases app security by a substantial margin.

These security measures aren’t perfect, but the tips and tricks you can find in this article will help you preserve maximum mobile application security without the usual hassle. All you have to do next is work towards improving your mobile app security by going into the details and fine-tuning existing security measures.