The Importance of Responsive Design for Small Businesses

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Small businesses should never let their size define them. Instead, it must encourage them to push further and grow. In today’s world, where everything is driven by technology, it is very important to know how to adapt to remain relevant. This is very crucial to small businesses who want visibility online. With this in mind, small businesses must do all they can to make their website as accessible as possible. The best way to do this is through responsive design. This is a website design style that allows one single site to adjust its properties according to the size of the user’s device. It helps to optimize the browsing experience for your potential customers. So whether they are looking at your website on their phone or laptop, it still looks great.

That’s not the only benefit. Below are even more reasons why responsive design is crucial for small businesses.

Promotes Google Exposure

To improve your small business, you must be able to put it out there. And by ‘there’ we mean the internet. Specifically on the world’s largest search-engine, Google. In 2015, Google included a website’s mobile presence as a ranking factor. As a result, implementing responsive design promotes your business’ exposure on Google. As a small business owner, having a website that is compatible with any devices will boost the number of users and consumers you can reach.

Wider User Reach

As more and more people prefer using mobile phones when surfing the web, responsive design is crucial for great user experience. People tend to avoid staying on websites that are not compatible with their device. Having a responsive design will ensure that your website looks great and that users enjoy using it.

Provides Functional Online Experience

For a small business owner, it is important to treat everyone online as potential customers. The best way to do that is to serve them with a reliable, convenient, and functional online experience. Responsive design allows your users to navigate through your website easily. Your potential customers will most likely stay on your site and become full-pledged customers if your site looks attractive and is easy to use. A responsive design means more customers

Increases Number of Customers

It is an undeniable fact that more and more people shop on the internet. And most of these people use their mobile devices to do so. For your small business to improve, then, you must make sure that your website is ready for online shopping. Responsive Design allows your products to be easily seen and navigated. Convenience is always key when it comes to small businesses that are trying to crack the online world. If your site can’t adapt to your user’s preferred device, then your business is bound to fail. A responsive website, on the other hand, guarantees your customers can browse and shop conveniently. As a result, they will stay on your site longer and make more purchases.

Is your website not responsive yet? Speak to us today to find out how you can build a responsive website that ranks highly on Google.

What’s the difference between SEO and PPC?

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) can both be described as a form of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). That’s because they both use search engines to drive traffic to a website. But they do so in different ways. Choosing between the two can be daunting. Especially if you have no idea what they are about. There’s no need to be worried, however. We’re here to help find what best suits you. We’ve written down below the differences between SEO and PPC.

The Basics

Before starting, it is important to learn the basic definition of the two.

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a method of online marketing that optimizes your website and content in organic search results. By organic, we mean getting traffic through Google’s list of 10 links on each page. Not through the ads at the top. This means that SEO is free. The aim for every SEO is to get higher ranking in the search results for better visibility and more chances of clicks.
  • Pay Per Click (PPC) is another form of online marketing that creates a series of adverts based on chosen set of keywords. As the name suggests, you pay search engines, like Google or Yahoo, for every click you get. These are the ads you see at the top of search engines.

Cost

As stated above, SEO offers free clicks while PPC does not. However, those are only the initial or the surface-level costs. There are still some factors to be considered. They are as follows:

  • SEO – Unless you are a marketing whizz, you will need to hire someone to do SEO for you. If you don’t have the right knowledge and strategy, you will struggle to do it yourself. This means hiring a professional to do SEO for your site for a few thousand dollars a month. This will be an ongoing cost.
  • PPC – PPC only requires you to pay for the times people click your ad. PPC will also need ongoing management like SEO. You can do this yourself but it might be easier to have a company do it for you. This means an additional cost on top of your ad spend.

Search Results Position

Usually, PPC Ads are located above the organic results. Of course you have to consider the price. You can’t determine your ad placement, however. This is based on how much you bid and how good your landing page is.

Results

If you were to choose between SEO and PPC Ads, how quickly will you see the results?

Using SEO requires a good strategy and it will normally take several months to see results. As mentioned above, the growing number of websites vying for the top rank makes it harder to show up in the search engines. It is not a task that you can easily achieve. It takes commitment and upkeep. You have to properly build and optimize your site. Which is why, once you reach the desired place, your site will most likely retain its position among the top longer than PPC Ads.

PPC Ads are comparatively quicker to set up. You can easily get results in a far shorter period. The more you pay the quicker and higher you will show up. Of course once you stop paying, your placement will disappear.

Which is better?

This all depends on your goals and your budget. If you need quick results and you are willing to pay for them, PPC is the way to go. If you want to build something that will last, however, we recommend choosing SEO. To get started, speak to one of our consultants today.

How to Care for Your Laptop Battery

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Charging the batteries

Charging a device.

It is not enough to know how to extend your laptop battery life. You also have to know how to care for your laptop battery. You have to know what is harmful, and what is not. Back then, laptop batteries are nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). Most laptop batteries now are lithium-ion (Li-Ion), and these lithium-ion batteries last about 4-5 years at most. Refer to the guide below on how to treat your batteries well:

  • Remove the battery when A/C is plugged in. In normal circumstances, inserting the battery in your laptop is fine because as soon as it hits 100%, your battery will stop receiving charges. If it is suffering from excessive heating, it is best to remove your laptop battery. This may be happening because you are opening too many applications simultaneously, playing heavy games, or anything that tires your hard disks. The heat is your battery’s number one enemy especially if the battery is lithium-ion.
  • If the battery has been inactive for a long time, make sure it has around 40-50 % charge left. You will still need to check it from time to time. If it is not recharged, a depleted battery will stay dead forever. Yes, it can die by simply staying dormant.
  • In storing batteries, keep them in a dry cool place. You can store them in a fridge, but make sure that the battery is isolated from other harmful elements.
  • Avoid extreme temperatures. Your battery might have stayed cool, but you left your laptop in the car afterwards. Do not leave your laptop in any place where it can get very hot. Like what I said above, batteries hate heat and exposing it to too much heat is one way to kill the battery faster.
  • A common misconception about this is that you need to fully discharge a lithium-ion battery. No, you do not need to do that. Waiting for your laptop to shutdown, or reach 0% should be avoided at all costs because this wears the battery. Always use your laptop battery without bottoming it out and avoid letting it discharge below 20%, or whenever your system warns you about the batteries.
  • Moreover, you do not need to reach 100% when recharging the batteries. The ideal maximum charge limit is around 80-85%. Not charging the battery to 100% will help by lessening the battery degradation with time. The good thing for older laptops is you can replace the battery. For newer models like the Chromebooks, Ultrabooks, and MacBooks, the batteries are built-in. Warranties may be null and void if you decide to open the laptop yourself, and replace the battery.

Remember that not all laptops are the same, and they serve different purposes. Thus, these batteries are not made of the same specifications. The recommended practice is to perform partial discharges and frequent charges. Just rinse and repeat the last two tips. (This works for tablets with lithium-ion batteries too.) If you decide to buy a spare battery, make it sure that it has as much capacity as your original battery. Check the mAh rating of the batteries.

Extending Your Laptop Battery Life

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woman working on a laptop

How to extend battery life?

As they say, diamonds last forever. I cannot say the same for laptop batteries though. After one to two hours, they start to fail you and before you know it, you need to find an outlet to charge them . When you are constantly on the go, this list of tips will help you save some precious running time.

  • You have to remember that the hotter the battery, the faster it deteriorates. It is important to always keep your laptop cool. You can also buy a cooling pad to lessen the heat. Don’t know what to look for in a cooling pad? Follow this buying guide.
  • Do not multitask. In our desktop computers, we are so used to running various tasks at the same time, and opening various applications and services. These consumes battery life. Close unnecessary applications that you can resume when you arrive home. Reserve your remaining battery life for the important ones.
  • Learn to use simple applications. This is related to the tip above. If you plan to do something like writing a proposal. Draft it in a notepad first rather than typing in Microsoft Word. Choose a simple text editor over a RAM heavy application. Games are also RAM heavy. If you want to save your precious battery life, do the intense gaming later.
  • Edit your power options. Set your power plan to energy saver or power saver. Avoid high performance plans. This favors performance, but may use more battery life. Put your computer screen to sleep or turn off display when not in use. If you are in a well lit room, there is no need to set the laptop’s brightness to its highest configuration.
  • If you are not using your laptop for a long time, shut it down. Enabling standby mode will still drain the battery life. When you are ready to resume, that is when you turn your laptop on.
  • Turn off any wireless connection that is not in use. This applies to your Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connection. If you do not plan to connect to the internet (or to another device), then, switch it off to avoid draining the battery.
  • You can also disable unused ports. You temporarily disable certain ports like USB, VGA, Ethernet, and so on. These ports also drain battery life. For Windows users, you can check your Device Manager for more specific ports.
  • Defragment your hard disk. You do not have to do this on Mac as it automatically defrags when necessary. For Windows, if your hard disk is 10% fragmented, your better defrag. (You can check this guide if you need help.) The more fragmented it is, the more your hard disk needs to work. Thus, consuming more battery life than it should.

Do not expect batteries to go on forever. Batteries are only for back up purposes. When you are on the road, and traveling, it will allow you to check some files, review a presentation, and so on. To be honest, it is more of a hassle than what it is worth. So, know your priorities because batteries will eventually wear off.

Safety Tips in Preventing Malwares

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computer cure

Prevent malwares.

With all the different malwares out there, it is easy to get paranoid that your computer is already infected with viruses, that this website is unsafe, or that your email contains a malicious attachments. Refer to this list in order to minimize your risk of getting infected by malwares. Practice safe computing and inform everyone you know to do the same.

  • Be suspicious of email attachments. If you are not expecting an email, most probably, the emails you got are just spam. Do not aimlessly open every email you received. Mostly importantly, do not download email attachments from unknown sources.
  • Verify email messages. Some email messages appear to be from people you know, or to be from services that you currently use. Always check the sender’s email address. For example, if you are using PayPal when transacting online, all emails should be sent via PayPal.com. If you received emails from services providers like Yahoo.com, or Gmail.com, then, these people are just pretending to be someone from PayPal. Do not engage with these emails especially if it contains attachments.
  • Do not set devices to “auto run”. Whether you are inserting an external storage device, or opening an email attachment, do not set it to auto run. Manually open your storage devices, DVDs, email attachments. Anything that can store a file of any size can be a carrier of a malware.
  • Scan all media devices that is from someone else. Like what I said above, these devices can possibly carry a malicious software. Remember, these softwares are typically small in size. They can definitely fit in any media device that you can think of.
  • Scan all new software before you install it. When you buy a new software, they are usually stored in a DVD, or you can digitally download them. Either way, you should scan any software you wish to install in your computer.
  • Back up your files frequently. Keep important files safe. Preferably, you should have an external media device that is only for important files in case your computer gets infected. Do not just rely on the storage device in your computer. Always have a back up that is in a different location than your computer. You can also store these files online. When files are online, it is also vulnerable to intrusion. Offline back up is better.
  • If you own a Windows PC, it is advisable to install all Microsoft security updates. Update your Windows Defender (Windows 8 and above), and Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows 7). These will provide you real-time protection especially if you are connecting a foreign device to your computer.
  • Make sure that your malware scanners have the most recent virus and spyware definitions. If it is updated, it can detect the latest malwares that will try to invade your computer.

Remember that no security solution offers 100% protection. You have to be cautious when opening a file. Scan ALL the files – not just the program files – in your computer. You can use an online malware scanner and upload every file you receive. Jotti’s Malware Scanner uses 18 different scanners. You can also scan a website using Norton’s Safe Web. If you want to review of the different categories of malwares, you can view it here.

Is It a Virus, a Worm, or a Trojan Horse?

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Computer errorWhen our computer goes crazy, we casually say, “My computer is infected by a virus.” Is the correct term for a system infection a virus? Should it be a worm instead? The truth is that a virus, a worm, and a trojan horse are all under the category of what we call a malware. They are all considered malicious software, or otherwise known as malware. A malware is a series of code that is meant to harm, burglarize, and deliver an unauthorized course of action. There are several threats that are considered a malware. The top three malwares are: trojan horses, viruses, and worms.

 

  • Trojan Horse. If you are familiar with the Ancient Greek story of the city of Troy, you know that they got invaded because of a Trojan Horse. They thought it was a beautiful gift, but in truth, the horse is just a disguise for the soldiers. Like in that classic tale, a trojan horse appears like a useful and beneficial computer program. You will be enticed to install it and once you do, the trojan horse has now access to your computer.
    To avoid it, beware of legitimate-looking computer programs. It may seem useful, but you might endanger your safety and security. Trojan horses proliferate through user interaction. If you are careful with opening email attachment, and installing software, you are secure. Safety tip: Download only from verified sources like the program’s official website, and do not install every fascinating program you see.
  • Virus. A virus is a computer program that is made to modify the way a computer works, without your permission or your knowledge. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file (anything with a .exe file extension.), and it will make itself part of that file. A virus can execute itself, and it can replicate itself. It can also spread easily as it can travel from one computer to another. Unlike a trojan horse that relies on user interaction, a virus can place its own code in the path of execution of another program. It inserts itself into other files, and it usually does an unapproved action like deleting data, damaging existing programs, or reformatting the hard disk. Other viruses are not designed to do any damage, but simply to annoy displaying a text, video, and an audio message.
  • Worm. A worm is similar to a virus that it can duplicate itself and deal damage to certain files. In contrast to viruses, which call for the propagation of an infected host file, a worm a stand-alone malicious software, and it does not require a host program or human help to disperse. In order to spread, a worm enters a computer through a weakness in the system and takes advantage of file-transport features on a computer, allowing it to travel by itself.

Now, you know the main differences of the top three malwares. You can now use the terms properly. By definition, they may be different, but all these malwares are harmful. Learn to protect your computer by reading these safety tips. Always think before you click!

Five Things To Do After You Have Been Scammed

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account, atm, bankScammers are so eager to get our money. They hit us in every possible way. It could be someone coming to our home, through text message, email phishing, cell phone phishing, post, which is so distressing.

It is difficult to have justice when a scam happens to you. Scammers makes sure they cover their tracks. But it is important to know what to do when an online scam happens to you.

  • Call Your Credit Card Company and Your Bank. This is the first thing that you should do if you used your credit card number or have given information to a scammer. They will hold your account so that no further charges can be made against it. Never call any number that comes from an email. This might be a phishing scam.
  • File a Report. You should report what happened to you. Immediately file a police report, especially when the money was stolen from your account. Your credit card company or your bank may ask a copy of the police report.
    You should also report the scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and give all the necessary information about the scammer, the time and date. Get in touch with Trading Standards as it is a criminal offense under Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulation 2008. They will take criminal action against the person.
  • Report a Fraud Victim Statement with the 3 major Credit Bureaus. File the report to TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This will put a note that you have been a victim of a fraud. The note also indicates that any business trying to pull your credit report should call you on the phone numbers you provided when you actually reported the fraud alert. If someone calls you, you can tell them that you did not give any authorization for credit inquiry and that anybody who is trying to open your account is a scammer. You can also do “Security Freeze” of your credit reports. This additional action will help to put a hold on ID thieves from opening accounts using your identity. While you are at it, check other details on the advantages and disadvantages of asking for a security freeze on your credit reports.
  • Scan Your Computer and Update your Anti-malware Software.  Your scam-related email may contain embedded links to a malware which may damage your computer. This malware may be getting your account information and sending it to the scammer. Your anti-malware software must be updated.  Install programs that do not clash with each other like MalwareBytes and Microsoft Security Essentials. These are just freewares, but there are premium versions you can get.
  • Tell Your Family.  You should not be embarrassed by doing so. Tell them that you are taking the necessary steps to mitigate the situation. You are also protecting them by telling them how it happened to you. This will help them not to be the next victim. Inform them on: the different scams, and how to prevent these online scams.

After the scam, you have to tell someone and report. The longer you wait, the longer you recover. Help others by sharing your experience.

Online Scam Prevention

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securityScammers out there would use all sort of schemes to defraud people of their money. They will try any new or old tricks just to get you to send your money or get some information. Stay a step ahead of cyber criminals.

Here are some helpful tips:

  • Be alert when dealing with an uninvited contact who pretend to be someone you can trust. If the deal is too good, it usually is not. Do not entertain.
  • Do your online research– use your search engine and type the company’s name or product with words like scam, complaint, or review. Check if someone has reported them as scammers.
  • Even with a caller ID – Caller ID info, name and the number you see may also be fake. Hang-up.
  • Secure your personal information – keep your pin numbers and passwords safe. Do not share personal information on social media.
  • Choose difficult passwords – Your passwords should be difficult for other people to guess. A strong password should have an upper and lower case letter, symbols or numbers. Do not share your passwords.
  • Don’t pay – Scammers will definitely ask you to pay in advance for say credit and loan offers, a job, or a debt relief. Do not pay.
  • Think of how you pay – Wiring money through the available services of MoneyGram or Western Union is not advisable. You will never get your money back. This is also true for MoneyPak, Vanilla or Reloadit.
  • Never deposit your check and then wire the money back – If you deposit a fake check, you will be responsible for repaying the bank.
  • Think twice and talk to someone – Do not make hasty decisions. Scammers likes you to be excited and careless. Again, do a search  online.
  • Do not entertain robocalls – If you hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up. Calls like this is illegal. Get in touch with Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The call is illegal. Do not press anything as it might lead for more phone calls later.
  • Say no to free trials – do not sign up for products. Research the company and review their cancellation policy. If not, you might receive a monthly bill.
  • Do not just open anything – It could be a simple pop-up window, texts, or email. Check the identity of the contact first. Do an online search or check an online phone book. Do not try to engage with the provided contact in the message.
  • Review your social media’s security settings and privacy-this is for safety measures. If you notice any suspicious behavior, quickly click on spam. Secure your account and report.
  • Extra careful when you do online shopping – Use an online shopping service that you trust. Do not use virtual currencies like bitcoin. Use other transaction method so you are guaranteed to have your money back.
  • Sign up with FTC for a free scam alerts at ftc.gov/scams. They will send you advice and tips through your inbox. If you encounter scam, report at ftc.gov/complaint. They will investigate and you will have your justice.

Prevent scams from happening to you, and to the people around you. If you need to know about the different online scams, click here to know more about it.

Online Scams That You Should Know About

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account, bank account, bankingMost of us pays our bills online. We shop, make reservations, and some even has online jobs. The nice part is that, with technology we can do everything anywhere and anytime. When we navigate and access websites, we open our door to scammers. A criminal can now go into our homes, workplace, and our private lives.

Scammers are good. They have studied this for years but they have many things in common. Learn to know the different scams. Here are some of them:

 

  • Phishing emails – Tricks a victim to go to a website disguised as an authentic eCommerce or banking site. When you log in, it looks like your real account, but the fake site will send the all the information to the scammer. Soon as these has been received, the scammer will wipe out everything you have. Your bank accounts, credit cards, even steal your identity.
  • Nigerian 419 Scams or Advanced Fee Fraud – This is a scam that originated in Nigeria. It has been around way back. You will be contacted by email, text message, letter, or through social networking message. You will be offered a huge amount of money just to help transfer a personal money out of their country.
  • Greeting Card Scams – You will find a greeting card in your email pretending that it came from a good friend or family. The scammer will capitalize on your curiosity. The minute you click the card, a booby-trapped web page that downloads trojans and malware software will go to your system. It could contain ransomware that will infect your system until you pay.
  • Lottery winner scam – Do not be too excited when suddenly you are a winner of something that sounded credible. Personal information will be asked so you can get your prize. You will be told that it is for bank deposit and tax purposes.
  • Killer Spam:Hitman Email – Your email will receive a threat. Simple, you pay or you die.
  • Pump and Dump Stock Scams – you will be sent many email that will pretend that they contain confidential information about a certain stock. The scam’s goal is to inflate the price and sell the stocks to a higher price.
  • Fraudulent Link Scams – Should you receive an email asking that you provide information to update your online accounts, think twice. Do not click any of the links. These links may lead to external websites that are harmful. Always verify the link first. Use the Copy Link Location command. Inspect the link if it is a redirecting to a phony website.
  • Scareware Scams – also known as “rogue scanner” software or “fraudware. This software will deceive the user to install the product. The scheme is to display scary things on your screen to give an impression of an attack and will claim that it is an anti-virus solution. Before installing, search on the name of the product being presented to you.

Always be critical and learn to check first. Do not click anything even if a window appears to instruct you to download something. This could be costly. Know how to protect yourself more from this cunning scammer.

Identifying Fake News

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newspaper headlinesFake news present fictional events as factual and it can mislead a lot of people. It is becoming more rampant in news sites and even in social media. Facebook has announced its stand on its fight against fake online news. Even Google has made its stand. It has introduced a search label to all the countries to show when an article has been fact-checked.

Here are some tips to help you:

  • Check the website – Fake news sites shows they are fake and you will find it in the bottom of the article. These sites rely on the user’s reaction on sensational headlines using all caps and exclamation points without even reading the conclusion.
  • Look-alike URL – is a sign that the news is fake. Go to the authentic website, compare the URL and see the similarity of the fake news site and the established news site. Strange domain means strange content. Always go for the verified news websites, and not just some copycat.
  • Probe the source – Make sure that the source of the news is done by someone that has a reputation for accuracy. If the organization is unfamiliar, check the “About” section.
  • Unusual formatting – Fake news sites has awkward layouts and misspell words. Authentic news sites are designed by professionals who made it look professional. The format is similar to other legit sites.
  • Look at the photos – False news features manipulated photos or videos that could be taken out of context. Right click the image shown and there will be an option to search Google. Search URL as well. It will show an image search option to know if other news sites are using the same image and what was said about it.
  • Look at other reports – If the news is reported by many sources that you can trust, it is more likely that the news is true.
  • Know the history of the news – Often, fake news are recycled. A news of many years ago can suddenly be current. Click the links and sources to check the date of publication. If the article shows sources from years ago, the news is definitely fake.
  • Check the “Contact Us” page – an authentic news web should give a contact us page so people can reach the site for questions or other concerns. If it does not have a contact us page in it, the more likely it is fake.
  • Beware of biased political news – Fake news often happens during elections. It will publish information that can give advantage to one political party. This skim is used to play on the fears of a specific political party. The fake news is a confirmation of their fear without evaluating the source. This is also known as “confirmation bias.”
  • Check the debunking sites – Websites like FactCheck.org and Snopes can fact-check the fake news articles and report their authenticity. This site have the resources to investigate and give an unbiased result of the news.

When we assess news, be a critical reader.  Do not let fake news anger or shock you. When in doubt, refer to any debunking website, research, and make your own assessment.

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