How to select the best web host
As a small business owner and consultant, I create about 10-15 websites each month – either for my clients or for myself. These include a variety of kinds of websites, from WordPress blog type sites, to more complex content based marketing sites, to e-commerce sites that require SSL and a dedicated IP address. I have probably tried over 20 different web hosts. Finding the best is not an easy task. Fortunately there are sites like The Best Web Hosts which offer step-by-step guidance and top web hosts in many key categories. In this article I share my own take on the most important things to consider when you’re thinking about creating a new website and it’s time to choose a new web host.
Shared versus dedicated hosting
With shared hosting, your website will be sharing server space with other websites – sometimes hundreds or thousands of them. This may be OK if your website has minimal uptime requirements. If you’re on a budget, you may not have a choice. Virtually all cheap web hosting (less than $6 per month) is shared web hosting. If you need a high degree of confidence that you’re website will be available all the time, and you don’t want to be effected by your neighbors on a shared server, opt for shared hosting.
Email Accounts
If you need email hosting for your new domain, make sure the web host you’re using offers more email accounts than you think you’re going to need. Even most budget web hosts support 100 or more email accounts as part of the basic web hosting package. Others offer an unlimited number. Still some offer only 5 or 10. If you’re going to need email addresses for you and your employees, make sure you tally the number that you need now, then double it to be safe.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
If you’re going to be accepting credit cards or any type of personally identifying information on your website, you’ll need support for SSL or Secure Socket Later. This enables your customers to submit their information via secure communication. The best small business web hosts offer SSL as part of a standard package at no additional charge beyond the monthly subscription fee.
1-Click Installers
If you’re like me and you want to control your own destiny on the web (and get some instant gratification along with way), look for web host that provides 1-click installers. There are a few popular ones, including SimpleScripts, Softaculous, and Fantastico. These enable you to install popular web packages including WordPress, Moodle, Drupal, PHPbb, and more.
Automated backup
Look for a web hosting package that offers automated backup of your website and its contents. Believe me, you’ll sleep better at night if you do. Some web hosts charge a yearly fee for this service – usually around $12.
Summary
If you’re looking to launch a new website quickly, the good news is that there are many reputable web hosts with user friendly features that will enable you to be up and running successfully and doing business on the web within hours or even minutes.
Filed under Business | Comment (0)Advertising Online
While every company should invest a hefty amount of resources on online marketing, it’s also important to be aware of the pitfalls. It can be argued that advertising online has opened a whole new window for marketers to reach prospective customers/clients. After all, the internet is the gateway to the world, right? This might be true, and advertisers might even be able to reach a much larger audience at a faster and cheaper rate than ever before, but it doesn’t mean online advertising is a valid replacement for traditional advertising methods. Advertising online is tricky to master because there are more ways it doesn’t work than more ways it does. Some of the top reasons internet surfers blow off online ads are:
- They’re untrustworthy. According to a study done by Forrester Research, company-sponsored blogs are the least trusted source of information. Instead, online reviews of products and services, as well as recommendations from friends, are the most trusted. As an advertiser, this might be a bummer, but can you blame them? Clearly a company sponsored blog is going to rant and rave about the benefits of that very company. You can talk yourself up as much as you want, but it doesn’t mean people are going to believe you.
- They’re annoying. It’s hard enough to get a potential customer to take time out of what they’re already checking out on the net to stop and look at your company’s site. Now imagine that however you got their attention in the first place was purely by annoying them with an intrusive pop-up ad. It’s one thing to have a catchy or noticeable ad, but it’s another to interrupt without fair warning. Even if your advertisement is relevant to the searcher’s query, they’re going to look at it as an annoyance. This form of online advertising is rarely successful when it comes to clicks, and even worse for your brand identity. Soon, the general public is associating your brand with something that rubs them the wrong way—the last thing you want to be seen as!
- They’re not targeted. This doesn’t go for all advertising online, but you have to make sure you’re paying attention to your target audience. Facebook has done a fantastic job at tailoring which ads will be seen by which net surfers. If you’re a recent college graduate and have your graduation date listed on Facebook, you might see ads for graduate school programs or professional studies certifications. Similarly, depending on the interests you list, Facebook will display ads relating to your favorite books or singers. It’s still likely that Facebookers are ignoring a significant amount of this marketing propaganda. However, it will definitely catch attention more often than not if what is being advertised is something you might actually take interest in. This all being said, targeting your ads is important. A bunch of random ads on random websites is a gamble that is probably just wasting your money.
- They’re redundant. Online advertising has been around for quite some time now, and we’ve actually become fairly accustomed to ignoring it. The more a person is exposed to something, the more desensitized they become to whatever it is. We’ve been so used to the notion that online ads are just a pain, so ignoring them has become second nature. Getting an online advertisement noticed at this point in time takes a lot of attention to detail, including how aesthetically pleasing it is and how targeted it is to your specific audience.
- They take away from traditional media. It’s pretty well known in the advertising industry that television and radio get the most return on investment. Instead of dumping half your budget into advertising online in hopes that the results will be worth it, you might as well focus on an outlet with a better guarantee. Spend the time and resources to figure out which media outlet will be the best for your company to advertise with.
Just because online advertising has it’s pitfalls, it doesn’t necessarily mean it should be completely ignored. Social media sites, blogs, and even traditional marketing tactics can all help your business in a huge way if gone about correctly. You just have to know exactly what promotional tactics are going to work and what ones aren’t. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for you company to invest in more “behind the scenes” online marketing, such as search engine optimization. Usually a combination of several methods is the most beneficial. Anything’s worth a shot!
Filed under Advice, Business | Tags: advertising online, business advice, online ads, online advertising, online marketing | Comment (0)Making the Most of Your Lunch Break
It’s the middle of the workday. Your stomach is rumbling and your attention span is waning. Your eyes are bleary from staring at your computer screen and your morning coffee has worn off. You finally get out of your chair and head to grab lunch before returning right back to your desk.
If you’re like most working Americans, the above story is one that you live each and every day. We feel for you, but we also know that there’s more you can be doing to make the most of your lunch hour and go into the rest of your day feeling refreshed. Here’s a few tips.
Simple stretching
You can make your body feel renewed after hours of sitting at a desk by doing a few simple stretches. Touching your toes, doing a few windmills (moving your arms in a circle to loosen your shoulders), and rolling your neck before sitting back down can make a big difference. Doing trunk twists can loosen your core and back, and a few squats will help your gluts after being crushed against a chair for hours.
Watch what you’re drinking
Drinking water or juice during your lunch break, in addition to throughout the rest of the day, can have a major impact on how you feel at work. It is suggested that you drink 8 glasses (8 oz.) of fluids per day, and staying hydrated keeps you feeling fresh and can also hold off hunger cravings. Replace soda or coffee with water or juice and see if it makes a difference in the second half of your day.
Treat yourself to a change of scenery
One of the biggest refreshers during a long work day is a change of scenery during your lunch break. When the weather is nice, take a ride to a local park and eat your lunch at a picnic table (and, if you’re lucky, your local park has a nice pond or lake to sit near). Meet a friend for lunch at a local soup and sandwich place. Even if you eat right outside your office building, just get away from wherever you spend the rest of your day. It can help break up those long hours.
Read
Ironically, this is probably something you spend at least part of your day doing, but rarely does it involve something you actually want to read. Whether you prefer today’s paper, this week’s magazine, or this month’s bestselling novel, bring something to read when you go to eat lunch. Even if you only do it for a few minutes, reading can take your mind off of work and allow you to read about something you’re interested in.
Take these tips with you to the office and give them a try during your lunch break. They can help lower stress and make you feel better for the rest of the day. Do you have an activity during your lunch break that helps you de-stress? Leave us a comment!
Filed under Business, Relaxation | Tags: break time, business help, lunch break, medical billing, relaxation tips, stress relief, work | Comment (0)What To Do When Your De-Stressor Becomes Your Stressor
So maybe you have this work/life time struggle figured out. You spend your 8 hours at the office everyday but you don’t let it take over your free time. You talk to your family, make plans with friends on the weekends, and unwind every evening with a nice workout. Exercise makes you feel good, gives your brain a break, and releases all the tension of sitting at a desk all day. Your routine is stable, happy, and healthy. That workout is all you need to make sure your work days don’t turn you prematurely grey.
Until you hit a road block. Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to compete with your body building husband in the weight room; or maybe you should have made your daughter practice driving in a few more parking lots before hitting the road with her new learner’s permit. Whatever the case, you’ve been injured and sent home with a list of restrictions—exercise being right at the top.
So now instead of just your day to day pressures of the workplace, you get to add in doctor’s visits, issues with medical billing and insurance, and consistent pain; not to mention how annoying it is to get dressed in the morning while standing on your one and only fully functioning leg. With more things hassling you than ever and being banned from your feel good activity, you would think that stress is inevitable. While injuries are never fun and the recovery process is bound to be rough, here are a few ways to get through it without being turned into your coworkers: Wacky Wendy or Depressed Dan.
You’re concerned that without exercise, you’ll get fat.
Keep in mind that while exercise is a great way to tone muscle and burn fat, it is not the only way to stay trim. The amounts of calories we burn in one workout are usually replenished in one meal or less. Often we eat much more than our bodies need or can use. Unless you have a hard working metabolism, exercise alone won’t help you lose weight or even maintain your weight if you are eating like a growing teenage boy. Therefore, you must supplement exercise with good nutrition if you want to see results.
In your current sedentary state, healthy eating is more important than ever for you to compensate for the lack of calorie burning. Maybe you weren’t as concerned with your diet before your injury but healthy eating shouldn’t be viewed as a chore. Become a nutritional chef. Use this as an excuse for the whole family to get in a few more veggies a day. Almost every recipe you want to make can be found with a healthy alternative online. Put away that frozen pizza and get cooking.
You’re concerned that without exercise, you’ll have no outlet for your daily frustrations.
You don’t see many children exploding from the pressures of their day. Take a clue from them and play a game. Board games or card games are a great way to be social and to rouse your competitive spirit. Had a bad day at work? Make your wife draw 2 extra Uno cards and you’ll be feeling better in no time. If there’s no one around to play with you, try video games. Many games let you play against other people online, against the computer or you can just compete with yourself and find satisfaction in gaining points and beating levels. A great system to try is the Wii. In many games you can make your Mii exercise with light movements on your part.
You’re concerned that without exercise, you’re brain will be on overdrive.
You don’t have to replace physical activity with something that requires your full attention. It’s important to have some zone out time in your day so you don’t get burned out. You don’t want to feel like you worked all day and got sent home with homework. Depending on your type of injury and recovery process, you could try yoga. Although yoga is a form of exercise, there are some moves that are more low-key and help you to relax. Often paired with yoga is meditation. Meditating provides the perfect time to forget the happenings of your day and refresh. If neither of those options sounds good to you, soak in the bath tub. It’s calming me-time and may even help with some of your tension and pain from the injury.
*All these exercise alternatives can also apply to those of you who just hate exercising. You know you should do it but let’s face it, exercise is not your de-stressor if it causes you stress just thinking about it.
Filed under Business, Relaxation, Stress | Tags: balance, exercise, fun, injuries, medical billing, meditiation, nutrition, stress, yoga | Comment (0)Words of Wisdom on Stress and Relaxation
With life’s constant stressors weighing down on our shoulders, we tend to forget what it’s like to really relax and take a load off. Everyone needs a breather every so often, and most of us don’t allow ourselves adequate time to really kick back. While many of us are unaware of how important stress management is, it can make all the difference for a truly fulfilling life. Here are some motivational quotes, and why you should be listening to them:
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
There always come a time when everything seems to have piled up at once. You have three deadlines quickly approaching, haven’t slept a full night in weeks, and then you get thrown a new project. This signifies the hardest of times when it comes to managing stress; however, it’s the most important time to do so. When you’re in the “go, go, go” mindset, you tend to throw any chances of relaxation out the window. This is the worst thing you can do. Work as hard as you can for moderate periods of time, but take an hour or two in between the vigor. If you’re stressed out to the max, you’re not going to be as productive as you could be anyway.
“Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live.”
Most of us have to work to earn a living, but it doesn’t mean you should spend your life revolving only around your career. Remember that you are working to make money so that you can live a happy and fulfilling life. If all you are doing is working, how are you enjoying anything else? Be sure to balance out your life so that you can reap the benefits of what your career is there for in the first place. You’re the one working hard each day, so reward yourself!
“The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.”
If you go to work each day, work hard, and come home only to repeat the cycle, then you owe it to yourself to enjoy your days off. When Sunday finally rolls around, pick a relaxing activity that you’ve been looking forward to, and don’t feel guilty spending all day doing it. Make your days off really count. Give yourself that time to look forward to each week. Also, truly dedicate yourself to the activity without distractions. Don’t take work calls or e-mails that day, even if it’s just for a few hours. If you do this at least every so often, the rest of your week will be more gratifying.
“There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.”
When you get to the point where a vacation seems like the only thing that will save you from jumping off the deep end, it may not always be a viable option. It’d be really nice to be able to fly to the Bahamas on a whim, but it’s about as unrealistic as flying kangaroos. Instead, create a mini vacation in your own home. Take a bubble bath with candles and relaxing music, or pick an activity you’ve been dying to try. Even little things, like curling up on the couch for a movie in your pajamas two hours earlier than normal, might be enough to keep you from teetering on the brink of insanity.
Whatever it is you do for a living, we’re all in need of a little “me” time. Take control of your stress instead of letting it control you.
Filed under Business, Fun, Relaxation, unwind | Tags: career, job, motivation, promotional products, quotes, relax, stress, vacation, words of wisdom, work | Comment (0)Unwind After Work
After a long, stressful day at work, some of you are ready to pull your hair out. You tell yourself that you’re going to bed extra early that evening, or doing nothing but watching a movie on the couch. While this seems like a great plan, how come it never works out that way? For many of us, we want to find a way to enjoy our evenings and avoid living a repetitive, career-centered life. However, the work never seems to end. Even after spending the day at the office, we come home to chores, PTA meetings, or even work you fell behind on; but there is a way to accomplish your tasks and still enjoy the rest of your day.
It’s possible to start the process before you even get home. Spend the ride listening to something pleasant or entertaining; an audio book, a stand-up comedian, or music. Create a soundtrack with your favorite upbeat tunes and blast it while you sing along. Listening to something enjoyable, rather than commercials about dentists, car dealerships, and promotional products, is going to change your mood instantly. Music is a great way to help get your mind off of work, even if you have a ton to do once you get home.
Believe it or not, time-management can be the perfect fix. Feeling like you never have enough time to get everything done will even affect your ability to get a good night of sleep. I’ve heard several times of people lying in bed for hours picturing about their lengthy to-do lists. One way to avoid this common problem is to set realistic goals. Think about how long each task will take to accomplish, and leave at least an hour or two to relax/unwind. Those of you who can afford more than an hour of downtime, take advantage!
When choosing which tasks you’re going to tackle for the evening, prioritize. Things that cannot wait until tomorrow should go to the top of your list. Everything else should be spread out over the week. Laundry, bills, vacuuming, and finishing a weekly report for work do not all have to be done in one day, so don’t overwhelm yourself. It’s ok to have some “me time.” In fact, you’ll go crazy without it.
Don’t jump immediately into tackling your to-do list as soon as you get home. First, choose an enjoyable or relaxing activity. If you like to work out, head straight to the gym, or take a walk around your neighborhood. A great way to stay physically fit and relax is with Yoga or Pilates. Maybe you want to blow off steam; take a boxing class twice a week or attend Zumba (a Latin-inspired exercise class) with a friend. Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy.
Intermingle leisure activities with chores or work related activities. In a way, you can reward yourself. After you’ve spent an hour reading, napping, or watching television, throw a load of laundry in. Then take another hour to yourself. Complete the cycle until bed time. That way, by the end of each evening, you’ve managed to be productive without neglecting much needed relaxation.
If you’re one of those people who just can’t seem to take a breath until everything’s done, here’s another option: Take at least a few minutes when you arrive home to take it easy, even if it means just sitting down, taking a deep breath, and closing your eyes. Then, get everything else out of the way. Once again, be realistic with your to-do list. Make sure you have some leisure time at the end of the evening before bed. Neglecting yourself of this will make you feel as though your life consists solely of sleep and work.
I would also recommend scheduling fun. When you have something to look forward to, it makes the days pass by smoother. You’ll dread waking up Wednesday just a bit less if you know you have exciting plans that evening. Schedule one night per month or week that you go to happy hour with friends, an exercise class, or out for ice-cream. It’s harder to get together when everyone has such busy schedules, so having a set day simplifies things.
The most important way to remain content with your life is to maintain a positive balance between work and play. Find the little things that boost your mood, and incorporate them into your daily activities. Even if you enjoy your career, spending time on other pleasurable activities is essential to happiness.
Filed under Business, Fun, Relaxation, Uncategorized | Tags: exercise, happiness, happy hour, prioritize, promotional products, relax, stress, unwind, work | Comment (0)
