However, I’m here to tell you that a blog is an essential part of any website, especially an eCommerce one.

There are a variety of reasons that every site should have a blog attached to it. And most of them will lead to increased traffic and sales. So, the quicker you start, the more money you will make.

Today, I will share 9 of the most important reasons you should start a blog on your eCommerce site.

1. A Blog Will Boost Your eCommerce Site’s SEO

One of the biggest issues a new eCommerce site will face is gaining traction on search results. The truth is that while there is plenty of room for more eCommerce sites, it’s really hard to compete with the established ones.

Unfortunately, if you are not in the first few spots on Google, that’s a sale lost.

And this issue has only gotten more severe over the last two years of the pandemic. Think about it; businesses of all sizes quickly scrambled to create an online presence so they could continue selling to their customers.

This has created some extreme competition for the top search results. However, having a blog can change this because blog content can help your site rank higher in general. But do not take my word for it.

According to Hubspot, websites that contain a blog get 55% more visitors. And that directly translates into generating more sales.

So, I know what you are thinking, what would I actually write a blog about?

Anything related to your business. For example, let’s say you run an eCommerce site that specializes in movie memorabilia. Well, you can start writing blog posts about those films and even create links directly to the items you are selling.

The best advice I can give you is to answer your customer’s questions in a blog post.

2. Blog Content Is More Sharable On Social Media

When it comes to marketing your website, social media may just be the most important aspect of it. However, it’s not easy marketing an eCommerce site on platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

And that’s because the majority of users go to these platforms to unwind and interact with friends or family.

They don’t want to see an account that just contains products. They want to see enjoyable content that they can show to a friend to make them laugh. And that’s exactly where blog content can come in.

Looking back on our last example, if you are creating blogs about movies and television shows, that’s content people will want to read on a lunch break. Readers will be willing to share that with others.

That will translate into a ton of traffic for your website if you can promote it on these platforms correctly.

However, keep in mind that each platform is different. Facebook may be a jack of all trades, but a platform like Pinterest or Instagram specializes in image sharing. Whereas YouTube focuses on video content.

You need to make sure you are reaching the target audience in the way the platform is intended. The good thing is that platforms like Facebook have amazing tools to aid in your business marketing.

You can usually try some of these services for free to get a feel for them.

3. Blogs Help Grow An Email List

I’m not sure who started the idea that email is dead, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, email has over 4 billion users every single day, with the majority of them on smartphones.

Thus, email marketing is still going to be the bread and butter of any marketing strategy.

And if you want to build an effective email marketing strategy, that means building up a huge email newsletter. Yet, getting people to sign up is becoming harder every year. Users are simply becoming more selective.

Thus, the most important aspect of getting customers to sign up is to make sure that it offers value. Just to be clear, this doesn’t merely mean monetary value. Being entertaining or informative is just as valuable.

So, how does a blog actually help build an email list?

Well, they give you a better chance at getting people to sign up. A good blog should have new content on a weekly or even daily basis. Every blog post you release is another chance to get people to sign up for your email list.

And if you create really engaging content, readers will be sure to sign up so they don’t miss the next release.

4. Blogs Help Drive eCommerce Sales

Blogs can be about anything and find success. And in the case of eCommerce, creating buyer guides for events, seasons, holidays, or just about anything else can help drive sales.

With 52% of buyers switching from retail to online commerce, driving sales is more important than ever.

So, what does a buyer’s guide include?

Well, in short, a buyer’s guide will include all of the information a shopper needs to make a purchase. For example, let’s say your store needs to sell more mattresses, a buyer’s guide can help with that.

You could create a blog post detailing when it is time to buy a new mattress, how much of an impact a new one can make, and include any special offers to help drive sales. And this works for just about everything.

In fact, you probably have already seen some of them pop up in your newsfeeds.

For example, with Fall right around the calendar, you might already begin seeing ads for new clothes. Staying ahead of the competition can really make a difference. Generally speaking, people remember the first thing they see.

Take advantage of blogging to upsell products directly from your blog posts.

5. Blogs Help eCommerce Sites Look Like Experts

One of the biggest advantages of having a blog is that it makes you look like an expert. And, as I’m sure you know, people like to read expert opinions before they purchase a product.

In fact, 85% of consumers look for content that contains an expert’s opinion before making a purchase.

Instead of having your customers go somewhere else for that expert opinion, they can find it right in your blog. A great example of this is actually Lowes. They have a great selection of DIY blogs for their customers.

Not only does this help them promote their own products, but it also builds brand loyalty. After all, you are able to get an expert opinion on how to improve your home, and also buy the necessary supplies from that expert.

They even have an online option that allows readers to chat with an expert. It’s a really well-designed blog experience for their eCommerce site.

Of course, it’s worth mentioning that it is possible to have the opposite effect. If you consistently release low-quality content on your blog, instead of looking like an expert, you might get a bad reputation.

That, by itself, can tank an online business model. So, make sure you release quality content. Otherwise, it could do more damage than good.

6. Lifestyle Blogs Can Build A Community For Your Brand

Some of the most successful companies are linked to certain lifestyles, and in today’s online climate, that starts with blog posts.

For example, what do you think about when you hear Red Bull?

Well, if their marketing works right, you should be thinking about extreme sports. In this regard, Red Bull is highly successful.

They make sure a large portion of their advertising efforts has athletes from extreme sportswear their branding. In fact, they were able to brand an entire space suit!

Now, not every business can do this, thus, blogging is a better starting point.

For instance, take GreenGeeks. We are a green web hosting company, which means we attract a lot of environmentally conscious customers that are interested in the environment and looking for help with their website.

For this reason, we offer a lot of content to help you start a website, perform specific tasks on multiple content management systems, and cover environmental news. Thus, we strive to create content that matches our audience.

If done correctly, people will come just for the blogs and eventually, if they decide, will buy something from you.

7. An eCommerce Blog Can Highlight A Positive Workplace

If your business is growing fast, you might not have enough employees to maintain it, which is why you need to hire more. Talented staff members are looking for positive work environments, and you can highlight yours with a blog.

This not only helps attract talent but makes customers feel better about the company as a whole.

And yes, even this can be done with a blog. Many corporations will spend time highlighting the everyday activities of their staff to show the world that they take care of their employees.

A great example of this is PetSmart. They do a great job of highlighting the training their staff receive to take care of a wide variety of pets. It showcases a positive work environment for potential employees, and that the staff members are happy to be employees.

This isn’t exclusive to larger corporations, either. Small businesses often have a “meet the staff” section with short blogs for members.

And let’s not forget the most obvious advantage, you can create a blog post when you are hiring new members. Creating a post detailing that your business is growing and you are eager to find new talent, gains traction faster than a “help wanted” ad.

8. A Blog Makes It Easy For eCommerce Sites to Create Backlinks

While this may be a subset of the SEO benefits, I think it’s important enough to get it’s own point. One of the factors a search engine uses to rank pages is the quality of the backlinks found.

For instance, a site that links to a Google blog is probably going to rank higher than a site that links to a blog that gets 3 views a day.

While eCommerce sites can link to their business partners’ sites, a blog gives you the opportunity to link statistics.

For example, did you know that the number one search result on Google typically has 3.8x more backlinks than the 2-10 results?

These things really do matter, and being able to casually link to them in your blog posts is a surefire way to boost your own site’s credibility. After all, many users take the time to check facts.

If yours are coming from a website they trust, it earns their trust too. Of course, there is also the opportunity for collaboration.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “Guest Blog,” which is where a writer not affiliated with your site writes a post. Many times, these guest blogs are paid handsomely for their efforts or are offered lucrative collaborations.

Not having a blog means you can’t take part in this practice, which can hurt ability to reach customers.

9. Your Blog Can Help You Be A Trend Setter

One of the biggest problems most businesses face today is being a trend follower instead of a trend setter. Many businesses today just focus on following the latest trends.

And to be fair, that is a perfectly viable business strategy, at least when you are at the top of your industry.

However, if you are an emerging business, trend following doesn’t always work out well. That is unless you are really creative with it.

Instead, you need to try and become a trendsetter, but how does one do this?

Well, honestly, there’s not a viable how-to guide for this. It’s probably 50% creativity and 50% luck. Let’s face it, trends come and go on an almost weekly basis. Some last longer than others, but it really depends if people like it.

Does anyone remember the ice bucket challenge? It was so popular that nearly every public figure was taking part in it. It was all thanks to how viral it became on social media.

Not to mention that it supported a great cause. But the point is that anything can become a trend, you just need to be creative enough.

Nonetheless, just be mindful to not create a trend around something dangerous.

Create An eCommerce Blog Today

As you can see, blogging can be extremely effective for eCommerce sites. It offers the business multiple advantages from SEO to being able to attract more talented workers.

Blogging is by far the most effective business marketing tool you can take advantage of. And unlike most forms of marketing, it won’t cost you a dime.

Well, unless you start hiring SEO teams and writers, which may be necessary as your website grows.

However, while there are numerous advantages to becoming an eCommerce blogger, it’s worth noting that producing a low-quality blog can have some serious repercussions.

It can hurt your brand, which is sometimes not recoverable unless you rebrand entirely. So, make sure whatever you release is high quality.

Has starting a blog on your eCommerce site helped improve sales? What did you make your blog about?

The post 9 Profound Reasons Your eCommerce Site Absolutely Needs a Blog appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

That’s why it’s the go-to platform for collaboration for developers worldwide. Today, I will share some of the most popular Git client software available for all three major operating systems.

What Is A Git Client?

Git is an open-source version control system that can handle small and large projects alike. The simplest way to think of it is as a repository for code that allows you to save every revision of the code separately.

The actual clients that are created and available on Git include just about everything with Git GUI clients being the most popular.

Normally, a user in Git will use the command line to make changes to a project, and this is still largely considered the “right” way to use Git. However, Graphical User Interface (GUI) clients change this by allowing users to work with Git in a visual mode.

This makes Git more accessible because you do not need to use the command line to make changes to a project. Instead, you can use the built-in tools in a GUI client to make alterations to a project. The tools available depend on the GUI client itself.

As you can imagine, this is opening Git up to an entirely new user base, which is doing wonders for what you will find in the repository.

Let’s take a look at some of the best GUI clients available for Git.

The Best Git GUI Clients For Your Operating System

Before reading this list, there are two important things you need to understand.

First, and most important, Git clients are built for specific operating systems. And in the case of Linux, you need to make sure it’s compatible with your installation.

It’s also worth pointing out that you can run a virtual machine to gain access to some of these GUIs on different operating systems.

Secondly, the order on this list does not reflect the quality of the client. With that out of the way let’s begin.

1. GitHub Desktop

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS

GitHub Desktop is easily the most popular Git GUI for Windows. This is because it works seamlessly with GitHub. Users can avoid using the command line manually and instead log into GitHub, where they can use the GUI to manage code within the repository.

Most importantly, this is a free open-source project, which is a big reason it’s the go-to option for most users.

It’s especially useful for collaborations because you can track any changes made to it and which author made those changes in a visual format. This not only allows you to verify if team members are doing their job but allows you to quickly identify errors when new code is added.

It’s also worth highlighting that you can easily create branches for your project. And more importantly, you can easily add them to the master branch when they are complete.

Overall, if you use GitHub as a code repository, the GitHub Desktop is the best client to use.

2. GitUp

Operating Systems: macOS

GitUp was built exclusively for the macOS, so if you’re looking for a client that’s available on multiple operating systems, this isn’t for you. However, you won’t be disappointed if you decide to use it despite this shortcoming.

Since it is a free open-source Git GUI, you can try it without having to spend a penny.

The most useful feature GitUp offers users is the ability to Undo and Snapshot changes. This allows you to correct mistakes almost instantly, which in the early days of web development, was just a dream.

One other factor that is worth highlighting is how fast GitUp actually is. It can load 40,000 commits in a second. You won’t be waiting for your environment to appear, which makes it easy to swap between projects without losing time.

3. GitKraken

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux

One of the more well-known Git GUIs is GitKraken. This is because it is available on all three operating systems, and more importantly, provides an excellent development environment that is also visually pleasing.

And trust me, when you look at enough of these clients, you will realize that visual quality differs a lot between software.

So what makes the interface so attractive? Without a doubt, this would be its intuitiveness. Even basic tasks are simplified to the point where you can correct errors in a single click. This is all thanks to its embedded editor.

Thanks to this editor, users can actually drag and drop sections of code. The software itself is actually free to use for personal projects, but businesses will need to buy the Pro version for $4.95 a month.

In either case, price shouldn’t be a factor to give it a try.

4. SourceTree

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS

SourceTree is another famous Git client that allows users to access code in GitHub, Bitbucket, Stash, or Microsoft TFS. Combine the fact that it’s available for both Windows and Mac, and you have yourself a very accessible platform that appeals to a wide audience.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s free? No? Well it is, and that’s another reason why it is so widely used.

A big reason why it is so popular is due to accessibility. This platform is easy for beginners to use, while also being deep enough to make veterans love it. You can even clone remote repositories, which is pretty rare.

It is also capable of working with larger Git files and managing those files is a cinch. You can easily review all changes made to a project from both the incoming and outgoing directions.

This makes it an amazing choice for larger projects.

5. Tortoise Git

Operating Systems: Windows

Tortoise Git is another excellent open-source Git Gui that’s worth checking out. This one was built exclusively for Windows, and for simplicity, it essentially sports a Windows shell interface. This helps keep things simple and intuitive.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are a ton of language packs available for this GUI, so it’s great for teams located around the world.

This tool supports any file type and you can easily drag and drop files into the desired locations. You’ll also have access to the more standard tasks like repository cloning, creating/merging branches, viewing changelogs, and more.

Developers can save time by taking advantage of the autocomplete functionality when entering paths and keywords for files. Overall, this tool really shines when it comes to larger projects, but it is limited to just Windows.

6. Smart Git

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux

Regardless of what operating system you use Smart Git on, it will perform and look the same. This makes it one of the best choices when your development team uses a variety of operating systems.

While you can use this GUI for free, there are paid plans that include extra features and licenses.

One of the most useful features is the ability to open and edit files side-by-side with each other. This can really help when trying to make changes to multiple files at once or when troubleshooting an issue.

Another key feature to highlight is that it has a built-in SSH client. This is really important when you want to keep a project protected. Normally, you would need a third-party SSH tool, thus, making this a pretty unique feature.

7. Git Cola

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux

Git Cola was written with Python and was originally for Linux. However, it eventually branched out to Windows and macOS. Once again, this is an open-source Git GUI, thus, you can download it for free. It’s also one of the most customizable platforms available.

It has a four-pane display that allows you to view multiple pieces of code at once, which is great for team leads.

Unlike other GUIs that always display every tool they offer, this one allows you to choose what is visible and what isn’t. This helps turn a workspace into your workspace. Not only can you control visibility, but you can even rearrange the tools to suit your needs.

It also supports an awesome dark mode, which just further highlights the options available. You’ll find all of the standard features in a Git client and even it supports keyboard shortcuts to help speed up the workflow.

Do I Really Need to Use A Git GUI?

Generally speaking, I would say no, at least in the case of a sole developer working on a project. The command line is a sufficient way to create projects in Git and there are a plethora of projects with developers who have done it this way.

Yet, even in this case, using a Git GUI client can simplify and speed up the process. However, I think the answer is different when working as a team.

A Git GUI is built with a variety of tools that allow you to see where changes are made, by what author they were made, and when they were made. Essentially, they make it easy for the team leader to track work progress by each member.

While it has certainly been done using command lines, I really think you are handicapping yourself to do it that way. Of course, the hundreds of thousands of users each GUI has is a pretty big indicator of how popular they are.

In any case, these tools are designed to increase the usability of Git. While they are not necessary, they are recommended.

Do Git Clients Exist For Mobile Devices?

Many people use their smartphones for just about everything, so why should project development be any different?

Obviously, a mobile Git client is much weaker than one for a computer system, but it actually does exist. Pocket Git is an app for Android devices that allows you to carry out basic development on a mobile device.

It’s also worth highlighting that you would normally not be able to use a Git GUI on a Chromebook. However, you can actually use this app as a workaround. Again, this is far from the best options we mentioned above, but it is an option should you choose.

If nothing else, it’s pretty cool that it even exists, so, check it out if you are interested.

Streamline Your Workflow With A Git Client Today

There are literally hundreds of Git GUI clients that you can choose from and they all have their pros and cons. Each is designed in a way to help developers create projects with more visual aid as opposed to using the command line.

This is a design philosophy that does not just benefit beginners but also veterans. It is especially helpful for the project lead as they have access to a plethora of managerial tools to ensure work gets done and to identify where errors are coming from.

While you do not “need” one, you’re really limiting yourself by not using a Git client, especially when most are free.

What is your favorite Git client? What features are most important to you when deciding which one to use?

The post 7 of the Best Git Client Software Available for Your Desktop appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Even crazier, shoppers are 80% more likely to buy products from a new store if they have some form of a discount coupon to use. The bottom line is if you give people a way to save money on something they were going to buy anyway, you just got another customer.

Today, I am going to cover 19 coupon ideas to help your store attract new customers.

Are These Coupon Ideas Free To Use?

Honestly, it really depends on the tools you are already using. For example, many eCommerce platforms support discount codes at no extra cost to you, while others make you pay extra for it.

If it is already supported, then you are good to go. If not, get ready to pay extra.

Some ideas may require you to pay a third party, like an influencer to distribute the code for you. And that can get really expensive depending on the rate they charge and what industry you are in.

The bottom line is that you will most likely pay money to use some of these ideas, but as the saying goes, “you gotta spend money to make money.”

19 Coupon Ideas to Attract New Customers

1. Buy One Get One Free Coupons (BOGO)

There is nothing that will attract customers faster than a BOGO coupon. It makes the customer feel like they are getting something for free, which they are. However, these types of coupons or sales are trickier to pull off.

They are best used on products that you simply have too many of and are not selling. In some cases, you might need to adjust the default price to make a BOGO profitable. That said, even just breaking even can be worth it from a marketing perspective.

2. Percentage-Off Coupon

When it comes to must-have discount coupon ideas, a percentage off an order is the most common type of coupon visitors will use. And you should even take advantage of them further by offering them as part of an email subscription.

You get to send out marketing material to customers, and they may be able to get a 5% off their next order. It’s a win-win situation and they are pretty simple to create.

You might want to consider making a minimum purchase required to use them.

3. Free Shipping

As an online store, one of the most important aspects is how you deliver products to customers, or in other words, the shipping aspect. Amazon has changed the standard of shipping, and no one can match them.

But if you offer a free shipping coupon or offer when buying certain products, or perhaps products that are worth a certain value, you can really save customers some money.

Let’s face it, shipping can add up fast. When you get to the cart and see shipping, taxes, and other fees, you may rethink that purchase.

4. Money-Off Coupons

When it comes to classic coupons, money-off discounts are the most iconic. They are still widely used today, especially in supermarkets. For example, when you get behind that one lady that seems to have a coupon for every item in her cart?

Yeah, those are money-off coupons. They will typically give a small amount like $1 off of a certain product. They are easier for customers to use because they don’t require figuring out a percentage, but they’re not as popular in an online environment.

5. Referral Codes

It can be difficult to spread the word that a new online store is open for business. And one way that all businesses try to combat this is through a referral system.

This is where one customer is rewarded for inviting their friends or family to also shop there.

The rewards for this tend to vary on a store-by-store basis, but the most common is usually a small discount code or a small amount of store credit. While this is highly effective, it can be a bit difficult to create a system for one.

6. Free Item With Every Purchase

While this might not technically be a coupon, it’s pretty much the same thing. This tactic is very successful in the beauty supplies industry. Most are aware that they will get free samples sent to them if they buy certain products.

However, this isn’t exclusive to beauty products. It’s even common in restaurants. For example, if you go to Moe’s, you get free chips and dip with every order. It’s a small thing, but it really makes the customer feel like they are getting a good deal.

7. Loyalty Program

Loyalty or reward programs are designed to keep customers coming back for making multiple purchases. They are extremely common in food industries. For example, a sandwich store will usually give you a small card and add a sticker every time you buy a sub.

Perhaps you have an app on your phone for reward points at your favorite coffee shop.

Once you reach a certain amount, you will be entitled to a free sub or coffee. The same can be applied to online products as well, and it is much easier since consumers don’t have to remember to keep/bring the card.

Of course, there are other ways to reward customer loyalty.

8. Give Customers A Free Gift Card

You might think this has nothing to do with a coupon. But let me ask you this; is there a difference between a coupon that gives you $10 off your next purchase and a $10 gift card? The truth is there really isn’t, and in many cases, a gift card sounds more glamorous.

Obviously, this does mean your store would need to support a gift card, but there are a lot of ways to do this in today’s world.

It’s especially effective when you give it as a reward for signing up for a subscription. That way, they come back to do some shopping with their new gift card.

9. Prelaunch Coupons

Do you have a new product or service launching soon? If so, one of the best ways to promote it is to hand out prelaunch coupons. These are coupons that will let customers get a discount on a brand-new product or service you offer.

Many customers will choose to wait for reviews to come out on a new product. But by giving them a limited time window to use a prelaunch coupon, they feel like they’re missing out if they don’t buy it on day one.

It’s a great marketing tactic.

10. Automatic Coupons

Sometimes, customers can forget to enter a discount code. They then realize this and do one of two things. They call up your customer support and request the coupon to be accepted, or they cancel the order outright and try to buy it again with the coupon code.

Both of these really suck for a business.

One way you can avoid this is just by making the coupon codes automatically applied. This has two advantages. The first is to avoid what I just mentioned, and the second is that customers unaware will benefit and be more likely to come back to catch another deal.

11. Influencer Discount

On some level, this is no different than the referral codes we talked about earlier. But there is a big difference when the referer is your mom and your favorite YouTuber.

Look, it’s no secret that YouTubers are trying to make money, and as a result, they get to give out exclusive discounts to their audience.

For example, anyone that follows gaming channels has probably seen a discount code for GFuel. The main difference between this and a referral code is that you are essentially getting a marketing ad at the same time, but it does cost more.

12. Mobile Coupons

We do just about everything on our phones today, so why should discount codes be any different? A mobile coupon is when a store sends out a discount code via an SMS or MMS message (texting).

This works well because a customer is more likely to read a text message than open an email. The bad news is that customers are less likely to give out their phone numbers than give out an email.

So while it’s effective, it’s harder to pull off.

13. Holiday Codes

When the holidays come around, most stores make the majority of their money for the year. Thus, there is a special focus given to creating excellent deals at key shopping moments.

If you don’t, your competition will. So, it’s important to be ahead of the game.

This can be on Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, and much more. In fact, it’s understood that some store types will have holiday sales available. For example, just about every mattress store has a discount on memorial day or labor day.

14. Abandoned Cart Discount Codes

Visitors abandon carts all the time. It’s just a part of business operations. But what if I told you you could incentivize customers to come back? Well, you can with discount codes that are exclusively made for this situation.

So, how does it work? When a customer abandons a cart, an email is sent to them (assuming they are not a guest account) and in it is a message that will give them a percentage off if they go back and make the purchase.

15. Social Media Offers

Want to give customers a reason to follow you on Facebook or Twitter? Then try sharing discount codes for your store that have a short expiration timer. This will ensure that customers who follow you on these platforms are the first to know that there is a coupon available.

By making that code expire fast, you help mitigate that code from spreading around the internet to users who don’t follow you. Granted, coupon tools like Honey are making this much harder to do. But this is still a highly effective way to distribute discount codes.

16. First Purchase Discount

The hardest sale you can make is always the first one, that’s why some of the best coupon ideas are to give a code that discounts shoppers’ first purchase on your website.

If they have a good experience, they are likely to come back.

This is a pretty popular tactic online. For example, Uber Eats actually offers a significant discount code for your first order. The goal is to entice someone into the service so they are more likely to see the value in it.

17. Bundle Discounts

Sometimes you can make your own coupons without actually making a coupon. Many sites will offer discounts for product bundles as it is a good way to pair unpopular products with ones that sell well.

For example, you might create a bathroom bundle that includes toilet paper, toothpaste, and hand soap. That bundle will sell less than if you bought them separately, so it has the same effect as a coupon.

18. Exit-Intent Coupons

Technology has come a long way and there is software that can track when a user is moving their mouse to close a tab, change the URL, or any other way to leave your website. You can display messages when these movements are detected.

This is known as exit intent. It presents the perfect opportunity to offer a discount code for your small business.

In fact, you’ve probably seen this yourself. Ever try leaving a page and see a pop-up that tries to offer you a 20% off code? It’s a great way to try and convince someone to make that purchase. It could even help improve your site’s bounce rate.

19. Contest Rewards

One of the hardest parts of running a small business is attracting customers amongst stiff competition, but running contests with coupon rewards is a great way to make yourself stand out.

So what kind of contests can you run, well, that depends on the type of small business you run.

This could be something simple like asking users to follow you on social media, or it could be something flashier, like having a pie-eating contest in your store. If the focus is on a physical location, physical events are generally more effective.

The Darkside of Using Coupon Ideas

Coupons are a great tool to use, but they do have a dark side that you should be aware of.

Unfortunately, sometimes customers may only shop at your store when you offer a discount code to them. While this can work out well for some, it can also lower the number of customers who shop with you when there is no deal going on.

Even worse, some customers will abandon a cart to go look for discount codes. And after they fail to find any, they decide to not make that purchase. Ultimately, this can hurt your brand reputation because some customers will only recommend your products when they’re on sale.

Of course, customers are only half of the problems that can come from offering discount codes.

I mentioned referral codes as a great way to reward customers who spread the word, and that is very effective. However, some people can take it a bit too far. In some cases, they will even a step further and create fake accounts to refer to themselves and reap the rewards.

In other cases, browser extensions like Honey could spread an influencer’s discount code automatically. Thus you end up overpaying that influencer.

And most obviously, discount codes often mean less profit for the business. Avoid discount codes that result in losing a lot of money, as it’s an unsustainable business model that will end you faster than not having customers in the first place.

Use Your Favorite Coupon Ideas Today!

While there are risks to using coupons that you should be aware of, it doesn’t negate the point that virtually every major online store offers them to customers. Not offering them could be more detrimental to your brand in many cases.

It really comes down to making sure that your store is benefiting from the types of discounts you are offering.

What kind of coupon ideas has helped your business? What do you think the best coupon examples on this list are?

The post 19 Effective Coupon Ideas for Your Online Store appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Different Types of Task Management Apps

There are actually several different task management apps available today. The higher-end ones are used across companies and businesses to manage teams and tasks on a larger scale. These would be larger task-related apps like Slack and Asana.

You also have a set of productivity apps that are particularly useful for freelancers and small businesses. These will help you get things done, as well as give you access to a suite of very useful tools.

A lot of these types of apps are also free.

In this article, I am going to talk about some of the best to-do list apps available for you to use. These apps are good for both personal and business use, as they can be used to build a task list, and then get those items done and checked off.

So where do you start looking for a good checklist app? You will find 15 of them below. However, before we talk about them, let’s go over what to look for in a solid to-do-list app.

Why You Need a To-Do List App

If you are like the majority of us, then you have a million things to do and probably not a good way to figure out how to best do them. This is where having a good checklist app can come in handy.

Not surprisingly, there are several reasons why putting a to-do list together makes people much more productive in general. There are also several benefits of having them. Some of these benefits include:

• Gets you better organized
• Helps you keep track of life
• Keeps you motivated to get things done
• Helps with overall memory
• Makes you feel like you have less work to do

Simply put, having a to-do list app on your mobile device or computer can definitely help you get things done.

What to Look For in a To-Do List App

There are a few different things you need to look for when searching for a to-do list app to use. Here are some points to consider highlighting and looking into.

More often than not, the first thing a user is going to look for is how the app looks and how easy it is to use. This is especially true for beginners. Task management apps need to look nice, but they also need to be fairly straightforward and easy to use.

Look for apps that have an easy to navigate interface that you can learn quickly.

After that, you want to look into what type of functionality and tools a particular checklist app has. Is it a simple notepad template that you can fill out and check off as you go? If so, your phone probably already has that function.

Look for things like the ability to separate work tasks from personal tasks. Are there app notifications when you forget to complete or check off a task? Can you set deadlines and priorities on your to-do lists? Are there built-in capabilities like tags, lists, due dates, and reminders?

All of these things are important questions to consider.

Finally, always try to look for a task management app that allows you to make your to-do list collaborative. In other words, if you want to assign tasks and sub-tasks to a team, then you have the ability to do so.

Let’s take a look at 15 of the best task management apps available today. Any of these would be a great addition to your device and help you get things done.

1. Todoist

Todoist is arguable the best checklist app available right now. While there are several amazing to-do list apps listed below, Todoist has really grown over the years and has evolved into a task management app that gives you a ton of features and functionality.

This app really breaks tasks down and gives you the ability to create, organize and prioritize tasks, create subtasks and dependencies, and also create projects and sub-projects.

This is definitely a to-do list app to check out if you are wondering which one you may want to test drive.

Benefits

• Create, organize, and prioritize all your tasks
• Label tasks
• Add due dates
• Color code everything
• Email notifications
• SMS reminders
• Massive library of project templates
• Tons of features
• Cross-platform support
• Minimalist user interface

2. Microsoft To-Do

Another one of the best to-do list apps you will find out there is Microsoft To-Do. The same team that developed Wunderlist is behind this one as well, which his part of the reason it has all been integrated into one app.

If you use Office 365, the app integrates with it completely. It is also compatible with all iOS products as well. It lets you create tasks from scratch and even import tasks from other tools.

If you choose to use this to-do list app, you will have the ability to customize task list presentations with themes and colors. You can also organize and prioritize tasks, add notes, and set reminders that will help you keep all your tasks up-to-date.

Benefits

• Daily task management lists
• Task reminders and prioritizations
• Sync all data across multiple devices
• Due date tracking
• List sharing
• Custom task lists and color schemes
• Simple user interface
• Free for everyone

3. Google Tasks

Google Tasks is yet another offering from Google that can help you create to-do lists and get all your tasks done. It also comes fully integrated with other services Google offers like Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and more.

Almost everyone uses Google, and this is a fantastic way to make a checklist to make sure you have everything done. Since it easily integrates with all your other Google tools, you will have a hard time finding something better.

Benefits

• Create and organize all to-do lists
• Organize tasks
• Drag and drop organizer
• Integrates and configures with other Google tools
• Completely free
• Simple user interface
• Subtasks
• Clear completed tasks button

4. TickTick

Another one of the best task management apps available today is called TickTick. Capture your ideas, organize all your to-do lists, and accomplish more with this solid task manager app.

Using TickTick will give you the ability to make schedules and lists, manage time more efficiently, remind yourself about important deadlines, and overall organize your life better.

Simply put, this app helps you accomplish more and feel better about your day. This is probably something we could all use from time to time.

Benefits

• Smart task management module
• Share lists and assign tasks
• Constant data backups
• Location-based alerts
• Drag and drop features
• Easy user interface
• Native time tracking

5. TeuxDeux

Actually pronounced “to do,” TeuxDeux is a visually stunning task-based and checklist app that allows you to add tasks, and then drag and drop them at a later time anywhere into other lists.

If there isn’t a task that gets completed on a certain day, then the app automatically rolls it over into the next day so you can complete it. You also have the ability to schedule recurring tasks.

Text formation and style inside TeuxDeux are beautiful and easy to look at. The functionality of the to-do list app is straightforward and you will have no trouble using it.

Benefits

• User-friendly interface
• Family sharing
• Text formatting toolset
• Recurring to-do list items
• Custom lists for every need
• Sync with calendar
• Create tasks as links
• Task switching through drag and drop

6. Any.do

Not only is Any.do  a great to-do checklist app, but it is also one of the easiest to use. It allows you to easily create simple tasks and subtasks, and then check them off one-by-one when they are all done.

One of the highlights of this app is that is has a tool called “voice entry.” It allows you to enter checklist tasks using a voice tool that creates the task when you speak it into your smartphone.

This makes creating long lists and more complicated tasks quicker and easier.

Benefits

• Simple interface
• Voice entry functionality
• Timeline task division
• Colors for organizing and prioritizing
• Recurring tasks
• Unlimited file attachments
• Customized themes

7. Trello

Trello is a long time favorite of many and a name that has been around for quite some time. Not only can it act as a project management tool, but it has a fantastic built-in to-do list function as well.

Use the integrated visual list tool to create and organize any type of list imaginable. Create stand-alone cards with checklists inside them, add images and attachments to your lists, drag and drop all your lists, and sync them together.

Trello gives you everything you need to learn better task management and make the most of your time.

Benefits

• Very easy to use interface
• It is free
• Responsive
• Real-time updates
• Easily add new users
• Drag and drop ability
• Sync lists
• Add images and attachments easily

8. Habitica

Habitica is a little different than other to-do list apps. This one if for the gamer in all of us and uses that strategy to help you achieve goals and get things done. Basically, the app converts your daily lists into a role-playing game. At the end of the game, you get rewards.

While it does take the art of the to-do list to a different level, there is no denying that the idea and interface behind Habitica is fresh, unique, and fun. If you are not a big gamer, then this may not be the right choice for you.

However, if you enjoy cool little games and details to encourage you to get things done, then Habitica is perfect.

You can create your personalized character, unlock rewards, and buy armor. All this while completing your to-dos. On the other hand, if you miss your deadlines or fail to tick tasks off, your character health will deteriorate and you will use progress.

Benefits

• Fun and unique
• Rewards for completing tasks
• Build avatars
• Levels
• Task reminders
• Online chat
• Task filtering
• Simple and fun user interface
• Free

9. Evernote

Evernote allows you to take notes and capture ideas anywhere. It also has functionality for checklist creation and to-do lists, meaning nothing will fall through the cracks or get by you.

The app allows you to plan and keep all sorts of checklist records from any device. You can also use tags, a powerful built-in search tool to find tasks, and sync everything across all your devices.

Benefits

• Detailed task management features
• Third-party app integrations
• Local backup available on your device
• Tagging and notebook features
• Web clipping
• Store your business cards

10. OmniFocus

OmniFocus is actually a powerful task management tool built for professionals. It has a powerful to-do list and task management application built-in. It is so complete that you can build just about any type of list and sublist imaginable.

Features also include a light and dark mode that is available once you download the product. The app allows you to complete tasks in a workflow manner, has a beautiful interface, and comes with a dedicated toolset that will help you get things done faster.

Benefits

• Beautiful user interface
• Powerful features
• Easy synching
• Custom views
• Perspectives to keep you focused
• Forecasts future tasks
• Calendar integration
• Customized tags
• Light and dark modes available

11. Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk is a very popular and simple to use online task management and to-do list system. The online app integrates into any of your devices and comes with a lot of really cool features.

You can use such sections as due dates, tags, repeat tasks, and more. You will also have the ability to attach files from Google Drive and DropBox. Setup email, text, mobile, and Twitter reminders when needed as well.

All-in-all, the Remember the Milk app is fun and easy to use.

Benefits

• Clutter-free interface
• Quick to-do list management
• Third-party integration
• Multi-platform friendly
• Sync tasks from other apps
• Email reminders
• Text Reminders
• Tags

12. WeDo

WeDo is not only a fantastic to-do list app, but it also wants to help you develop better habits. There are a ton of options inside this app for managing tasks, so no matter who you are there is probably a function for you.

You can personalize lists and themes and then share those with friends and show them personalized emojis as well. There is also a top of the line reminder and notification system built into the app.

With a multitude of task management tools and the ability to include folders and groups, WeDo may quickly become your favorite checklist app.

Benefits

• Themes and emojis for personalization
• Habits to create lists
• Share lists with work and friends
• Activity reminders
• Notes to add ideas
• Add files and photos
• Clean and easy to use interface
• Recurring tasks management

13. ToodleDo

ToodleDo is another one of the very best task management apps out there today. It acts as a very powerful tool to help you increase productivity and organize your life.

The app is a centralized platform for to-do lists, task management, and note-taking. It is a very intuitive app and comes with a lot of great built-in features. You can share your lists, store, customize, and sync everything in one place.

Toodledo is definitely worth checking out.

Benefits

• Custom to-do lists
• Structured outlines available
• Collaboration tools
• Easily syncs on all devices
• Elaborate task management
• Habit tracking
• Free version
• Cross-platform support

14. Keep and Share

Keep and Share is not only a calendar system, but is also one of the best to-do list apps out there today. It has a ton of extensive and practical features that will allow you to get things done on a whole new level.

Filter out tasks using multiple statuses, send group messages, and sync all your data. Manage and filter tasks accordingly and do so using a fantastic interface. You can write documents, add photos, and allow multiple people to access your lists. This is definitely worth checking out.

Benefits

• Comments section
• Easy to use interface
• Filter lists accordingly
• Download files
• Send lists to friends
• Email and text message notifications
• Personalized tags
• Photo identification
• Assign due dates
• Check tasks off directly from calendar

15. 2Do

Finishing off our list is the task management app is 2Do. It is a very powerful app that is designed to meet any list and task needs you have. Create simple to-do lists or heavy workflows, the choice is yours.

It is ideal for both personal and team use, and comes with a lot of great features and functionality. Give it a look and see what it can do for you.

Benefits

• Full task editor
• Group related tasks
• Multi-platform syncing
• Smart lists
• Advanced search options
• Location-based reminders
• Notification center
• Lock lists when needed

Final Thoughts

Creating a to-do list is one of the things that can help you tremendously when it comes to getting things done in a timely manner. Not only do all the apps above give you access to a multitude of tools to better your overall task management skills, but they also make doing so fun and interesting.

Any of the task management apps above will give you tons of options when it comes to creating lists and getting things done from day-to-day. The one you choose will be based on personal experience and need.

Now that you know where to start looking, you will be able to better handle daily tasks. Enjoy.

The post 15 Top To-Do List Apps on the Internet That’ll Help You Succeed appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Both laws aim to protect the privacy of individuals, and both carry potential penalties and fines for non-compliance. Let’s take a look at CCPA and what it means to small business owners everywhere.

Not so long ago, when you handed personal information over to a company, the company assumed they owned it. The ownership of our personal data wasn’t something that most of us questioned, or gave much thought.

But that perspective is changing. Society is beginning to look at data, not as a company asset, but rather as a consumer right.

It’s crucial that your business adapts to changing perspectives, and keeps up with your customer’s expectations.

Here are some quick links to the topics we’ll cover in this article

• What Is the CCPA?
• Do You Have to Take Steps to Ensure CCPA Compliance?
• What Does CCPA Require Affected Companies to Do?
• Is There a Penalty for Failure to Comply With CCPA?
• CCPA Compliance Checklist
• What Are the Differences Between CCPA and GDPR?
• GDPR Was Not the End of the World, CCPA Won’t Be Either
• Expect to See More Data Privacy Laws in the Future

What Is the CCPA?

The CCPA was enacted to protect the privacy of California consumers. It’s the first part of an effort to create a cohesive data privacy law for the United States. California has the largest state economy in America, and in fact, it is the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Since it’s such a large part of the national economy, often, California laws and legislation are adopted by other states. And in many cases, ultimately, the entire country. So what happens in California can have an impact on national and international laws.

And, of course, due to its size, anything that happens in the California economy has global implications.

A Pew Research Center study says 81% of Americans feel they have little or no control over personal data collection. That includes data collected by both companies and the government. The CCPA addresses that lack of control.

The CCPA was inspired by the GDPR and covers many similar issues. But there are some important differences to be aware of as well. In a minute, we’ll look at the differences between the laws.

The CCPA went into effect on January 1st, 2020, and became enforceable on July 1st, 2020.

Do You Have to Take Steps to Ensure CCPA Compliance?

Not all businesses are affected by the CCPA. It’s unlikely that most small e-commerce sites or personal sites meet the requirements. But the following types of businesses are subject to CCPA compliance.

• Those that have gross annual revenues greater than $25 million.
• Businesses that buy, receive, or sell the personal information of 50,000 or more California consumers, households, or devices.
• Any business that derives 50% or more of its annual revenue from selling California consumer’s personal information.

As you can see, the CCPA potentially impacts businesses of all sizes, not just large corporations. Maybe you only earn $1,000 a year from your website. If half of that $1,000 comes from selling personal user data, you must comply with CCPA.

Your company doesn’t have to be located in California to be subject to CCPA compliance. If you have customers or users who live in California, you are potentially affected. It’s safe to assume that most English language websites have California users or customers.

An IntoTheMinds marketing agency study shows that there has been an average increase of 86% in the number of complaints since the GDPR was implemented.

That would seem to be a strong indication that people are concerned about the privacy of their personal data. So we should expect to see a similar increase in awareness and complaints where CCPA is concerned.

While your business may not be directly affected by the CCPA, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the regulation. It’s in your best interest to work to reassure your customers that their data is safe with your company.

What Does CCPA Require Affected Companies to Do?

It isn’t possible to detail all of the CCPA requirements in this article. If your business is affected, you should read the details of the CCPA. That page is geared toward informing consumers of their rights, but you can see the areas that may affect your business. (Or, you can read the act itself.)

But specifically, there are CCPA data requirements for businesses. You must:

• Disclose to consumers that you sell or share personal information.
• Add a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” option to your websites, as well as a toll-free phone number for consumer requests.
• Affirmatively collect consent to sell data from any consumer under 16, or from a parent or guardian for any consumer under 13.
• Treat customers equally on service and price regardless of whether they have exercised their rights under the law.

These are requirements that your business may not have taken for GDPR compliance.

The CCPA places a strong emphasis on training employees who deal with consumer privacy requests. So as a business owner, it isn’t enough to have a clear privacy policy in place. You also have to make sure all of your employees who deal with consumer requests understand your policy.

They should know what their responsibilities are when it comes to handling personal information.

Ideally, you want everyone in your organization to know their responsibilities around private information. Not only those who may deal with consumer privacy requests.

CCPA Compliance Checklist

There will, of course, be technical data issues that your IT and development teams will have to tackle. This checklist covers the operations concerns of any business seeking to be CCPA compliant.

1. First, evaluate whether you are subject to the law. Not every business will be.
2. Consider putting together a team that can specifically address each relevant area: legal, compliance, and technology. Everyone should look at compliance through the lens of their expertise.
3. Create a compliance schedule or roadmap. Provide a timeframe so CCPA compliance doesn’t get left behind in the course of day-to-day work.
4. Determine whether you should extend CCPA protections to all of your customers. Maintaining multiple privacy policies could lead to staff and customer confusion.
5. Update your online privacy policy and notice. You have to be specific about the rights CCPA provides to your customers and users.
6. Document all CCPA-related security changes and practices. In the event of a data breach, you want to be able to demonstrate that the “reasonable security” requirements of CCPA were in place.
7. Establish a data request process. CCPA has very specific requirements for the release of personal information. Every public-facing member of your staff should be familiar with data request rules and policies.
8. Map your data. You may be aware of the location of all the data you store on corporate servers, but is there data elsewhere? What about other service providers or in cloud storage?
9. Review your vendor contracts. If any personal data you’ve collected is passed to vendors, check existing contracts for data use details. Amend any vendor contracts that don’t include CCPA protection.
10. Train your employees on the changes. As I mentioned, CCPA is serious about training employees who deal with consumer privacy requests.

Is There a Penalty for Failure to Comply With CCPA?

Failure to comply could result in your business being fined. If you intentionally avoid CCPA compliance, the fines are more severe.

• $2,500 per record for each unintentional violation.
• $7,500 per record for each intentional violation.

That’s quite a difference, and it’s based on intention or choosing to ignore the law.

And while those amounts may seem low, they are “per record,” meaning they are cumulative. So if you intentionally violate the rights of a thousand California consumers, the fine is $7.5 million dollars.

It remains to be seen how rigorous CCPA enforcement will be. But if it’s anything like GDPR, we can expect it to be wide-reaching. The smallest GDPR fine has been €90 (against a hospital in Hungary). So they are definitely enforcing the law on all levels.

The largest GDPR fine so far? Google was fined for €50,000,000 in France.

What Are the Differences Between CCPA and GDPR?

Many of us spent at least some time learning about GDPR and how it affected our companies. So it’s helpful that many aspects of CCPA cover similar ground. You can use your knowledge of GDPR to understand much of CCPA. But there are some differences to be aware of.

One of the biggest differences is in the scope of the laws. The GDPR requires compliance from public institutions and non-profit organizations, as well as companies and businesses. The CCPA is aimed solely at for-profit businesses that have residency in California, or process personal information of Californian residents.

Some other key differences:

• CCPA allows businesses to process consumer data unless the individual exercises his or her right to opt-out from having their data sold. The GDPR requires that EU data controllers identify the lawful basis for processing data before it’s processed in order to be compliant.
• The CCPA specifies that a consumer covered by the law must be a Californian resident. GDPR does not specify residency or citizenship.
• CCPA excludes certain data from its scope that GDPR includes. The excluded data includes medical or clinical trial information, information sold to or from consumer reporting agencies, personal information that falls under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999), personal information under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (a US federal statute covering personal information gathered by state Departments of Motor Vehicles), and any publicly available personal information.
• The right to be forgotten (called the “Right to deletion”) requires a response time of 45 days under the CCPA. The GDPR response time is 30 days.

Overall, the laws share more points than they differ on.

GDPR Was Not the End of the World, CCPA Won’t Be Either

I say that from a business standpoint, of course. For individuals, the effects of GDPR, and now CCPA, are all beneficial. The laws force companies to be more responsible and responsive when it comes to personal data.

We should all be glad for that.

But in the months before the GDPR went into effect, there was apprehension about it in corporate boardrooms worldwide. Compliance was costly for a large number of companies, and some of the requirements were difficult.

One of the most headline-grabbing protections contained in the GDPR was “the right to be forgotten.” The right allows an individual to request that certain data be deleted so it can’t be traced by a third party.

If that sounds like a difficult right or rule to comply with, it is. An International Association of Privacy Professionals study showed that companies found the most difficult GDPR obligation to fulfill was the right to be forgotten.

But we all adapted to GDPR, and we’ll adapt to CCPA. It just means a bit of work now, but implementing the protections will only make the affected companies stronger. Especially when it comes to safeguarding personal data.

The majority of people familiar with GDPR see it as a positive force. According to a 2019 Cisco Consumer Privacy Survey, only 5% take a negative view of the law. That’s a pretty astounding number.

Expect to See More Data Privacy Laws in the Future

The same Pew Research Center study cited earlier revealed that 63% of Americans understand little or nothing about existing consumer privacy laws. Considering the biggest previous privacy law was for EU residents, maybe that’s not surprising.

But CCPA affects Americans, so it could change that general lack of awareness.

As with most consumer protections, businesses will bear the brunt of the change, while consumers reap the benefits. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, as a business owner, the CCPA may cause some short-term headaches and expense. But if you make your CCPA compliance known, you will gain the trust of your customers.

And consumer trust is one of the most valuable commodities we have.

The post What is CCPA Compliance and How Does it Affect Your Website? appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Penalties for noncompliance include a loss of credibility, huge fines, and everything in between.

The WordPress Privacy settings provide a starter template and an easy interface to set up GDPR compliance. However, setting up and maintaining compliance will require a few more features than what’s offered by WordPress’ core.

In this article, we will discuss what it means for your WordPress blog to be legally compliant, as well as how you can maintain it.

Let’s get started!

What It Means to Be Legally Compliant (And Why Your Blog Needs it)

If your website interacts in any way with user data, you have a legal requirement to have a privacy policy. Specifically, you will, at the very least, need a privacy policy that informs your users of any personal data you collect.

This includes why that data is collected and what will be done with it (including any third parties the data might be shared with).

Example scenarios where you may be said to be interacting with user data include:

• If you collect any personal data such as names, usernames, email address, IP addresses, session activity or payment details such as during signup, login, or checkout.
• If you have a contact form or newsletter, you will usually ask for a minimum of an email address. This is enough to warrant a privacy policy.
• You may be using some third-party widgets or services – such as Google Analytics or AdSense – that collect usage activity or serve targeted ads based on previously collected usage data.

Being legally compliant is an absolutely critical element. This is because a non-compliant blog or website can result in hefty fines, litigation, and loss of credibility for you.

The Most Important Privacy Laws You Should Know About

One important detail to keep in mind is that privacy laws target residents of a particular region, so they may apply to you whether or not you are located in the region.

For this reason, you’ll need to be familiar with laws which have global jurisdiction as well as some national or state laws with greater reach.

CalOPPA and the CCPA are state laws protecting California residents. If there is any chance your users might be residents of California, you’ll want to make sure you have a visible and easily accessible privacy policy that adheres to all its requirements.

The GDPR requires that all companies based in the EU, as well as companies which interact with the data of EU residents – no matter where they are located – implement a privacy policy.

There are other laws too. For example, the EU’s ePrivacy (also known as the Cookie Law) which covers how tracking technologies like cookies can be used.

Many third parties e.g Google will also require you to meet legal requirements by having the correct documents in place. For example, Google Analytics states in their terms that you are required to have a privacy policy in place and potentially cookie-related documents if applicable.

Since Google Analytics uses cookies to track user behaviour and cookies collect personal information such as IP addresses, you’ll need to comply with the ePrivacy and GDPR laws if you have EU users.

How to Make Your WordPress Blog Legally Compliant (In 3 Steps)

Once you’ve understood what it means for your blog to be legally compliant, you’ll want to get to work. Let’s discuss the three steps we recommend, including implementing a privacy policy, disclosing endorsements, and setting up a method for receiving or rescinding consent.

1. Set Out the Main Information for Your Privacy Policy

At a minimum, you should include your business name and contact details within your policy. Also include information on the data you’re collecting – whether directly or indirectly – as well as
details on how you’re using it.

You’ll also want to outline the following key points at a minimum:

• Why you’re collecting information.
• How the site stores data.
• Who you are sharing the data with (third-parties, sub-contractors etc.).
• How users can opt-out of data collection (non-EU )
• The legal basis for processing user data (EU users)

Note that more requirements can potentially apply depending on your circumstances. Once you have these basics in place, you can move onto more complex policy additions.

As mentioned earlier, WordPress offers an interface for setting up some measure of GDPR compliance. To set up a privacy policy page, go to Settings > Privacy from your dashboard.

Here, you can either use the default policy page provided or create a new one. The benefits of this method include:

• It makes it easy to integrate your document into your website in a native and brand-consistent way
• The starter text helps you to consider the categories of data you process and the related disclosures you’ll need to include.
• Automatically adding links to the privacy policy in registration and login pages.

However, while this looks like an easy way to set up legal compliance for your blog – this method on it’s own is not complete. Remember, privacy policies need to be specific to your business, use case, and the type of activities and data associated with it.

Personalizing Disclosures

These personalized disclosures are critical to creating a legally compliant privacy policy. While WordPress’ basic template is a good indicator of some of the things you should think about
when preparing your privacy policy, it is not actually compliant or usable as is, and requires much more work to be suitable.

Here’s an excerpt from the accompanying guide for the Privacy Policy creation process:

…the new [privacy policy] page will include help and suggestions…However, it is your responsibility to use those resources correctly, to provide the information that your Privacy Policy requires, and to keep that information current and accurate.

A quick look at the starter layout makes it clear that many sections are either not applicable in every case, or incomplete. Another important thing to note here is that the GDPR and similar
privacy laws require that policy pages are available from every page of your website – not just login and registration points).

To make a privacy policy that’s actually compliant, you have a few options. You could get a lawyer to draft one up specifically for you. This is, of course, ideal for many businesses. However, the cost may be high and you’re still left to handle the technical implementation on your own.

A similarly effective but easier – and cheaper – way to obtain a lawyer-written privacy policy is by generating one of our customizable, auto-updating privacy policies. These can be easily integrated into your WordPress site via widget or directly embedded and displayed within any page – including the WordPress privacy policy template.

We’ll talk more about this later.

2. Disclose Endorsements

Some regulations, such as those by the US, EU and the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), require endorsements made by bloggers and influencers to not include claims that couldn’t be legally made.

Endorsements should also be non-misleading and fully disclosed. This means users need to be informed when there is a connection between endorser and marketer that they would be interested in knowing, or would change their perception if known.

Some example scenarios include:

• Endorsing a product for which you’re an employee, shareholder, or investor
• If you’re receiving an incentive (financial or otherwise). This applies whether it was a free product/service, direct payment, or you make a percentage from each sale (in the case of affiliate marketing). For example, you may have been given a free night at a hotel in exchange for an endorsement. Or you’ve reviewed a product with an affiliate link that earns money, discounts, or free products. Perhaps you’re getting paid by a brand to post pictures of yourself wearing their clothing

According to ICPEN, it must be clear that you’re being paid to endorse. You must also state whose opinions or experiences are being given. As such, disclosures cannot be generic and will need to be specific to a particular endorsement.

3. Give Users an Easy Way to Give or Take Back Consent

When running a blog, user consent may factor into various things. For example, if you have EU users, consent is required before running cookie scripts like those used for analytics and also for adding users to your mailing list.

While opt-in consent isn’t required for US users (thanks to the CAN-SPAM Act), opt-out is specifically required under the Act. Laws like California’s CCPA requires you to allow users to opt-out of sharing their data (including onsite data).

Inform users what the information is for when they need to give consent. What’s more, the method of obtaining consent should require a clear action, such as clicking an
Agree button or checkbox.

The consent you collect should be specific to the purpose for which it was obtained and must not be coercive.

For example: “I would like to receive weekly offers and deals in my inbox as indicated in the privacy policy (optional)”.

Consent must also be as easy to withdraw as it was to give, and the withdrawal mechanism must be visible, easy to understand, simple, immediately available, and involve no more than a single web page.

Requests for withdrawal must be honoured within 10 days under US law and within 30 days under EU law.

You’ll want to keep clear records of the consent obtained (required under the GDPR). Records should contain the following information:

• The identity of the user giving consent
• When they consented
• What disclosures were made at the time of consent
• Methods used for obtaining consent (e.g. newsletter form, during checkout etc.)
• Whether there is a withdrawal of consent

While implementing all of these measures could be tricky, there are a number of services available to help you.

4. Use Compliance Tools

Writing the privacy policy in a language your typical user can understand is imperative. The best way to do this is by using a privacy policy generator.

To start, enter the name of your website and set a language for your policy. Then, click the Start Generating button.

If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to sign up for a free account. Next, you’ll want to select all services you use on your website. Remember, you want your privacy policy to be as
comprehensive as possible. Using the searchable list in the generator console, you simply need to begin typing and select the services you employ on your website:

The next step is to enter your business and contact info:

Finally, you’ll want to embed the policy on your site. There are three methods – adding a widget to your blog’s footer, using a direct link, or direct embedding the policy on a page:

When it comes to managing consent, you may want to consider iubenda’s Consent Solution, – which provides a way to easily store proof of consent and manage consent and privacy preferences for all users – and Cookie Solution (helps you to comply with the GDPR, CCPA and more).

Conclusion

It could take some effort to make your WordPress blog fully compliant with global privacy laws, but it’s worth it to protect your business, avoid legal liability and protect your users’ privacy. To recap, here are the four steps to start a blog with compliance:

1. Declare the basic policy information.
2. Disclose any endorsements.
3. Give users a way to grant or revoke their consent.
4. Use reliable compliance tools, such as iubenda’s Privacy Policy Generator to help you where needed.

Do you have any questions about making your WordPress blog legally compliant? Share them with us in the comments section below!

The post How to Make Your WordPress Blog Legally Compliant appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

We can all find new ways to be more productive and efficient in our everyday lives. But there are proven ways to make essential business tasks more efficient.

The first step to increasing productivity is identifying problem areas. When we sit down (or approach our standing desk) to work every day, what are some of the common obstacles? What can we do to minimize them?

For most of us, there are only a few things we have to strive for:

• Staying focused on important tasks or projects
• Dealing with interruptions
• Maintaining motivation
• Avoiding procrastination

When we take care of those things, most everything else will fall into place.

Let’s talk about some ways we can address the everyday stumbling blocks to stay on track and be more productive. Here are 27 positive actions that most of us can take today.

No one can implement all of these tips at once, of course. Identify which ones resonate with you and start there.

How to Be More Productive at Work

1. Prioritize Your “Essential Results” Daily

Many of the items in this list revolve around priorities and making decisions about what’s important. But in reality, some tasks must be completed on a given date, or even daily. Consider those tasks “essential results,” of your day’s work and keep a list of them at hand.

Make sure you budget time in your day to complete them.

Some of the other tips here will help you with that time budgeting. But if you hit your essential results every day, much of the stress that surrounds busy people will disappear.

2. Remember Long-Term Priorities

Prioritizing necessary daily results should go hand in hand with keeping long-term priorities simmering on a back-burner. Ask yourself which of your daily, short-term goals contribute to your long-term priorities.

If the answer seems to be ‘none,’ don’t worry. Ask yourself if or how you can leverage some of your short-term tasks to contribute to your long-term goals.

You might find that some of your day-to-day work stands in the way of your long-term goals. If that’s the case, re-evaluate what you’re doing short term and adapt it to fit with your long-term priorities.

Consider rejecting anything that can’t be made to fit.

It’s easy for busy people to lose sight of their long-term goals. If you find that happening to you, don’t panic. Step back and recalibrate to get yourself back on track.

3. Reduce or Consolidate Meetings

Meetings are the number one time thief in many businesses. More than 70% of senior managers across a range of industries classified meetings as “unproductive and inefficient.” A similar number say that meetings prevent them from completing their own work.

So far from making them more productive, meetings make them less productive.

If you find yourself in a lot of meetings, it might be time to bow out of some of them. It’s tempting to want to sit in on every meeting to be informed. But if most meetings are a waste of time, what are you really missing?

Some meetings are necessary, of course. But if you take a look at the content and the participants, you may find that some can be consolidated. If you can’t eliminate or consolidate meetings, try to schedule them back-to-back or in clusters.

That has two benefits. First, it reduces the number of interruptions caused during a given day by meetings. Second, it can effectively shorten some meetings by limiting the time slots.

4. Be More Productive with the Two Minute Rule

Author David Allen popularized this method in his book, Getting Things Done. It’s one of the simplest ideas in this list, yet it’s also the one with the most profound potential impact. Here it is:

If a task presents itself to you that would take less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately.

That’s it.

Like a lot of great ideas, it seems obvious. But if you put it into practice, it can have a wide-reaching impact. An impact beyond making you more productive. I hesitate to call anything life-changing, but if you’re a procrastinator, the two-minute rule can change your life.

Skeptical? Try it for a day. That’s all it will take to convince you of its genius.

5. Track (and Limit) the Time You Spend on Tasks

There’s an idea called the Pareto Principle (AKA, the 80/20 rule). It says that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. If that sounds familiar or you think it applies to you, identify the fruitful 20% of your effort.

Put your finger on what you’re doing right in that 20% to make yourself more productive. Then ask yourself how you can maximize it. Then, think about how you can reduce the other 80% of effort that isn’t contributing to results.

6. Rule Email, Don’t Let It Rule You

We talked about meetings being potential time-wasters. But email may be worse. If you find yourself drowning in email, here are some ideas that can help you get to shore.

• Don’t open your email client more than twice a day. Once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Set a time limit for each session and stick to it. This may be the most challenging change to make. But if you dedicate yourself to being efficient when handling email, you should be able to do it.
• Ask yourself if an email message requires a response from you. When you start approaching email in that way, you might find that most of it does not.
• Look at where your email address appears on the recipient’s list. If you’ve been CC’d, it’s less likely that a response from you is necessary.
• Send any email that doesn’t require a response to a temporary archive folder. Set the archive folder to delete contents over 30 days old.
• Create a permanent archive folder for email that you may have to reference beyond your 30-day archive. Don’t move anything to that folder that requires a response.

7. Improve Your Written Communication

While we’re on the subject of email, you can reduce a large chunk of incoming mail by improving your writing. I don’t mean in a literary sense but in an informational sense.

Take time to re-read what you’ve written. That simple step will save you a lot of unnecessary responses. Does your email say everything you want it to say? Are there any typos? Make sure nothing is open to interpretation or might otherwise create questions.

If you’re asking questions or requesting input, be very specific about what you’re asking for.

8. Eliminate Unnecessary Decisions to Be More Productive

Albert Einstein wore essentially the same clothes every day. And he isn’t alone. Asked why his clothes were all the same, Einstein said it eliminated the decision of what to wear every morning.

That concept can be expanded to many of the decisions we have to make. Ask yourself if a decision is important, and if it isn’t, don’t dwell on it. Either automate it, like Einstein’s suits, or make it quickly without overthinking.

Decisiveness is a time-saver.

9. Let Go of the Myth of Multitasking

A lot of people maintain that we can multitask. They’ll use examples like young people studying while listening to music. But that isn’t multitasking. They aren’t concentrating on the music; it’s just there while they focus on their studies (if their parents are lucky).

The fact is, we are incapable of what is commonly thought of as multitasking. Our brains don’t work that way. When we believe we’re multitasking, we’re actually rapidly switching back and forth between tasks.

If that doesn’t sound like an excellent way to be more productive, that’s because it isn’t.

If you schedule your tasks in a way that incorporates multitasking, stop. At least try to complete tasks without layering them on top of each other. You may find that you can complete your tasks more quickly (and with fewer errors) when you attack them separately.

10. Clear a Path Every Day for Deep Work

Think of it as anti-multitasking.

Most of us have some projects or tasks that require intense focus. When we’re interrupted or distracted from that focus, it can take from 20 to 30 minutes to regain it.

Think about that. It means two interruptions can virtually double the time needed to complete a task requiring an hour of deep concentration. That suggests we need to set aside a block of uninterrupted time for projects or tasks that require deep focus. Aim for at least 90 minutes (more on that number in a minute).

11. Be More Productive by Using Shortcuts

I don’t mean to shortchange your work, but to make repetitive tasks easier and quicker.

I have a checklist that I run through whenever I finish recording and editing a podcast. There are a couple of dozen tasks on the list that have to be done for every episode.

None of the tasks are particularly fun or exciting. But I can work my way through the checklist and complete the tasks in less than an hour. Without the checklist, two things would happen: I’d forget to do something, and completing everything would take twice as long.

The checklist approach can be applied to most repetitive tasks. Checklists, spreadsheets, and formula lists, can all be used to streamline less-than-interesting tasks.

12. Just Say No

In the meetings section, I mentioned that it could be tempting to attend meetings in an effort to be informed. Once you break yourself of that habit (if you can), give yourself permission to decline other time-wasting activities.

Those activities can be meetings, tasks that can be delegated, and random chats that aren’t related to work. It can also mean saying ‘no’ to yourself. Tempted to click over to Instagram “for a minute”? Don’t do it.

Stay focused on the plan for the day, and politely remove yourself from distracting situations and people. It may be one of the most challenging ways for many of us to become more productive, but it’s in our interest to give it a try.

13. Make Note of Distractions to Be More Productive

I realize that “just say no” isn’t always an option. But whenever possible, put off distractions by noting them in a list. Jot down thoughts that creep in, like, “I can’t forget to stop at the grocery store.” Or “I want to dig deeper into that website.”

At the end of the day, check your list. Anything that needs to be done can be scheduled. You might also find the two-minute rule can conquer a lot of distractions.

14. Take a Hard Look at Your To-Do-List

Yes, we’re still sort of lingering in “just say no” territory. But even the most organized and efficient people can find themselves creating unrealistic to-do lists.

Review your lists often, and don’t be afraid to eliminate items that aren’t a good use of your time. Delegate where possible, and eliminate without mercy or remorse.

15. Take a Break to Be More Productive?

Breaks from physical work are expected and encouraged. But often, breaks from the desk or computer work are not. But they should be. Taking a break can increase your productivity.

A break is not an interruption. It’s normal to continue mentally ruminating on a task or problem while taking a break. In fact, you might notice that a lot of problems find their solutions during breaks.

Breaks are also beneficial to your physical and mental well-being. They don’t have to be long to be effective. A trip to the refrigerator or water cooler is a break, even if it only lasts a minute.

Sometimes stopping work is the key to work efficiency and being more productive over the long term.

16. Don’t Wait for Inspiration or Motivation

If you’re a creative type, as many of us are, you can get stuck on a task waiting for inspiration. It’s not procrastination, per se, but it’s a close cousin. In a minute, I’ll talk about breaking large tasks into smaller tasks, but for now, let’s talk about just starting.

The key to getting most things done, especially large or essential tasks, is just starting. I had no idea which direction this particular article was going to take. But I had the title, so I just started typing. Within a few minutes, the structure fell into place.

Once you have the structure, it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks.

Okay, we all know it’s more than just filling in blanks, but you get the idea. The act of beginning frees us from over-planning or lack of motivation. It triggers creative sparks. Action begets more action, so when you’re stuck, just start.

You may throw away the first five minutes of work, but you’ll be making progress.

17. Learn From Mistakes

The best-laid plans can go down the drain quickly. We’ve all been there, and we’ve all felt the sting of something not going according to plan. What separates successful people from others is the ability to learn from mistakes (and hopefully not repeat them).

When faced with failure, we can learn and make better attempts next time.

Think about what your goals were. Analyze the differences between what you expected and what actually happened. Use those differences to make your next attempt more successful.

18. Be More Productive While Working in Batches

Many productive people break their workdays into 90-minute increments. Why 90 minutes? It’s biological—your ultradian rhythm.

The science is solid, but it’s also common sense and logical, building on other concepts we’ve talked about. And as a bonus, four 90-minute blocks fit handily into the typical workday.

You can fit a lot into 90 minutes, and it’s a reasonable amount of time for completing deep work.

19. Break Large Tasks Into Small Tasks

A common problem with large tasks or projects is not knowing where to start—feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the project. Some things don’t lend themselves to the “just start” idea.

The best way to be more productive when faced with those kinds of projects is to break them up into manageable chunks.

It’s similar to an outline that you might use for writing. Think about how a large project can logically be split into smaller tasks. Then map out the steps needed to complete each smaller task.

If you can do that, the result is a large task with a reasonable roadmap. That reasonable roadmap has a psychological effect, turning the mountain into several easily navigated molehills.

20. Organize, Organize, Organize

One of the most damaging things where productivity is concerned is disorganization. As you may have noticed, many of the things we’re talking about here require a certain level of organization.

It’s challenging to adopt tools or make systematic changes when you’re unorganized.

Different jobs or tasks benefit from different kinds of organizations. Some can benefit from calendar or organizational software. Others from the more physical organization.

But generally speaking, some organizational tactics can help many of us.

• Organize your desk. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you’re wasting time.
• Organize your computer. It has a desktop too, right? Finding something specific on the typical computer is much more time-consuming than finding something on a physical desktop.
• Manage your email. Can you boil it down to three folders? Yes, you can!
• Watch the clock. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. None of the time-focused tips here will be useful if you don’t pay attention to time.

21. Use Your Commute to Be More Productive

All commutes are not equal, so not everyone can use their commuting time to be more productive. If you work in Manhattan, odds are you’re not driving yourself to work. If you’re in Los Angeles, it’s more likely that you’re in the driver’s seat.

In this case, it’s probably best to focus all of your attention on driving. For everyone’s sake.

But even if you are driving, you may be able to use your commute time productively. Is there a work-related book you’d like to (or have to) read? See if an audio version is available.

Along the same lines, many podcasts could be beneficial to the work you do. Check them out and absorb them while you drive (or idle on a Los Angeles freeway).

If you commute on mass transit, you have that time to work on projects or organize your day. You probably won’t get any deep focus work done on a bus or train. But, you may be able to check some less intense busy work off your list.

22. Know Yourself and Your Habits

While all of the tips on this list are actionable, they won’t all be of use to everyone. Maybe you know you must spend an hour a day on email. Or that there are specific meetings that are unavoidable.

Don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress by trying to eliminate the things that can’t be eliminated. There are plenty of things you can do to reclaim some of your time and be more productive.

Focus on what you can do now to be more productive.

23. Tackle the Important Stuff First

We all want to start our days by doing the things we think are most important. Checking our phones right away, answering emails out of the gate, and other tasks like this can probably be pushed.

Focus on the most important stuff first. Wait a few hours to tackle your inbox while you use your morning energy on a task that is more important.

24. Stop Even if You Are On a Roll

Yes, you read that last tip correctly. If you get rolling on a task and know exactly what needs to happen next, then that is a good place to stop. You have a clear path going forward, you stay fresh, and you have taken care of plenty of the task already.

You can then sit down and start even more refreshed the next day.

25. Eat Properly to Be More Productive

Not everyone considers how food can influence energy levels throughout the day. And having the bad kind of carbs and calories can leave you feeling lethargic and sluggish after a while.

While some foods are great for keeping you sustained throughout the day, some foods can actually drain your energy. This means you’ll be less likely to continue at a strong pace while at work.

It’s worth the time and effort to plan your meals accordingly to provide a steady level of energy throughout the day.

26. Exercise to Improve Your Mental State

Similarly to eating healthy, exercising on a regular basis can improve your mental health and emotional state. Taking care of your body is one of the best ways to be productive because when you are feeling good, you can get things done.

The good news is that it doesn’t take much time out of your day. Just 30 minutes of exercise can lead to you being more efficient at work. And you don’t even need to go to a gym, walking around your neighborhood is one of the best exercises.

You won’t get any work done if you are distracted, so improve your mental well-being with some simple exercise.

27. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To

One of the best ways to be more productive is to give yourself something to look forward to. This is something many parents do with their children. For instance, if you do your homework, you can eat a snack.

It’s very simple, but when humans have something to look forward to, they tend to figure out how to be more efficient to obtain that reward or do that activity faster. And honestly, rewarding yourself with a snack is still a great choice.

Sometimes, it really is the simplest thing that can make a person productive.

Being More Productive Is Personal

We’re all individuals, each with our own ways of handling our responsibilities. As tip #22 says, know yourself and your habits. I’m sure many of you reading this thought, “Well, that’s a good idea, but I’d do it like this…” That’s perfect.

Often all we need is a nudge or suggestion to get us moving in the right direction toward being more productive.

Even if you can’t implement any of these particular productivity tips, perhaps a few of them sparked ideas. Inspired some thoughts on methods that you can apply. If so, we’ve been successful.

Productivity has positive benefits beyond its impact on our jobs or businesses. Increasing productivity often reduces stress and frees up time. Both of which make our lives better.

And that’s always a goal worth working toward.

The post 27 Best Ways to Be More Productive at Work in 2023 appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Influencer Marketing and Your Brand

Using influencers in social media is a widely accepted method of advertising. Usually, this is because the return-on-investment and recognition is exceptionally high.

In this infographic, Shane Barker, a professional in the field, breaks down the pros and cons of influencer marketing. Before you toss money at your favorite social media platform and personality, you might want to check out the data.

Image Courtesy: shanebarker.com

Using Influencers Can Be of Great Importance, But…

Depending on how your marketing budget is set up, using social media influencers can be a boon or a disaster. However, many brands weigh these options and find the risks are usually worth the rewards.

This is why you’ll see quite a few Instagram or YouTube personalities consistently push brands and merchandise. It’s a working formula and usually helps everyone involved.

But with strong influencer marketing strategies, you can take your business to a whole new level of success.

As long as you are aware of the influencer’s content, the audience he or she engages, and the type of personality you want linked to your brand, you can make an informed decision.

You may just find that one person who propels your business even further. Because, let’s face it, they might be reaching people who don’t even know your brand exists.

That’s the whole point.

Thank you, Shane, for sharing your knowledge with us today. And good luck to those who are interested in using influencer marketing to push their brand.

The post Pros and Cons of Influencer Marketing for Your Brand [Infographic] appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

Today, we will look at the pros and cons of using Zoom.

What is Zoom?

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service. It is intended for businesses to work remotely and offers a wide range of services to accommodate any business’s needs. These include video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars.

It supports both desktop and mobile users.

Zoom has become extremely popular in the world of business with over 20,000 companies choosing to use the service.

A Zoom Meeting is what you can use on a normal subscription and is intended for up to 100 attendees. It also supports larger audiences with Zoom Rooms. These support up to 500 slots for people, but it does require an additional subscription.

The platform also supports social media integration like Zoom Live on Facebook.

Who Is This For?

While Zoom is intended for businesses, the size of the company is important. As you might have noticed, Zoom Meetings and Zoom Rooms support a lot of members, and that isn’t necessary for everyone.

In reality, if you are a fledgling company with only a handful of employees, Zoom will meet all of your needs, but you may not want a subscription just yet.

There is a free version of Zoom that is perfect for very small businesses, but there is a catch. The meetings are limited to 40 minutes. You can host unlimited meetings, which is a workaround for this limit.

However, if this is too constrictive, there are cheaper and outright free ways to communicate with a staff of that size using other platforms.

More than likely, Zoom will better serve a company with over 10 employees that is intending to grow its ranks. This is because once your staff reaches over a certain size, there are no free services to host a full online conference.

Zoom Pros

Zoom has a lot of benefits for businesses. Keep in mind that depending on your plans for using Zoom, some of these may not apply or be relevant to you.

Here are the pros of using Zoom to keep your employees connected:

1. Supports Large Audiences

One of the main advantages is the ability to host very large online conferences. This is ideal for businesses with a lot of employees and not many services can match the sheer number of attendees allowed in a Zoom Room.

This is also great to have when you want to host collaboration events with other businesses or talk with future investors.

However, it isn’t just for employees. If you are using Zoom for Webinars, it can allow up to 10,000 virtual attendees to sign up. This is a very large audience and will be far too much for those just entering the Webinar scene. But the option for growth is definitely there.

2. Stream Your Meetings/Webinar on Facebook

Hosting any type of event is no easy task, and one of the hardest parts is making it easy for attendees to join. However, Zoom has a great way to do this by being able to stream any meeting or webinar on Facebook.

As we all know, Facebook is the most popular social media site on the internet with over 2 billion monthly users. This means that almost everyone will already have a Facebook account set up that is working, and if not, it’s free and easy to do.

This is also a great way to increase your Facebook followers. For example, you can stream a webinar with Zoom on your Facebook Business Page.

3. You Can Use Zoom For Free

While Zoom is a subscription-based service, it does allow you to hold unlimited 40-minute long meetings for no charge. This is great for those looking to trial the service or for new very small businesses that are looking for a free conference service.

This is especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many small businesses were not prepared to transition to an online work setting. This transition is not only hard to make, but expensive. Using the free version can help you save money and keep things simple.

After all, Zoom is very easy to use.

4. Google Calendar Support

More than 1.2 billion people utilize Google Calendar to help them keep track of their daily activities. Zoom is fully compatible with this service, which will help all of your employees keep track of their next online conference.

Organization and scheduling are some of, if not the most important aspects of hosting an online meeting. Unlike in an office setting where you can regularly interact with people and remind everyone about a meeting, an online meeting relies heavily on everyone remembering it.

Thus, making sure your event is compatible with Google Calendar is a great starting point.

5. Scalable for Small, Medium, and Large Business

If you are a new business owner, odds are you are still trying to find employees and have a plan for your business growth. However, what many first-time business owners forget is that they need to make sure they pick a platform that can handle and sustain the growth.

This is known as being “scalable.”

If you do not pick something scalable, you run the risk of spending a lot more money swapping services. This is not only a financial burden to do, but it can take a lot of resources and man-hours to ensure the platform change is seamless.

Zoom is fully scalable and businesses can upgrade their subscriptions to match their needs at a moment’s notice.

6. Easy to Use

Last, but certainly not least, is how easy the platform is to use. This is critical for many businesses making the transition to online conference calls. This will significantly reduce the number of roadblocks and headaches your business will face.

Everything is very intuitive to use for both the person hosting the call and for everyone attending. This is all thanks to the excellent interface the platform developers have put together.

This makes the platform ideal even for the most non-tech savvy entrepreneurs out there.

Zoom Cons

While Zoom has a lot of great features to offer businesses, there are some downsides. And just like how some of the benefits may not be a factor for you to consider, the cons are no different.

It is very likely that some of these may not affect you in any way depending on your usage.

Here are the cons of using Zoom:

1. Too Many Subscriptions and Add-Ons

Zoom is a subscription-based service that is reasonably priced at starter levels. However, one subscription is not enough.

Most services require an additional subscription (or add-on) that has multiple tiers based on the number of attendees you plan for. While many of the starter plans are fairly priced, the larger plans are questionable.

For example, hosting a webinar that can allow up to 10,000 attendees can cost you several thousand dollars a month.

While this is an extreme example since attendance does not tend to be that large for webinars, you can easily make this money back if you are popular enough. However, the high price can make it very difficult for small businesses to even get started in the first place.

The main problem with this is that you may only need a specific service once or twice throughout the year. The subscriptions are not flexible enough for these needs.

2. Lack of Comment Control

A big part of any online event is the ability for people to comment and message each other in a live chat. While zoom has a lot of customization in this department, it does lack one very important feature: the ability to delete inappropriate comments on the fly.

While Zoom does take inappropriate behavior seriously, it often takes too long to actually do anything about it. This can be devastating for public events because there is often a bad apple among the bunch.

However, this might not be a problem if you plan on just using zoom for meetings and not public events. It is very unlikely that an employee will do anything inappropriate since they will be among their employers.

3. Zoombombing

Zoombombing is a new occurrence on the platform that results in unwanted individuals crashing a conference call. Typically, this will result in loud or inappropriate behavior by someone not affiliated with anyone on the call with the intention to disrupt it for fun.

This bad behavior has mainly been a result of COVID-19. As we all know, the virus has forced most business activity and meetings into the online environment. Unfortunately, many of these businesses or institutions do not understand the importance of security and discretion when it comes to passwords to enter a call.

It is important to note that not all “Zoominvaders” happen as a result of exposed passwords. Hackers have found ways to obtain them so in some cases, the invader is not anyone’s fault.

4. HD Video Is Not the Standard

With the rapid growth of 4k video, HD video quality (1080p) has become the standard on most platforms. Unfortunately, Zoom is not one such platform. It normally supports 720p for the current speaker.

While this will not largely impact a meeting, it has been a sour point for many users that have come to expect 1080p as the bare minimum in 2020. And due to the increased platform usage, they have even temporarily suspended their Group HD service.

It is worth mentioning that some services do have access to 1080p video quality, but you will need to pay more for it.

5. You Need to Download An App

While this might not sound that bad, it is actually a really big flaw. Unlike most other conference platforms, Zoom does not work without downloading an app for your browser. This creates a barrier of entry for employees that can cause employers quite a few headaches.

Many businesses will have a lot of problems with their first meetings because employees forget to actually download the app. This can delay or even force the meeting to be rescheduled as a result. Of course, with proper preparation and awareness, this can be avoided.

But, it is worth pointing out this can be avoided if you choose to stream the meeting on Facebook.

6. Inconsistent Cloud File Sizes

You can store all of your meetings in the cloud depending on your plan. Each plan has different limits on the storage capacity of your cloud. But, actual videos can greatly vary in size.

Typically, these recordings will take up around 1 GB of space. However, there are many instances where these videos can be many times bigger than normal. And this can be quite a problem for those with limited space and poor internet connections.

Of course, things like resolution and length will make a huge difference. There are situations where a video is just much larger than it should be, without explanation.

Final Verdict

Overall, Zoom is a terrific platform that offers a lot of features that businesses will find useful. It is one of the best video conference platforms available that suit businesses of any size. However, it is not without its flaws. These are quite minor when compared to the benefits but still something to consider.

As with any service, I always recommend trying it out for yourself. Thanks to the unlimited, 40-minute meetings you can do for free, there is no reason to not give it a try. In fact, you may very well find out that the free version is more than enough at your current staff size.

What has your experience been while using Zoom? Are there any Zoom integration options that you would recommend to others?

The post Pros and Cons of Using Zoom, Keeping Businesses and Events Going appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

What Is Crowdcast?

Crowdcast is a live streaming platform that specializes in Q&A, webinars, educational courses, and business conferences. It is a great platform to host any of these events online. In fact, it’s the reason that WordCamp will be using the platform to host as many events as possible during this isolation period.

One of the main appeals of Crowdcast is the ability to create your event from one URL. Everything can be done from this URL including recording, registration setup, payment acceptance, email notifications, and so much more.

Thanks to this, creating an online event has never been easier. However, the easy set up is just the first advantage creators will find.

The quality of the event is far superior to that of the more well-known live streaming services like Twitch and Mixer. The platform boasts about a no-delay HD stream, which is ideal for any professional event.

This alone will dramatically improve a viewer’s experience since they will be able to seamlessly interact with the speaker.

And as a platform designed for business, you can expect a host of integration options. Using Crowdcast will not disappoint you in this regard. It is compatible with over 500 popular business apps.

This ensures that the majority of businesses will not have an issue integrating their workforce with the platform.

Virtual Vs. Physical Event

Before you can even begin to transition your events online, you need to understand the difference between a virtual event and a physical one.

For starters, in a virtual event, you are all alone. While this may sound obvious, this factor will dramatically change the mindset you need to have. Eye contact, posture, gestures, and many other important face-to-face meeting techniques are no longer intended for one person, they are for video content.

Talking on a stage is very different from a chair in front of a camera.

Many live event hosts will study the audience to see how well they are doing, and if things are not going well, they can change it up. Virtual events do not have this luxury. The only gauge you can use is a live chat, but you can’t very well stop mid-sentence to read the chat.

Thus, for the most part, you have no way of reading the audience until you are finished.

However, the presentation is just one part of an event. Most of the work is done prior. Most notably, the biggest difference is the planning you must do.

Obviously, in a physical event, you need to rent out a physical location, decorations, food, and other things that are only applicable to planning a physical event. Instead, a virtual event is self-contained.

Once you choose a platform to host it on, like Crowdcast, all you need to do is plan your actual event and market it to your intended audience.

Equipment Set-Up

While using Crowdcast can make setting up and hosting an event a cinch, it is not responsible for your actual recording equipment and the environment you do it in. Thus, you are going to need to ensure you have and know how to use the equipment properly.

Keep in mind that what you need largely depends on what type of event you are hosting and your audience.

Let’s take a look at what you will need.

Camera

The first piece of equipment that everyone thinks of when it comes to a live event is the camera they will use to record. The quality of the camera is extremely important. However, it largely depends on what you are using Crowdcast for.

For example, the camera you will need for hosting a conference for your business staff vs a Crowdcast webinar is extremely different.

While you do want to be formal in a staff meeting, employees are not going to buy a high-quality camera that records in 4k. No instead, there going to be using simple cameras like a phone or a built-in webcam on a laptop.

And that is perfectly acceptable, especially with current world conditions in mind.

However, if you are planning on launching a webinar, you better believe you need a full-fledged camera to ensure the event looks great.

Microphone

The second most important piece of equipment (or 1st for some) is the microphone. We do not live in the silent age of film. Sound quality is extremely important for any type of video content today.

In most cases, a built-in microphone on a laptop or phone will not cut it. These microphones pick up a lot of background noise. And trust me, you do not want your microphone to pick up your neighbor’s television or worse.

Instead, you are going to need to actually purchase a real microphone or a high-quality headset.

Keep in mind that if you are picking up background noise, you can adjust the sensitivity of your device. The process is unique for each.

Again it really depends on the type of event and the formality.

Background & Lighting

The last part of what you will need is your background. Many dedicate entire rooms to create the perfect backdrop for video. This can be divided into two main parts: the actual background and the lighting.

And again, the quality that you need depends entirely on what you are doing. I would not expect my boss to set up a green screen behind him for a normal work conference and neither should you.

The background consists of what else the audience will be able to see. Most commonly, large online events will utilize a greenscreen that they can use to virtually create the perfect scenery. However, these are pretty expensive.

Alternatively, you can create a set behind you. This is perfect if you plan to regularly use it for one event and can be much cheaper.

The lighting makes sure visitors can see you and the carefully crafted background perfectly.

Unfortunately, lighting is one of those things many content creators learn about the hard way. A camera requires a certain amount of light to produce a high-quality image. Without the proper lighting, your camera choice and background construction are rendered meaningless.

Stable Internet

Lastly, and probably the most important, is your internet connection. You need to have very stable access online. Otherwise, your event will not be live for long. Crowdcast recommends a minimum of 5 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload.

Although, the faster your internet, the safer it will be.

It is highly recommended that you do not host any virtual event on a wi-fi connection. Instead, you should ensure that your computer is connected directly to your modem. This will make you less susceptible to sharp quality dips that could take your virtual meeting offline early.

If you find yourself in a situation where this kind of internet quality cannot be achieved at home, I strongly recommend contacting your ISP. Online events do not work without the internet.

Pre-record Vs. Livestream

Crowdcast offers creators the ability to not only host live events, but schedule pre-recorded content. However, the key is understanding when to use which type.

For example, a Q&A can take on many forms. This can be pre-recorded where the creator carefully picks out comments or requests fans to submit their own questions and then proceeds to answer them.

Alternatively, you could do a live Q&A, which has commonly been called an “Ask Me Anything,” or AMA. Both approaches completely work, but obviously each one has a few advantages.

If the one asking the question is unclear, or if everyone is unclear, you can try to reword your answer or make it understandable. On the flip side, if you make a mistake live, it’s out there for everyone to see.

In pre-recorded content, you can watch it and scan it for mistakes to ensure you are releasing the content at an acceptable quality level. It helps you deliver the intended message that can sometimes get lost in a live presentation.

Luckily, Crowdcast does not limit you to one approach. You could schedule a pre-recorded presentation of a new product or service your business offers and then hold a live Q&A to make sure your staff understands it.

Finding the right combination between live and pre-recorded content is different for every content creator.

Be Concise

With a physical audience, when a show drags on too long or you hit a boring part, audience members will take a bathroom break or look at their cellphones. However, it’s far worse in a virtual setting.

At any moment, a visitor could open up a new tab on their browser or second monitor and completely tune out your show.

To avoid this, virtual events are recommended to remain short with 90 minutes being the maximum. To achieve this, you need to ensure your show is concise and keeps the audience paying attention.

Another approach is to break up your event into smaller “bite-sized” pieces.

For example, instead of a 90-minute presentation of WordPress, it would make more sense to break it up into smaller videos.  A separate video for what WordPress offers, plugins, themes, page design, and more.

Rehearse Your Event Within Crowdcast And Prepare For Tech Trouble

Unfortunately, many live events do not go well because users do not test everything within the environment. They are also not prepared to handle the myriad of things that can go wrong tech-wise.

And trust me, your audience does not want to watch you resolve a technical issue at all, let alone for a prolonged period of time.

Luckily, you can launch a private show in Crowdcast that you can use as a way to rehearse your content and see how it looks on the visitor’s end.

I strongly recommend rehearsing a few times. This provides you the practice required to ensure your event goes well and you get more opportunities to ensure your set up is working, the internet is stable, and most importantly, the know-how to fix any issues that may arise quickly.

Promote Your Event on Your Website or Create An Event Site

Don’t forget to use your website to properly promote your live event. Mention it in your blog posts, create an events calendar, and put it on your homepage. The point is to make sure a visitor on your website knows about the event, when it is, and how to watch it.

If you do not have a website, you should create an event website immediately. For example, every single WordCamp has a unique website that outlines when the event will be, who is speaking, its location, and much more.

However, unlike WordCamp, which is a very large organization and has the resources to create multiple websites, I’d recommend using just one. Think of your event website as a pamphlet that helps visitors know what to expect and sell them a ticket, or just alert them if it is free.

Many developers will set up landing pages specifically for the event and then share the link on social media. It’s more effective than you might think, especially if you’re hosting an event that your audience wants to see.

Crowdcast Is Perfect for Events

Crowdcast provides all of the necessary tools that any website or business needs to reach a target audience online. You can use it to put together any kind of online event and connect it with over 500 apps that small businesses around the world utilize.

It provides creators with the ability to use both pre-recorded videos and live streams with their audience or staff. This allows you the opportunity to present high-quality video content to your user base and the ability to follow up with live Q&As or any other type of content combo.

The limiting factor is not the platform, but your equipment and imagination.

The post Is Using Crowdcast Ideal to Reach an Audience During Isolation? appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.