16 Sep 2014
HTTPS security is now an SEO ranking signal
Just a few weeks ago Google announced that they are now using HTTPS encryption as a search engine ranking signal. When you visit a website, you can tell if it uses security encryption if the web address begins with https:// rather than http://. The web browser may also show the padlock icon. In an effort to make the Internet more secure, Google is encouraging all websites to switch from HTTP to HTTPS. HTTPS is also often referred to as SSL or TSP. In this short article, we explain more about this change....
Category : Blog
15 Aug 2014
The Declining Profitability of Adwords
Adwords, the search advertising program behind Google’s huge financial success, is now less effective for advertisers, as online markets become saturated with competitors. Particularly in trades and online retail, there are a huge number of businesses competing, raising the cost per click (CPC) on adverts to unprofitable levels. Larger businesses now also seem prepared to pay a very high customer acquisition cost (CAC), by taking into account the life time value (LTV) of the client, rather than the cost of the individual sale. With this approach, many small operators are being forced out of the Adwords market. Given the increasing cost of online advertising, what can be done?...
Category : Blog
15 Jul 2014
Why outsourcing chat support on your website is a bad idea
There are now several online services available to small business to install live chat directly on your website. So when a user visits your website, your staff can directly answer questions online. In principle, this sounds like a great idea, as the user can quickly connect with someone 24/7. In fact, live chat can increase your enquiry rates if done properly. However, in most cases, small businesses are outsourcing chat support to a third-party that has no knowledge of actual business, products or services. In this article, we explain how to use live chat effectively to improve enquiries from your website....
Category : Blog
18 Jun 2014
Release of new domain name extensions
Since January 2014, ICAAN has been in the process of releasing new domain extensions. Over 250 new extensions have already been delegated, with potentially thousands more in the coming years. Prior to the release, we were limited to the common extensions at the end of a web address, like .com, .org and .net. It is important to secure your branding domain extensions, such that competitors are not able to use these domains in the same or other markets from your own....
Category : Blog
12 May 2014
On scaling your professional services or consulting business
Professional service firms focus on building strong business relationships and serving clients, not necessarily on the creation of new products or repeatable services that are easily scaled. The growth of a consultancy is typically linear, being tied to the number of consultants and hours that can be billed per project. In this article, we discuss some of the issues faced by professional service firms, as well as suggest 3 possible solutions for growth: 1-Maximise, 2-Multiply and 3-Metamorphosis....
Category : Blog
09 Apr 2014
Goldilocks pricing to eliminate discounts and maximise profits
Setting your prices to capture maximum value and avoid discounts is critical to business success. One approach is to use multi-level or tiered pricing; for example a typical multi-level pricing system has 3 levels (good, better, best) or (silver, gold, platinum). Also known as Goldilocks pricing, this approach works on the principle that customers tend to avoid extremes and go for the middle option. In this article, we explain how to design a multi-level pricing system using the latest research in behavioural psychology, to help maximise your profits and circumvent tough pricing negotiators....
Category : Blog